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Connect the World
IDF Pressing ahead with Raid on Al-Shifa Hospital; Trump asks Supreme Court for "Absolute Immunity" in Jan 6 Election Interference Case; RSF Forcibly Recruits Men and Children in Sudan Conflict; Inflation Rate Climbed above 67 percent in February; China Launches Relay Satellite Bound for Far Side of the Moon. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired March 20, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: It is 9 am here in New York. I'm Erica Hill. This is "Connect the World". Inside Al Shifa Hospital, the
facility surrounded by Israeli forces for days we have the very latest from the thousands of people trapped there weaponizing hunger in Sudan an
exclusive look at how the threat of starvation is being used to force allegiance as that country civil war rages and an appeals court now
blocking the State of Texas from enforcing a controversial new immigration law just hours after the Supreme Court allowed it to stand.
This hour, America's top diplomat is arriving in the Middle East for the sixth time since the start of the Israel Hamas war. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken is due in Saudi Arabia soon and later in Egypt, where he'll meet with senior leaders to discuss what he calls the quote, right
architecture for lasting regional peace.
Just within the last few hours we've learned Blinken is also expected to visit Israel this week that stop was not initially on his schedule. In
blunt comments yesterday, Blinken all of Gaza is suffering with severe levels of acute food insecurity his comments that come amid dire warnings
of a looming famine in northern Gaza.
And we are seeing some aid make its way into Gaza including this shipment from World Central Kitchen arriving as you see here by boat. U.N. officials
though say it is not nearly enough. There is growing concern and agreement for a temporary truce could be complicated by Israel's rate of Gaza's
largest hospital earlier this week.
CNN's Nada Bashir is live in London at this hour. So Nada, we are going to touch on that hospital raid in just a moment. But first, what more can you
tell us about Antony Blinken's latest Middle East tour?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: But look, there has been mounting pressure coming from the United States focused on those ongoing ceasefire
negotiations. And of course, we have seen back and forth discussions shuttle diplomacy ongoing between Cairo and Qatar both of whom have been
crucial mediators between Hamas and Israel over the last few weeks and months.
Don't know we know of course, that we are also expecting to see a delegation from Israel traveling to the U.S. to meet with U.S. White House
Representatives early next week, according to the White House. But really what has been primary focus for the White House in the Biden Administration
has not only been these ongoing negotiations and discussions around what would sit to be a prolonged truth in fighting looking at around six weeks.
We know of course, that Hamas has put forward a proposal that there have been ongoing discussions around the terms of that proposal, the number of
hostages and the timing of hostages to be released by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but we haven't seen any breakthroughs just yet.
But also there is mounting concern, particularly from the U.S. government over Israel's plans to carry out a ground incursion a ground operation
rather in the southern city of Rafah. We know of course, that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that that military operation has
been approved by Israel's leadership that they believe this is -- in there was a crucial aspect of their fight against Hamas that they are targeting
Hamas battalions in Rafah.
But of course, this is an area where some 1.5 million people are now displaced. The Biden Administration as of other international allies has
raised concern over the protection of civilians there. The White House has said it will be unable to support any sort of ground operation in Rafah
without evidence that Israel is doing all that it can to protect civilians there.
And while the IDF has said it has been directed to prepare for a mass evacuation of civilians from Rafah, the White House has said that it has
not yet seen any sort of credible plan to suggest that that is what is taking place at this current point in time. And of course Blinken in the
Middle East we are expecting to see further talks and negotiations focused on that ceasefire they'll but also crucially on the situation in Rafah.
HILL: There are questions too, about how this raid on the Al Shifa hospital may impact some of those discussions. What more do we know about that raid
and even what's happening today?
BASHIR: Well, the raid is said to be an ongoing. We have been hearing from people inside and around Al Shifa, although it is of course difficult to
maintain communications around Central and Northern Gaza but the situation seems to be growing more desperate.
Now the Israeli Ministry says they are carrying out this raid on Al Shifa targeting what they have described to be senior Hamas militants or in their
words senior Hamas terrorists operating within the Al Shifa Hospital. We've heard from IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari saying that they believe that there
is a Hamas Command Center in the hospital.
Again, little other evidence has been provided to suggest that this is in fact the case. But what we do know is that there are according to the
Palestinian Health Ministry some 3000 people sheltering in and around the hospital including medical staff including patients and yet we have
continued to see airstrikes.
[09:05:00]
We have continued to see shelling around the hospital and of course, we have continued to see those military vehicles Israeli military vehicles
encircling the hospital. And civilians have been told to evacuate and flee. That is proving near impossible for some civilians who have told CNN that
they fear they will be targeted by sniper fire. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (voice over): I only left to find flour to find food this woman screams. Where are they? Her husband, children and other relatives are
nowhere to be found. Their home destroyed in an Israeli airstrike while she was gone. Moments later, her nephew is pulled from the rubble. But he's
barely clinging on to life.
In Central Gaza, as bombs continue to rain down, so do these foreboding leaflets. A warning from the Israeli military for civilians to flee
southwards, directed at those living in the elderly man neighborhood, and the thousands currently sheltering in the nearby Al Shifa Hospital complex.
This was the scene at the beleaguered medical complex on Monday, the alarming sound of artillery fire, echoing through the early hours of the
morning. Nobody has been able to reach those injured or killed at Al Shifa this eye witnesses filming discreetly.
Some 3000 people are believed to have been sheltering in and around hospital when the raid began according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Israeli military vehicles scene here in video filmed by a doctor in the hospital have surrounded the complex for days.
On Tuesday, one civilian trapped inside CNN this audio recording. The hospital is still under bombardment. There has been heavy shelling and my
fire Lamya (ph) says. One man was just looking out of the window on the second floor when he was hit by a sniper he killed.
The Israeli military says it is conducting what it has described as a precise military operation targeting senior Hamas militants operating
within the hospital complex. Israeli Military Spokesman Daniel Hagari accused Hamas on Monday of using the hospital as a command center. It is
the very same claim made by the IDF ahead of its raid on Al Shifa back in November.
On Monday, the IDF released this video showing a safe full of cash, an envelope with Hamas and Islamic Jihad insignia and a series of weapons
presented as evidence to justify its raid on the hospital. But much like the IDF raid in November, little other evidence was provided to prove the
presence of a Hamas command center at the Al Shifa Hospital.
Hamas' military wing meanwhile, has acknowledged that its fighters have been engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli troops in the area surrounding
the hospital, adding that Gaza Civil Police Chief Faiq Al-Mabhouh, who led the coordination of food and aid deliveries to the strip was killed during
the raid.
In a statement the IDF said Wednesday that approximately 90 quote, terrorists were killed, including Al-Mabhouh. The IDF also maintained that
no harm had been inflicted on civilians or medical staff in the hospital. But testimonies from Palestinians inside Al Shifa tell a very different
story.
We were informed by the Israelis that anyone moving within the hospital or around the hospital complex will be targeted by snipers this medical
student says. We can't leave the building to treat those injured outside. Some families are tempted to leave, but they were targeted and killed.
Those who have been able to leave Central Gaza are now forced to make the uncertain journey south with no guarantee of protection or survival.
Stripped to their underwear and barefoot these young boys say they are thankful just to have escaped with their lives.
Recounting their harrowing experience they say they were met with Israeli tanks and forced into an open square where they were interrogated and
ordered to undress. Other men around them they say were killed. Many evacuees have been badly wounded. Limped bloodied bodies are carried by
cart.
[09:10:00]
But there is little care available in the south anymore. And there is no telling whether these men like so many others will survive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And our thanks again to Nada Bashir for that reporting. Israel's Prime Minister is set to address U.S. Senate Republicans at their lunch
later today. A person familiar with the matter says Benjamin Netanyahu will speak via video link after being unable to schedule time for an appearance
in person. Republicans have rallied around Netanyahu after the Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer warned Netanyahu's war policies have been
an obstacle to peace.
And a surprise announcement out of Ireland just a short time ago where Leo Varadkar says he will step down as Prime Minister and will also relinquish
leadership of Ireland's governing party Fine Gael (ph) the move does not necessarily trigger a general election in Ireland. Varadkar says his
reasons for the resignation are both personal and political and professional, he said and says he'll leave as soon as his successor can
take office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEO VARADKAR, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: So I'm resigning as president and leader of Fine Gael effective today and will resign as Taoiseach as soon as
my successor is able to take up that office. I've asked our Party General Secretary and Executive Council to provide for the new leader to be elected
in advance of the -- on Saturday, April 16th, thus allowing a new Taoiseach to be elected when the -- resumes after the Easter break.
I know this will come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some. And I hope at least you will understand my decision. I know that
others will have to like punish, cope with the news just fine. That is the great thing about living in a democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: And we will continue to follow those developments and bring you more as we have it. Meantime here in the United States a contentious Texas
immigration law that raised fears of racial profiling is once again on hold. The eleventh hour statement from federal appeals court came just
hours after the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed that Republican back legislation to take effect.
The appeals court judges are set to hear arguments on the law later today. As written it would allow Texas officials to arrest and detain people they
suspect of entering the country illegally. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in El Paso, Texas for us this hour. So Ed, a lot of things at play here concerns
over racial profiling and offset and also the battle between states and the federal government.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, as contentious as the immigration issue has become here in the United States. It's fitting
that this law has kind of created this legal whiplash that we've seen play out over the last several weeks.
But essentially, what is at the heart of all of this is a Texas law that was signed by the governor in December called Senate Bill 4 SB4. And what
it does is that it gives local law enforcement officers the ability to arrest people they suspect of entering Texas illegally. And it also gives
judges the ability to deport people who've entered Texas illegally to Mexico.
Now critics of the law and those who have brought the lawsuit against the law say that, look, immigration enforcement is the sole responsibility of
the federal government, that if states were allowed to create their own laws on how to handle immigration, it would sow chaos and confusion across
the country, which is essentially what the Biden Administration is arguing right now.
But here Texas officials say they have the right to defend themselves to sovereignty to defend itself from migrant what they just -- they've been
describing for several years now a quote unquote, invasion of migrants and drugs. So that is kind of the backdrop under which we find all of this.
And but for a few hours yesterday, this law was actually in place and we got a real sense of the confusion and what it would look like in reality?
You know, one thing is to talk about what this law says on paper. The other thing is the reality of how it's carried out by law enforcement agencies on
a day to day basis.
And Erica, many law enforcement agencies we were able to speak with yesterday seemed very confused and not quite committed to enforcing this
law because of manpower and jail space issues. So there's a real questions about exactly how this law would be carried out, in practical terms on the
ground.
But for now, once again, the law is on hold more legal challenges and arguments expected to be heard in federal court here in the United States
again today. So again, the legal whiplash could very well continue in the days and weeks ahead on this particular law, Erica?
HILL: Yeah, a whiplash, it certainly is Ed I appreciate it. Thank you. Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court for absolute immunity in his
election interference case. In a new brief, Trump's attorneys argued that if immunity is not recognized, every future president will be forced to
grapple with the prospect of criminal prosecution after leaving office every time he or she makes a politically controversial decision while in
office.
[09:15:00]
The former president said projecting his claim of absolute immunity could make all presidents vulnerable to quote a de facto blackmail and extortion
while in office, going on to warn it would incapacitate every future president. The latest brief is part of Trump's defense against Special
Counsel Jack Smith's elections version charges.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz is live in Washington with more on these developments. So this brief that was filed yesterday, what more do we --
what more does it tell us and bring us up to speed to on the calendar here?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, the calendar is that this brief comes in with Donald Trump's latest boldest argument to the Supreme Court
for absolute immunity around the presidency and for anything Donald Trump was doing at the end of his term in office even if he was allegedly
breaking the law to hold on to power.
They say he should not be able to face any charges or be prosecuted. And they want the Supreme Court to dismiss the case against him in federal
court in Washington D.C. for criminal charges. This brief is the opening salvo in the arguments. We're in that phase now.
What happens next, as the Special Counsel's Office of the Justice Department will file a response brief, they will push back quite strongly
against what Donald Trump is arguing here. Trump will get to respond. And then there will be arguments near the end of April before the Supreme
Court.
In this brief, Trump's team is arguing that there is a bleak scenario for the American republic, if there isn't immunity around the presidency,
they're saying that a president could face blackmail extortion while in office, if they have the threat of prosecution after that there would be
post office trauma for anyone who serves in the presidency.
And it would spell the end of the presidency as we know it. Now, so far, Trump has lost all of these arguments in court. And the courts have said
actually the reason that there are laws is because they encourage people not to break the law and commit crimes, including if you're serving in the
presidency. We're just going to have to wait and see exactly how the Supreme Court responds to this though.
HILL: All right, we're counting down I guess till April as well. Katelyn I appreciate it. Thank you. There are new developments involving the Prince
of Wales at potential privacy breach in the UK. The Daily Mirror" now reporting a hospital employee was caught trying to access Kate Middleton's
private medical records at the London Clinic where the Princess has spent nearly two weeks after abdominal surgery in January.
The UK's Data Watchdog says it is assessing the reported breach of confidentiality. The London Clinic has not yet responded to CNN. Max Foster
joins us now live from London. This just the latest chapter, I guess you're in very serious allegations Max.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, this is really worrying, isn't it? That anyone could get access to any medical records. But
obviously with the frenzy around the Princess at the moment, there's huge value probably to find out exactly what that surgery was for in January.
So "The Daily Mirror" investigating found that a member of staff had tried to access those records when they didn't have permission to see them. It
has been confirmed by the Information Commissioner's Office that looks over. It's the -- it's the watchdog for data privacy in the UK, quite a
powerful body and they say they are investigating or assessing what they call a breach. And we also heard today from the Health Minister, who really
expressed how serious this was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA CAULFIELD, BRITISH HEALTH MINISTRY: There are very strict rules about which patient notes you can access. You're only allowed to access the
patient notes you're caring for, with their permission. And there are really strict rules, the Information Commissioner will take enforcement
action against trusts or primary care practices.
But also as individual practitioners your regulatory body, so for me, it'll be the NMC will take action as well. So it's pretty severe. And it's pretty
serious stuff to be accessing notes that you don't have permission to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: In terms of any further investigation, well -- you know after the Information Commissioner could go to the police, they say they haven't
received a complaint yet. And we haven't heard from the hospital. "The Mirror" says there's an internal investigation you'd expect there would be
but haven't issued any statements at all. And the Palace is referring us to the hospital. So yet again, Erica, we've got a lack of information. You
know what happens there?
HILL: Yeah, I feel like we've been here before Max. And we may be here again, appreciate it. Thank you. You're watching "Connect the World" that
live from New York. Still to come, join us or starve paramilitary forces in Sudan offering that deadly ultimatum to recruits just ahead a CNN an
investigation into how the militia is now using food as a weapon?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
HILL: Aid group war in Sudan is on the brink of famine adding to an already volatile situation. Thousands of people have been killed since civil war
broke out between two rival factions last April forcing some 8 million people from their homes.
The U.N. says 24 million children in Sudan are now at risk of what it calls a generational catastrophe, with more than half of them in dire need of
humanitarian support. This is a new CNN investigation find Sudan's paramilitary rapid support forces have forcibly drafted hundreds of men and
boys into their war against the Sudanese armed forces.
In this exclusive report Nima Elbagir shows how the RSF has now weaponized food amid a looming famine and given civilians a deadly ultimatum.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Propaganda video from the paramilitary rapid support forces the RSF. For much of the last year they
have slashed and burned their way through the country. This video shows them triumphant and entrenched in the very heart of Sudan. Al-Jazeera state
and they are recruiting local men in the hundreds.
But it is impossible to tell who here is a willing soldier and who has been forcibly conscripted. Eye witnesses have told CNN that ours of soldiers are
giving civilians and ultimatum in list or staff. Our investigation shows how almost 700 men and 65 children have been forcibly recruited to swell
RSF ranks. And that's just what we've been able to verify in Jazeera.
Across Sudan reports and images like this one are emerging children in RSF uniform as across Sudan millions forced from their homes by violence now
face famine. CNN spoke to three dozen eyewitnesses, survivors and the families of victims. The RSF they say is weaponizing hunger, denying food
to those who won't join.
Aid group say almost 4 million children in Sudan are already malnourished as the country faces mass starvation. If aid agencies can't get food to
those in need almost a quarter of a million children could die. Jazeera is Sudan's breadbasket. It's Heartland. To control this part of Sudan is to
exert control over who lives and who dies.
The RSF deny they're responsible for the hunger gripping the country, yet they control every aspect of farming this land. They control the warehouses
of food and aid meant to support the most vulnerable. They control the seeds supplies, fertilizer, pesticides, agricultural machinery and
irrigation channels.
[09:25:00]
And not just the infrastructure, farmers are being targeted, brutalized, degraded, and even killed? Not just to control food, but to force
allegiance. Can you hear shots off camera as six of the men are executed, according to survivors who spoke to CNN, those who were spared say, the RSF
threatened to stop their families if they didn't join.
The RSF sit in the heart of Sudan hoarding food. From here they can wait out starve out. Sudan's people and its army fear, uncertainty despair,
cascade as the months of war drags on, and the world looks away.
The RSF did not respond to CNN's requests for comment. We shared our findings with the U.N. Special Rapporteur for contemporary slavery who says
that the evidence we uncovered the evidence you saw there forced enlistment is tantamount to contemporary slavery. Nima Elbagir, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Two senior generals who oversaw the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, slamming the State Department at a House hearing on how that 20
year war ended Retired General Mark Milley, the Former Joint Chiefs Chairman and Former Head of U.S. Central Command Retired General Ken
Mackenzie both blaming the State Department for not ordering the evacuation of non-combatant U.S. citizens sooner.
The Republican Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is calling for accountability on how that withdrawal played out, while also slamming the
Biden Administration over bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members at the time. One general is blaming this on policy decisions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. KENNETH MCKENZIE, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND (RET.): It remains my opinion. But if there is culpability in this attack, it lies in policy decisions
that created the environment of August 2021 in Kabul, if there's fault it lies in a policy decision that placed the joint force in this situation and
expose the force overtime to the possibility of these kinds of attacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Democrats are blasting the hearing as a political show to attack the Biden Administration. Just ahead worrying inflation reports could give the
fed a bit of a headache we're going to preview what Jerome Powell and company could have in store for U.S. interest rates. Plus prices continue
to rise in Turkey as inflation there reaches yet another high CNN's Scott McLean has that report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
HILL: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill in New York. You're watching "Connect to the World". Investors on Wall Street today are closely monitoring the U.S.
Federal Reserve for its latest move on interest rates. The U.S. Central Bank is widely expected to keep those rates steady for a fifth consecutive
meeting.
Market watchers say Fed Chief Jerome Powell may suggest the bank remain in wait and see mode especially on the heels of reports, which show U.S.
inflation ticked higher in February amid rising gas prices a problem for Fed officials looking to declare victory over inflation.
Meantime in Turkey, the annual inflation rate climbed above 67 percent in February that's up from 64 percent in January. Turkey's Finance Minister
says the high inflation is a result of temporary effects. The Turkish Lira has weakened by almost 10 percent this year, leading to an increase in the
price of food as well as hotels and education.
And well inflation is expected to fall to just below 43 percent by the end of 2024. Joining me now with more from Istanbul is CNN's Scott McLean.
Scott, good to see you. Those numbers are tough to digest.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right Erica. It is a pretty weird time to be in Turkey right now much of Europe seems to be getting
inflation under control by raising interest rates to the mid-single digits. Here they've hiked it to 45 percent and it is still rising.
This is Turkey's largest bank note 200 Lira five years ago, this was worth about 36 U.S. Dollars one year ago is more than 10. Today, it is barely $6
and it is likely to get worse before it's expected to get better. You have credit card debt piling up.
People's rents are increasing and those with any savings are trying to find safe places to put it like foreign currency and gold. And here in Istanbul
ground zero of those markets. Well, it's the historic Grand Bazaar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN (voice over): The Ottoman arches and domes of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar are a good reminder that empires rise and fall. When it comes to the
value of the Turkish Lira lately it only falls. In a dimly lit alley of the market exchange traders buy and sell foreign currency and gold for their
shops responding to the slightest of price movements.
MCLEAN: It is hard to figure out what's going on right now.
MCLEAN (voice over): Everybody's shouting. Today, gold and U.S. Dollars are in high demand. The Turkish Lira is not. Right now our money is almost
worthless he says because people haven't seen inflation fall. They don't trust the Turkish Lira anymore.
But this ancient city never lost faith in a currency that's endured through the ages. Gold coins, bars, even tiny one gram chips. People use to buy
real estate or lands as this dealer right now because the interest rates are so high you either put money in the bank or buy gold.
Just outside the gates of the bazaar, it's all about the Benjamin. There is so much demand that exchange offices are paying even more than the market
rate. Because so many people are buying the dollar, we have to buy them at a higher price and we sell them at a higher price he tells me.
MCLEAN: It sounds like you think that the Lira is only going in one direction.
MCLEAN (voice over): Right now that's how it is.
MCLEAN: The Turkish Central Bank has hiked the interest rate now to 45 percent in an effort to tame inflation, but so far, it hasn't. The official
inflation rate is now 67 percent and unofficial estimates suggest it is much higher.
MCLEAN (voice over): In January to help the poorest Turks cope, the government doubled the minimum wage from a year ago just ahead of the
coming local elections. But some economists believe that has only made inflation worse.
KERIM ROTA, ECONOMIST: In order to break that cycle. You have to do something. So we will see after the elections if the government is serious
about fighting inflation or not central bank increase the credit card rates last week is monthly 5 percent monthly 5 percent means 80 percent on an
annualized rate. And if you add up the taxes is around 113 percent.
MCLEAN: Who can afford that?
ROTA: Nobody can afford that.
MCLEAN (voice over): Across the Bosphorus on Istanbul's Asian side people are stocking up on Iftar essentials this Ramadan freshly baked P-day fish
and meat. Prices are crazy this year it's too much this woman says.
[09:35:00]
You can say you're young, you can work, but I do work and I still can't make a living. And I have two jobs this man tells me.
MCLEAN: Do you keep your money in Turkish lira or do you keep it in America?
MELEK ALKEOSLAY, CURRENCY EXCHANGE OFFICER: I can't keep anything. I can't say you.
MCLEAN (voice over): Pre-school teacher Melek Alkeoslay also has credit card debt at sky high interest rates.
MCLEAN: How do you dig yourself out of that hole?
ALKEOSLAY: You see, she's asking for the money for bread.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN (on camera): Now, many ordinary Turks are getting raises to try to compensate for inflation. But you'll be pretty hard pressed to find many
people who say their pay is actually keeping up. Mortgages are pretty well out of the question for most people given the high interest rates and so
the property market at the moment is restricted pretty much to cash buyers only.
If there is a bright spot though Erica, it's that Turkey's benchmark stock index is up 17 percent this year, that's more than double the 8 percent of
the S&P 500 is up in that time. Now some of that can be explained by Turkey's inflation rate and the Lira.
But much of it is also because people are rushing to put their money in stocks figuring that's a safer place than putting it in the bank right now.
Turkey's new central banker is also -- Central Bank Governor excuse me is expected to announce the next move on interest rates. They're expected to
remain at 45 percent tomorrow to try to give the economy time to respond to the previous rate hikes, Erica?
HILL: Wow. It is really something especially we you know, put it in perspective looking at it from through New York lens here. You recently --
only recently moved to Istanbul. How much have you noticed this playing out even just personally as you're out there getting adjusted to life in a new
country and a new city?
MCLEAN: I feel terrible about it every day honestly, Erica because every time I go to pay my rent, it only gets cheaper for me. I'm paid in U.S.
dollars and every month I'm going to those same exchange offices that people are and I'm getting that better exchange rate than anybody else
better than the actual market rate.
And so my rent gets cheaper, everyone else's gets more expensive. And it's not even that appealing to be a landlord anymore because they have rent
controls on it. And so a lot of people are trying to sell their properties but there aren't a lot of buyers out there at the moment.
But yeah, certainly things are getting very expensive for ordinary people and you certainly notice it when you see the prices at the grocery store
going up and up and up. Obviously me as a foreigner I'm largely protected from that because I have U.S. dollars but ordinary people simply are not.
HILL: Yeah, it is so difficult Scott, appreciate it. Thank you. Still to come here, Japanese Superstar making waves with some South Korean baseball
fan. So how did that first game as a Dodger go stick with us?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
HILL: China is making strides in its Lunar Exploration Program. A rocket carrying a relay satellite bound for the far side of the Moon was
successfully launched earlier on Wednesday. That's according to the China National Space Administration. Not only is China the first country to
successfully land on that mysterious far side of the moon, but its next unmanned mission is expected to bring back the first samples ever collected
from the moon's far side.
There is a new frenzy in the stadiums of South Korea and this one has nothing to do with Kpop or even Taylor Swift. It's all because of the start
of the Major League Baseball season and one Shohei Ohtani. The Japanese Megastar is a massive sensation in South Korea. Coy Wire joining me now
with more, massive maybe putting it mildly?
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. And I'm glad you mentioned Taylor Swift because, as you look at some of these scenes, it reminds me of when I was
at the Super Bowl and Travis Kelce's girlfriend Taylor Swift was. There are people just hoarding to see her just as much as they were to see this
incredible game.
This is the first ever regular season game in South Korea, and we will show you the highlights how did Shohei do in his Dodgers blue debut. That and
more coming up, Erica.
HILL: All right looking forward to that Coy. Of course Coy Wire will be back with more "World Sport" after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
END
