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Over 1,000 Dead after Myanmar Thailand 7.7 Earthquake; Greenlanders to Vance: We Don't Want You Here; Trump Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Take Up Deportations Case; Trump-Carney First Phone Call amid Tariffs, Retaliations; U.S. Survey Shows Increasing Pessimism among Consumers; Gaza Civil Defense Recovers Body, One of Nine Missing Aid Workers; Ecuador Wants U.S. Troops to Help Fight Gangs; Musk Sells X to His Own AI Company. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired March 29, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
As the death toll from the Myanmar earthquake rises, rescuers search through the rubble for survivors. We'll have the latest developments in a live report and discuss the dire humanitarian concerns.
The U.S. vice president makes a controversial visit to Greenland. Hear what he and Greenlanders themselves said as the White House calls for a U.S. takeover.
And U.S. stocks and consumer sentiment are down as Trump's trade war escalates. But those aren't the only issues making Americans uneasy about the economy.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin with another significant update on the death toll in Myanmar and Thailand after yesterday's powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake. More than 1,000 people are now reported dead, the vast majority of them in Myanmar, according to the state broadcaster.
And that number is only expected to rise sharply, with U.S. officials estimating the toll is likely to surpass 10,000. Witnesses say the quake was so stunning it was impossible to understand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My heart sank. Never in a million years did I think something like this could happen. I still can't comprehend it and I'm still shaken. My niece, I still don't know when we will find her. I'm hoping. There's nothing else we can do. We just sit and pray.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was on patrol as a security guard during the quake. It was the first time in my life I felt such intense tremors and shaking. I've never experienced anything like it before.
And the strong tremors made me feel extremely dizzy. There was no damage at home but my children were terrified and are still feeling disoriented.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, authorities in the Thai capital are scrambling to find dozens of people feared buried beneath the rubble of a collapsed building. Rescue workers are detecting what are described as vital signs from 15 people still trapped. At least 10 people have died in Bangkok so far.
Residents are being urged to get out of two other damaged buildings. I want to bring in CNN's Hanako Montgomery, live in Tokyo.
So first, Hanako, just bring us up to speed on the latest here.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of course. Kim, I mean, this is a very devastating earthquake; the strongest earthquake, in fact, to hit Myanmar in over a century.
And some of the videos that we're seeing come out of the country are just absolutely devastating and heartbreaking; entire buildings, mosques and temples reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds.
Now some residents of Myanmar have told CNN about how they were scared to death the moment the earthquake struck. This is one woman's account.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When the earthquake was occurring, the classroom shook violently. The teachers quickly evacuated the students. The desks and chairs also swayed intensely and everyone felt dizzy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MONTGOMERY: Now the earthquake was so powerful, Kim, that it was also felt in neighboring Thailand and in parts of China.
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MONTGOMERY (voice-over): In fact, if you take a look at this video, you can see nurses in a maternity ward in China, shielding newborns as the earthquake strikes. I mean, the fear that they must have been feeling, it's just absolutely palpable. Take a look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Now, of course, this is a very terrifying moment for those individuals there and in neighboring Thailand, as you described. Rescue workers are busy trying to remove individuals from a collapsed high-rise building that really went down on Friday after that earthquake struck.
Now according to Thai authorities, they found 15 people who were showing vital signs, which is very good news. But that means that there are still dozens of people still waiting to be rescued from underneath that rubble.
And family members are desperately clinging on to hope, waiting to see if their family members will also be rescued and come back to them safely.
Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Now leaders in Myanmar have been asking for international help. So these foreign rescue teams are deploying to the country; of course, the need for the help is so great, as is the challenge of getting it and the teams to where they need to go.
MONTGOMERY: Yes, Kim, I mean, as you said, the challenge of getting humanitarian aid to Myanmar is massive.
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Because what's compounding the devastating impact of this earthquake is the fact that a civil war has been raging in the country for more than four years now. In fact, one NGO described how these two disasters are particularly harsh for vulnerable groups like for children. Take a look at this.
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ELAINE LUTHI, U.N. CHILDREN'S FUND, EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC: There are signs that the vital services that children rely on -- schools, health centers, hospitals -- may also have been damaged. And so all of that really paints a very bleak picture for children that were already experiencing one of the world's most complex humanitarian crises.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MONTGOMERY: Now Kim, the military junta has been controlling Myanmar since 2021 and that means that internet access has been quite limited. And also, they've restricted access to the country for news outlets.
So it's difficult to get reporting on the ground there, meaning it's going to take us a couple of weeks to really ascertain the full scale of damage from this earthquake. Now also important to note is that this earthquake hit central Myanmar, a part of the country that's been ravaged by four years of war.
According to Amnesty International, more than 3 million people are internally displaced in Myanmar and more than a third of the country is in need of humanitarian assistance. And as you described, Kim, the chief of military of Myanmar's military junta has asked for international aid, a very rare plea for help so far.
Calls were answered by India, China and Russia. And we're also hearing that Singapore, Hong Kong and also Malaysia might also be sending some teams there to help in, of course, what has been a very, very devastating moment in Myanmar's history and also for the entire region. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. All right. Appreciate the updates. Hanako Montgomery in Tokyo. Thanks so much.
And U.S. president Donald Trump is pledging to help Myanmar, even as he effectively does away with the agency that would administer it. The State Department has notified Congress that it will effectively shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development by July 1st.
The agency has been doing lifesaving humanitarian work around the world, including helping earthquake victims in Myanmar. That amounts to $52 million the Trump White House is cutting. That's according to a new analysis from the think tank Center for Global Development.
But president Trump claims USAID mismanaged taxpayers' money and funded programs that aren't in U.S. interests. The dismantling is expected to face legal challenges.
The head of the U.S. agency responsible for keeping vaccines safe and effective has resigned. Dr. Peter Marks says he was told resign or be fired. In a letter, he alleged Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of Health and Human Services, wanted people to confirm his, quote, "misinformation and lies."
Kennedy has a history of vaccine skepticism but in an email, a HHS official replied, quote, "If Peter Marks does not want to get behind restoring science to its golden standard and promoting radical transparency, then he has no place at FDA under the strong leadership of secretary Kennedy."
Marks played a key role in the U.S. government's COVID-19 vaccine program.
U.S. vice president JD Vance pitched his case for why America should take over Greenland while visiting the island on Friday. He's accusing Denmark of neglecting the self-governing territory and says Greenland would be better off under U.S. security. CNN's Tom Foreman reports.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need Greenland, very importantly for international security. We have to have Greenland.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even as President Trump continued beating the drum for a U.S. takeover of Greenland, his vice president, J.D. Vance, was there.
VANCE: It's cold as shit here. Nobody told me. FOREMAN (voice-over): Towing the White House line at the U.S. military base, Greenland has hosted since World War II, insisting Russia and China's interest in nearby shipping channels are making the largest island in the world unsafe.
VANCE: We can't just bury our head in the sand or in Greenland, bury our head in the snow and pretend that the Chinese are not interested in this very large landmass.
FOREMAN (voice-over): The trip by Vance, his wife Usha, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, was clearly aimed at a very different photo op. The Second Lady was set to lead a delegation attending Greenland's national dog sled races, making nice with locals.
USHA VANCE, SECOND LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I look forward to meeting many of you soon and to learning from you about your beautiful land, culture and traditions.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But the dog sled diplomacy was soon on the run. A poll earlier this year showed Greenlanders strongly objected to the idea of a takeover and the trip quickly unraveled as they and their leaders began sounding off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want you here.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Calling the visit uninvited, unwelcome and highly aggressive. The U.S. delegation ended up more than 900 miles away from the Greenlandic capital.
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A move no doubt fine to officials in Denmark who said Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people and Greenland is part of the Danish kingdom and that is not going to change.
Still, Team Trump keeps hammering away that anyone who opposes the proposed land grab by political, economic or even military force must step aside.
VANCE: This has to happen and the reason it has to happen, I hate to say it, is because our friends in Denmark have not done their job in keeping this area safe.
TRUMP: And I think Denmark understands it, I think the European Union understands it. And if they don't, we're going to have to explain it to them.
FOREMAN: The vice president says he thinks that the move for independence in Greenland can somehow be turned into a movement to join the United States. But that seems unlikely, since many of them are now saying MAGA should really stand for Make America Go Away -- Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: And Peter Rasmussen, the director and editor in chief of
Danish news outlet OLFI, spoke to CNN earlier and he told us he doesn't think president Trump is going to get what he wants from Greenland. Here he is.
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PETER RASMUSSEN, DIRECTOR/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, OLFI: the mission has failed, because what Donald Trump has said is that he wants to purchase, he wants to control and he wants to own Greenland, to own Greenland.
And the way he has tried to do that has been taken down as a provocation. And the Greenlanders has said very clear that they do not want to be American. And the same as the Danish government.
The Danish prime minister has called it unacceptable way to talk to the Greenlanders and to Denmark. And in my opinion, what JD Vance said yesterday in Greenland was that the U.S. would not go to war to get Greenland. They, the U.S., will respect the Greenlanders' voice.
And I read that as a step down from a very harsh, confrontational line toward Greenland and Denmark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The proposed sale of two strategic ports near the Panama Canal is now on hold. The "South China Morning Post" reports that the deal was supposed to be signed next week.
The U.S. consortium agreed to buy the ports from a company based in Hong Kong but the paper says that's been postponed because Chinese regulators are investigating, to, quote, "protect fair competition." Now the deal was seen as a way to dial down tensions involving the U.S.
President Donald Trump threatened to take over the canal after wrongly claiming that China owns it.
Late Friday, a federal judge in Boston temporarily halted the deportation order against a detained Tufts University student. Immigration authorities were told to stop deportation proceedings against Rumeysa Ozturk, a pro-Palestinian activist.
The judge says she'll determine if the court in Boston, where Ozturk was arrested, has jurisdiction to decide if her detention was lawful. Ozturk is currently being held in Louisiana.
She's one of several foreign nationals affiliated with prestigious American universities who have been arrested and accused of activities related to terrorist organizations.
And another pro-Palestinian activist detained in the U.S. will have to wait to learn the next steps in his case. On Friday, a federal judge declined to immediately decide if the case against Mahmoud Khalil should be heard in New Jersey or transferred to Louisiana, where he's being held.
Supporters demonstrated outside the courtroom Friday. One of his attorneys accused the Trump administration of trying to take power from the courts in what he called "a Kafkaesque ploy to chill freedom of speech."
President Trump is asking the Supreme Court to allow him to continue to use the nearly 230-year-old Alien Enemies Act. Now this comes after an appeals court and a federal judge temporarily blocked deportations under that act for migrants. Trump claims are part of a notorious Venezuelan gang. CNN's Paula Reid has more on the legal tussle.
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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Here the Supreme Court is being asked to wade in to one of the most contentious legal battles the Trump administration has waged so far, because it involves not just one but two thorny legal issues.
The first is the constitutional question of whether president Trump can use a wartime authority to help facilitate deportations of people the administration says are affiliated with the Venezuelan gang.
Now they're asking the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that temporarily put that on pause. And that ruling was made by Judge James Boasberg.
And this is the other thorny issue. This judge has been the target of repeated attacks by president Trump and even attorney general Pam Bondi. Trump went so far as to call for this judge to be impeached, because he was so unhappy with his decision in this case.
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That prompted a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts, who went ahead and said, look, if you're unhappy with the decision, the appropriate recourse is appeal, not impeachment.
Now in their appeal on Friday, the administration argued, "This case presents fundamental questions about who decides how to conduct sensitive national security related operations in this country.
"The president, through Article II or the judiciary through temporary restraining orders. The Constitution," they argue, "supplies a clear answer, the president. And the republic," they say, "cannot afford a different choice."
But the Supreme Court may decide it's too early to weigh in on this; allow the larger issue to work its way through the courts and return to the Supreme Court maybe next year.
But the next move, the other side of this case needs to weigh in by next Tuesday. And then the court can let us know what they're going to do -- Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: The State Department is now directing that the social media activity of certain student visa applicants must be screened for evidence that they support terrorist organizations.
Two sources familiar with the documents say the mandate came this week in a memo signed by secretary of state Marco Rubio. It says visa approvals are national security decisions. And it cites executive orders signed by president Donald Trump.
The memo orders U.S. embassies and consulates to take and keep screenshots of any activity that could make an applicant ineligible for a student visa.
Wall Street closed the week in the red Friday, driven in part by a new report that consumer sentiment is tanking in the United States. We'll have the details on that.
Plus, CNN has learned that Ecuador is preparing to host U.S. troops to help fight drug gangs as its president prepares to meet with Donald Trump. We'll have an exclusive report when we come back. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: President Trump and Canada's prime minister Mark Carney are describing their phone call on Friday as productive and very constructive. It was their first conversation since Carney assumed Canada's leadership two weeks ago.
Trump didn't back away from threats to impose new tariffs next Wednesday. Nor did Carney back away from his vow to retaliate. And while the tone was less contentious than previous talks with Justin Trudeau, Carney said Canada's relationship with the U.S. has fundamentally changed. As CNN's Paula Newton reports, the situation remains fluid.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Fluid was a very good description.
And I think for Canadians and as well as any Canadian government officials, they're being incredibly cautious.
I mean, look, I'm going to state the obvious. We are in the middle of a campaign here in Canada and a federal electoral campaign. Right now until the end of April, no one's even sure who is going to be prime minister.
Having said that, of course, a lot of relief with the tone change. But as I heard from Canadian officials as well as Canadian industry officials saying, look. It's not even a tariff until we see the paperwork.
And as far as the prime minister's office is concerned, it is -- they're not taking anything for granted until it's in writing and it is in negotiation. I think the prime minister's office told me that, look, they were very pleased with the call.
They thought it set things off on a completely different level but one that will end in a negotiation that is to Canada's liking. I think right now, still a lot of uncertainty, a little bit of optimism for sure.
But I think the capricious nature of the president has everyone, quite frankly, burned here. And I do not think that one call is going to turn around the feeling here in terms of having to really pull away from the United States, both economically and militarily.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Well, they're clapping. But U.S. stocks closed this week in the red amid continuing tariff anxiety, stubborn inflation and weakening consumer sentiment. All three major indices slid Friday, with the Dow losing more than 700 points. The S&P 500 is on track for its worst quarter since 2022.
The University of Michigan released its closely watched survey of consumers Friday and it found that consumer sentiment tanked in March, down 12 percent from February. And respondents' outlook on the economy plummeted 18 percent. Worries about inflation and unemployment are driving the numbers.
Participants blamed trade, Trump's trade war for their jitters. The survey's expectations index has fallen more than 30 percent since last November. CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten digs into the numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Why did that consumer sentiment fall?
Well, it all has to do with expectations of the economy and expectations versus last month, get this,, according to that, consumer sentiment index dropped 18 percent. That's bigger than the drop that we saw of the overall index.
It dropped because expectations dropped 18 percent. That is the largest negative shift in over a decade, according to the Michigan Consumer Sentiment.
And more than that, I believe it's the seventh largest drop going all the way back since the 1950s. That's how far back you really have to go to understand this drop. And part of the reason it dropped, you mentioned the stock market. You
mentioned, of course, the tariffs. But it also has to do with inflation. Core inflation, PCE, over the last five years. This is the Feds' preferred metric.
Get this. That rose. That went through the ceiling. See, it went up there. That rose 19 percent over the last five years because I think, oftentimes, we talk about these small time changes. Right. These small times we look at.
I want to take a look at the wide breadth. And this is I think really what's going on with the consumer is they just can't seem to catch a break. Over the last five years, inflation up 19 percent.
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That is the highest shift over a five year period since the 1990s, before I was even in kindergarten.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, Israel carries out its first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire with Hezbollah began four months ago. We'll have a report from the region on the rising tensions next.
Plus we'll bring you the latest on the devastating earthquake out of Southeast Asia. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
More than 1,000 people are now reported dead, the vast majority of them in Myanmar after Friday's powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake. But it wasn't just Myanmar that was affected. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BELLA PAWITA SUNTHORNPONG, EARTHQUAKE WITNESS: I ran, grabbed my phone, grabbed my important stuff and then I ran outside. I see another person and I was telling him, I was like, I think there's an earthquake. I think we need to run, which honestly was kind of crazy.
Crazy to say because there's not a lot of earthquake in Thailand. And I was on the 33rd floor, so we were running down, from the top all the way down.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Well, that was one witness describing her experience in Thailand, where rescue workers are now detecting what are described as vital signs from 15 people still trapped in the rubble of a collapsed tower in Bangkok. CNN's Will Ripley has more from the Thai capital.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been an absolutely exhausting and excruciating night.
And now morning here in Bangkok, where most people here have not slept a wink since that massive 7.7 earthquake 600 miles away caused this skyscraper that was under construction to come tumbling down in a matter of seconds.
And there were well over 100 construction workers inside. So far, more than a dozen of them have been found alive but injured. At least 10 of them have been found dead. But finding them is very slow going. They know that there are around 100 people still in there. Some of them may be alive, others have not survived.
They can even hear people's phones ringing. They have sniffer dogs out, searching for any sign of life. They've also been flying drones overhead. But because they don't want to disrupt the rubble and create instability in air pockets, where there could be potential survivors, they're basically digging by hand.
And they're going to continue doing that out here, they say, for the next 72 hours or so and then they'll reassess after that, depending upon how many survivors they've been able to recover, what their conditions are and what they can learn about what's going on inside.
In the meantime, you have these family members of the construction workers who've been out here throughout the entire night, sitting and waiting for any information. And, of course, information is coming far too slowly for them and for so many others affected by this quake.
Because I need to stress again, this is 600 miles away from the epicenter in Myanmar. This quake hit along a fault line near a densely populated city of about 1.5 million people, with a lot of old buildings and dilapidated infrastructure.
There are reports of widespread damage, destruction, building collapses; we've seen video of a bridge collapse. But the number of dead, they're now saying, the U.S. Geological Survey is estimating it could likely be upwards of 10,000 people, even though the official death count is only in the hundreds right now.
And so here in Bangkok, this search and rescue effort continues. But they don't have a similar search and rescue infrastructure in place in Myanmar. That's why the military junta, which has been gripped in a civil war for the last several years, has made a rare plea for international assistance.
They've been asking the world to come in and help in what they describe as a dire situation. But the problem is there are militias that control parts of Myanmar.
The military junta doesn't control all of it. So even coordinating that logistical nightmare to get aid in is going to be a huge challenge. And if this is the situation 600 miles from the epicenter, one can only imagine just how bad things are right now in Myanmar, closer to where this massive 7.7 earthquake struck -- Will Ripley, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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BRUNHUBER: And joining me now from Bangkok is Trevor Clark. He's the regional emergency advisor for UNICEF East Asia and Pacific.
Thank you so much for being here with us. So first of all, being in Bangkok, I mean, we saw just now how even that city was affected.
What did you feel?
TREVOR CLARK, REGIONAL EMERGENCY ADVISER, UNICEF EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC: Yes, it's -- I'm glad you brought that up. It was pretty shocking, I have to say, Kim. It was something I never expected. I have. Our fridge was knocked over because the shakes were so, so massive.
We had to evacuate the building. My wife and our young daughter had to go down 14 flights of stairs. And even in Bangkok, the traffic was backed up. Public transportation was suspended. Accidents were happening on the roads.
And as you try to maneuver the traffic in any way that you could, you just -- every office, building, apartment complex was evacuated until the late hours. So it was pretty it was pretty shocking and just unexpected.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Now as scary and deadly as it was in Thailand, obviously it's much worse in Myanmar. So many communications challenges right now.
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And the picture is still incomplete.
But what are you learning about the devastation in that country, the extent of the casualties and the damage?
CLARK: Well, I think it's really critical to underscore what your previous reporter highlighted, you know, Myanmar and the children of Myanmar have suffered more than most children ever should have to suffer.
The conflict, the previous disasters, I mean, Cyclone Mocha is just in recent memory. And so children have really had to endure this.
So this devastating impact is just compounding the pain and the heartbreak that we all feel in UNICEF for children and in Myanmar. Initial reports, again, things are going to be a bit spotty for the next several days. We have teams on the ground working with our partners.
We are fortunate. We have a very competent, very, very, committed team on the ground there assessing. And we're determining verified information, what the acute needs are. I will say, though, that many people are affected, including children. And fatalities and injuries are among those at a really substantial level.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, we still don't know the full picture there. You say you have teams there. I mean, obviously, hugely committed, as you say. But the country has a history of struggling to respond to major natural disasters like these.
So how tough is it to get the aid to where it needs to go, given both the infrastructure damage but also, as you've touched on, the violent conflict that's going on?
CLARK: You know, this is what UNICEF does, though. I mean, we put children at the center of everything that we do, Kim. And it will be challenging. We'll have to negotiate and coordinate with multiple actors on the ground.
But this is what we do. You put a child at the center of where we need to be. The end result is, get the supplies, get the resources to them. And we'll do that. It will be challenging. There'll be hiccups, there'll be hurdles.
But we're confident we'll be able to do that like we've done in many similar scenarios across the globe. So what we need right now is for people to sort of step up and stand with us and help us get the resources and necessary for this, because this is going to be a long road for the children of Myanmar.
BRUNHUBER: Yes.
CLARK: UNICEF, for Myanmar for 2025, has a humanitarian action for children appeal, $286 million. That's for critical needs, Kim. Not -- it's not for the needs in their entirety. That's for critical needs. So we're stepping up. Other partners are stepping up. We need everybody to step up for the children of Myanmar.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's right.
And in terms of the actual resources that are needed now, what exactly are the biggest needs in terms of things you can you can deliver to people, to children who are in need?
CLARK: OK. So what we're doing right now is we've got some supplies already on the ground. We're just working out the land routes that we can actually get the supplies there.
But that's -- we're working on that imminently right now. We also have colleagues working 24 hours a day right now, loading supplies on some flights that we're going to get into Myanmar in the next coming days as well.
I'll be jumping off fairly soon to help with that coordination effort as well. We're looking at health supplies, tents, tarpaulins, mats, dignity kits, recreation kits, hygiene kits in particular as well. Those will be the immediate needs.
Even if we don't understand the acute needs right now, we know that's what they'll need on the ground absolutely. So we can give at least a semblance of basic services for children.
BRUNHUBER: As you talked about earlier, even before this earthquake, millions in the country were already suffering because of the war. The need for aid now is so great.
But according to the Center for Global Development, about $52 million in USAID funding to Myanmar has been cut.
I mean, the timing couldn't be worse, right?
CLARK: Well, I think any funding cut is going to be is going to be a challenge. And we've seen that in the in the aid sector, not just the U.S. but more broadly in the humanitarian sector.
For right now, the immediate needs are we're trying to mobilize resources, you know, for the first, you know, several days of this devastating earthquake. And we're confident we, you know, that we'll be able to get the resources necessary.
But again, having sort of these discussions with you, Kim, are important so that we can get the word out, get the attention on the children of Myanmar and have people sort of do their part as well.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. All right. Well, listen we wish the best for you and especially your teams out there in Myanmar, that they stay safe. Trevor Clark, thank you so much for speaking to us.
CLARK: Thanks for having me, Kim.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[04:40:00]
BRUNHUBER: Gaza's civil defense says it's recovered the body of one of nine aid workers missing after coming under Israeli military fire. A spokesperson says civil defense and the Red Crescent Society were finally granted access to the area on Friday.
He says they found massive destruction and widespread bulldozing. The ambulances and fire trucks the aid workers were using had been destroyed. The Israeli military claims the militants were using the vehicles as cover.
Various groups report more than a dozen aid workers have been killed or gone missing over the past week. Israel has been ramping up its military campaign in Gaza after the ceasefire with Hamas collapsed. And Israel's military carried out an airstrike on southern Beirut on
Friday for the first time since November, when Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire. The strike was in response to two projectiles launched from Lebanon at Israel.
The exchange is raising concerns about the shaky ceasefire and risk of increased fighting. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the latest from Tel Aviv.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Israel on Friday carrying out an airstrike in the Lebanese capital after two rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel. It is the first time since the November ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect that the Israeli military has carried out strikes in Beirut.
The Israeli military said that they went after a Hezbollah drone storage facility. You can see the enormous blast caused by that airstrike. And in the aftermath of that strike, absolute destruction, that entire building was leveled in that strike. And you can see the damage in this video.
The Israeli military issued evacuation orders for that area about 1.5 hours before carrying out this strike and it said it carried out this strike in retaliation for those two rockets that were fired earlier on Friday against Israeli territory. One of those rockets was intercepted by the Israeli military. The other fell short in Lebanese territory, actually, according to the IDF.
Now Hezbollah has denied that it was responsible for carrying out those rocket attacks. And in fact, the images that we have of those two rocket launchers that were used in Friday's attack appear quite rudimentary. And it led Lebanon's president to say that he does not believe that this was Hezbollah. Instead, it seems more likely that this was a smaller militant group. Perhaps that is also based in southern Lebanon.
But the Israeli government has made quite clear that they will consider any kind of attack from Lebanon toward Israel, that they will fire back at Hezbollah, whether or not it was Hezbollah actually responsible for that attack. They have also said that they will hold the Lebanese government responsible for any violations of the ceasefire that occur on Lebanese territory.
And this all comes at quite a precarious moment for Lebanon. It is just trying to stand up this new government, funding coming in from the United States and France to stand up the Lebanese army and to send them into southern Lebanon, to take over territory that was previously largely held by Hezbollah.
And now, the question is whether or not this cease fire will actually hold up. Questions over whether Hezbollah will feel the need to retaliate against Israel for this strike in Beirut. A very tenuous moment, a very fragile moment, certainly, as everything seems to be escalating in the region at the moment -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv. (END VIDEOTAPE) (MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: At least four people were killed after a Russian drone strike on Friday in Dnipro in central Ukraine. Ukrainian officials add that 19 others were injured. The attack ignited multiple fires and damaged several high-rise buildings.
Meanwhile, the two sides are accusing each other of attacking energy infrastructure. Moscow says Ukraine nearly destroyed this gas facility and trying to strike an oil refinery on Friday.
But Kyiv is blaming Russia for hitting gas and power facilities in two of its regions. Both sides agreed last week to pause attacks on energy targets.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy ruled out direct peace talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy says there should be consequences if the Russian president keeps the war going. Here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is important for us that the U.S. joins harsh sanctions position and the position of diplomatic pressure on Putin on their maximum.
This is what the partners promised. They promised, if Putin demonstrates unwillingness to end the war or at least a ceasefire, they said there will be harsh reactions. We are waiting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Elon Musk says he sold X. Find out who bought it and why after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN has learned that Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa, is flying to south Florida for an unannounced visit with Donald Trump this weekend. He's expected to push for U.S. support in the fight against violent drug gangs in Ecuador. And not only that, Ecuador is preparing to host American troops.
CNN's David Culver went to Ecuador to see the violent situation on the ground. And we just have to warn you that some of the images in the report are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In his meeting with president Trump here in south Florida, president Noboa is hoping to strengthen the relationship between Ecuador and the U.S.
[04:50:00]
And we just got back from spending more than two weeks on the ground in Ecuador. And it is a country essentially at war. They're dealing with gangs that have taken hold of communities and neighborhoods.
And we embedded with police and military as they're trying to root them out. But at this point, they say it's a losing battle. That's why they're turning to the U.S., not only asking the U.S. for help but, as we have also learned now exclusively, they are preparing for the U.S. and potentially U.S. troops to arrive to bring that backup.
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CULVER (voice-over): The element of surprise is essential. They've got to move fast. But with Ecuador's arm hitting into a gang stronghold, an advance team records as they move in first. Their target?
A man linked to one of Ecuador's most feared criminal groups.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
CULVER (voice-over): They detained one guy, suspected to have ties to Fito, the infamous gang leader who escaped prison last year.
Soldiers rip through the place, spotting an altar. Look closely. That's Santa Muerte, a saint of death, adopted by Mexico's Sinaloa cartel and now revered by gangs across Ecuador. We see the image everywhere.
CULVER: A lot of the gang leaders live in this area and you can see some of the markings of Choneros, which is one of the big gangs here in Ecuador, if not the biggest.
CULVER (voice-over): And this is the problem. Ecuador has become the murder capital of Latin America and they're now turning to the United States, desperate for help.
Renderings shared with us by a high-level Ecuadorian official appear to show plans for a potential deployment of U.S. troops into Ecuador, including a floating dock that jets out some 500 feet into the Pacific, said to accommodate up to seven Coast Guard vessels.
And here, details of a workspace and possible military housing, the structure complete with offices, beds, a kitchen, mess halls and plenty of parking, allowing for a foreign force to carry out sustained security operations here, according to the source.
GIAN CARLO LOFFREDO, ECUADOR'S DEFENSE MINISTER: When troops from another country come, they come with resources and those are what we need the most. CULVER: And there were troops, U.S. troops here back in -- up until 2009, roughly, right?
LOFFREDO: Yes, they were.
CULVER: And does that help when there's a U.S. troop present?
LOFFREDO: Of course, it helped a lot.
CULVER (voice-over): U.S. defense officials and the White House have not confirmed any such deployment but Ecuador's officials are hopeful.
For a decade, a U.S. military base in the port city of Manta was used as a key surveillance hub to monitor cartels operating in the region. But Ecuador chose not to renew the contract in 2008, forcing U.S. troops to pack up and leave the following year. In the time since, officials say cocaine has flooded into Ecuador, fueling deadly violence spearheaded by the cartels.
TRUMP: Today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
CULVER (voice-over): Applauding President Trump's Inauguration Day pledge to combat organized crime, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa and his wife front and center as Trump took the oath of office in January.
Back home in Ecuador, Noboa finds himself in the midst of a tight run- off election, where security is the number one issue. But for many, it's too late. Grief is sweeping across Latin America's so-called island of peace, gang violence constantly claiming lives.
It's become so common here and yet locals, as though in disbelief, tell us over and over, Ecuador was never like this before.
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CULVER: So if U.S. forces are deployed to Ecuador -- and at this point it is an if -- what will that look like on the ground there?
Well, we know that president Noboa has asked for Special Forces to go into some of the gang strongholds, into certain communities and neighborhoods.
If the U.S. doesn't go to that extent, one thing he could certainly be receptive toward is added intel resources, such as surveillance aircraft and even perhaps Navy and Coast Guard ships that would help in interdictions of drug runners off the coast.
All of these resources, president Noboa and officials that we spoke with on the ground there say, will help in pushing back against the gangs and ultimately winning what they see as a war.
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BRUNHUBER: Elon Musk is scheduled to visit the CIA on Monday. Two sources tell CNN that this will be Musk's first visit to the intelligence agency. A source also told CNN that CIA director John Ratcliffe invited Musk and that the director announced Musk's visit at a town hall with CIA workers on Friday.
On Wednesday, Ratcliffe told the House Intelligence Committee that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has had zero impact on the CIA.
And Elon Musk has sold X, the company formerly known as Twitter. He sold it to XAI, his own artificial intelligence company.
[04:55:00]
Musk says XAI will pay $45 billion for X. That's slightly more than Musk paid for it in 2022. Musk didn't announce any immediate changes to X but he says it will now deliver, quote, "smarter, more meaningful experiences."
With Donald Trump back in the White House and Musk leading the Department of Government Efficiency, X has become a higher profile platform for following the administration.
Well, that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
