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Nearly Two Dozen Killed In Russian Strikes In Sumy And Odesa; One Killed In Rocket Attack On Northern Israel; Hong Kong Sentences 45 Democracy Leaders To Prison; Donald Trump Calling Senators About Matt Gaetz Selection; Trump Attends UFC Fight at NYC's Madison Square Garden; Leaders Talk Trade, Climate Change, Wars in Gaza and Ukraine at G20; Thousands Rally at New Zealand's Parliament Over Bill; Underwater Communication Cables Disrupted in Baltic Sea; Thieves Break Into Grounds of Windsor Castle. Aired 2-2:45a ET
Aired November 19, 2024 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, a major blow for political activism in Hong Kong as dozens of pro-democracy figures are sentenced to up to a decade behind bars.
Moscow accuses the U.S. of throwing oil on the fire after Joe Biden agreed to let Ukraine fire American missiles into Russia.
And we'll hear from some of the young men who helped Donald Trump win a second term in the White House.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. World leaders at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro are highlighting the human suffering being caused by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. That came in a joint statement issued on Monday, which also calls for cooperation on climate change. Tuesday will be the second and final day of the meeting.
Of course, these talks are taking place just two months before Donald Trump becomes the next U.S. president. He's expected to enact massive changes to U.S. policy, including toward Ukraine. Trump has been highly critical of continuing aid for Ukraine and has promised to end the war there.
But at the G20, current President Joe Biden encouraged the group to keep up its support of Ukraine.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States strongly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Everyone around this table in my view, should as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: On Monday, President Biden authorized Ukraine to use long range American weapons to strike inside Russia. And French President Emmanuel Macron praised that decision at the G20.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I think that indeed it is essential to proceed with this decision. I believe it is a decision that is entirely right. I understand that it was also triggered by a profound change in this conflict that should not be underestimated, which is the involvement of North Korean troops alongside Russia on European soil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: President Biden's shift on U.S. policy comes as Russia ramps up its strikes on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says at least seven people, including a child, were killed in a drone strike in the Sumy region Monday night. He went on to say that each new Russian strike confirms Vladimir Putin's true intentions that he wants the war to continue. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The desperately familiar scramble to find survivors after Russian missiles slammed into the border town of Sumy on Sunday night. Less usual, the death toll of 11. Two children, a residential block hit.
And just hours later, another 10 killed in a strike on Odesa. Horrifically, this is now the norm for Ukraine. The weekend seeing a particularly large nationwide attack after nearly a thousand days of war. Donald Trump's election may have made diplomacy a likelihood again, but Ukraine's Zelenskyy clear how the strike showed, quote, "what Russia is really interested in, only war."
He visited two frontline towns under intense Russian pressure Monday. Pokrovsk, key to Ukraine's entire southeastern front, and Kupyansk, a town Russia was kicked out of in late 2022. All signs the war, for months, has not been going Ukraine's way.
Perhaps behind the stark and significant U.S. policy change Sunday, sources telling CNN President Joe Biden has finally permitted Ukraine to use long range American missiles to strike inside Russia. Something Zelenskyy has for months begged for.
The plan to strengthen Ukraine is the victory plan I had presented to partners, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Long-range possibilities for our Army is one of its major points. Missiles will speak for themselves, he added.
One U.S. official said the missiles would focus on Kursk, the part of Russia-Ukraine invaded in August, where Moscow is due to make a counterattack and a key bargaining chip if peace talks begin. Biden's decision process familiar.
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Like with HIMARS missiles, he said no while Ukraine struggled to push Russia back in 2022, and then relented. And with Abrams tanks, he paused, so they arrived too late to help in 2023's counteroffensive. An F-16 jets at first rejected, and now helping Ukraine push Russia's advances back.
The ATACMS won't change Ukraine's war overnight, there are not enough of them. But it is a move Biden refused to make for months, saying it was too escalatory, but now endorses, entangling the U.S. deeper into the war, just months ahead of Trump taking office.
The fear? How Putin will react. When the idea first emerged, he said it would be a stark escalation.
This will mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries are fighting Russia, he said.
In Russia, the news is being reported on state T.V., but so far, Putin has not reiterated his earlier threat to respond in kind.
Putin spokesperson, Monday, said, Biden was throwing, "Oil on the fire of the conflict". It will burn brighter as both sides seek to maneuver ahead of the Trump presidency.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
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CHURCH: Cedric Leighton is a CNN military analyst and a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. He joins me now from Washington. Always a pleasure to have you with us.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thanks so much, Rosemary. It's great to be with you once again.
CHURCH: So, after resisting this change for months, President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine's use of powerful, long range U.S. missiles to strike inside Russian territory. The big question now, of course, is what impact will this major shift in U.S. policy likely have on the battlefield, and how might this escalate the war? What is your military assessment of that?
LEIGHTON: So, Rosemary, when you look at these missiles, they're actually a short range missile, where you look at the designation of different ballistic missiles, and what you have to account for here is the fact that these missiles don't go beyond 300 kilometers, so they will basically affect anything that the Russians have within the border regions, anywhere from the Kursk Region all the way down to the southeast and Crimea, of course.
But these areas are going to be critical for the Russian effort to resupply their forces. They're going to be critical for the Russian effort, along with North Korean soldiers to go into the Kursk Region, that parts of which Ukraine has occupied.
So, they're going to have a limited impact if they are used in quantity and the targeting is done properly. So, that will be -- those will be the two big ifs. Those can make a difference on the battlefield if they are used in concert with other strategies that the Ukrainians might have, so they could have a tactical impact that then would eventually cascade into a strategic impact for the outcome of the war.
CHURCH: And of course, the timing of this is interesting, isn't it, because this major U.S. strategy shift comes with just two months to go before president-elect Donald Trump takes office. What impact might this policy shift have so late in the Biden administration, and how might this impact the Trump transition team as it prepares to take the reins with Trump's promise to end this war?
LEIGHTON: Well, in some ways, it could box in Trump's ability to respond to different events, be it Ukrainian diplomatic efforts, Russian moves on the battlefield, all of those things that could definitely be changed because of this permission slip that the Biden administration has given the Ukrainians now.
So what might happen is that the Trump -- incoming Trump administration might try to follow the Biden policy up to a point, but then they will seek, probably, to deescalate tensions and try to bring both sides to the table, to the negotiating table.
That's going to be an interesting endeavor, because the Ukrainians, of course, don't want to give up any territory, but the fact of the matter is that the wartime situation, the military situation, is one in which that is perhaps the most likely outcome, as undesirable as it is for the Ukrainians and for many of us in the West.
CHURCH: And of course, this U.S. decision comes in the wake of one of the most intense Russian missile attacks on Ukraine in months. Where do things stand on the battlefield right now? And is this U.S. decision too little, too late, as some critics suggest?
LEIGHTON: Well, it could very well be too late, and it depends on, we don't know yet if it's too little, but it depends on how many missiles are going to actually end up in the Ukrainian inventory, and how many of those ATACMS missiles the Ukrainians will use in conjunction with other battlefield strategies and tactics that they've developed.
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And so, when it comes to the ability to conduct these operations, I think what the Russians are clearly doing is they're going after the civilian infrastructure. They're attempting to, in essence, make it impossible for the Ukrainian civilian population to survive the winter. They're attacking the energy grid. They're attacking the heating plants. They're going in and destroying various cultural artifacts, which they've done since the beginning of the war. And that is something that is designed to demoralize the civilian population.
They will probably not succeed in doing that, but it's going to be a tough fight for the Ukrainians, but that's, of course, something that they've experienced, you know, ever since the beginning of this latest phase of the conflict, back in February of 2022.
CHURCH: Colonel Cedric Leighton, we always appreciate your military analysis. Many thanks.
LEIGHTON: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Now to the Middle East, where Gaza officials say at least 50 people have been killed in the latest Israeli strikes. That includes 17 members of the same family in Beit Lahia. The city's hospital director says his facility was attacked as well. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. The IDF previously said it was targeting terrorist infrastructure in the area.
Lebanese authorities say they expect the death toll to rise after at least five people were killed by an Israeli attack on central Beirut. The strike hit a densely populated neighborhood a few hundred meters from the prime minister's office and parliament. It's the third Israeli attack on the heart of the Lebanese capital in two days.
Again, CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
Death and destruction in parts of Israel as well. Israel says a falling debris from an intercepted rocket injured several people in the Tel Aviv district, and at least one person has been killed and several others injured in rocket attacks on a Palestinian town in northern Israel.
Details from CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The police say it was debris from a missile interception that caused that fire just a couple of miles from the center of Tel Aviv outside a shopping mall. Medical officials on the ground say three people injured there, one of them seriously, two of them moderately injured.
Earlier in the day, however, a missile impacting in northern Israel killed one person and injured a number of others in a strike there. That's as the State Department says it's heard back now from both Israel and Lebanese officials about their efforts to broker a cease fire between Israel and Hezbollah.
What we're hearing from Israeli officials is that things are moving in a positive direction, but they say that they need to take direct action, have a full operational freedom is how they describe it, and that appears to imply that they need the ability and want the ability in the terms of what they will agree to, and it's important to them they say that they have the right to fire back if the terms of the cease fire are violated.
Now, Hezbollah has made their response through Lebanese officials, but both the Lebanese prime minister and the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament both had a degree of oversight of the U.S. proposal that's been passed onwards to Hezbollah. They say they're not aware of this sort of language, precise language indicating that Israel would have the right to strike back if the cease fire terms were violated.
So, that appears to be a gap between the two sides, but this is something that State Department officials say that they are working towards resolving, trying to find a way, and they're putting a lot of energy into it to bring about that cease fire.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
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CHURCH: I spoke earlier with CNN Political and National Security Analyst David Sanger, and asked him about the prospects of a cease fire in Lebanon.
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DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think there's every expectation that there could be a cease fire reached, but I think the question is when. There's a good deal of reason to believe that at the end of the Biden administration, Prime Minister Netanyahu is in no mood to give this cease fire to the exiting president, but instead to make it sort of a gift to the incoming president, President Trump.
So, it could be until January before you see this. Now we don't know the timing, and that sort of depends a bit on where the state of play lies in the politics of Lebanon itself and the politics of Netanyahu's own decision making.
But I think very much he would like to reward president or president- elect Trump's view that his role is one as the ender of wars.
[02:15:12]
CHURCH: The problem is that that would mean that we would expect war in both Gaza, presumably, and Lebanon until January, 20th, essentially.
SANGER: Well, in Gaza, it's a different situation, because there, at least so far, Hamas has indicated no interest in a prisoner swap or cease fire after the killing of Sinwar, their leader. So, I'm not sure that there is a scenario under which that seems possible.
Lebanon is a different issue, and different politics, different geography, and I think there's every likelihood you could get one there fairly quickly, and you don't have the complicating issue of a prisoner swap.
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CHURCH: And you can see my full interview with David Sanger next hour here on CNN NEWSROOM.
The U.N. reports nearly a hundred aid trucks were looted in Gaza over the weekend. It happened at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Saturday. The U.N. says drivers were forced to unload trucks at gunpoint. Aid workers were injured and vehicles were damaged extensively.
The head of the U.N. Agency for Palestinian refugees didn't say who did the looting, but blamed the collapse of law and order and Israeli authorities for creating a perilous environment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PHILIPPE LAZZARINI, COMMISSIONER-GENERAL, UNRWA: We have been warning a long time ago about the total breakdown of civil order, until, you know, four or five months ago, we still had local capacity, people who were escorting the convoy. This has completely gone, which means we are in an environment where, you know, local gangs, local families are struggling among each other to take control.
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CHURCH: The attack on the convoy comes as the U.N. warns that the severe shortage of food and aid in Gaza will only get worse without intervention.
Pope Francis is calling for a careful investigation into allegations of genocide in Gaza. It's some of his harshest criticism yet of Israel's war in the territory, and it comes in his book, Hope Never Disappoints. Pilgrims Towards a Better World, which is due to be released in the coming day.
The Pope says he is thinking above all about the people displaced in Gaza in the midst of the famine and the difficulty of getting food and aid into the territory.
Israel's ambassador to the Holy See says his country is defending itself against what he called the genocidal massacre of Israeli citizens on October 7th.
Well, now to Hong Kong, where 45 pro-democracy figures have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years on subversion charges. This comes after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security crackdown four years ago.
Among those sentenced, legal scholar Benny Tai who received the longest prison term of 10 years, and former student leader Joshua Wong, who will be jailed for over 4.5 years.
More than 300 people queued in the rain outside the court Tuesday morning to show their support for the defendants. The U.S., Australia and Amnesty International are among those who have condemned the sentences.
CNN's Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Ivan. So, what more can you tell us about how this sentencing played out and how supporters are reacting.
IVAN WATSON, CNN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, this is a massive court case, and the sentences were passed down by a panel of three judges, a combined total of more than two centuries worth of prison time issued to 45 different defendants who have been convicted on conspiracy to commit subversion.
These range from journalists to former city lawmakers to union leaders to protest leaders, and they were all detained in a series of raids going back to January of 2021 most of them have been behind bars since then, and most of them also pleaded guilty to the charges in an effort to reduce the amount of jail time that they would ultimately receive.
They were called the Hong Kong 47, two in the subsequent trial were acquitted and are out free right now, but 45 people getting jail sentences from four years to 10 years. Their main crime was participating in an unofficial primary election back in 2020, ahead of what was expected to be a city wide election for the city legislature. That was an election that was ultimately delayed by COVID ostensibly.
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The authorities have accused these individuals of basically part of -- being part of a scheme that was aimed at trying to overthrow the government, to, as judges put it, start a revolution here in Hong Kong.
And so, they've basically thrown the book at these individuals, most of whom, as I pointed out, have already spent close to four years behind bars while going through the kind of trial program. There has been a fair amount of criticism from this. The Hong Kong authorities are defending the trial, saying that it helped bring back stability to this city, which went through in 2019 nearly a year of increasingly violent antigovernment protests.
Meanwhile, you've got criticism coming from different human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and the U.S. Consulate here in Hong Kong, which condemned the sentences and called on China and the Hong Kong authorities to cease politically motivated prosecutions of Hong Kong citizens and to immediately release all political prisoners.
Now, there were hundreds of people who gathered in the early morning hours outside the courtroom this morning to witness the sentencing, but actually at this time in Hong Kong, there are very few protests at all.
One woman outside the courthouse tried to unfurl a banner, and she was very quickly grabbed by police and put into a police van. And that, I think, helps encapsulate the dramatic transformation of politics political culture in the city over the course of the past four to five years, as independent newspapers have been shut down and the police do not tolerate protests, or really any political demonstration in the street whatsoever, all kind of activities that used to be hallmarks of Hong Kong's political culture until this crackdown four to five years ago, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Thanks to Ivan Watson bringing us that live report from Hong Kong.
Still to come, pressure is building on Donald Trump's pick for attorney general amid calls for Congress to release the results of an ethics investigation, we will look at what we already know. That's on the other side of the break. Stay with us.
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. We are learning more about what immigration reform and border security will look like under Donald Trump's second term. He signaled his intent to declare a national emergency by responding to this social media post on Monday, it leaves little doubt that his team plans to carry out the mass deportation of undocumented migrants. It's just one way for the incoming administration to once again, crack down on border security and reverse Biden era policies, many of which fought to protect undocumented migrants and provide them with a path to citizenship.
[02:25:25]
Public sentiment, however complicated, seems to support his plan. National polling during the election showed a rise in support for deportation policies, but those figures shifted based on how questions were phrased about immigrants.
Well, meantime, Donald Trump continues to select his choices for Cabinet posts. He has tapped former congressman and Fox Business News host Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation. The role is currently filled by Pete Buttigieg.
If the Senate confirms Duffy, he will inherit a department plagued with challenges, he will be responsible for facing multiple aviation and plane manufacturing issues, as well as union strikes and a current push toward electric vehicles and other climate focused initiatives.
Sources tell CNN Donald Trump has also personally made calls to senators trying to secure support for former Congressman Matt Gaetz, his pick for attorney general. That choice has sparked heated discussion in Washington since Gaetz was being investigated by the House Ethics Committee on allegations of sex trafficking and more.
An attorney for two women who testified in that investigation spoke with CNN's Erin Burnett, saying one client claimed she saw Gaetz having sex with a minor.
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JOEL LEPPARD, ATTORNEY FOR TWO WOMEN WHO TESTIFIED BEFORE HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE: She was invited to a party in July of 2017. She testified to the House that as she was walking out to the pool area, she turned to her right and she witnessed her client -- I'm sorry, her friend having sex with Representative Gaetz, and her friend at that time was 17.
So, she testified to the House that Representative Gaetz did not know her friend's age at the time they had sexual intercourse, and when he found out about her age that Representative Gaetz stopped having sexual intercourse with her and he only started the sexual intercourse interactions later on when she turned 18.
The testimony before the House was, yes, that Representative Gaetz paid my client, both of my clients for sexual favors throughout the summer of 2017 all the way to the beginning of 2019.
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CHURCH: Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Now the question at top of mind is whether a report on that investigation will ever be released. House Speaker Mike Johnson is fighting to stop that, saying it's no longer important since Gaetz resigned from Congress.
CNN's Paula Reid has more details.
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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: We're learning new information about what investigators on the Hill have learned during their ethics investigation into former Congressman Matt Gaetz. A civil lawsuit brought by one of Gaetz's associates down in Florida has provided a road map for investigators, in addition to a trove of new evidence, including a deposition with a woman who is just 17 when she allegedly had sex with Gaetz. Her deposition is under seal, but lawyers, or at least one of the people who were sued in this lawsuit used portions of her sealed deposition in their questions that are now public record, including saying that the underage woman said that she had sex with Gaetz on an air hockey table.
Now, a lawyer for women who were interviewed in the ethics investigation say that they at least one of his clients, testified that they saw Gaetz having sex with a minor. Of course, Gaetz is no longer in Congress. It's unclear if this ethics report will see the light of day, but in a statement, Gaetz said, "These allegations are invented and would constitute false testimony to Congress. These false smears follow a three year criminal investigation and should be viewed with great skepticism."
The pressure is mounting for lawmakers to release that report. Lawyers, including an attorney for that girl who was allegedly just 17 when she had sex with Gaetz have called for the report to be released immediately.
Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: In this year's presidential election, young male voters proved to be a key demographic for Donald Trump in his quest to retake the White House, some of his supporters spoke to CNN outside a UFC event at New York City's Madison Square Garden that was also attended by the president-elect. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan was there.
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DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you guys excited for tonight?
NICK, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Of Course. Chandler knocking out Oliveira in the second round? Mark my words.
JOHN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah. O'SULLIVAN: How? How?
We are here at Madison Square Garden for the UFC with special guest, President-elect Donald J. Trump. And we are speaking to some of the young men who helped get Trump elected.
NICK: Saving our country. I don't got no taxes on my tips now. So, thank you, Donald Trump. Love you. Pookie.
O'SULLIVAN: You guys both vote for Trump?
NICK: Of course.
JOHN: Of course.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes?
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JOHN: Of course man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been working at the same restaurant for four years. I've been a waiter. I've been a busser. I've been a barback. You know, I just don't -- all the taxes that can occur (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, curse
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
O'SULLIVAN: Well, I mean, where'd you get most of your news and information?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of it through --
O'SULLIVAN: I know it's not CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
O'SULLIVAN: That's why I'm here. I want (ph) to hear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, most of the information I got was from Joe Rogan.
O'SULLIVAN: Joe Rogan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Rogan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The legend man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But mostly like social media, if you want me filling (ph) out, it's social media.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, that's --
O'SULLIVAN: TikTok.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, usually that's what everything spreads around, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TikTok is everywhere, bro.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't watch a lot of mainstream stuff.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah. Where'd you get your news?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like Reddit?
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of podcasting.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah. Like who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Rogan.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Joe Rogan experience.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you think it was a mistake for Harris not to go on Joe Rogan? Or do you think it --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably. Honestly, I think, like a long -- a long conversational talk is better than a debate.
O'SULLIVAN: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, you can see how a person actually interacts.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Trump's good at interacting on -- he doesn't need a script.
O'SULLIVAN: You're a New Yorker?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Born and raised.
O'SULLIVAN: Nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brooklyn, New York.
O'SULLIVAN: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the hood.
O'SULLIVAN: Did you ever consider voting for Harris?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually voted for Obama.
O'SULLIVAN: You did?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. That was the last time I ever voted for somebody that's not Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
O'SULLIVAN: So, so what changed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My level of thinking. Me not thinking that the police are above me and white men are above me. And I'm all good about like, yo, we can learn about history and all that stuff, but don't tell me, or don't -- don't try to put it in a way that it's like our country is racist.
Our kids are important guys, and if we're not teaching them well, if we're not teaching them about credit, if we're not teaching them about how to get a home eventually, and we're -- all we're talking about is racism and trans and gays, which like I said, I'm all good. Like you do what you do. Just don't force it on people. And that's where we're about like, as long as you're not forcing it, we're good.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): The power of the alliance between Trump and the UFC was on full display here in Madison Square Garden.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sound in this room is so loud to hear. It's so loud. O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Trump was flanked by Elon Musk, Kid Rock, House speaker Mike Johnson, and some of his new cabinet picks, including RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard as he made his way into the arena. Trump embraced UFC commentator and the world's most famous podcaster, Joe Rogan, who endorsed him after Trump appeared on his podcast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": And that was CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reporting. Well, for the first time in nearly seven years, a British prime minister has met with China's president. Next, what happened when Keir Starmer and Xi Jinping got together at the G20.
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CHURCH: The second and final day of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro will begin in the coming hours. Leaders of the world's 20 major economies are gathered there to discuss trade, climate change, and the state of the world. On Monday, they issued a joint statement highlighting the suffering caused by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. They also called for cooperation on climate change, poverty reduction, and tax policy. Chinese President Xi Jinping told the leaders about China's plans to support the global south, also known as developing countries. CNN's Marc Stewart is live in Beijing. He joins us now. Good to see you, Marc.
So, President Xi wasn't the only one raising issues. He also faced criticism from a prominent politician. What can you tell us about all of this?
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Rosemary, nice to see you. This is coming from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He brought up the very sensitive issue of China's record on human rights. It's not that the issues surrounding human rights in China aren't discussed among diplomats, but this was brought up at a very public setting, the sidelines of the G20. Let's take a listen to the Prime Minister's remarks.
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KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm very pleased that my foreign secretary and Foreign Minister Wang met recently and discussed respective concerns, including human rights and parliamentary sanctions, Taiwan, South China Sea, and our shared interest in Hong Kong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: The British prime minister went on to talk about Jimmy Lai. He is an activist in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. He is now in prison. That too seen as a very delicate issue for China in the world stage. Nonetheless, these two world leaders did have discussions and things do appear to have ended on an amicable note.
Another point of discussion, another world leader, Xi Jinping met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. They talked about the ongoing diplomatic relationship between the two nations, which had been very strained for a while. There was pretty much a diplomatic hold. There had been some remarks by the previous Australian Prime Minister expressing concern about China and its involvement with COVID-19, how things were handled, some of the origins. And that really did cause some bad tension between the two nations, especially in the issues of trade. And there was a very large economic impact.
But these two nations have put some of those differences aside and there too, a diplomatic relationship is moving forward. But Rosemary, obviously, the G20 has a very full agenda on paper, but as we have seen, what happens on the sidelines can be just as newsworthy as the conference itself.
CHURCH: Indeed, it can. Marc Stewart, joining us live from Beijing with that report. Appreciate it. And we'll be right back.
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CHURCH: A nine-day march that began in New Zealand's North has reached parliament in the capital as thousands rally against a contentious bill that reinterprets a 184-year-old treaty with the indigenous Maori people. Opponents say it undermines the rights of the Maori, who make up a fifth of the population. Proposed by the Act New Zealand Party, the bill is unlikely to be passed into law.
Two underwater telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea have suddenly been disrupted. One of them connects Lithuania and Sweden, the other links Finland and Germany. In Lithuania's case, a local telecom company says the fiber optic cable was physically damaged causing a disruption in internet traffic. This comes amid fresh warnings of Russian interference from European leaders who fear possible "hybrid warfare" in the region could lead to more attacks on global undersea infrastructure.
Police are investigating a robbery on the grounds of the British Royal family's Windsor Castle Estate. The incident took place last month, but was first reported on Sunday by the British tabloid, "The Sun." The thieves reportedly scaled a fence to enter the estate and stole farm vehicles and used one of them to smash through a security gate to escape.
King Charles and Queen Camilla were not at Windsor at the time, but Prince William, his family, who live on the estate were likely at home that night.
I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is next. Then I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.
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