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Isa Soares Tonight
Ukraine Dam Collapse Forces Thousands to Evacuate; Prince Harry Testifies in U.K. High Court; PGA Tour and LIV Golf Form Partnership. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired June 06, 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 INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a major dam collapses in southern
Ukraine, forcing more than a 1,000 people to evacuate. We are on the ground in Kherson with the very latest for you. Then, a grueling first day on the
witness stand for Prince Harry as he alleges a major U.K. newspaper group hacked his phone for years.
Plus, a shock announcement in the world of sport as the U.S.-based PGA tour announces a partnership with Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf. We'll have
the reaction to that and much more coming up. But first this evening, Moscow and Kyiv are trading blame after the breach of a critical frontline
dam in southern Ukraine.
Video posted earlier shows water surging through the remains of the Nova Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River. Ukraine's military says the Russians blew
up the dam in a panic, and Russia's defense minister says Ukraine was responsible blowing up the dam to hold back the Russian army.
But whether this is sabotage or unplanned structural failure, neither side is providing hard evidence to back up their claims. Well, the dam sits
inside the Russian-occupied part of Kherson region, an up river from the Ukrainian-controlled Kherson city. What happened will be devastating for
lives as well as livelihoods.
And Ukrainian officials say around 1,500 people have already fled and some 80 settlements have been ordered to evacuate. Here's our residents who
survived Russia's occupation are now describing the situation. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): You people sympathize with us. We were under occupation for nine months, now we have been flooded by these
occupiers. We are now without electricity, without gas, without water. Our gardens were flooded, everything in the world, all our fences, the water is
reaching up our houses, we are forced to evacuate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Such a dire situation for so many. Well, let's get more now or what it's like on the ground in the flood zone. CNN's Fred Pleitgen just filed
this report for you from Kherson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): After the Nova Kakhovka Dam burst, water has been inundating villages
around this area. We're in the south of Ukraine in the area around Kherson. And in fact, right now, I am in the city of Kherson. So as you can see, the
water here is not only putting villages in the surrounding area underwater, but it's actually also inside the city itself.
One of the things to be aware of is, in the very short time that we've been on the ground here, we could see this water already rise considerably. So
what's going on right now is that the water level continues to go up as water is gushing from the Dnipro River here towards this city and towards
other cities in the region as well.
Now, we've been in touch with a local security service here, and they're telling us that everybody who works in this city, anybody who has any sort
of role is helping to evacuate people from areas like over there. There are still hundreds of people who are trapped on their houses, some of them
inside their houses, and everything is being mobilized right now.
From boats to large trucks to try and get these people out. Again, hundreds of people have already been brought out, but at the same time, this is very
much an ongoing operation. The folks here tell us that operation is going to continue to go on. Now, of course, all of this is a huge issue, and also
a huge risk, not just as far as the environment is concerned, as far as this area is concerned.
But of course, also, as far as the safety and security of the population here on the ground is concerned. The Ukrainians are extremely angry about
this, they blame it squarely on the Russians, we've heard that the Russians for their part say that it was the Ukrainians. In any case, there are a lot
of people here in this city and in the surrounding areas, who are suffering a great deal. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kherson, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, our Clare Sebastian has more now on what we are learning about the dam breach.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, the Nova Kakhovka Dam sits directly on the frontline of this conflict, straddling the Dnipro
River, one bank in Ukrainian hands, and this red area here is Russian- occupied territory. The hydro electric power plant itself is in Russian- controlled territory. Well, this satellite image from late May really gives you a sense of the layout.
This is Russian-held territory here and Ukrainian up here. Now, the Ukrainian hydro electric energy operator says the explosion happened in the
engine room from the inside, so on Russian-occupied territory.
[14:05:00]
And while both Russia and Ukraine say the dam was breached overnight Monday into Tuesday, there is actually evidence of damage in the days leading up
to that.
Take a look at these satellite images, you can see from this image at the end of May, this part of the structure is intact. Fast-forward to June 5th,
and clearly, there's a piece missing, and it's right in the middle where we see the dam has now been breached. Well, the biggest and immediate risk
from this bridge is of course, flooding.
This is the danger zone here as identified by Ukraine's Interior Ministry and we're already seeing images coming out of Ukrainian-controlled Kherson
city, you can see water filling up the streets there and across the river in Russian-controlled Nova Kakhovka, which is the town closest to that
hydro-electric power plant. Another risk is that the reservoir that is created by that dam supplies water to Crimea down here in the south.
Russian-held Crimea, the head of that region saying there is a risk the canal will run too shallow, that they have enough water for now. And
Kakhovka also supplies water up here to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to cool the reactors. The U.N. nuclear watchdog says there is no
immediate danger.
Now, the question, of course, given the timing of this, is how it will affect Ukraine's counteroffensive. It's not a 100 percent clear until we
have a full picture of the damage. But flooding over here could potentially complicate the Ukrainian effort to cross the Dnipro River, to head south,
even for Crimea or even over here to the Azov Sea if that is in fact, part of their plan.
And it could also of course, divert attention and resources away from attacking other areas along this hundreds of miles of frontline. Clare
Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Important perspective there from our Clare Sebastian. Well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting of top security
and defense officials after that dam breach, they're vowing to hold people accountable and say Russia blew up the dam. I'm joined now by one of the
officials at that meeting, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
Mr. Kostin, thank you very much for joining us this evening. I have been seeing several EU officials, including Charles Michel and James Cleverly in
the U.K., calling it a war crime. Have you opened a case, sir, for war crimes against Russia for the dam?
ANDRIY KOSTIN, PROSECUTOR GENERAL, UKRAINE: We did it actually early morning, so we opened an investigation in both war crimes and the crime of
eco side, taking into account the consequences of these brutal acts committed by Russian army. We have not only opened national investigations,
and which are conducting from the early day today.
Two hours ago, I have signed a letter, official letter to the Office of the Prosecutor of International Criminal Court, because this, I would say,
global attack requires also independent international investigation. And we are committed to fully cooperate with the office of the prosecutor, Han(ph)
in order to show to the world that we are fully transparent, and we want everyone to know who did it.
We believe, we fully believe that it was Russian army. But we need to prove to all of the world, on international levels, so that no one can manipulate
and speculate on this.
SOARES: Yes, and on that, as you all know, what we have been hearing is that Russia says Ukraine is to blame, saying Ukraine sabotaged its own dam.
I mean, what do you say to that?
KOSTIN: This is absolutely impossible. Because this power station was under control of Russian-occupied forces, from the very first day of full-scale
invasion. It was literally from the 21st of February last year. So full time, it was under occupation, and the blow, how it was -- how it was held,
it was from inside. So our evidence is set, that the explosive was inside the dam, and they did this blow, which fully destroyed the dam.
And also, we would like to point out that they have a motive. One of their motives was to make obstacles to our counteroffensive. While, from Ukraine,
there is no -- any motive to make this, and we never did these brutal things. And also, we have no -- any evidence that any missiles or artillery
was active during this night.
SOARES: And Mr. Kostin, we will speak about the counteroffensive and the impact that could have -- this could have on that in just a moment. But you
talked about evidence there and what you are asking from the ICC, does Ukraine have that evidence that Russia was behind it? What does that
evidence look like?
[14:10:00]
KOSTIN: This evidence is -- are intelligence information which we have. Our photo and video imagery, our satellite imagery and interceptions we have in
our possession at the moment. What we need from the global community and also from the United States, is also to share the intelligence information
they have, and not only to share with us, but also to the Office of Prosecutor of the ICC, to show to all the world that specific military
brigades of Russian army, of which we have information were involved in committing these war crimes.
SOARES: And Mr. Kostin, I'm not sure whether you saw our correspondents earlier, they had CNN analysis, and I think we have the photos to bring up
-- if I can get my producer to bring those up, Hannah(ph), that shows the damage. So, the one -- the image that you can see on the left, so it will
be on your right, shows May 28th, and then the other one is June the 5th, as you can see there.
Did that -- shows damage basically before the collapse. So that damage that we're looking at there just on the right side of the screen, did that
contribute to the collapse, sir?
KOSTIN: I'm sorry I can't see the screen, so I can't see your screen --
SOARES: Well, let me ask you this --
KOSTIN: Because of this type of connection --
SOARES: I completely understand, apologies we didn't show it to you in advance. But how was the damp structurally? Did it show any evidence of not
being up to scratch, structurally, here?
KOSTIN: Our evidence says that these dams, these hydro stations was mined and it couldn't be any other -- any other reason than mining from inside.
This dam, which blew up, and -- someone did it. It could be only Russian- occupied forces because all this time, this hydro station was under their control and in their possession.
SOARES: Let's talk, then, about the evacuations. What can you tell us in terms of the number of people being evacuated and what the scene is like on
the ground. And our Fred Pleitgen was in Kherson at the top of the show and showed us pretty much a high street flooded with people still trying to get
out.
KOSTIN: Yes, the evacuations started early morning, and with the help of police and rescue services. At the moment, there are more than 100 -- 1,500
local civilians who were evacuated to a safe place. And it was also brutal that at the time of evacuation, these -- our police who helped the
civilians to evacuate were shelled by Russians. We have two wounded policemen. We also opened an investigation in this war crime.
SOARES: And you mentioned a couple of minutes ago, the impact this could have, Mr. Kostin, to the offensive, the counteroffensive. They may have
started in the last 24 hours or so. What impact, how will this impact do you think, that counteroffensive and Ukrainian forces? I'm guessing
Ukrainian forces will have to move to try, of course, and deal with this.
KOSTIN: First of all, I mentioned that it was the motive of Russians to destroy these dams and to make this man-made flood. So the motive was to
make obstacles to our counteroffensive. Our army says they were prepared for this scenario, potential scenario. Because if you remember, even in
October last year, there wasn't information that Russians would like to destroy this dam.
And even President Zelenskyy at that time called on independent international commission to inspect this hydro facility. But there was no
solution on international level to support this. And now we have the situation as we have unfortunately. So our military men say that it will
not somehow touch our counteroffensive and our efforts.
SOARES: Mr. Kostin, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us this evening, thank you very much sir.
KOSTIN: Thank you.
SOARES: Now, to the U.K., where a landmark trial has kicked off here in London, Britain's Prince Harry took the witness stand earlier and faced a
fierce cross-examination. He is alleging that the U.K., the Mirror Group hacked his phone over a decade ago to gain details about his private life.
Known for his dislike of the tabloid press, the prince didn't mince his words during his testimony, claiming that some of the tabloids have, quote,
"have blood on their hands".
[14:15:00]
Our royal correspondent Max Foster who is with me now. And Max, you have been listening closely to what was said, and do you know how I know that,
because Max and I share an office, and I too was listening to this --
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, girl, you have to listen.
SOARES: I have to listen to this. What stood out to you?
FOSTER: Well, I think this is part of a bigger picture, isn't it? He wants to reform the entire tabloid media in the U.K., so he's got different court
cases involving all the different tabloids. And this part very focused on hacking. So, 30 asked -- 33 asked calls he's brought into the -- that were
proof to go into the case, they're having arguments over effectively.
And the cross-examination, the Mirror Group lawyer, very effective at taking each article and really grilling down -- drilling down why Harry
thinks the information in those articles came from phone hacking him or the people around him. And quite often, he's pointing in other directions. So
there was a story about Chelsy Davy; his ex girlfriend, having an argument about his Nazi uniform, Harry suggested that came from phone hacking, and
that "Mirror" barrister saying, no, it didn't, it came from Chelsy's uncle. He briefed the correspondent.
So, in each case, the "Mirror" is trying to undermine Harry's broad argument, but he doesn't seem too concerned because he's painting a much
bigger picture.
SOARES: But on it -- I mean, it is about the detail, because he needs to try and prove that it was phone hacking.
FOSTER: Yes --
SOARES: So that's incredibly hard to prove that.
FOSTER: Yes, the onus is on him to do it --
SOARES: Completely --
FOSTER: He keeps saying, you need to answer these questions, the correspondent who worked for "The Mirror" at the time, they're going to be
sort of cross-examined tomorrow. But they're not going to necessarily volunteer information suggesting they've been phone hacking. Because
they've already admitted to some phone hacking within the group. All they're saying is these 33 articles did not come from phone hacking.
They're very confident about that.
SOARES: What does -- I mean, in terms of -- this is very personal for him. He brought this, the onus was on him, he brought this to court. Have we
seen that in terms of personal side to him, the emotional side to him, his upbringing, how much this is really - has made him the focal point of
British press for so long since he was a little boy in fact?
FOSTER: You know, it goes back to when he was 12 and he went to Eton College, and he felt that he was being hacked at that time. Again, the
barrister said he didn't have a phone when he first went to Eton College, but then he explained he used to go to a landline and perhaps Diana's phone
was hacked.
So it gets quite complicated. He certainly describes -- you know, he's quite serious in there. There are some jokes he passed, but he talks about
how, you know, he lost faith in his friend group and it got smaller and smaller because he felt that they must be releasing this information. So,
only one or two people that knew about a lot of these situations.
He also really lace into Piers Morgan, who was an editor at the time, suggesting that he had hacked Diana's voicemail. Piers obviously denies all
this, but in his witness statement, Harry says Piers Morgan and his band of journalists earwigging into my mother's private and sensitive messages made
him feel physically sick.
He also interesting, took aim at the British government, saying that they are -- they've hit rock-bottom along with the U.K. press because they
haven't regulated properly.
SOARES: Right, so, there is bigger picture. And meanwhile, this is here in the U.K. Meanwhile, in New York, there is another case against Harry. What
can you tell us about this?
FOSTER: Yes, and that should be happening any time now --
SOARES: In about 20 -- in 10 minutes or so, in about --
FOSTER: Yes --
SOARES: Ten minutes.
FOSTER: This is a conservative think-tank in Washington D.C., wanting to get access to Harry's visa application to the U.S. because of the back of
the book --
SOARES: It's fair, yes --
FOSTER: Where he admitted to taking drugs, cocaine and marijuana, and you know, mushroom. They want to know whether or not he admitted that on his
visa application, because that can be grounds for refusing a visa. If he did admit it, why did the government give away though to him? If he didn't
admit it, does he keep the visa?
SOARES: And is the visa before "Spare" came out?
FOSTER: Yes.
SOARES: Right, OK, so they'll be looking -- they'll be looking to get answers on that. Meanwhile, the case continues here tomorrow in the U.K. --
FOSTER: Yes another half-day evidence from Harry, we think, and then the journalist involved, who he accuses of hacking.
SOARES: Oh --
FOSTER: Will give evidence --
SOARES: They'll be taking the stand as well, well, Max Foster, I know you'll stay on top of that, thank you very much. And still to come right
here tonight, a historic move in the world of golf. We'll have more on the new partnership between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour and LIV Golf.
And the U.S. Secretary of State travels to Saudi Arabia to mend fences.
Up next, what's on the agenda for his expected meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Those stories after this short break. You are watching
CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Well, a stunning development in the world of golf. The PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and LIV Golf have announced they are forming a
partnership. The move ends a series of lawsuits between them. Here's PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan on the new relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY MONAHAN, COMMISSIONER, PGA TOUR: There's been a lot of tension in our sport over the last couple of years. But what we're talking about today is
coming together to unify the game of golf. And to do so, under one umbrella, and together, we're going to move forward and we're going to take
efforts to grow and expand this great game and to take it to new heights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series has been controversial, if you remember after several golfers quit the PGA Tour to join it while
others refused offers. There is no doubt -- word yet on what the new entity, though, will be called. We have to wait for that. Let's get more on
all of this. CNN "WORLD SPORT" Don Riddell is with me now.
Hi, Don, great to see you. I mean, I think it's fair to say this is an extraordinary turn of events because of course, both sides have been bitter
rivals. So how significant, Don, is this?
DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR, WORLD SPORT: Well, it's so hugely significant, Isa. I think because number one, it was totally unexpected. There was not a
whiff of this in the press. It seems as though only a handful of people actually knew this was coming. The world's top golfers were finding out
about it, Isa, the same way you and I did by looking at Twitter and social media this morning.
So, totally unexpected. You have to wonder how the PGA Tour players feel, who took a very principled, moral stance on this, and refused the tens if
not hundreds of millions of dollars that were being dangled under their nose to stay on the PGA tour, only to in fact, find that one year later,
they're all on the same team anyway.
And to fully understand what a monumental U-turn this is for the PGA Tour, have a listen to what their Commissioner Jay Monahan who we've just heard
from, have a listen to what he said about this less than a year ago last June.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONAHAN: I think you'd have to be living under a rock to not know that there are significant implications. And as it relates to the families of
9/11, I have two families that are close to me that lost loved ones. And so, my heart goes out to them. And I would ask, you know, any player that
has left or any player they would ever consider leaving, have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Less than a year later, Isa, they are all on the same team. We don't exactly know what this relationship is going to look like, how it's
going to work. But we do understand that players who took the money and went to LIV will now be allowed to rejoin the PGA Tour and the DP World
Tour at the end of this season.
And Jay Monahan, he's going to be meeting the PGA Tour players within an hour and a half, and he is going to have a lot of explaining to do. And I
would imagine he'll be fielding some very pointed questions.
[14:25:00]
SOARES: I was going to ask that very question because you know, have any PGA Tour players talked about this? Because so many like you said, Don,
backed their reputation on the PGA Tour, and turned their back to the Saudi money. Have been -- and been talking about this on Twitter, voicing their
concerns?
RIDDELL: Yes, I mean, there's been an awful lot posted about it on social media, and some of them are clearly, pretty angry about it. The voices
we're looking forward to hearing the most from, I guess, like guys like Rory McIlroy. I mean, he became known as golf's moral compass. He became
known as the conscience of his sport because he was the most principled, the most outspoken.
And just last month, he came into a press conference, and for the first time he said, I just don't want to talk about it anymore. It had started
really weighing him down, and had started taking a toll on his game, the way he was playing. He wasn't getting the results he wanted. He said I'm
done with talking about LIV.
And perhaps, he knew what was coming. Maybe now we can understand that behind the scenes, he got word of this, and I can only imagine how he must
feel for the stand he took, and to find out where we've all ended up anyway. I mean, some golfers, they were offered $75 million, $300 million,
and they turned it down to remain loyal to the PGA Tour.
And now, they're going to see guys who did take that kind of money coming back and rejoining the tour within a couple of years anyway. So I mean,
what's interesting is the relationships between these players, well, some of them clearly did fall out and there were some pretty angry words spoken
and barbs traded within the media.
A lot of them, I think remained pretty cordial or even friendly. And a lot of them all live in the same part of Florida. But how are they going to
feel when they see the guys that took the money come back, you know, and carry on as normal as if nothing ever happened? It's completely --
SOARES: And they now have a chance of playing together, right?
RIDDELL: Right --
SOARES: Don Riddell --
RIDDELL: Right --
SOARES: We'll see how all that unfolds, appreciate it, great to see you, Don, thank you very much. Well, right now, the top American diplomat is
headed to Saudi Arabia. U.S. officials tell CNN, the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It would be the latest move by Washington to mend its relationship with the kingdom.
It's been frail, if you remember, since U.S. Intel blamed the Crown Prince for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The meeting also comes after
the Saudis announced a plan to slash oil output. Our Alex Marquardt is in Washington with the latest. So, Alex, what is Secretary Blinken hoping to
accomplish then with this meeting?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, quite a number of things, Isa, mending fences, as you noted or at least, trying to
get the relationship back to a place that is much friendlier than it has been over the past year. Remember, President Biden himself, he visited
Saudi Arabia last year.
He had that famous fist-bump with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and then, right after that, the Saudis turned around and cut oil prices -- cut
oil production, rather, which led to a rise in gas prices. And that was just before the midterm elections. And the Biden administration was not
pleased about that. So, the relationship has been suffering.
I would say one of the biggest items on the agenda, Isa, is the normalization efforts to get the relationship between Israel and Saudi
Arabia normalized. One of the biggest successes of the previous administration that this administration gives them credit for, are these
so-called Abraham Accords, where Israel normalized the relationship with four Arab countries, including Morocco, UAE, Bahrain and Sudan.
And the U.S. would very much like Saudi Arabia to be added to that list, not just so that Israel is more a part of the Middle East and get along
better with its neighbors, but in the words of the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, there are U.S. national security interests. And he talked
about this just yesterday. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: The United States has a real national security interest in promoting normalization between Israel
and Saudi Arabia. We believe that we can, and indeed, we must play an integral role in amassing it. Now, in all allusion that this can be done
quickly or easily, but we remain committed to working towards that outcome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: So, Isa, Blinken, clearly making the point there that he does not expect to leave Saudi Arabia this week with any kind of deal, but
that's certainly something that they are working towards, very much alongside security cooperation, the U.S. is the biggest vendor of weapons
to Saudi Arabia in the world economic cooperation.
We have seen yet again, Saudi Arabia cutting oil production by the most, the biggest number in recent years. Saying that as of next month, they will
cut oil production by a million barrels a day. Saudi Arabia is also interested in creating a civilian nuclear program that the U.S. would like
to have a hand in. [14:30:06]
But when the administration is criticized for going to Saudi Arabia, they quickly respond Isa that a part, a big part of these conversations is also
human rights. Of course, the U.S. has criticized Saudi Arabia for all kinds of human rights issues, not least of which is the murder and the
dismemberment of "Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who the U.S. has point blank blamed the crowned prince for carrying out. But at the same
time, Isa, the State Department has given MBS immunity from prosecution here in the U.S.
SOARES: Alex Marquardt with the very latest there from Washington. Thanks very much, Alex.
And still to come tonight, protesters in France making a last ditch effort to stop a pension overhaul. Some are now threatening to disrupt the Summer
Olympics next year. Plus, one study says it's too late now to say some Arctic sea ice. We'll look at the potential consequences for the
environment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Unions in France are protesting one more time over the President's pension reform, and they say this will be likely
be one of the last. They are trying to push lawmakers to reverse course. Almost two months after the government raised their retirement age from 62
to 64. March has got underway across France and is estimated about 600,000 people have turned out.
And these protests, I should say, which started about months ago, if you remember, we covered them on the show, have seen their share of violence on
the sidelines. Some protests even stormed the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games earlier. Our Melissa Bell was there and she's standing
by now for us in Paris. And Melissa, you've been across many of the recent protests out of Paris that we've covered. How does this one, did what this
one compared? I mean, did the protests achieve anything here?
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was much quieter than some of the protests we've seen these last few weeks. There was a little tear
gas. There were a few scuffles, but nothing on the level of what we'd seen last month or indeed the month before. In terms of the numbers, we had
been, the authorities had been preparing for 600,000. In the end, the actual figure is 281,000, so really under that 31,000 here in Paris. So it
was much smaller protests. And that, Isa, is partly because the main union has announced that this was likely to be the last one.
[14:35:28]
Essentially, this reform is going to become law. There's very little that can be done about it. But I think they will have been heartened by the
numbers that have turned out so consistently, week in, week out, over the course of the last six months. So this began back in January, so they have
sent a strong signal that they will keep going to the streets.
And I think it is for the autumn and the future reforms that Emmanuel Macron has planned for his last four years in office that they really have
their eye on. Of course, what this latest series of protests has done is remind us of just how much a part of French political life protests are in
this country. In fact, we got to catch up with one journalist who essentially makes a living from just that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (voice-over): Another pitched battle between protesters and police in the heart of Paris. The images captured by a journalist who's made this his
specialty.
Clement Lanot has covered every major French protest for the last seven years. His focus, to document that many uprisings against the government,
and tell the stories of the anger behind them.
The money is there, says one protester. We just have to go and get it.
Traveling across the city, the protesters hush each other, as they get closer to the Euronext Stock Exchange. There, they pause, then charge.
Through the flames and the smoke that engulf the building lobby, the sound of anger at the French president.
Shocking scenes, but for Paris, nothing new. The protests against the government upping of the pension age from 62 to 64 are just the latest
round to draw people to the streets.
CLEMENT LANOT, VIDEO JOURNALIST (through translator): In Paris, there are protests almost every day, some smaller, some bigger, because in France, we
are used to it. As soon as something goes wrong, the French protest.
BELL (voice-over): The hardest to cover, he says, were the Yellow Vest protests of 2019 and 2020.
LANOT (through translator): The police, the protesters, we've never seen protests that violent. Everyone was a little shaken. Everyone was a little
changed.
BELL (voice-over): Over the years, the 25-year-old has been on the receiving end of rubber bullets, police batons, and angry tussles with
protesters. Being a journalist is little protection, he says.
LANOT (through translator): Several times, I found myself in the middle of the police charges. They hit me with their shields, even though they could
say I was a journalist, and they could have avoided me.
BELL (voice-over): But despite the dangers, images like these have been earning Clement Lanot a decent living for the last seven years, covering
hundreds of protests, he says.
LANOT (through translator): Once a demonstration is over, everyone goes home, and life goes back to normal. You'll probably see bus stops that have
been shattered, but life goes on, and everything is OK for the Parisians who go back out for a walk when the protest is done.
BELL (voice-over): In a city where the culture of protest runs deep, it's just another day, and another clean-up of the streets of the French
capital.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL: Isa, even as this latest round of protest now seems to be petering out, what we look ahead to is a September where essentially the French will
start working longer. Incrementally the government has got its way. Isa?
SOARES: Melissa Bell for us in Paris this evening. Thanks very much, Melissa.
While a new climate crisis warning, a study says the Arctic could be free of sea ice during the month of September, about a decade earlier than
previous projections. And this would have dire ripple effects right around the world. The scientist findings are published in the journal Nature
Communications.
They warned the first September on record to completely melt the Arctic sea ice may happen by the 2030s. That's earlier than anticipated. And this
could happen even if the world makes significant cuts right now to planet heating pollution. Our chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, joins me now
from New York.
SOARES: And Bill so an Arctic with no sea ice, what would that mean? How would that impact us all?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It would have so many impacts, it's kind of important to think about the Arctic as the immune system for
planet Earth. And if it goes, it makes all of our problems get much worse, much faster. We've known it's been heating up there four times faster than
most of the globe. 20221 it rained at the highest peak in Greenland for the first time. Last year a hurricane managed to push warm air up there and
created this late melting pattern. Now looking at the numbers and the satellite data, it looks like it's losing about twelve to 13 percent of sea
ice per decade in September there.
[14:40:11]
And I think we have animation from NASA that just shows a time lapse from satellite images of just how dramatically it's gone away. And the main
factor here is that all that white ice is reflecting sunlight and deflecting all the sun's energy there that open water, dark water absorbs
kind of the way a black dashboard in a car would at a much higher rate.
And so it is yet another reminder. Now they look at the models. Even the IPCC's latest state of the science report that just came out predicted
middle of the century before we'd see an ice free Arctic. And now it just says, this new examination looks at the old climate models and it looks
like they were just conservative and it's going to happen more dramatically than we thought.
SOARES: And so but 10 years earlier. That's a significant difference in what we've been expecting. So why is it happening so quickly then?
WEIR: It is the combination of just unchecked, planet cooking pollution just building up. It is more and more of the reflective ice going away, so
it's heating up faster. It's also ocean currents and atmospheric things wobbles in the jet stream that we're just now understanding because they're
brand new to science. And so you hear a lot of this surprise. But this will also change human behavior the way it always does.
People shipping companies will now see the Northwest Passage as a more viable route instead of going south to get around the world. Some see
profit in a melting Arctic, even as it seems to be a huge red flag to scientists.
SOARES: And if we then make, Bill, significant cuts to fossil fuels, the conversation that you have had and I have spoken at great length about,
will that change anything? Could this turn this around? Could it delay it?
WEIR: Yes. I mean, that's the one variable that's the one lever humanity has is stopping the rate of that pollution emission right now. And, you
know, the argument is from some is, well, we may be past certain tipping points, why bother? Or it's too big of a challenge. Every 10th of a degree
could mean the difference between the landscape you grew up on living or dying. It could mean the difference between coral reefs existing or not
entire species or grain belts and all the things that go with that in terms of peace and prosperity. So, yes, that's the lever.
SOARES: Yes. But what it shows is that we're definitely behind the curve, right? We're definitely behind, and we need to be doing more. Bill Weir
always great to see you. Thanks, Bill.
WEIR: You bet.
SOARES: Well, to Haiti, at least four people have been killed after an earthquake struck Haiti earlier today. The quake is the largest tragedy to
strike the country. Over the weekend, Haitian officials say at least 42 people were killed and 13,000 others were displaced following heavy rains
that triggered flush floods as well as landslides. The threat of more dangerous conditions will continue through the hurricane season. We'll stay
on top of that story.
And still to come tonight, more possible suspicious activity at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, this time apparently involving the swimming
pool at his resort. Exclusive CNN reporting straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:56]
SOARES: California officials are investigating a second private flight that transported migrants to Sacramento, California, on Monday. The California
Department of Justice has determined the passengers were all asylum seekers. Sacramento's mayor said the migrants would be taken care of and
blamed those behind the flight. CNN's Isabel Rosales has a detail for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A political tug of war rages on between Florida governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor
Gavin Newsom after a private plane carrying 20 migrants arrived in Sacramento on Monday. This was the second trip this plane had made to
Sacramento in recent days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have been working together over the last 48 plus hours to make sure that first and foremost, that the people who are scared,
who are vulnerable, who are flown here under some lure of jobs and or services, that they know that they are safe and that they will be well
cared for.
ROSALES (voice-over): According to interviews conducted with the migrants by California's Department of Justice, all migrants arrived in Sacramento
with paperwork saying the plane was chartered by a private company based in Florida for tall systems contracted by Florida's division of emergency
management. Individuals approached the migrants, speaking in quote, broken Spanish, asking them to sign forms to take them to Sacramento, but not all
understood where they were going or sign the forms. The migrants were initially approached in El Paso, then were transported 100 miles away to an
airport in New Mexico and flown to California.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So I've said it many times from here, repeatedly from this podium that busing or flying migrants
around the country without any coordination with the federal government is dangerous and unacceptable.
ROSALES (voice-over): DeSantis has not commented on the flights, but California officials are accusing him of trying to bolster his campaign for
president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What matters is the tactic of using the most vulnerable people as your political pawn.
ROSALES (voice-over): Newsom tweeting to DeSantis that he is a, quote, small, pathetic man and suggesting this could constitute kidnapping under
California law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe the state of Florida is behind us, and we are investigating now to see if there are any criminal or civil laws that have
been violated.
ROSALES (voice-over): Last fall, DeSantis claimed credit for orchestrating two flights carrying 48 migrants from San Antonio to Martha's Vineyard. The
Bexar County Sheriff's Office is now recommending criminal charges involving those two chartered flights. Florida spent over $600,000 on those
flights and spent over $1.6 million last year on its migrant flight program.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And that was Isabel Rosales reporting there.
While exclusive CNN reporting has uncovered an odd event at a former President Donald Trump's Florida residence. Apparently, an employee at Mar-
a-Largo drained the resort swimming pool last October, flooding and nearly destroying a computer server room. This is, according to sources, the
alleged incident comes a few months after federal agents, if you remember, swooped in with a search warrant and removed hundreds of documents from
Mar-a-Lago.
Senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid joins us now. And Paula, great to see you. Look, this, I think, is fair to say, is a rather bizarre
story. The pool was drained and flooded an area with surveillance video logs. Question is, was this intentional?
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: There's no evidence at this point that this was intentional. And also, the surveillance video was
not destroyed in this so called flood, but it comes amid a lot of different questions about possible efforts to obstruct this investigation. It's one
of several suspicious incidents related to surveillance video down there. And we know that surveillance video is really important to investigators as
they try to determine whether there was any effort to potentially mishandle classified documents, retain or disseminate defense information, and also
any efforts to obstruct their investigation.
We know that they've asked multiple witnesses before the grand jury about the surveillance tapes, whether anyone tried to tamper with them, whether
there are any gaps. So when you have an incident like this, investigators are going to want to take a closer look to know, was this in any way
intentional? It's also notable that the maintenance worker who drained the pool here is also captured on surveillance video with an aide named Walt
Nada.
[14:50:17]
He's one of Trump's staffers who was moving boxes in and out of a storage closet. And we know that the moving of those boxes that contain classified
materials is a key episode here. So the fact that it's the same person seen on the video with Walt that drained the pool again, they just want to ask
some questions and see whether there was any intent to destroy evidence here.
SOARES: In the meantime, Paula, what is the Trump team then saying about this?
REID: So I spoke to sources close to the Trump camp, and while they could confirm that there were additional subpoenas for surveillance video, the
folks very close to the legal team were not familiar with this specific incident. Now, of course, they have said that the former president has said
that he has done nothing wrong here. They have criticized this entire investigation as politically motivated.
But we know from our reporting that the special counsel does have quite a bit of evidence, including an audio recording where the former president is
heard discussing having a classified document at his Bedminster home. So they have a lot of different evidence that they're looking at right now as
they determine whether charges are appropriate.
SOARES: Lots of evidence and a flood of questions. Thank you very much, Paula Reid. Appreciate it. Thank you. And we'll be back after this short
break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, Starbucks is bringing its controversial line of olive oil infused coffee to more cities in the U.S. The Oleato rage, first launched
in the U.S. and Italy early this year, the drink is made by adding a spoonful of olive oil, a staple, of course, in Italian culture, and many
other cultures, really, to coffee. The product has gained global publicity and garnered mixed reviews, with some having celebrating its alleged health
benefits and others claiming it made them run to the bathroom. That may be what happens when you drink warm olive oil. But if you remember, back in
February, our Poppy Harlow asked former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz about the new beverage. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: You think this transforms coffee?
HOWARD SCHULTZ, FORMER STARBUCKS CEO: I know it'll transform the coffee industry. A very few people outside of Starbucks have tasted it. No
consumer research whatsoever. Nothing.
HARLOW: Isn't that a risk?
SCHULTZ: I don't think so. I mean, I just think everything we've ever done that has succeeded at Starbucks is proven in the cup.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:55:02]
SOARES: The current CEO says Oleato is, quote, one of the top five product launchers in the last five years. Well, I like my coffee short, strong and
very dark. Well, now Apple is launching a new upgrade with its hoping that it will help users say really how they really feel. We brought you -- we're
bringing this story now. The tech giant is updating its software where including a new AI autocorrect tool.
For years, you can remember frustrated texters have had certain phrases we'll let you use your imagination here replaced with something else
entirely. Well, there'll be no more duck incidents from now on. The new system is designed to learn. And predict users language patterns more
precisely about time, too.
But as one duck leaves, well, another two arrive. An icon is returning to Hong Kong shores. And now it's got company, The Rubber Duck, made by Dutch
artist Florentijn Hofman, was first seen bobbing in Victoria Harbor back in 2013. Now organizers say it be back later this month with a new message of
connection as well as friendship. As the artist put it, double duck is double luck.
And we'll leave you with that tongue twister for tonight. Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here. Quest Means Business is next. I
shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful day. Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
