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Turkiye Headed for May 28 Presidential Runoff; Wagner Chief Says U.S. Citizen Killed in Bakhmut Fighting; U.S. Man Jailed by China for Spying; Five Guilty of Dresden Robbery; CIA Launches Video to Recruit Russian Spies. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 16, 2023 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNNI HOST (voice-over): Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson, live from Istanbul for you.
As Turkiye gets ready for a historic second round in its presidential election, we'll have more on that in a moment.
Also coming up, Ukraine repels another major Russian missile attack. We're live on the ground for you there.
A deadly cyclone leaves a trail of destruction behind in Myanmar with the latest on the U.S. citizen sentenced to life in prison in China on spying
charges and a German court convicts five men in a multimillion dollar jewelry heist four years ago.
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ANDERSON: Turkiye's president is predicting victory in the country's May 28th runoff election. Recep Tayyip Erdogan certainly appears to be in a
strong position to win another term in office. He will face opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu after falling just short of the 50 percent
threshold needed to win outright.
President Erdogan defying three election polls that showed his opponent with a slight lead and his AK party and its coalition partners also set to
win a majority in Turkiye's parliament.
So what's next?
Jomana Karadsheh is here with me.
You've been across this day in, day out, it feels, for sometime now. Atmospherically, it does feel as though air has come out of the somewhat.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It most certainly has, especially for the opposition, Becky, when they were going into this really galvanized.
They had their voters really enthusiastic, feeling that this was the time that they could bring change to Turkiye. And right now you look at their
performance, they underperformed. They know it, their voters also know it.
You look at President Erdogan, he has come out of this stronger than he went into this race in the first place. So it's going to be a critical 12
days to go until that next vote.
Is either of these candidates going to be able to get the support of those 5 percent who voted for the other candidates?
ANDERSON: I think it's really important to point out that on Sunday we had a presidential and a parliamentary election here. The parliamentary numbers
are in effectively and it shows a majority for Erdogan's AK party and his coalition partners. And that provides a base for him.
KARADSHEH: It does. He's come out of this stronger and he's gotten nearly that 50 percent that he needs of the votes. He's got the parliamentary
majority going into this. And you've got the really weak looking opposition right now. So he most certainly is going into this much stronger now.
ANDERSON: Consequences?
KARADSHEH: If you look at the state of the country right now, speaking to people here in the leadup to the elections, Becky, a lot of Turks were
really hopeful that this is the time for change and they were really hoping that they would get this through the ballot box. But now that they haven't
gotten it.
In the next five years, what happens?
There's a lot of people saying, I can't stay in the country anymore.
ANDERSON: The received (sic) wisdom ahead of this election was that people would be voting on three things really: on the state of the economy, on
the -- not just physical but psychological impact of the earthquake of February the 6th, the two earthquakes, in fact, of February the 6th.
And what many see here as we sort of creeping sense of authoritarianism, the erosion of democratic institutions and democracy and the opposition at
the six party allied coalition in opposition to President Erdogan and their leader, presenting alternative vision for that.
Why didn't that work as well as they wanted it to?
KARADSHEH: Because if you look -- I mean, there are a couple of things to look at here. There were questions about whether Kemal Kilicdaroglu is the
right guy and if this was the time for Kilicdaroglu and for change. I think the opposition will be asking themselves these questions within that
coalition.
They had disagreements on nominating him but they went ahead with that. Then you also got President Erdogan's support base. Speaking to people,
they were saying that they still believe in his strong leadership, they still believe that he has put this country on its path to becoming a great
power.
And yes, there are economic issues; everybody is struggling and they're hoping to see some changes when it comes to economic policy but they did
not want a change of leadership.
ANDERSON: Let's talk about foreign policy. President Erdogan over the last 20 years -- and this has been a more than 20-year rule -- has been very
noisy on the foreign stage as it were.
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ANDERSON: He's come to blows with the U.S. president -- I mean that metaphorically -- but the relationship with Washington has ebbed and
flowed, let's call it that. But he has rehabilitated himself and Turkiye's position within the region.
He has a decent relationship with Russia, not such a good relationship with Europe but he is a very significant NATO member. Certainly in the region,
it is better the character you know than the character that you don't.
What does an Erdogan new era mean on the foreign policy stage?
KARADSHEH: I think we're not going to see much of a change. This was also going to be the case if the opposition had come into power. Turkiye's
positions would be pretty much the same when it comes to its relationship, whether with NATO or the U.S.
The E.U., yes; Kemal Kilicdaroglu said that he wants better ties with the E.U. and the West but it is more about personalities. Turkiye's position is
not really going to change; it is about President Erdogan's unpredictable personality that made his a very difficult ally to deal with.
I think we are going to be seeing much of the same. I think you're going to see President Erdogan really build on the success if he does emerge as a
victor from the next round.
He is going to be more empowered by this, that this assert of foreign policy that he has pursued over the past few years has positioned him and
his country in a place where he is indispensable to the West and the United States.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, 12 days to go until what will be a historic second round in the presidential elections here in Turkiye. Thank you.
You can follow developments heading into this runoff election on our website. That is cnn.com and that has a story up now on the supporters of
the two main candidates and why Erdogan supporters say they are willing to overlook criticism of the president's economic policies and respond -- and
the response to that devastating earthquake.
The maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest time possible, that is how Ukraine describes a fresh Russian barrage on Kyiv overnight.
However, according to Ukraine, the strikes did not take their marks.
Officials say they intercepted all 18 missiles, including several hypersonic missiles as well as several drones. For, more let's go to CNN's
Nic Robertson in Eastern Ukraine. Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Becky, what we understand from Ukrainian officials is that this salvo of missiles that
came, came from the north, they came from the, east they came from the south, they were launched by air, from the land, on sea as well.
These six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Ukraine said it was intercepting, it appears as best we know at the moment, targeted toward the
capital, Kyiv, and the nine cruise missiles that were fired from the Black Sea also coming in on the capital.
And it was three-S-400 Iskander land-based huge missiles that were fired it seems from Russian territory. What we understand from Ukrainian officials
is that, over recent weeks, as Russia is sort of again trying to increase its salvos of missiles on Kyiv, they have been trying to find a way to
punch through that now sophisticated air defense system over the capital.
Part of that defense, the U.S. made and donated Patriot missile system, which the Russians today are claiming to have hit, Ukrainians are not
giving any information about that. There is no evidence to support what Russia was saying.
But at the moment this appears to be Russian propaganda. It is very clear it appears over the past few weeks that the increase in air defenses that
Ukraine has been given are providing good cover over the capital.
Areas like this at the front line, where there are a lot of troops in battle, Bakhmut, around those sorts of places, that air defense system, for
many reasons, not as effective. And the fight here is still a very, very tough, grinding battle, Becky.
ANDERSON: What do we know about an American killed near Bakhmut, Nic?
ROBERTSON: Yes, this is hard to fathom at the moment, because Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary boss, who's got troops fighting in Bakhmut,
is claiming that he has the body of American citizen, who he claims was fighting for Ukrainian forces.
There is no verification of this; he has a track record more of propaganda than fact based announcements. He is saying, however, that this body of the
American citizen will be given back to the Americans, he says, in a coffin with the U.S. flag draped over his body as a mark of respect.
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ROBERTSON: Because Prigozhin -- and this is the way that his mind works, I suppose -- says that this man didn't in his bed, "in his grandfather's
bed," is actually Prigozhin's words. He died doing something more worthy, fighting in battle.
But at the moment, it is only Prigozhin's words and it isn't substantiated fact. But we do know there have been other Americans killed in the battle
here. And this area around Bakhmut, as I was saying, is one of the intensest (sic) areas of fighting. And there are heavy casualties on both
sides.
ANDERSON: Nic is on the ground for. You Nic Robertson thank. You
Aid groups and rescue workers are reporting a tragic scene in Myanmar. Cyclone Mocha tore through what is the impoverished Rakhine state on
Sunday, ripping through homes and buildings and quite literally washing people away.
The AFP news agency reports at least 60 dead and dozens more missing. CNN's Vedika Sud tracking the story for us.
What are authorities or agencies saying about the scene on the ground?
It does appear to have been devastating.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And grim, Becky; definitely both. Rescue groups are now bracing for large-scale loss of lives. To Rohingya
communities that have settled in and around Sittwe, the city there, which is on the western side of Myanmar and belongs to the state out there, which
is already hit by political violence over decades now.
What we do know is that from these satellite images that were just about a foot up is the widespread devastation, destruction and loss of property
that has taken place ever since Cyclone Mocha hit the western coast of Myanmar on Sunday.
Now it has been over 48 hours since that happened. And now news is trickling in on the loss of lives. We know 41 people are dead but the
concern here is that this is just perhaps the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of casualties and figures coming in because there is a
problem with communications.
Phone lines aren't stable and even the roads leading to Sittwe and neighboring areas are blocked due to infrastructure damage. We also do know
at this point is that hundreds of thousands of people from the Rohingya community that reside in Sittwe and that, those are the camps that have
been massively hit by the cyclone.
According to a resident and an eyewitness in the area, a particular Rohingya camp was almost wiped out. He said 90 percent of the property
there has been damaged. We also spoke to eyewitnesses and residents in the area, here's what one of them had to say.
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AUNG ZAW HEIN, CYCLONE SURVIVOR: We have been refugees for almost 11 years now, since the violence of 2012. And this storm makes us refugee again by
destroying the shelters.
For this reason, we are not able to access health care and not able to take a rest. We do not have a place (INAUDIBLE) these are the things you are
seeing now. So we don't have a place to take a rest. And we are not able to support our family members, which basically is like food.
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SUD: Hundreds of thousands of people in the Rohingya community, the persecuted community, actually reside near Sittwe and are confined there by
authorities, Becky. The worry is when will we get to know the real figures of the loss of property and lives?
It might just take days or weeks perhaps. We are hoping that people get the aid they need from agencies and that those blocked roads are cleared sooner
rather than later. Just to remind you, the last time there was a cyclone of similar strength, it was back in 2010.
It was Cyclone Giri that killed about 150 people and damaged about 15,000 homes, according to the U.N. We are just hoping that the figures are
nowhere close to what the figures were in 2010, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes. Extremely difficult. Vedika, thank you.
We are learning more about the American citizen who was sentenced to life in prison by a Chinese court on Monday. The 78 year old, who was convicted
on espionage charges, is apparently a long time leader of several pro Beijing groups in the United States. CNN senior international correspondent
Ivan Watson joins me now to explain further.
What can you tell us?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We only had a few details that came from a court in a city in eastern China, convicting this
man, a U.S. citizen and also a permanent resident of Hong Kong, to life in prison for espionage.
We only really knew his passport number and that he was also a Hong Kong permanent resident.
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WATSON: The State Department and the U.S. embassy in Beijing had not publicized his case and neither had the Chinese government for that matter.
We have since tracked down that he is in fact one of the directors of the Texas Council for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification.
We, spoke to one of the listed tech directors in a Texas business registry there, who has confirmed that Leung is in fact his friend, that he is an
outspoken pro Chinese activist in -- known well throughout the south of the U.S.
He has in fact been photographed with a number of Chinese ambassadors to the U.S. going back some 20 years. He was active in organizing events and
participated in events at the Chinese consulate in Houston, which was shut down in 2020 after U.S. officials accused the Chinese government of
espionage activities from that installation there.
He had as far back as 1985 helped set up a friendship association between Oklahoma City and the Chinese city of Guangzhou. He was also active in the
city where he was detained more than two years ago without any public knowledge of that detention for working with organizations there.
He had been outspoken, calling for reunification of China with the self governing democratic island of Taiwan. So a very pro Beijing voice. Again,
not an individual that had been -- whose case had been mentioned publicly by the U.S. government.
We asked the State Department about this and they said that he has not been designated as wrongfully detained yet.
We do know that, as recently as last week, that the U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, raised the issue of at least three other Americans
designated as wrongfully detained by China in talks with his counterpart in Vienna.
So it's a very interesting case and it raises a lot of questions about why somebody who was outspoken and pro Beijing and working to bridge the divide
between the U.S. and China is now going to spend his life behind bars in China after being convicted of espionage.
ANDERSON: Ivan Watson on the story for you. Ivan, thank you.
Well, fighting between Sudan's warring factions has ended its second month. The Sudanese armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces both making
unverified claims of battlefield victories. Civilians remain caught in their crossfire.
This video from the RSF, the death toll now tops 800 with thousands more injured. Fighting has gone on despite repeated cease-fire declarations and
truce talks in Saudi Arabia.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Today, out of Istanbul, we continue to follow the Turkish elections here.
Also coming, up a sharp response from Israel's ambassador to the United Nations over an event commemorating the mass displacement of Palestinians.
And a jewelry heist at a tourist crime family and a city famous for its grandeur. Convictions announced today for some very brazen thieves. But
Dresden is still looking for some of its treasures. More on that, after this.
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ANDERSON: You joins us in Istanbul in Turkiye with the -- we got the shot I wanted to show, you a shot of fishing there on the Bosphorus. We'll bring
that to you a little bit later. There you go. Beautiful day in Istanbul in Turkiye.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations is condemning the U.N.'s commemoration of Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were
forced to flee their homes during the founding of Israel in 1948.
Thousands of Palestinians marched in the West Bank on Monday, calling for recognition of their right to return. This, year for the first time the
U.N. officially marked the day at its headquarters in New York.
The Nakba anniversary just comes days after last week's deadly fighting between Israel and Islamic Jihad. One of those killed in the violence just
hours before a cease-fire was declared was a Palestinian man from Gaza who happened to be working in Israel. Now his family is in mourning. CNN's Ben
Wedeman brings us their story.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another father in Gaza has lost his son. As always happens here when calm returns,
mourners come to pay respects for those who were killed.
But 34-year-old Abdullah Hasnain (ph) wasn't killed in an Israeli airstrike. Rather, shrapnel from a missile fired by Islamic Jihad from his
native Gaza into Israel ripped through his chest and abdomen.
Abdullah (ph) was one of around 18,000 Gazans to receive a permit to work in Israel.
His father, Jibril (ph), also working in Israel, rushed to the hospital. It was too late. Human kindness triumphed over the passions of war.
"I found it made no difference to the doctors if we were Arabs or Jews," recalls Jibril (ph). "I asked them to help me to get procedures to take my
son home and bury him and they did."
Abdullah (ph) leaves behind a wife, four daughters and two sons.
"His children, his family, a whole family of seven people, is now destitute," a relative of Muhammad (ph) tells me.
These Bedouin are pious people. They prefer not to place blame. Abdullah's death, they say, was God's will.
A spokesman for Islamic Jihad denied any responsibility.
A short drive away, residents survey the ruins of a large house bombed by Israeli aircraft. Inspectors from the Ministry of Public Works gather
information on the destruction.
WEDEMAN: The neighbors say it wasn't a secret. This building belonged to somebody who was in Islamic Jihad's missile unit. The building was
destroyed on Friday evening.
In the process however, all the homes in this area were severely damaged.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The blast shattered windows and toppled walls. The neighbors had nothing to do with missiles and don't know when or if help
will arrive.
Shantih's (ph) home is in shambles. He shows me all the help he's received so far with a bag of food and a few .
"My house is destroyed," he shouts, "a kilo of sugar and a kilo of flour. I'm going crazy. Can I fix my house with that?"
It's all madness and they never get used to it -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Dresden, a name to conjure, with and today five men found themselves facing several years in prison after being convicted of a
robbery from the German city's historic Green Vault. It was a heist that captured the world's attention.
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ANDERSON: In just a few short minutes, back in November 2019, some of the world's most culturally important jewels vanished. Some were recovered but
not all of them. We're going to head to Germany now and bring in CNN's Fred Pleitgen.
This has been described as one of the most spectacular, most audacious heists in Germany's modern history. Remind us exactly what happened on that
November day back in 2019.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was actually quite brutal, brazen and violent as well. You're absolutely right.
The Germans are already calling it the biggest heist in their modern history. Exactly as you say, Becky.
Essentially what happened, was the perpetrators, who are now obviously convicted in that court in Dresden, they laid a fire to the power system
close to that museum, leading to a power outage inside, disabling some of the alarms. There
Apparently they had already rigged the building before to make it easier to get in. Then we saw that CCTV video of one of the perpetrators destroying
that glass case and stealing some of those culturally so important jewels.
Just the numbers in all of this are so staggering and I think that that is one of the reasons why it is causing so much international uproar. They
stole 21 pieces but those were studded with more than 4,300 diamonds. Just the value of that is absolutely something that most people can't even
imagine.
The insurance value, Becky, is apparently between $120 million and $130 million but, of course, the cultural significance of these pieces, it is
absolutely priceless to so many people and certainly priceless to the museum.
That's why today in court was such an important day. We saw some of those people getting the guilty verdict, the sentences ranging anywhere from a
little over four years, four years and four months, to a little bit over six years.
To many observers here in Germany, that didn't seem like very much, considering also the fact that there was a plea agreement between the
prosecution and the defense where the defendants actually helped the authorities locate some of the loot.
However -- and this is the most significant part, Becky -- a lot of the pieces are still missing. It's unclear where they are and certainly the
defendants have not said where these pieces are. Those are really the ones that are of the biggest importance and certainly also of the biggest value.
One of the things that we heard as the court ended today is that three of the defendants actually walked free. They are going to go to jail at some
point but, for now, they are going home and will be able to go to prison later.
So right now here in Germany, a lot of people are saying they believe that the verdict and the sentence certainly is a lot more lenient than a lot of
people would've hoped for. But I think the big issue is also that a lot of the things are still missing and they are very, very important.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Absolutely. Fred on the story for you, thank you.
Still to come, an emotional pitch to Russians from the CIA to become spies for the United States. We'll show you how they are recruiting with this new
video. More on that is coming up.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from Istanbul in Turkiye. I'm Becky Anderson for you. The headlines
this hour.
Ukraine says it shot down all 18 Russian missiles and several drones fired at Kyiv overnight. It says three people were injured and damage is might
(ph). Russia says it hit all its targets, including U.S. made Patriot systems.
We are getting reports of a humanitarian disaster in Myanmar. Agence France-Presse says at least 60 people are dead and dozens more are missing
after Cyclone Mocha ripped through the impoverished state of Rahkine, which has many refugee camps for Rohingya Muslims. Those camps had few buildings
that could withstand a storm like this.
Turkiye's presidential candidates are vying for support ahead of the May 28th runoff election. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears to be in a
good position to defeat his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, after falling just short of the 50 percent threshold needed to win in Sunday's initial
voting.
ANDERSON: The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency or CIA, has released a slick new video on social media to recruit Russians spies. The agency says
the war in Ukraine has created unprecedented opportunity to collect valuable information from Russians disillusioned by the conflict and by
their life in their country.
The video includes instructions on how to get in touch with the CIA anonymously. An official tells CNN the video is not meant to fuel unrest
within Russia. CNN's Alex Marquardt is in Washington.
That's an interesting caveat from Washington.
Tell us, what more do we know about this recruitment drive, Alex?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and that caveat came when I asked a CNN official why there was no mention of Putin
or of Ukraine in this video.
They said that they are specifically trying to target individuals, tens of thousands of individuals, they believe, who could have valuable
information. But Becky, the officials I spoke with made clear that they believe this is a rare, even historic moment to reach out to disaffected
Russians and try to recruit them as spies.
They are seizing on this moment, they are ramping up their efforts by putting out this video and they're trying to say to these Russians, we
understand what you're going through. You may have very valuable information to share.
And they are even, in this video, quoting Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky to try to get Russians to reach out to the CIA. Take a look.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): Is this the life I dreamed of?
The path I chose?
MARQUARDT (voice- over): Questions being asked in Russian in a new dramatic video by the CIA just released to try to recruit more Russian
spies by appealing to Russians patriotism, frustrations and the oppression they face under the Putin regime.
CIA officials told CNN in an exclusive interview that the war in Ukraine has created an unprecedented opportunity that they want to capitalize on
recruit new Russian assets.
WILLIAM BURNS, DIRECTOR, CIA: Disaffection with the war will continue to gnaw away at the Russian leadership beneath a steady diet of state
propaganda and practiced repression.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): In the past year of the war, the CIA has been encouraging Russians with valuable information to contact them quietly,
securely and anonymously through a portal on the dark web.
DAVID MARLOWE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS, CIA: We're looking around the world for Russians who were is disgusted with that as we are because
we're open for business.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): Instructions have been posted on the CIA's social media accounts. And this new video after making an emotional pitch to
Russian viewers details how to do that using the dark web browser called Tor. You're not powerless, it says, contact us in a safe way.
The CIA recruitment video was first posted Monday evening on Telegram, the social media app that is highly popular among Russians who can't easily
access unfiltered news or other social media sites.
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JAMES OLSON, FORMER CHIEF OF COUNTERINTELLIGENCE, CIA: I call that hanging out the shingle and spreading the word far and wide that US and
counterintelligence is open for business and we have deep pockets. And you want to strike about back against this man you hate, Vladimir Putin. You
have an opportunity now to do it safely.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): CIA officials told CNN they hope the video will resonate beyond intelligence and security officials with people who may not
realize that they have sensitive information to share working, for example, in cyber, tech, finance and other fields.
They may think contacting the CIA is too difficult or too dangerous. The CIA telling CNN they want to demystify that.
OLSON: We need people through the Russian economy to cooperate with us. We need to know what's going on in this adversary country.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): There is no direct mention of Putin or Ukraine, nor CIA officials insist is it meant to fuel unrest in Russia. Rather, they
tell CNN, these are timeless themes that they hope will drive Russians into the arms of the CIA.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): This will always be my Russia. I will endure. My family will endure. We will live with dignity, thanks to my
actions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT: So I asked the CIA what success they've had in these efforts. They over the course of the past year, they've had success but wouldn't go
into detail, say how many numbers or people they've recruited or what jobs they were in.
But they say they would not have put out this video if they were not having success at recruiting Russian spies.
In the words of one CIA official, "Contact is coming in."
This is, of course, efforts to recruit Russians outside of the United States. The FBI is trying to do the same thing here in the United States,
specifically targeting Russians or people going and coming from the Russian embassy here in Washington, targeting them with specific ads.
The Russian embassy here in D.C. did respond to that effort, saying it was ridiculous. Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Alex.
Alex is in Washington for you.
We are in Istanbul tonight. Up next, Barcelona celebrates not one but two championships. "WORLD SPORT" is up next.
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ANDERSON: It is just after or just before 20 to 6:00 in the evening. This is Istanbul. What a gorgeous afternoon it is here. American businesswoman
and lifestyle expert Martha Stewart has another title, "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model.
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ANDERSON: At 81, she is the oldest such model in the magazine's history. She surpassed May Musk, who posed for the magazine last year at the age of
74. The photo shoot took place in the Dominican Republic. On Monday Stewart discussed what she did to get ready for it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Martha, what do you think?
MARTHA STEWART, SWIMSUIT MODEL: I like that picture.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
STEWART: To be on the cover in my age was a challenge. And I think I met the challenge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In what way?
STEWART: Well, I didn't starve myself but I didn't eat any bread or pasta for a couple of months. I went to Pilates every other day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Martha Stewart, good for her. Her career actually began as a model when she was a teenager in the 1950s. The print issue of the magazine
comes out on Thursday.
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END
