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Many Feared Dead in 7.7 Earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand; U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Wife Arrive in Greenland; Israel Strikes Beirut for First Time Since November; Trump Administration Targets Foreign Student Protesters; Investors Worry About Musk's Time Away from Tesla. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 28, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:59:57]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back. You're watching the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East programing
headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. Time is just after 6:00 in the evening.
And may are feared dead after a major earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand earlier today. Buildings in both places collapsed. We're going to keep you
posted on our breaking news. Meantime, Israel strikes southern Beirut for the first time since the November ceasefire. The Lebanese president saying
his government is in touch with the U.S. over these strikes.
Plus, the U.S. says it has revoked more than 300 foreign student visas. We have also seen dramatic videos of students being arrested by plainclothes
officers, sparking protests all over America.
We are getting some new details on the extent of casualties and damage caused by a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar and was felt
in Thailand. The military government of Myanmar declaring an emergency situation, reporting many deaths and injuries. It's calling for blood
donations.
These pictures are from Mandalay, not far from the quake's epicenter. And humanitarian groups are now urging the junta to allow international aid
organizations into the country but getting help in could prove difficult with Myanmar in the midst of course of a four-year long civil war.
Well, in the Thai capital of Bangkok, search and rescue operations now continuing into the night after a building under construction there
collapsed during the earthquake. At least three people were killed, 81 others are said to be trapped under the rubble. This quake has been
followed by a series of aftershocks. The largest at magnitude 6.4.
Well, during our breaking news coverage I've been speaking to eyewitnesses very specifically in Thailand what they experienced when the quake hit.
Here are some of what they have been telling us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARCHIE TAGGART, WITNESS VISITING BANGKOK: So basically when the earthquake struck, we were all in our rooms, like having just woken up and just
relaxing and then we feel these tremors in the rooms and everyone was so shocked. And then the hostel staff made us all evacuate the rooms, and we
didn't really had any idea, and then we out, when we were outside, what had happened. Yes.
ANDERSON: Mm-hmm. And how would you describe how people felt? Not just the physical feeling of those tremors but, you know, how were people?
TAGGART: Yes. I think all the travelers who are all in the hostels were very scared and like didn't know what was going on really to start with.
And then one of my friends, Garmin, he was going -- he went to the MBK mall and so he was there to go shopping at night (INAUDIBLE) to see what it's
like, and then when the earthquake struck, everyone was like running out and everyone is all getting evacuated, and he could see like rubble falling
from buildings. I think he was very shocked as to what was going on.
SANDA THANT, MYANMAR NATIONAL: Yes. Actually, you know, I don't go outside because I'm afraid of like having that again, that's why, but I can also
see a lot of damage especially from Bangkok, from Bangkok, so I have her friends and also relatives there. And also, they cannot stay in the
condominium. They have to stay outside. And some of them they have like an elder mother. So that's why they are very much difficult to find a place
because they cannot stay in a condominium.
ANDERSON: Yes. Understood. And the way you felt is echoed by other people who felt, you know, at the onset of the tremor that they had a health
issue, you know, then suddenly you realize it's not you, it's an earthquake.
Look, I want to just, before I let you go, just take a moment to focus on the women of Myanmar. What will be the impact short and longer term of this
earthquake for them?
THANT: Yes. Thank you so much for asking this question. So I also would like to highlight five points. One is women and men experience differently.
There are preexisting inequality between genders. For example access to information. Women are 29 percent less likely to own mobile phones than
men, which is the major device to get the information. Second, is not all women feel the same. Disabled, pregnant and lactating women are more
vulnerable due to the extremely limited access to health services and other basic services.
[10:05:03]
The third why it also will be more burden for the women because of their care and domestic works. So -- and the fourth one is earthquake and other
natural disaster coupled with displaced situation can increase exploitation, trafficking and sexual violence. We had evidence in Nargis
cyclone in 2000 and 2008. After disaster women are often at high risk of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, so people in Myanmar
have already been suffering from economic hardship, conflict and also airstrikes, things, you know, particularly since 2021.
ANDERSON: Right.
THANT: This just make the situation worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I want to bring in Tom Andrews. He's along the Thailand-Myanmar border right now, and he is the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in
Myanmar.
Your colleague at (INAUDIBLE) has described significant damage in Myanmar. Mandalay, very close to the epicenter of what was a very -- not very deep
earthquake at all. What's your assessment of what the impact has been there?
TOM ANDREWS, U.N. MYANMAR SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR: Very significant. Becky, you've got to realize that even before the earthquake began to shake, we
had over 20 million people in need of humanitarian aid in this country. 3.5 million people internally displaced. So when that hit, this was already a
disaster. Now we have a disaster on top of a disaster. And I can only shudder to think what will be happening in the next few days as rescue
operations kick in.
The other thing that I think is important to note that in disasters like this in the past, the military junta of Myanmar has shown its willingness
to weaponize aid. It's cut off aid to areas that are extremely vulnerable. Where people need the aid they have stopped it from getting in. It's really
important that the international community get aid in to Myanmar, but also that as much pressure as possible can be brought to bear on the military
junta to let aid in where it needs to go.
And that we also coordinate with the opposition National Unity government to make sure in those areas that are so desperate right now aid is going to
get to them as well.
ANDERSON: Tom, which are those areas? Is it at all clear where the most pressing needs are, and how likely is it to your mind, with your experience
that the military junta is going to play ball when it comes to these aid organizations helping out in getting access into the country?
ANDREWS: You know, to be honest with you, Becky, I'm not optimistic. We've just seen a pattern with natural disasters in the past. They've been just
completely outrageous in the obstacles they put in the way of getting aid into areas, that is, that it really is needed, as you mentioned. Mandalay
is near the epicenter. It was a major urban area. We're still getting reports from around that area and throughout much of Myanmar that really
are not in great shape to begin with.
So it's a horrible situation made much worse by the fact that I think this junta is going to need to have a lot of pressure, and I mean, a lot of
pressure applied to it by the international community if lives are going to be saved.
ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, the pressure could be there. It is likely to mount. The question is whether that will have any impact at all. This kind of
crisis would be difficult for a country at the best of times. You have described the fact that the infrastructure in Myanmar is not great at the
best of times. Just how difficult will Myanmar's ongoing civil war make this rescue and recovery process?
ANDREWS: It's, you know, the whole country is on fire. This is a country that has been wracked by war, the entire economy has collapsed, over half
the population is now under the poverty level. Another 25 percent are going to quickly follow them under the best of conditions. You have millions of
people that are already internally displaced. So this all happens inside of a country and on top of already an unmitigated disaster.
Plus, the physical infrastructure, is, of course, very weak. So something like this, of course, is going to have significant damage under any
circumstances.
[10:10:04]
But when you take all of these components and you add them up together, it could be absolutely, absolutely devastating.
ANDERSON: We spoke earlier to one expert who, you know, reinforced the importance of taking a moment to remember Myanmar's women and the impact
that this may have on them short and long term. What's your sense?
ANDREWS: No question. No question. Those people who have been most oppressed including women should be in our thoughts, but more importantly
in our action. We need to be consulting and coordinating with women's led organizations to know exactly how to get the aid, where it needs to go. So
that's an extremely important piece of this. I've been spending time in clinics today here on the border. I've been meeting with survivors of
landmines.
Physicians, nurses, there are people who are on the front lines of this crisis who need to be engaged, sought out their wisdom, their direction.
The National Unity government can put the international community in touch with many of them. So it's extremely important that those who are most
vulnerable, those also who have the expertise and the connections to where this aid can get to, namely women's organizations, organizations and
networks of persons with disabilities, physicians that are working around the clock outside of areas that are in the mainstay areas controlled by the
junta.
These are people that we need to be consulting with and working with very closely to get this aid to where it needs to go.
ANDERSON: Well, it sounds to me as if this could be a sort of worst nightmare coming true. Look, we have very little information coming out of
Myanmar, obviously we are very concerned about what the situation is within the country, around the city of Mandalay, for example. Let's hope that your
worst fears aren't sort of realized. But we will work very hard to try and ensure that we get the information out and get as much help for the people
of Myanmar as you say as possible.
And your message has been heard to the international community that the pressure needs to be brought to bear on the military junta to ensure that
we can get that aid into the people who will need it most.
It's good to have you, Tom. Thank you very much indeed.
CNN's Mike Valerio, I want to start with you. Mike, this hour in Bangkok, our viewers will have seen this video. This is of a building pancaking
effectively in Bangkok. What do we know about this building very specifically? What happened here? Who has been hurt and what happens next?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So there is -- we're looking in terms of where our reporting is going. We stand at up to 81 people, Becky, who are
potentially missing underneath this concrete pile. So I want to bring to you, this is a dispatch that's been filed by Kocha Olarn, who is our super,
super human, super producer who lives in Bangkok, and her photojournalist Mark Phillips.
So they sent this to us. And here's what Kocha says, she's on the scene and she writes to us, quote, "We've seen waves of rescue teams are getting in
and out of the collapse site. We saw K-9 dogs were brought in to sniff for survivors. We have seen people who were crying, very emotional at the scene
of fellow workers trying to carry people out of the alley. Heavy machinery brought in to the site, including a digger."
You know, I was just with Wolf Blitzer on, you know, the American side of CNN, and he was so right to point out, looking at that video, it just -- it
stops. It's heart-stopping. It evokes 9/11 when the South Tower came tumbling down. And you just look, you know, towards Lower Manhattan. So to
think of another rescue effort in a similar vein going forward after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, you know, your heart goes out to everybody who's
working on that pile right now.
We also have new details from somebody who survived this, Becky, who was inside the structure. And to your original question, a 30-story building,
it was being constructed by a Chinese engineering firm, according to the reporting from Nectar Gan, our colleague in Hong Kong, and Yunxiang (PH),
who's working on this story with CNN in the United States. They report, according to records they've been able to dig up, they've been able to find
out through the course of their efforts that this was a building that was topped out.
[10:15:03]
The structure was finished construction. It reached its height on October, or excuse me, on March 31st of 2024, last year. And the finishing touches
were being put on this structure, heralded by the social media postings of this Chinese engineering firm. And those posts have since been taken down.
The person who was inside, though, said that he felt the shaking. He felt dizziness from the structure shaking, and he told everybody to run. And
then he sees pieces starting to fall down. And then seconds later, he is barely out of there when the entire structure comes down around him. And he
apparently went back to the site and is very emotional. Just checking my notes here. Knowing that members of his team are still missing.
So we spend so much time, you know, because Tom, our previous guest, the special rapporteur, was talking about Myanmar. This is certainly a center
of gravity in this extremely cosmopolitan setting that has never seen anything like this in this generation. In the hours to come, certainly
teams are going to be hoping for a miracle to pull people out of there.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Mike, and the team in the region, thank you.
I want to get you some other news now as we continue to press for more information out of Thailand and Myanmar on this earthquake.
European leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine at a meeting in Paris of the so-called Coalition of the Willing. They agreed that it is
not the time to lift sanctions on Russia. It comes as the Kremlin airs its own ideas for the future of Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In principle, of course, it would be possible under the auspices of the U.N., with the
United States, even with European countries, and of course with our partners and friends, to discuss the possibility of introducing temporary
administration in Ukraine. For what? In order to hold democratic elections, in order to bring to power a viable government that enjoys the people's
trust, and then began negotiations with it on a peace treaty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, in the next hour or so, U.S. Vice President Vance and his wife Usha are expected to arrive in Greenland. They left from a base
outside Washington, D.C., just before daybreak and settled in for the nearly six hour flight. Initially, Mrs. Vance was going solo on what the
White House had called a cultural visit. Well, this week, her husband decided he'd go, too, as outrage over the trip grew in Greenland.
The second lady's itinerary changed abruptly, with her husband going along for the ride as well. Instead of dog sledding, they will visit a U.S.
Military base and greet U.S. service members amid the U.S. president's talk about annexing the island. Greenland's prime minister called the trip
highly aggressive.
Matthew France -- Matthew Chance following this story for us from London.
Sorry, Matthew. Do I understand, after all the build-up for this visit, that the Vances and their delegation will now be on the ground for
something like five and a half hours maximum?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, something like that. I mean, it's been dramatically scaled back. I mean, it started off
with Usha Vance, the wife of the -- of JD Vance, the U.S. vice president, basically announcing she was going on a cultural visit to see that dog sled
race, which is apparently the most prominent dog sled race in the world. Not sure that's a massively competitive category, but anyway, even that was
abandoned when it emerged that there was a lot of resistance amongst Greenlanders and amongst the Danish government to the fact that this sort
of, this visit was being planned.
They described it as aggressive. And instead of pulling the plug on the trip altogether, actually, it's become much more political. You had JD
Vance saying he's going along. There are other members of the Cabinet, Michael, you know, Waltz, the national intelligence guy. He's also on the
trip as well. There's a senator going along as well. And it's become a much more political visit.
But at the same time they're going just to one remote corner of Greenland, the northwest of the country, you know, miles and miles away from any
actual Greenlanders. And so there can't be any protests that they will see. And they're going to be visiting the Pituffik space base, U.S. space base
on the island and talking to the U.S. security personnel there. So it's become a very different trip than it was initially conceived of as, but it
is still being seen as very aggressive in Denmark and of course over much of Europe.
[10:20:05]
ANDERSON: What sort of tone is Vice President Vance expressing or expected to have on this trip?
CHANCE: Well, I think it's unlikely to be a conciliatory one, given the remarks of his boss, President Trump, what, within the last 24 hours, you
know, restating that it was the intention of him and the United States to take ownership in some way of Greenland. I mean, it's left many
Greenlanders and many people in Denmark, as I mentioned, you know, pretty angry, pretty bewildered.
You know, the United States already has an agreement in place, for example, to build as many military bases on the island as it wants. It can build
submarine docks. It can upscale its military presence if it chooses to do so. In fact, many people in the region would actually welcome that equally.
Many people in Greenland and in Denmark have, you know, embraced the idea of more economic cooperation with the United States as well.
You know, but the idea of America annexing it, that's not gone down very well at all. In fact, there's only one person that I know of outside of the
Trump administration that's actually welcomed it, and that's Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. He said it's a serious plan. He's made a, you know,
parallels with the purchase by the United States of Alaska from Russia back in, what was it, 1867? And so he's welcomed it.
And I think there are a couple of reasons for that. You know, first of all, if the United States does end up annexing Greenland, then that would go
some way to legitimizing Russia's own annexation of areas, for instance, inside Ukraine, but also Putin knows very well that this kind of pressure
from Washington is placing a strain on the Western military alliance on NATO. And it's been a long standing objective of Moscow to undermine that
partnership. And so, you know, it's clear to me, at least, why the Kremlin is supporting this.
ANDERSON: Yes. It's fascinating. It's good to have you, Matt. Thank you very much indeed. Matthew Chance is in London.
More of the day's big stories are just ahead. We're going to get you an update on what has been this deadly earthquake in Southeast Asia. Plus
violence erupting between Israel and Lebanon again for the first time since the ceasefire was agreed last year. We will have the very latest on that
after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: ell, Israel has struck targets in southern Beirut today, Friday, for the first time in four months. This came after the Israeli military
said two projectiles were fired at Israel from Lebanon. Well, you're looking at the aftermath of the attack on Beirut as shared on social media.
This is the first significant eruption of violence. The first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire was agreed last November.
[10:25:00]
Jeremy Diamond, following the story from Tel Aviv.
The Israelis warned of this strike very specifically on this building, as I understand it. Why? What's the reason for this assault?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli military said it carried out this strike in the Lebanese capital after two rockets
were fired from southern Lebanon towards communities in northern Israel. One of those rockets was intercepted. The other rocket fell short of its
target and actually fell in Lebanese territory, according to the Israeli military.
But the Israeli military then carried out what is the most significant strike that we have seen from them since this ceasefire between Israel and
Hezbollah went into effect in November, and that's because it is the first strike that we have seen in the Lebanese capital during that period of
time. The Israeli military says that they targeted a Hezbollah drone storage facility, which was in a building in southern Lebanon.
And the Israeli military did indeed issue this evacuation warning for the area surrounding that building. And about an hour and a half later carried
out this strike, absolutely leveling this building to the ground with quite a powerful impact as you can see in some of these images, a very large
black plume of smoke erupting over the skyline of Beirut, something we haven't seen in months.
ANDERSON: Jeremy, we've got a response on this from the Lebanese president who is in Paris meeting with the French president. He said, and I quote
here, this is Joseph Owen. "It is obvious that we declare our strong condemnation of this and reject any attack on Lebanon or any suspicious,
malicious attempt to return Lebanon to the cycle of violence. More importantly," he said, "what is happening increases our determination and
commitment to build our country and army and extend our control over all of our lands to protect Lebanon and all its people."
Your thoughts on his response?
DIAMOND: Well, it's important to note, Becky, that this comes at an extraordinarily precarious time for Lebanon. You know, since this ceasefire
went into effect, the United States and to some extent, France have really been trying to stand up this new Lebanese government, providing new funding
to the Lebanese military to be able to secure southern Lebanon and enforce this ceasefire agreement.
And there's really been a lot of hope in the air about the potential for a more stable Lebanon given the new president of the country and the
direction that he seems to be taking. And there's no question that a strike like this in the Lebanese capital risks destabilizing that country further.
It also risks drawing out a response from Hezbollah, which insists that it was not behind the rocket strike toward directed at Israel, northern Israel
earlier today, and now the question is, will Hezbollah feel compelled to fire back?
I also want to draw your attention to the images that we have of these rocket launchers, which look quite the same as the ones we saw that were
fired last week as well, last Saturday, a week ago today. They are quite rudimentary and as we heard the Lebanese president say, based on those
images, he doesn't believe that it was Hezbollah. And it seems to point more likely to a smaller militant group, perhaps one of the Palestinian
militant groups that is also based in that area carrying out this attack.
But nonetheless, the Israeli Defense minister and other members of the Israeli government insisting that they will hold Hezbollah, but more
importantly, they will hold the Lebanese government responsible for enforcing the ceasefire, and that if Lebanon does not enforce this
ceasefire, Israel will do so itself -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Jeremy, it's good to have you, mate. Thank you very much indeed.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. That's Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for you. When we return, I'm going to get you a lot
more on our breaking news coverage of what has been this massive earthquake in Southeast Asia, where many people, unfortunately, are feared dead. More
on that is after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:31:32]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Time here is half past 6:00. These are your headlines.
A clear message from Ukraine's European allies to the Trump administration. It is not time to lift Western sanctions on Russia. It comes as Moscow is
looking to Washington for concessions in exchange for a deal to halt the fighting in the Black Sea. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that
Washington will evaluate any conditions that Russia tries to impose.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, are on their way to Greenland after leaving from Joint Base Andrews. The vice president decided
last minute to join his wife for what the White House has called a cultural visit. U.S. President Donald Trump's talk about annexing the island led one
Danish leader to describe the visit as highly aggressive.
Well, Myanmar's military junta says many civilians have been killed and injured following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake. It has also triggered the
collapse of buildings hundreds of miles away in Thailand, killing at least three and injuring dozens of others. Rescue crews are racing to free 81
people who are trapped under the rubble of a building in Bangkok.
I want to turn to CNN photojournalists now, Mark Phillips. He was in Bangkok when the earthquake hit. He's been very close to and filming what
is going on outside that building as I understand it, Mark, where the search and rescue is ongoing.
Firstly, just tell me, where were you when the earthquake struck and what did you feel?
MARK PHILLIPS, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: Oh, I was in my apartment, which was 12 floors up when it struck. So it started off as like a gentle swaying, which
at first I thought it was me. But as I looked around my apartment, the curtains were moving, the light fittings were moving, and then it got
violent and really swung backwards and forwards. Doors were opening, drawers were opening.
And I thought at that stage it's best to get out because it was only -- usually with earthquakes, they're short and sharp, you know, 30 seconds.
But this felt like it went on for about two minutes. So about a minute into it, I thought it was time to get out. I ran out, everybody was moving
towards the fire exits. The staff in the place I live in were great. Opened up all the doors and we all were able to make it downstairs fairly quickly.
Nobody was hurt.
But there was a lot of debris around the building where things had fallen off the building and crashed to the ground, and there was tiles that had
come off inside my apartment block. So there was a lot of not so much broken glass, but a lot of broken plaster and debris laying around --
Becky.
ANDERSON: Understood. Mark, tell us, where are you now? What are you seeing and hearing there?
PHILLIPS: At the moment we're down in a place called Chatuchak. We're beside what was a construction site. And unfortunately, when the earthquake
happened, that construction site literally fell down upon the people who were working in it. Many of them Burmese, unfortunately. And at the moment,
we know that there are three people have died and there's about 80, 81 people still missing.
But at the moment the Thais are here in great numbers, and they're going through the debris and trying to find people who have survived this
horrible accident -- Becky.
[10:35:00]
ANDERSON: All right. Well, we've seen images of this building, frankly, pancaking as we understood it. It was the physical sort of construction was
finished about a year or so ago. And they were sort of doing the finishing touches on this building. The images are really gut wrenching when you see
it come down as the earthquake strikes, of course.
So stick with it, Mark, because obviously important, incredibly important work. I know that you've been in earthquake zones before, you know,
supporting us as reporters on these search and rescue deployments. It's not pleasant, but it's important stuff. Thank you.
Well, CNN's weather team closely following events in Myanmar and Thailand. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, who is in Atlanta.
And Derek, tell us more about this earthquake and the aftershocks, if you will.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it has been extraordinary to see the video coming out of the area, not only with the collapsing building in
Bangkok, but also the video and images like you see behind me of water splashing out of rooftop pools. This is actually part of the design of some
of these more modern buildings that help to dampen the extreme shaking during an intense earthquake just like this.
But we know that unfortunately some of the buildings were not as fortunate as the one I just showed you now. And I want to show you the latest from
this magnitude 7.7 earthquake. There's the epicenter of the original earthquake. All the smaller dots to the north. And this one little dot just
to the south. those are aftershocks. There are 4.5 or greater. So we have confirmed aftershocks that are relatively strong.
So with the weakened infrastructure, this could be a problem with additional shaking expected. So this was a very shallow earthquake. This is
important because if it was lower or deeper into the ground, there's more ground to absorb the shaking. That wasn't the case. It was only 10
kilometers below the surface. So with this strike slip, the type of fault that actually separated over this course of this earthquake unfortunately
erupted into a powerful 7.7 magnitude and millions of people felt light to moderate shaking.
But when we talk about the damaging shaking, we're talking of several million people for severe and violent shaking. And that is why we are
seeing some of the video and the images on our computers, on our social media feeds, and here on TV as well. So this is the aftershocks that we
anticipate, several 5.7 or greater, perhaps hundreds of 4.7 or greater. That's how it works. Kind of an exponential scale in terms of number of
aftershocks.
And that won't be in the next day. This could be over days, if not weeks. That is the nature of these powerful earthquakes.
Now going forward, the search and recovery effort, there's no significant weather in this outlook. That's the glimmer of hope here. But one thing to
take note of, Becky, it will be very hot and without electricity and without the ability for people to cool themselves, it could be another
combining factor to this effort -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's good to have you, Derek. Thank you very much indeed. Derek, with real news you can use over the past couple of hours that we
have been talking. Thank you.
We're joined now by William Yeck. He's a research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center, speaking to us
today from Golden, Colorado.
Good to have you, sir. I know you have been analyzing this since the earthquake struck. What indication was there ahead of this earthquake that
something was afoot. And what happened on the actual sort of impact?
WILLIAM YECK, RESEARCH GEOPHYSICIST, USGS: Right. So, unfortunately, we can't predict earthquakes. So, you know, in terms of forewarning that this
was going to occur, that's not really possible. But we do know that the fault that this earthquake occurred on the Zhanjiang fault could host these
large earthquakes. So having a large earthquake here isn't unexpected.
In terms of the response, you know, we quickly respond to the earthquake and estimate the size. We can start to get an idea of the impact of the
event. We've heard a lot about the damage that's happened in Bangkok, but really, most of the severe shaking, the most severe shaking and the violent
shaking is going to occur near Mandalay.
And, you know, I'll note that we point these, we look at these events as points on the map, but really these large earthquakes, they rupture across
a big distance. So this earthquake ruptured about 200 kilometers of the fault. So there's a wide spread from north to south, where there'd be this
violent shaking.
ANDERSON: And this quake struck at a depth of about 10 kilometers or about eight miles. What does that mean in terms of its impact?
YECK: Yes, as we heard before, that's exactly right, that the shallower the shaking is, or the shallower the rupture is, the more violent the shaking.
So seismic waves they attenuate as you get further away from them. So that means that as you get further away from an earthquake, you feel smaller and
smaller shaking typically.
[10:40:02]
And that's why it's so surprising that there's been so much damage in Bangkok, because it's fairly far away. But because this earthquake was so
shallow, it ruptured a shallow part of this strike slip fault, there's really violent shaking where it occurred.
ANDERSON: Well, it was good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
We're making a point, and we have been making the point over the past hours since this earthquake struck that it is incredibly difficult to get
information out of Myanmar. And we know that the military junta there has said there is significant damage and death. It's very difficult to get them
to stand up that information. We've been talking to the U.N. on the border between Myanmar and Thailand. And obviously as we get more information, we
will get it to you, folks.
Well, still to come, chaos on U.S. college campuses as students fight back against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The students at
risk up next.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Because I think it's crazy to invite students into your country that are coming onto your campus and
destabilizing it. We're just not going to have it. So we'll revoke your visa. And once your visa is revoked, you're illegally in the country and
you have to leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a blunt warning to international students on U.S. college campuses with visas, as the Trump
administration ramps up student detentions. One of the stories that we're following is the case of Mahmoud Khalil, who is due in court this hour. And
right now, outside protesters have gathered outside the hearing in Newark, New Jersey.
You might remember these pictures of Khalil's arrest. His wife captured the moments plainclothes officers arrested the campus activist and placed him
in an unmarked SUV. She herself is eight months pregnant.
Well, following this story is political correspondent Prem Thakker from the digital news organization Zeteo. He joins us now live from Washington.
It's good to have you. I want to get to Khalil's case in a moment. I just want to start with some video of another student, a PhD student from Tufts
University, being detained in the street. The six officers were in plain clothes, and they surrounded Rumeysa Ozturk. Let's have a look at that
video. What do you make of what we're seeing here?
PREM THAKKER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, ZETEO: Yes. So, Becky, thank you for having me. And thank you to your team as well for this coverage. I think
what's important to keep in mind as you all look at this video is something that a witness had told me, which is that how much it resembles essentially
a kidnaping. You have several people in plain clothes approach you. They begin to cover their faces. At least one, according to a witness, appeared
armed, and they grab your phone. They grab your backpack.
[10:45:02]
They do not clearly prove to you who they are. They're saying they're going to take you, but they're not clearly telling you why. And this isn't as
much of a political statement as it is a descriptive, a prescriptive statement about how these agents of the Trump administration are carrying
these out. And of course, there's precedent for this long beyond the Trump administration.
But that is sort of the baseline of how these students are being taken in the streets with little sort of clarity as to who these people are. And
it's frightening to think that for some individuals, for immigrants in this country, who's approaching them.
ANDERSON: Right. Let's have a look at what happened again with Khalil. He was also arrested by plainclothes officers, and they went into his student
accommodation. He had no idea whether these were federal agents or not. They were ICE agents, and they take him out of state to Louisiana. He's
back now. We've seen some protests outside the courthouse where his court is ongoing. What do we understand to be the case against him? Is it clear
at this point?
THAKKER: Sure. So the case that the U.S. government is making here is a very rarely used provision that the secretary of State has the authority to
use to deem someone to be compromising towards U.S. foreign policy, which is a very amorphous determination, one that has little to do with the
Constitution, with free speech, with actual sort of coherent legal precedent. It's barely been tested.
Many legal experts I've spoken with are just dumbfounded by the use of this and are very skeptical of it actually holding up in a sort of fair or
reasonable court of law or system of law. And so you see that as sort of this breaching point for the secretary of State, as he himself said, to now
target hundreds of people again with little actual clear grounds or justification for these arrests.
ANDERSON: Yes.
THAKKER: I mean, you talk about Rumeysa, her lawyer said that so far it's not clear what she's being charged with. And there's little evidence.
There's no evidence that DHS has provided to justify the detention of Rumeysa Ozturk.
ANDERSON: Khalil's lawyer spoke to CNN last night. Let's have a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIALA SHAMAS, ATTORNEY FOR MAHMOUD KHALIL: This is a really scary and rarely invoked provision in immigration law. And the government here is
invoking it simply to deport somebody whose opinions on foreign policy they don't like. This is in retaliation to his protected speech, his protected
advocacy. He's a Palestinian student on a campus. Can't imagine any other appropriate response but to protest all of last year. And now he's being
punished for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It's -- my guess is they're going to argue this is against Khalil's freedom of speech at this point. I mean, what is the free speech
argument here?
THAKKER: Yes. I mean, we take a look again at Rumeysa's case, just as a good test case for that's, I think, kind of embodying much of these cases.
The only public evidence that we know of anything that might have been inconvenient to this administration, that they might see as wrongdoing
publicly, is her co-writing an op-ed exactly a year ago in the student newspaper, going through the student editorial process, calling on the
university to honor past student resolutions, simply asking the university to recognize the genocide of Palestinians and to divest from companies tied
to Israel, which is a resolution that's been sweeping university campuses across the country.
Resolution supported by both born citizens here as well as new residents here. So it seems that they're really just trying to test the aperture of
how wide they can go to infringe upon Americans' right to free speech. I mean, you talk about this nation built off of this revolutionary idea of
making this country better. Here we are again, seeing people who want to push their country to do something that they see as better, and they're
being punished for it.
I mean, it's remarkable for this party that supposedly honors the revolutionary spirit to be carrying out something so authoritarian in
nature.
ANDERSON: I'm going to take another story on at this point, but it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. And we will continue to monitor
what is going on with regard the deportation of students in the U.S. Thank you.
Quick note on another Trump immigration battle, the administration has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on Trump's use of the Alien Enemies
Act. Now, this was an old law that Trump used to deport Venezuelan migrants. We will follow the Supreme Court's next steps here on CNN. That
is, though, developing news. I'll be back with more after this.
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[10:51:41]
ANDERSON: Right. Breaking news out of Southeast Asia, Myanmar's ruling military junta reports at least 144 killed and more than 700 injured after
the country was hit by a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Those numbers sadly expected to rise, but they are the first concrete numbers that we've
had from the military junta and the scope of the impact reaching a thousand miles away as far as Bangkok.
This is the aftermath of just one of the buildings that collapsed in the wake of that earthquake. 81 people, we are told, trapped beneath the
rubble. Search and rescue efforts are underway. CNN will keep you updated on this story as it develops.
Well, U.S. stocks are down right now. Newly released inflation data before the markets open today showed a slight uptick in one of the Federal
Reserve's key gauges, even as American consumers did spend a little bit more last month. But the wider economy is touchy as businesses try and deal
with uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Pay special attention to the S&P 500. There, it is down significantly 1.5 percent. It's down more than 4 percent already this year on track for a
losing quarter. This would be the first losing quarter in over a year. And that Nasdaq figure actually significantly lower now as well. Down nearly 2
percent.
Let's get you to Tesla. Quite a lot of the tech stocks of course in the Nasdaq are getting hurt at the moment. Tesla since Elon Musk became
President Trump's right hand man, dealership and individual cars have been vandalized, even firebombed, and the stock has plummeted. But Musk's focus
certainly appears to be with the government and not on Tesla.
CNN's Clare Duffy has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Tesla really has become, as one analyst put it, a political symbol. And that may be good for some folks in
this country, but it is not a good thing for other parts of the country and other important foreign markets for Tesla, like Europe. This political
symbol concern has, of course, led to the attacks and the vandalism that we've seen on Tesla cars and dealerships, but it is also affecting Tesla's
sales.
The company posted its first ever global sales decline earlier this year, and now even the used car market for Teslas is starting to decline. Tesla
shares are down almost 30 percent since the start of this year, and investors really are starting to question where is Elon Musk? Why is he
spending so much time in Washington on DOGE in this moment of crisis for the company? Remember, in past moments of crisis for Tesla, Musk has even
bragged about sleeping on the factory floor to help the company make it through.
But now there really is no indication that he plans to pull back on his time spent with the Trump administration. One major Tesla investor, Ross
Gerber, told CNN that he thinks Musk is not coming back full time to Tesla. He said, and I'm quoting here, he has a much bigger role, and in his mind,
he's saving the world now. And that is really creating big questions among investors about who is calling the shots at Tesla in this moment.
Analysts told CNN that they think that this could cause decision paralysis among the other leaders at the company, about the next right move and how
to lead Tesla through this moment of crisis.
Clare Duffy, CNN, in Fort Collins, Colorado.
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[10:55:07]
ANDERSON: Well, some news out of our base here in the UAE. The dirham, our local currency, now has its own symbol. The central bank says the move
strengthens its financial stability and reinforces the dirham's global presence. And beyond physical currency, the UAE also announced it is set to
launch a digital dirham by the end of this year.
Well, for tonight's "Parting Shots," U.S. President Donald Trump hosting an Iftar dinner on Thursday at the White House. Iftar, of course, the meal to
break fast each day during the holy month of Ramadan. Attendees included the UAE ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, and the Saudi ambassador Reem Al Saud.
Here is Mr. Trump's message.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As we honor the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, let me begin by saying to our Muslim friends, of which I
have many tonight, and I think we have many all over the world based on the results in Michigan and other places. But I just want to say hello to all
of the people that supported us so strongly. Ramadan Mubarak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the Eid festival marking the end of Ramadan begins this weekend, and we would like to wish all of those who are celebrating Eid
Mubarak.
That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. "ONE WORLD" up next.
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END
