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Isa Soares Tonight
Street Battles Leave Sudan Ceasefire in Doubt; U.S. to Train Ukrainians on Abrams M1 Tanks; America Reels After String Of High-Profile Shootings; North Carolina Shooting Suspect Turns Himself In. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired April 21, 2023 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN HOST: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan. We'll look at what hope it
has of actually holding as the death toll tops 400. Then effective, but no silver bullet. What the U.S. Secretary of Defense is saying about dozens of
Abram tanks making their way to Ukraine.
And on the eve of Earth Day, CNN is looking at potential solutions for the climate crisis, our Bill Weir has that story for you. But first, we begin
with growing fears of an all-out civil war in Sudan despite new pledges for a ceasefire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: As you heard there, gunfire ripping across Khartoum today as fierce street battles were reported across the capital. Army sources
telling CNN, they have launched a ground offensive, deploying on foot for the first time since their week-long battle against a powerful paramilitary
force. Many families meanwhile are trapped inside their homes without enough food and water, the fighting clearly far too dangerous for them to
risk going outside.
Meantime, the World Health Organization says at least 413 people have been killed so far, and thousands more wounded. But now, both the army and the
Rapid Support Forces militia have agreed to a truce during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, ending of course, the month of Ramadan. I'm joined now by Nima
Elbagir for the very latest, she's being covering the story from day one.
And Nima, in addition to the ceasefire, and I'm sure you'll tell me whether from your sources, you believe it's holding or not. I mean, I'm keen to get
your thoughts on the number of refugees that have been fleeing Sudan. What's the latest?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the ceasefire clearly, if it holds, comes at a difficult time when the army
says that it has launched the first day of its second phase, the ground offensive phase. So many in Khartoum woke up to even more intensified
fighting, and many outside the capital from Darfur, for instance, have fled to places of safety.
Tens of thousands of people, 20,000 at least, have fled from Darfur, we understand into neighboring Chad. And some reports are reaching us that
those attempting to similarly flee the capital are being obstructed by armed groups. This all comes as many countries are impatiently trying to
find a window to evacuate their nationals. Spain has been the latest evac - - to announce that they are preparing to evacuate, but that the conditions on the ground are not conducive.
That comes after the U.S. made similar statements. They're going to be looking really closely, Isa, at what happens over the next 72 hours. I
mean, you know, we're going to wait and see. But three ceasefires have not held so far. People are so desperate. They are so wanting this ceasefire to
work and to hold, especially as it comes over the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and people already are in such desperate need. Isa.
SOARES: Nima Elbagir, thanks very much, Nima, I appreciate it. I want to go live now to Khartoum to get a firsthand account of really what's
happening on the ground. We are joined by political activist Kholood Khair. Kholood, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us here on the
show. Just give us -- I'm not sure if you heard Nima there, Nima Elbagir, I just want you to give us a sense of what is happening in Khartoum this
hour.
KHOLOOD KHAIR, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: Well, it's the same thing that we've been seeing for the past seven days, soundtrack of shelling, of gunfire,
sometimes close, sometimes far, just keeping people trapped indoors, and there's -- as Nima said, the situation is getting a lot more desperate.
People have been indoors for almost seven days without the ability to go outside and, you know, get groceries.
Some people have been without electricity for almost the entirety of that time, and certainly, also without water. Health, the health services are
completely broken down, and people who have been injured and killed are often not counted in the statistics by the W.H.O. because they find it
difficult to get to a place where they can be counted. So we estimate that the casualties and fatalities are actually much higher.
SOARES: So just to clarify here, Kholood, that you are still hearing that the guns haven't been silenced. People are still hunkering down.
[14:05:00]
And in terms, no food, electricity as well. What are people doing? Of course, this is -- as Nima said, this is Eid, a time of festivity, time to
be celebrating the end of Ramadan. What are people doing?
KHAIR: Well, first thing, I want to set the record straight, you know, there was meant to be a 72-hour ceasefire for their Eid Fitr period which
started this morning. There hasn't been a ceasefire. Unequivocally, we have heard that sounds of the ceasefire being ripped apart at every stage from
as early as this morning to as recently as a few minutes ago.
And people are becoming very desperate. You know, do they stay? Do they go? Each one of those choices, it's not really much of a choice, but it carries
considerable risk. And so, we've heard of a lot of refugees being created out of Khartoum, something that a week ago would have been completely out
of, you know, the realms of normality.
And now, they're all trying to find ways to safety. But even those ways to safety, particularly the road leading south of Khartoum into Gezira State
has now been compromised by clashes.
SOARES: So when you -- given that you've said that, you know, people clearly in a very desperate situation, the situation on the ground is
volatile. Clearly, both parties not agreeing, not sticking to their words. There is a lack of trust there given this is the third time they've
promised, and they have failed to meet the ceasefire.
What are the conversations, Kholood, that are being had amongst Sudanese? I mean, are they thinking about fleeing? Are they thinking about going
elsewhere? What routes are people taking? How long are they hunkering down for. Just talk us through the conversations that you've been having.
KHAIR: The conversations often, you know, are very difficult to have. There are some gut-wrenching decisions that have to be made. Who will stay
with elderly relatives? Who will go to try and ensure that, at least, some people make it to safe haven. Where will that safe haven even be? Do people
have enough, you know, money to take them there?
Can people leave behind everything they know? You know, Sudan is no stranger to conflict, but Khartoum has always been relative safe haven. It
has taken in internally displaced people from all of Sudan's conflict areas as well as neighboring countries, conflict areas, and all of those people
will now be on the move. That is a huge humanitarian situation on top of the difficulties of remaining.
The choice to go also precipitates a very difficult refugee situation in the region, and you know, the challenges that at some point, you know,
neighboring countries may close borders --
SOARES: Yes --
KHAIR: And people may end up being stuck.
SOARES: Very good point. Final question if I may Kholood, I wonder how you see this playing out, both sides, both men, clearly, not preparing to give
in. It is a major power struggle. How do you see this playing out in your view? Because obviously, internationally, they're trying to reach some sort
of consensus, some sort of pressure, they're not paying attention. They don't seem to be wanting to sit down even. How do you see in your view this
playing out?
KHAIR: Well, the reason the generals don't want to sit at any mediation or even listen to pleas for a ceasefire is because it's precisely that.
Because so far, there have only been pleas, nothing has been put on the table. No leverage. No sort of accountability for breaking the ceasefire.
And so, with no one to monitor a ceasefire with no one to enforce a ceasefire, quite clearly, these generals will find it very easy to break
it. And for them, this is an existential fight. Both --
SOARES: Yes --
KHAIR: Generals don't see a future where the other one survives. And so when you think about scenarios, you know, you have one scenario where
General Burhan sort of has dominance, a scenario where General Hemetti has dominance and a scenario of a stalemate. None of those are actually, you
know, a good -- none of those make for a good scenario, because there are so many people involved on all sides of this conflict that will, I'm sure,
keep the conflict running, even if there was to be a military victory for one of the generals.
SOARES: Indeed, in the meantime, it's the people on the ground that are facing the hardest -- the fight, really, in many ways. Kholood, and really
appreciate you --
KHAIR: Absolutely --
SOARES: Taking the time to speak to us. Do stay safe, Kholood, thank you.
KHAIR: Thank you --
SOARES: Now, U.S. officials say they are sending 31 Abrams M1 tanks to Germany in mid-May to train Ukrainian forces to use them. The U.S. is
hoping to get those tanks ready to join the battlefield in eastern Ukraine before the end of the Summer. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is in
Germany, hosting a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
He says he believes the tanks will be very effective in combat, but he warns, there are no silver bullet. Our Oren Liebermann joins me now from
the Pentagon with very latest. So Oren, these Abram tanks, I think it's fair to say, Oren, here, they've been long-waited in Ukraine. So talk us
through the training and the timeline because you know, what we've been hearing is this counteroffensive maybe soon underway.
[14:10:00]
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It's already much more accelerated than this timeline used to be when these tanks were first
announced back in January, that's when the Biden administration said, it would deliver the more advanced M1A2 Abrams to break a logjam amongst
American allies, who said look, we're not sending our tanks until you send yours.
And for that reason, finally, the Biden administration relented and agreed to send M1A2. But that timeline was many months and perhaps more than a
year to get those into the battlefield and into the fight. Just a short time later, the administration changed course and said it's going to send
an older version of the tanks that can get there faster, but they wouldn't specify just how quickly.
Now, we have a sense of how soon the U.S. can get 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The training will begin in the coming weeks, and then it will be a
10-week training course with some 250 Ukrainian troops before they can enter the fight, still weeks and perhaps even a few months, but
dramatically faster than the timeline used to be.
The top U.S. General said these aren't a magic bullet, and they're not going to magically win the war for Ukraine. But when you combine it with
everything else Ukraine is getting and the anticipated counteroffensive, you get a sense of the kind of power they're getting, the Abrams from the
U.S., the Leopard 2 is from Germany and other countries, the Challenger 2s from the U.K.
And the maintenance and the repair hubs to make all of that work, Germany and Ukraine saying they'll build a hub for the Leopard 2s nearby in Poland.
So it's this push to keep making sure Ukraine has the power and the capabilities they need on the battlefield more than a year into this war at
this point.
So Isa, it is this unified front you're still seeing and the willingness to keep providing Ukraine with powerful weaponry. And it's worth noting that
the Patriot missiles that the U.S. trained Ukrainians on, are also arriving into the fight for air defense. So you see all of this coming together even
as the fight grinds on.
SOARES: Speaking of unity, Oren, Secretary Austin's trip, of course, coming on the heels of this huge national security leak by 21-year-old Jack
Teixeira. Many of the documents that you well know were related to the war in Ukraine. Did the General -- the Secretary Austin, General Mark Milley
face any questions from allies on this?
LIEBERMANN: Well, they both addressed this in their comments as well as in the questions when they held a press conference together, and they said,
look, this is serious. We're going to treat it seriously, but it hasn't in any way undermined the unity between the U.S. and its allies, and it hasn't
undermined in any way the willingness to keep arming Ukraine.
And for the U.S., certainly for Ukraine, those are the important points. Has it come up in conversations, bilateral talks between the U.S. and its
allies? It has. Defense officials here have said, it has not, however, gotten in the way, meaning, it may have been a small part of conversations.
But allies and partners have essentially moved on and said, look, we're going to get to the meat of the relationship here.
Could it have urged some relations with some countries? Yes, certainly. South Korea had quite a backlash when their conversations were leaked in
these conversations, but all in all, it looks like the U.S. is trying to get past this, and it looks like U.S. partners are as well.
SOARES: Oren Liebermann, thanks very much, Oren, appreciate it. Now, Russia is continuing its offensive in eastern as well as southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian officials say the battle lines are hardly budging, and Russian forces are making missteps, including a major one in their own
territory. Ben Wedeman has the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This kind of destruction has been a common scene throughout Ukraine since the
war started, but this time it was in Russia. Residents of the city of Belgorod close to the border with Ukraine, waking up to damaged buildings
and a destroyed road.
The culprit, Russia itself. Moscow saying one of its aircraft accidentally struck the city. CCTV footage shows a first impact as the bomb penetrates
the ground, moments later, a large explosion. Residents feeling lucky it wasn't worse. "Thank God there are no dead", the Belgorod governor says.
(on camera): While Russia was busy after shooting itself in the foot, Ukrainian officials were meeting with allies in Germany.
LLOYD AUSTIN, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, UNITED STATES: Welcome to the 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
WEDEMAN: NATO and other international partners discussing additional support for Kyiv ahead of a highly anticipated counteroffensive.
AUSTIN: More than a year later, Ukraine is still standing strong, and our support has not wavered. And I'm proud of the progress that we have made
together.
WEDEMAN: But for Ukrainians, that progress has been slow. And while the front is barely shifted in months, the vicious battle keep claiming lives.
On Friday, the Odessa Opera announcing the death of one of its performers, artist-turned soldier Rostislav Ian Kishan(ph) killed in battle protecting
Ukraine's future.
[14:15:00]
They said he joined the armed forces on the first day of the war, and when CNN visited last July, he had long left for the front like many of the
dancers there. Those that stayed behind like Kateryna Kalchenko braving the stage to give Odessa a sense of normalcy, dancing in defiance, but very
much still struggling.
"I want the whole world to stop this horror so that innocent people and children stopped dying", Kateryna says. I asked for help and for people not
to remain silent." Its silence is how they began rehearsals this Friday amid tears, one minute of silence for one of their own. Ben Wedeman, CNN,
Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And we turn now to South Africa, now reeling from its latest mass shooting. Ten members from the same family were killed on Friday when an
unknown gunman ambushed a homestead near Pietermaritzburg in the southern eastern part of the country. South Africa has been rocked by several mass
shootings in recent months.
Police blame taxi business violence and drug cartels for some of those, but no motive has been identified so far in this case. CNN's David McKenzie
joins me now from Johannesburg with the very latest. So, David, I mean, this is just truly horrifying. What more are you learning occurred here?
And do we know who was behind this?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Isa, well, we don't know the motive, and I think that is the key question in this
horrible attack. Now what we do know, according to the police in the very early hours of Friday morning, they say that communique -- community
members in this township in Pietermaritzburg were shocked to hear many different weapons, potentially gunfire in that area.
They were too afraid to go and investigate, police were taken to the scene or went to the scene. And as you say, 10 members of the same family,
according to police were killed in that hail of bullets, the youngest, a 13-year-old boy, the oldest, a 63-year-old. And it is the latest shooting.
There have been several in that province alone and in other parts of the country in recent months.
Some of them related to gang violence, others to the violent taxi industry here in South Africa. There have been some movements on the story in recent
hours. The police say that two suspects were arrested. They were in fact, taken in, in a manhunt in the hours after that shooting in the early hours.
One suspect was killed in that contact with the police, and one got away.
Even though, the police leadership here in South Africa says that, it's trying to get a handle on violent crime, the last year saw at least, 25,000
murders in South Africa, a high point of the last few years for sure. And there is a real sense from community members, particularly in poorer areas
of this country, that -- where I have been reporting, you know, multiple times over the last few months, that they feel the police won't respond, if
they do respond, it will be too late.
And many police officers say they just don't have the resources to deal with very organized and very violent crime here. Again, no motive yet known
for this horrific killing, the latest as, you know, South Africans are somewhat inured, but still, I think, shocked with the scale of this attack,
and wondering just why this happened, Isa.
SOARES: David McKenzie, I know you'll stay on top of it, thanks very much, David. And still to come tonight, a string of high profile shootings leaves
America reeling. We'll have the latest on the escalating gun violence across the United States. But first, new drama at Twitter, thousands of big
names lose their blue check-mark. We'll discuss next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Whether it's J.K. Rowling or the "Rolling Stones", Lord's Cricket Ground or Lady Gaga, you may have noticed a big change to some of the high-
profile accounts you might actually follow on Twitter. Twitter's famous blue check-marks as you can see there, which once proved that an account
was genuine is now essentially gone for anyone who's not paying for Twitter's premium subscription service.
And that's causing all sorts of horror, just ask the king of horror himself, Stephen King tweeted, "my Twitter accounts says I've subscribed to
Twitter blue, I haven't. My Twitter account says I've given a phone number. I haven't." Twitter owner Elon Musk said he's personally covering King's
subscription. Apparently he's a fan.
Let's speak to Josh Constine, Venture Partner at venture capital fund SignalFire. Josh, great to have you on the show. Look, I remember when this
started happening late last night here in London, people were saying, I've lost my tick, but I'm still me. But that's not the problem. The problem is,
how does anyone know it is you?
JOSH CONSTINE, VENTURE PARTNER, SIGNALFIRE: Exactly, Twitter's biggest users are ticked off about this change. You know, a lot of them got this
verification because they were notable public figure, and to prevent impersonation, and this was one of the most widely understood preventions
and safeguards against scammers in the world.
Almost everyone knew a blue check-mark meant someone was supposed to be safe to interact with. But now, the world needs to realize that just
because someone has that blue check does not mean they are safe. They could be a scammer, and you're going to see people getting replies and direct
messages from supposedly celebrities or brands that they follow.
You know, asking them to buy something, asking them to download something or sign in somewhere, and they could really just be stealing their data,
their money or their identity. So I think we need to have a big awareness campaign for people to know, don't trust the blue check-marks anymore.
SOARES: And the thing is, the people who got that blue tick, and I think you've still got yours, I thought I saw you still have yours, right? Did
you pay for that?
CONSTINE: Yes, you know, so I got mine a decade ago when I was a journalist at TechCrunch, and it helped my readers know that I wasn't some
impersonator spreading false information, but I paid for it to get the Twitter edit feature, but now that they're requiring it for Twitter blue
and they're taking away everyone's check-marks, I actually think I'm going to stop paying for it?
Because otherwise I'm being associated with all these people that seem desperate to feel important. You know, whether it's scammers or just random
people who want this like ego boost, it feels like buying a participation trophy for the internet.
SOARES: I know, but doesn't that go against everything you've just said in your first answer, which is you need people to know that it's really you,
so you won't help scammers.
CONSTINE: But the blue check doesn't do that anymore. And I think this is one of those kind of dangerous and unpopular changes that actually makes
the top social networks like Twitter vulnerable to disruption by start-ups. You know, we're already seeing companies like Mastodon and Bluesky, which
actually spun out of Twitter, trying to clone it.
But you need to build sufficient differentiation if you're a startup to get over the network effects, and get people to actually switch. And so, we're
looking for consumer founders that really understand that, and our fund, SignalFire, we built a beacon A.I. data platform that can track all of the
best founders in the world, and we're seeing them start really differentiated approaches to Twitter, like Gabor Cassell(ph) who left
Google and is building T2 where everybody's full identity is actually verified, or Richard Henry, who left Cora and is building wave-length,
which is building Twitter-style conversation into group chats.
[14:25:00]
You know, we need to see this kind of new, innovative sense from start-ups to get away from these incumbents. You can't just copy them. You've got to
be --
SOARES: It's --
CONSTINE: Truly better.
SOARES: I'll tell you this, Josh, you know it's left -- it's very topsy- turvy now, I have to say this looking at Twitter is very confusing. But look, as we told our viewers, Musk did pay for several of the blue ticks,
Stephen King, obviously, one of them. Why did he pick some and not others? Because you know, the pope had his removed. He's got a great one, of
course. But why some and not others you think?
CONSTINE: I mean, most of these changes just seem very haphazard and not fully thought through. And that's why you're seeing massive morale problems
at companies like Twitter, especially triggered by these enormous rounds of layoffs. And we actually found in SignalFire's upcoming state of talent
report, that over 166,000 people were laid off from the big tech companies just in Q1 of this year alone, and 69 percent of the employees,
specifically the engineers laid off by FANG companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google, are still looking for jobs a year later.
Which means that these layoffs have actually flooded the market with startup talent by over hiring, training these people, but then laying them
off and leaving them disgruntled. I think these big incumbents have actually trained up the next generation of entrepreneurs who are going to
come and displace them, and that's actually exciting because we'll get some founders and leaders who really do have a plan.
SOARES: And finally, and very quickly if you could. Do you think that not having this whole blue tick fiasco, do you think this is going to undermine
trust in users you think?
CONSTINE: This is undermining trust across the internet. Any service, including Facebook, Instagram and other apps that use this check-mark
system, it's called it all into question. And so I think --
SOARES: Yes --
CONSTINE: We're going to need to see new, innovative approaches to people being able to verify their identity, and to feel that sense of trust.
Because if we don't trust the social networks, we're just going to spend more time IRL. So I'm excited --
SOARES: Yes --
CONSTINE: To see new start-ups building better approaches to this trust.
SOARES: Josh, I lost mine, I am not crying over it, I very much doubt there'll be many people trying to copy maybe another ease of it. Good luck
to them if they do, but you're right, we'll spend much more time trying to verify and making sure that with -- you know, that they say -- we say we
are the right people. Josh, appreciate it, thanks very much.
CONSTINE: Oh, there can never be --
SOARES: And still to come tonight -- oh, I've lost him. Still to come tonight, Earth Day is Saturday, and a new report is out on climate change,
we'll take a look at the issues facing the planet and some innovative solutions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:40]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Earth Day is this Saturday, and ahead of it in the new report, researchers know that last year, extreme weather
affected tens of millions, drove food insecurity, boosts in mass migration, and cost billions of dollars in loss, as well as damage. In addition,
pollution from methane and carbon dioxide hit record highs in fact in 2021. And while the Global Climate report isn't good, there may be hope on the
horizon. CNN's climate -- Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir took a look at some of those proposed solutions as part of CNN's new program, THE WHOLE
STORY. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: You're part of the movement to basically build the oil industry in reverse.
PETER REINHARDT, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, CHARM: That's right.
WEIR: After making a killing in software and becoming frustrated with carbon offsets, Peter Reinhardt helped found Charm.
REINHARDT: So, this over here is the pyrolyzer.
WEIRD: A startup that scoops up the organic waste usually left to rot and farm fields, heats it into biochar, which improves soil health, and bio
oil, which he injects down into old oil wells.
How much have you injected to date?
REINHARDT: We've sequester about 5450 tons of CO2 equivalent. That is a drop in the bucket, right? Compared to the 50 billion tons a year that
we're emitting as a civilization.
WEIR: Confirming Peters claim independently is tough, because carbon removal verification is also brand new. But if he's right, his teeny drop
in the bucket would be about half of all the carbon ever removed.
No offense, this is awesome, but it's a couple of containers in a parking lot in San Francisco. And we were in Iceland and saw what's there and
that's it? And the whole world? Should I be depressed by that or --
REINHARDT: Or you could view it as an opportunity.
WEIR: I guess?
REINHARDT: You want to start a carbon removal business?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Touche. Well, CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir, took a look at some of those proposed solutions as part of new -- CNN's new
program, THE WHOLE STORY. He joins me now. That was a very good answer from him, Bill.
WEIR (on camera): Exactly. Right?
SOARES: And you and I, you know, you and I have spoken at great length here on the show about the scale, Bill, of the climate crisis. But -- we've both
been depressed by the actions of -- the lack of actions. The report has more aspirational look at the crisis. Just you gave us one example. What
else did you find?
WEIR: Well, I found everything from using -- harnessing the power of kelp and oysters to heal the oceans, bringing back whale species, which would be
a huge battle against a carbon Godzilla in the sky. This trillion-ton monster we have to figure out. There are people using machines, new
technology in Iceland. They're pulling it out of thin air with direct air capture and injecting it down in the rock.
These are just -- there's a host of ideas out there. The question is, how fast can they be scaled up? We're just getting news. One of my -- our CNN
colleagues, Ella Nilsen, is breaking news that the Biden administration is planning on aggressive new rules to regulate methane fuel power plants,
natural gas power plants. There might be a legal fight about this sort of thing. But that's the real struggle, while humanity figures out how to get
off of the fuels that burn in a economical and sort of fair way, a just way.
There's so much legacy pollution out here and the industry, to capture it and put it away, it's -- people will get very rich doing this. The question
is how to pay for it. Right now, they're living off of sort of the largesse of tech companies like Stripe that have committed to a billion dollars and
buying carbon credits from companies like Charm and Peter there, and they're paying an enormous price to bury that, hoping that price comes down
and everyone will do it.
SOARES: And Bill, in fact, President Biden speaking about this right now. Let's just listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Everyone should be able to turn a faucet, at home or at the 400,000 school, and drink clean water. We're
helping school districts across the country electrify their school buses so kids don't have to breathe polluted air from diesel exhaust.
Across Appalachia and the Great Plains, we're plugging the so-called "orphan wells," which emit methane, which is significantly more dangerous
and toxic than anything else that comes out of the ground. More dangerous gases poisoning air and water in rural communities.
[14:35:01]
We're delivering clean water and clean sanitation to millions of families. And we're cleaning up toxic pollution, including brownfields and superfund
sites, which have been a blight on communities for decades. The Vice President wanted to be here today, but she's in Florida, announcing
investments we're making to strengthen the infrastructure in coastal areas that are vulnerable to storms. But together, we passed the Inflation
Reduction Act, which makes the most significant investment in dealing with climate change ever, anywhere in the history of the world. Literally, not
figuratively.
A $370 billion investment, which will reduce annual carbon emissions by one billion tons in 230 -- 2030. And, folks, for example, it offers working
families $1,000 a year in savings by providing rebates for -- to buy new, efficient appliances, weatherize their homes, get tax credits for
purchasing heat pumps and rooftop solar, energy-efficient ovens, dryers, and so much more.
It provides tax credits for electric vehicles, new and used, because we're convinced -- we convinced the auto companies on this lawn out here, a year
and a half ago, to move to all-electric vehicles in the near term. It's a gigantic game-changer.
And that's not all. The Inflation Reduction Act also is the most significant law in U.S. history when it comes to environmental justice.
Here's just one example, air pollution around ports. Folks who live near ports know air pollution can be extreme, because all trucks and all the
vehicles moving goods in and out of ports and on the backs of ship are polluting the air significantly.
Well, the Inflation Reduction Act includes major investments in adopting clean heavy-duty trucks and clean port equipment. And folks, it's going to
take -- make a real difference for families who live near those ports. We're investing in air quality sensors in communities near factories so
people who live near them can know that the risk is and how safe the air is. Because we know historically red-lined communities are literally hotter
because there's more pavement, fewer trees -- so we're planting millions of new trees to cool down our city streets.
And we're also making major investments in clean energy in disadvantaged communities to lower energy costs and create good-paying jobs. Brenda was
recently in Houston, where we're building a solar farm on the site of a former landfill, right in the middle of a neighborhood, another example of
what's good for the environment is also good for jobs. Brenda, thank you.
And this -- these are the kinds of projects we're funding all across the country --
SOARES: President Biden there announcing new environmental justice initiatives, as you can see there. He also, of course, talked to -- was
talking about saving the rainforest. If you remember yesterday, he announced when he was with the Colombian President, Colombian Petro --
President Petro announced a $500 million investment in the Amazon to the Amazon farm.
Bill, I think you're still with us. Your thoughts on what you're hearing here on this initiative, this new action, environmental action initiatives
by the President.
WEIR: I think he's spurred on, Isa, by a lot of criticism from some climate-minded voters who are really disappointed with permitting both in
the Gulf of Mexico for new oil rigs there, the Willow Project up in Alaska that was sort of fiercely opposed by young voters, especially on TikTok and
other.
After pledging, saying they -- there will be no more drilling on federal land, at some point, if the scientists are to be listened to, there will be
a president who stops and doesn't do this anymore, and doesn't approve this. Of course, fossil fuels will be needed to build the energy transition
from the future. But the budget is getting down there to alarming lows right now.
But he is -- seems to be pushing back with better tailpipe emission rules that will maybe drive the demand over to electric cars faster now with this
new news that may crack down on gas-fired power plants and take that to the next level as well. Bit by bit, it's sort of chopping down this carbon
Godzilla that we talk about in the hours that airs Sunday night.
SOARES: Bill Weir, thank you very much. And, of course, you can tune in to see Bill Weir's report, How To Unscrew A Planet, airing on the whole story
with Anderson Cooper and that's on Sunday night in the U.S., Monday morning if you're watching in Asia.
And still to come tonight, we are learning new details that a number of high-profile shootings in U.S., including why a gunman opened fire in a
bank in Kentucky. That story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:42:28]
SOARES: Well, I want to make a very important correction about something we brought you earlier this hour, at about 14 minutes ago or so. I had a guest
on this hour, fantastic guess, Kholood Khair. She is a political analyst. She's not an activist. Apologies, of course, to Kholood for that type of
mistake, of course, in our banners. Apologies there.
While America is reeling from another month of senseless gun violence, from Texas to New York, communities across the country are struggling to come to
terms with a number of shootings where young people were shot after making a common mistake. Someone killed for turning down the wrong driveway,
another injured after knocking on the door at the wrong house. And on top of those, more mass shootings. Colleagues killed at a bank in Kentucky and
a massacre at a sweet 16 birthday party in Alabama on Saturday. We're not even at the end of April. And the number of mass shootings in America has
now hit a staggering total of 167 this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
I want to bring you up to speed, though, on some of the latest developments from these horrific shootings that we've been bringing you here. A man
accused of shooting a 6-year-old girl and her parents in North Carolina has turned himself in to the authorities in Florida following a two-day
manhunt. Robert Singletary reportedly shot the family after a basketball rolled into his yard. He appeared in a courtroom on Friday and waived his
right to fight extradition back to North Carolina.
In Kentucky, sources say the gunman who killed five people at a bank earlier this month left detailed notes about his motive. The notes
reportedly claimed the shooter wanted to show how easy it is for someone with mental health issues to buy an assault-style weapon in America.
I want to bring in Adrienne Broaddus, who is following these developments for us. So Adrienne, just give us more details in terms of what exactly did
these notes claim.
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, we know from a law enforcement source that these notes were extensive. One was discovered at
the home where the 25-year-old shooter was living and the other was found on him after a police shot and killed him. He had essentially three goals,
one was to show how easy it is for someone who struggles with mental health challenges to purchase a firearm in America. For example, Kentucky laws
required him to undergo a background check. And he also had to fill out a form with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and
Explosives.
[14:45:05]
But beyond that, nothing much. The -- he also had to show that he did not have any type of restraining order against him.
Soon after the shooting, you may or may not remember, we heard from the 25- year-old shooter's parents who shared they knew their son live with mental illness. In fact, they said they were, "Actively working" to help him with
that. They knew he struggled with depression. However, in a statement released to us, his parents said they had no idea their son was capable, or
even planning such violence.
When the 911 calls were released, one of the caller's pleading for help was the shooter's mother. She received secondhand information from his roommate
saying that her son had a gun and that he was heading to the bank. But as she pled with that 911 dispatcher, she thought her son didn't have a gun.
She said she didn't even know where he would obtain one. And so we know her call was too late because five people were shot and killed, others were
injured. And this motive, or hearing these reasons, does little, it adds little comfort to the families who are still grieving the loved ones they
lost. Back to you.
SOARES: Indeed. And so many red flags as well. Adrienne Broaddus, thank you very much, Adrienne. Appreciate it.
Well, prosecutors in New Mexico say they will officially drop involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin. He was charged early this
year in the deadly shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Prosecutors are citing new facts and time constraints for the decision. However, they
say it does not absolve Baldwin of criminal culpability. The investigation is ongoing and charges could be re-filed.
Here in London, disturbing allegations of bullying at the highest level of British politics have led to the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Dominic Raab, a top ally of British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is out of the job after report upheld claims of intimidating and aggressive behavior.
Raab denies the allegations, while his boss says there were shortcomings in how the investigation was handled.
We'll stay in the U.K. It has been 30 years since Stephen Lawrence, a young black man who was stabbed to death on the streets of London by a group of
white teenagers. His death prompted a moment of national reckoning about racism in the U.K. and in London's police force. But even now, the issue
remains as heated as ever. Katie Polglase investigates claims of racism in the police force today and hears from Stephen's family three decades on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATIE POLGLASE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thirty years after the killing of Stephen Lawrence, the pain still endures for his father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEVILLE LAWRENCE, FATHER OF STEPHEN LAWRENCE: Thirty years of my life, gone. You know, my life had been turned upside down by somebody I don't
know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: Lawrence was killed in a racist attack by a group of white teenagers at a London bus stop in 1993. But it took nearly two decades for
two of his attackers to be convicted and sentenced. The institutional racism blamed for the delayed justice remains unaddressed. First documented
in an official report commissioned after Lawrence's death in 1999, and then again this year in the Casey Review, saying the police have a culture of
denial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ROWLEY, MET COMMISSIONER: We fully accept the findings of the Casey Review.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: The Met Commissioner admitted there was still racism in the force but stopped short of calling it institutional.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLEY: Institutional. It's not so I use myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: This racism takes on many forms, including the lack of police accountability for the deaths of black men and people of color.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIA RIGG, SISTER OF SEAN RIGG: These are the four officers that are there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: Fifteen years ago, Marcia Rigg lost her brother, Sean, after he was pinned down in a police arrest while experiencing a mental health
crisis. He died of cardiac arrest after he was restrained in a prone position for approximately eight minutes, according to the findings of an
inquest jury.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIGG: So that's the restraint you see? It's four officers, facedown in grass, with excessive force to his neck. He could not breathe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: Five police officers were cleared of gross misconduct despite the findings of an inquest jury who said police had used an unnecessary level
of restraint, which more than minimally contributed to Rigg's death.
The statistics showing racism and British policing are alarming. A recent report by the Charity Inquest found that black people are seven times more
likely to die by police restraint than their white counterparts. Rigg was restrained in a similar way as George Floyd, whose death at the hands of
U.S. officers sparked a global protest movement against police brutality in 2020.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIGG: I was horrified. It was so traumatic, because it was -- because it reminded me of Sean.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: Raju Bhatt is a leading criminal lawyer who has brought cases against the Met Police for decades.
[14:50:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU BHATT, FOUNDING PARTNER, BHATT MURPHY SOLICITORS: So whether we are talking about racism, whether we're talking about misogyny, whether we
talking about homophobia, or any other ills, we're talking about lack of will and ability to address wrongdoing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: The Casey Review found the Met does not represent the city it serves. Black, Asian, and other ethnic minorities make up just a fraction
of the force compared to nearly half of Londoners.
Over the years, the anger has spilled onto the streets, sparking riots over the police killing of Mark Duggan in North London in 2011. A jury later
ruled this killing lawful. The lack of change has caused some families to despair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: Do you have hope they will change in the future.
LAWRENCE: I don't think I'll ever see that. I'm 81 years old. Right? So it's 30 years ago since this happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: Bereaved families have found one main source of comfort, each other.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIGG: Mr. Lawrence, you look exceptionally well.
LAWRENCE: Oh, thank you.
RIGG: You really do. And smart and dapper.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Careful now, careful.
RIGG: Careful.
LAWRENCE: Well, I know that the kind of hell that they are going through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: Lawrence's father says he can't live in the U.K. anymore. The memories are just too painful. But when he does return, he meets with other
families going through the same ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: But when I'm here, I think about it all the time. This is a place where I thought I'd be happy. I'm not happy here.
RIGG: Every time you, you know, you hear about another death, it's like you relive it again. So, it just doesn't go away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLGLASE: Yet their only hope for justice is to keep the cases alive. Katie Polglase, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, the Met Police is yet to respond to CNN regarding Sean Rigg and Stephen Lawrence's cases, and the accusation that the force is
institutionally racist.
To mark the anniversary, the Met released a statement apologizing to the Lawrence family, stating that significant progress has been made in the
last 30 years, but it has admitted there are still cultural and systemic failings. And we'll be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back. Now to a cargo keeper in Canada, a container filled with more than $15 million worth of gold and other valuables was stolen
from Toronto's airport on Monday.
[14:55:08]
Police would not say whether security cameras captured the heist, which airline company transported the container, or who owned the container, btu
police did say they're looking at all the angles.
Well, Saturday as we told you earlier on, is Earth Day, a chance to demonstrate support for environmental protection. And there's some species
then more than others that need our help. That, you know. Meet the Rufous hummingbird here, this beautiful creature here. It's just over three inches
long. They travel an astonishing 3,900 miles each year during migration, but their species, like many other birds, is teetering on the edge of
survival. The good news is there are ways to help.
Mike Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, says people can stop tidying their yards and let the wilderness flourish. This -- his rationale
is this, and it's our quote of day today. "Nature is messy. Let it be messy. There's a beauty in there." That means I won't be doing any
gardening this weekend.
That does it for me. Thanks very much for watching. Do stay right here with CNN. QUEST MEANS BUSINESS up next. Have a wonderful weekend. I shall see
you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
