Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
Two Russian Missiles Slammed Into Kramatorsk Killing At Least 11 People; Pieces Of Titan Submersible Wreckage Retrieved From The Ocean Floor; A Growing Number Of Republicans Voice Out Concerns About Trump And Audio Tape; Eighty Million People Under Air Quality Alert In The U.S.; Police Shoots A Teenager In Paris; Muslims Celebrate The Start Of Eid; Weight Loss Drugs Gain Popularity. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired June 28, 2023 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Christina MacFarlane live in London and this is ONE WORLD. We begin with a deadly
Russian strike on a bustling city center in eastern Ukraine. An attack that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls a manifestation of terror. At least 11
people were killed when two Russian missiles slammed into Kramatorsk on Tuesday evening. One hitting a popular pizza restaurant, another a village
nearby. Among the victims, a baby and these teenage twin sisters who had just graduated from the eighth grade. More than 60 people are injured.
The Russian Defense Ministry claims it hit a temporary command post of a Ukrainian army unit. Ukraine says it detained a man who allegedly scouted
the pizzeria and sent a video to Russian armed forces. CNN's Ben Wedeman is at the scene of the latest tragedy.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Utter destruction. Two missiles striking Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, one slamming into the city
center. The strike took place at precisely 7:32 in the evening. We don't know what it was that struck, but it was clearly a very large missile given
the level of damage here. Now, right behind me was a very popular restaurant, and given the time of the strike, there were probably many
people inside.
A witness inside the restaurant says it was crammed with people when the missile struck. He saw rescuers pulling dozens of people out. Slabs of
concrete collapsing at the center of the restaurant. Medics and firefighters continuing to pull people out hours after the strike. And
removing damaged cars from surrounding streets, clearing the way for more rescue work. Air raid sirens warning of another strike, pausing the search
and rescue. And moving along crowds looking for loved ones. The blast knocking this woman off her feet.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I was in the middle of my apartment, then I heard a sudden explosion and was knocked off my feet by the wave. The
windows were blown out on the first floor. I was very frightened.
WEDEMAN: Kramatorsk is not far from the frontlines. As the war trudges on, Russia continues striking seemingly random targets, and civilians are
paying the ultimate price. I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Kramatorsk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: We're learning new details in two separate reports about that short-lived insurrection last weekend in Russia during which forces led by
the head of Wagner mercenary group attempted to march on Moscow before turning back. In New York Times reports, a senior Russian general knew
about Yevgeny Prigozhin's plans for an attempted mutiny before his aborted march. The Kremlin calls the report speculation and rumors.
"The Wall Street Journal" reports that the Wagner boss planned to capture two top Russian defense chiefs. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joining us now live
from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. And Nick, if either of those reports are true, it would be quite extraordinary. I understand you have some new
reporting on this. What are you hearing?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, it's important to point out a European intelligence official I spoke to discussing those reports
talks about, look, there's still a lot of fog here. A lot of this is speculation and will take time to properly assess. But in terms of possible
prior knowledge, which is one of the points "The Wall Street Journal" makes, amongst the Russian security and military establishment of the plot,
the intelligence official I spoke to says they might have known and they might not have told about it, unknown and decided to help it succeed.
There are some hints there may have been prior knowledge. What happened to Putin made him lose prestige and if that's what factions wanted it's what
they got. Now, he wouldn't say necessarily they felt there was going to be a purge to follow but it would certainly add to the turmoil. These two
reports specify two specific things.
[12:05:00]
"The New York Times" that General Sergey Surovkin who previously ran the Ukraine campaign had prior knowledge that's a little difficult necessarily
to fully understand. He runs the air force now that were pretty key in trying to attack Wagner as they advanced on Moscow and also he appeared in
a video on Friday to tell everyone to stand down and not go ahead with the plan. Possibly he was coerced and went along with it earlier, we don't know
but these reports definitely help feed paranoia, anxiety in Russia's top brass, exactly what Western intelligence and Ukraine will want to happen.
"The Wall Street Journal's" report, well an interesting timeline it lays out but essentially to suggest that Prigozhin wanted to capture Shoigu, the
Defense Minister and Gerasimov, the Chief of Staff. They were indeed in Rostov on that Friday when Prigozhin got angry and marched in so it's
possible. And Shoigu, according to Prigozhin's statements that day left in a hurry quote like a coward at about 9 o'clock in the evening but still
remember, Prigozhin's ultimate plan did appear to be a march on Moscow so that it's possibly a side issue.
And they also say in "The Wall Street Journal" of the possibility of Russia's domestic security services having prior knowledge of that.
Ultimately, that is a really important question. If the FSB, the security services that Putin used to head, if they knew this was happening, did they
not stop it because of some ulterior motive? Were they not able to stop it because they didn't have the potency left and they feared Wagner's military
might? Or did they possibly as well not take it seriously? We may never know, but this is all part of the post-game now as Moscow tries to pick up
the pieces and quite likely, clean its ranks of anybody who is not entirely on board with Putin. Christina?
MACFARLANE: Yeah, important to keep track of these developments and be skeptical of them as well as they come to us. Nick Paton Walsh, live for us
there in Kyiv. Thanks very much. And this news just coming in to CNN, pieces of that Titan submersible wreckage have just been retrieved from the
ocean floor. The vessel imploded, killing all five people on board in the North Atlantic during a trip to view the Titanic wreckage.
Paula Newton is joining me now live from Ottawa, Canada. Paula, what are you learning? It has been remarkable, I have to say, to Christina, to see
these images, these stills in this video coming in from St. John's Harbor. And the reason is that the pieces of debris are actually quite significant.
Given the U.S. Coast Guard had described the environment there as unforgiving and described what was likely a violent implosion, what that
remote operated vehicle was able to retrieve from more than, you know, practically four kilometers in the seabed is actually extraordinary.
We do have a comment as well from Pelagic Research which operated the remote operated vehicle at those depths. They're saying that they
successfully completed their offshore operations that were involved in salvaging the submersible Titan, and they say that they will continue their
operations there in St. John's and will do their best to try and continue with that aid that they're giving to significant investigation. They say it
will take several days and we'll have more information when they can release it.
Just a reminder, Christina, as fascinating as these photos may be, they're obviously chilling as well. Five people lost their lives on the submersible
Titan and I can imagine that when the family and friends see these pieces of debris they will be left with obviously more grief but also many more
questions. I also spoke to the Transportation Safety Board here in Canada, they refused to comment any further but saying that they have investigators
that remain on the ground there.
I also do want to bring up the issue though of whether or not there was any criminal negligence involved here. When you look at those pieces of debris,
the RCMP, the National Police here, are just starting what they call an examination. They've not launched a full-blown investigation, but no doubt,
Christina, that given the significant pieces of debris that we can see with our own eyes, that will be a good head start in determining whether or not
they need to begin that criminal investigation. Christina?
MACFARLANE: Yeah, Paula, we know it was so important for them to try and get these pieces together so they could determine what may have happened.
So, I guess in that score this is good news, some good news. Paula Newton there reporting live from Ottawa. Thanks Paula.
Well, Donald Trump is speaking out about the audio tape CNN obtained in which he apparently shows classified documents to people without security
clearance. Trump insists he did nothing wrong and says the tape actually shows he is innocent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I had a whole desk full of lots of papers and mostly newspaper articles, copies of magazines, copies of
different plans, copies of stories, having to do with many, many subjects. And what was said was absolutely fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: But a growing number of Republicans are voicing concerns about Trump and the tape, including some former members of his own
administration.
[12:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL HURD, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's sickening to hear the former leader of the free world being callous and completely disregarding
his responsibility to protect secrets.
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: My first thought was imagine a jury hearing that at trial. And if there are more pieces of
evidence like that, the sooner this case goes to the jury, the better.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Would you vote for him in 2024 if he's the nominee? Do you think he can win the election?
JON HUNTSMAN, JR., FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: No and no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Let's go to CNN's Political Correspondent Sara Murray, who's been following this. And Sara, this obviously amounts to a very damaging
piece of evidence for Trump and his legal cases, we were hearing from the comments there. But with everything, like everything to do with Trump and
2024 coming up, we have to ask the question, how likely is this to affect him politically?
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, I think obviously this is damaging evidence and a boon for prosecutors. But as you said,
there's also this question of what it's going to do, since he is the frontrunner of the Republican Party, the frontrunner for the nomination.
And I think what makes this difficult is we still really don't know when this case is actually going to go to trial, whether Donald Trump will
prevail when it goes to trial, or whether he could be convicted. So, those are big open questions for voters to consider.
And I think you still see a Republican base that is pretty much still beholden to Donald I mean, a good example of this was House Speaker Kevin
McCarthy, who went out in an interview and said that Donald Trump may not be the strongest candidate in 2024, and then immediately had to go on a
damage control tour. I mean, he called Donald Trump, he apologized, he did another interview where he walked all of this back, and I think that really
is reflective of where the Republican base is.
Now, what that could mean for Donald Trump in a general election, if he is the nominee, I think is still an open question. That's where you're going
to see, I think, voters who may be a little bit more squeamish about wanting to move ahead with someone who has now been indicted on multiple
fronts.
MACFARLANE: Sara Murray for us there, live. We will wait to see how this plays out, as you say. And this could, of course, not just be the only tape
out there. That's another thing we'll be watching for, as well. Thanks, Sara. Now, more than 80 million people from the U.S. Midwest to the East
Coast are under air quality alerts, as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to sweep across the border. Chicago is getting the brunt of it.
They have the worst air quality in the world throughout the day.
On Tuesday, haze blanketed the city like a layer of fog. Officials urging people to stay indoors. Canadian authorities say more than 200 wildfires
are burning out of control, making it Canada's worst fire season ever. And we have a team of coverage following the smoke event in the U.S. Adrienne
Broaddus is in Chicago and Meteorologist Jennifer Gray is standing by for us in Atlanta. But let's start with you, Adrienne. I mean, this is clearly
alarming. How are authorities responding to this? And what is the air quality like in Chicago right now? Has it improved?
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORREAPONDENT: Well, it's a little bit better, but it's still categorized as unhealthy. At last check, I actually checked just
moments ago before you and I started this conversation. The air quality index here is at 176. This is a record or a ranking folks in Chicago do not
want to have.
Yesterday, we were ranked among the worst in the world for air quality. And there, if you take a look outside, you can see behind me, normally, this
bridge that's behind me, it's typically this time of day in the summer, it's normally filled with people out walking about down Michigan Avenue in
the heart of downtown Chicago. We're not seeing that today.
City leaders are urging folks to voluntarily work from home if they can, and if they have to go outside, the warning is to limit outdoor activities.
For example, especially those who are sensitive. We're talking about people who have pre-existing lung conditions or other respiratory diseases like
asthma.
A walk is maybe okay but not advised. A long run or walk certainly something you don't want to do today. It is really smoky. You can still
smell the smoke if you step outside. You can even smell the smoke in some buildings here in Chicago. We are under a warning right now. This air
quality alert until midnight local time. Hopefully it will clear out soon. Back to you.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, it's just extraordinary to see the city blanketed like that in smoke. Those images you were just showing us. Adrienne, thank you.
Let's check in now with Meteorologist Jennifer Gray. I believe, Jennifer, that some of the smoke has gone as far as even reaching Europe.
[12:15:00]
How much or how long do we expect it to kind of linger around?
JENNIFER GRAY, METEOROLOGIST: You're right, it has travelled all the way across the Atlantic impacting portions of Western Europe, but the U.S. is
definitely feeling it, as well. We think it's really going to peak throughout the rest of the day and then start to improve by tomorrow. So, I
do believe that today could be one of the worst days before it gets better. And you can see on that satellite image all of the smoke.
This is actually a live look at Cleveland, Ohio, and you can't see anything at all. There's supposed to be a skyline there. In fact, this is a picture.
exact same picture three days ago and you can see all of the buildings right there, the water right in front the lake and then if you switch back
you can compare it to what it looks like now, so, really dramatic images there.
We have visibility down less than two miles one mile and Springfield it has improved slightly visibility was a mile or less than a mile just about an
hour ago. So, we've seen slight improvement with visibility, but still very low poor air quality alerts are up for much of the Midwest, the Ohio Valley
portions of the Northeast even as far south is North Carolina. And we're looking at all of these red and purple dots these indicate unhealthy and
very unhealthy air quality, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, many big cities included in this.
So, it is a rough day for people for this portion of the U.S. So, here's the smoke forecast. The yellows and oranges, reds, those indicate the
thickest smoke you'll see in this graphic that those are going to sort of slide down to the South, impact cities as far as South, possibly even
Nashville. And then by the time we get into tomorrow morning, you can see things start to dissipate just a little bit.
The blue smoke still indicates some smoke in the atmosphere, but most likely upper levels. And so, they'll see it for sunset, sunrises, things
like that. Here is the smoke reaching Europe. You can see Portugal and Spain on the satellite imagery, the smoke reaching as far east as there.
So, it's really remarkable to see how far reaching the impacts of this wildfire smoke can have on the world.
MACFARLANE: It really -- it really is. Stay indoors, no long walks, no long runs for now, Jennifer Gray, thanks very much.
GRAY: Thanks.
MACFARLANE: Anger spilling over into the streets outside Paris after a police shooting that killed a 17-year-old boy. Three hundred and fifty
officers were mobilized, mostly around the town of Nanterre last night, some clashing with protesters. In another nearby suburb, a town hall was
set on fire and destroyed.
The teenager, identified only as Nile, was shot during a traffic stop on Tuesday. One police officer has been detained on suspicion of culpable
homicide. The police chief says the officer fired when the teen refused to follow instructions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURENT NUNEZ, PARIS POLICE CHIEF (through translator): This vehicle made a first refusal to comply, then it was blocked in the flow of traffic where
there was a new control attempt by the two police officers. At that time, the driver, who had first turned off the engine, restarted the vehicle,
then left. It was in this context that the policeman used his firearm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Melissa Bell is joining us live from Paris with the very latest. Melissa, what more are we finding out about what actually played
out at this traffic stop and how authorities have been responding to this?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the key pieces of evidence, of course, and what has also helped flame the anger that we saw spill out
on to the streets of Nanterre specifically yesterday evening is that video. In fact, what we understand happened is that the early information we were
getting in the French media, we're getting from police sources suggested a very different picture from what you see play out on that video where you
can hear at one point someone say I'll shoot you in the head. Just seconds later, Christina, that gunshot rings out. And that is the video that has
caused so much anger.
You can see behind me these signs have been put up overnight about Niles Cage, just 17 years old, a great deal of anger, partly because of his age,
partly, Christina, because of that video, but partly also because the French police has form here. There have been so many examples these last
few years of police stops or police identity checks that have led either to lethal killings or to allegations of police brutality.
And this very much falls into that long line of incidents where you've seen the official version coming out, somewhat at odds with either video
evidence that has emerged afterwards or eyewitness testimony that has come to give a different version of events. So, a great deal of anger last
night.
But I think what's interesting is however the course of the day officials have signaled just how fearful they are about tonight. It isn't 350
policemen that are going to be out on the streets patrolling in case of anger, it is only likely to have grown, Christina. Fifty policemen that are
going to be out on the streets patrolling in case of anger, it is 2000.
[12:20:00]
The fear is that the anger out there is only likely to have grown, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, a lot of anger being felt already. Of course, this is something we'll continue to follow into the night. Melissa Bell there, live
from Paris. Thank you. All right, coming up, Sweden gives the go-ahead to one man's Quran-burning protest. But at what cost? A look at the potential
impact as the country continues its push to join NATO.
And a shadow mercenary group led by an enigmatic leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. We'll talk to a former member of Wagner about the weakened mutiny in Russia
and why it may have failed. And working up a sweat can help you reach your weight loss goals. But what about these new anti-obesity medications? We'll
look at whether they're safe and effective.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Muslims all over the world are celebrating the start of Eid today. Pilgrims at the Hajj in Saudi Arabia are braving the intense heat to
perform the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual. The annual pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, started in Mecca on Monday. Nearly two
million worshippers are expected to attend this year's pilgrimage, the first one without pandemic restrictions.
Well, Swedish authorities have approved a Quran burning protest outside a mosque in the center of Stockholm Wednesday. Only a single person is behind
it. He says he's been fighting in Swedish courts for three months for the right to hold the demonstration. The protest coincides with the Eid holiday
and is also taking place as Sweden attempts to join NATO are being held up by member state Turkey, a majority Muslim country.
Jomana Karadsheh is following this live in London and has been years covering Turkey from Istanbul for us, as well. This is not the first time
Sweden allowed a Quran book-burning to take place but the symbolism of this is taking place today on Eid. Why would the Swedish authorities agree to
this especially when it could threaten Sweden's chances of joining NATO?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's a question, Christina, so many people are asking today. This couldn't have happened at a worse time
coinciding with the first day of Eid al-Adha, one of the holiest days in the Islamic calendar, and as well for Sweden.
[12:25:00]
This is only a couple of weeks away from the next NATO summit at a time when you've got these very fragile accession talks taking place between
Turkey and Sweden. This did happen earlier this year in January. You had a far-right Danish politician in Sweden outside the Turkish embassy burning a
Quran, and we saw the reaction from Turkey at the time. They not only condemned it, they canceled a visit by the Swedish defense minister.
Right now, it's worth mentioning, as you did say earlier, this is one individual. I spoke to him earlier. He's an Iraqi refugee, now a Swedish
citizen, has very anti-Islam views and decided to express it this way by burning the Quran outside the mosque. And the question is, why did Swedish
authorities allow this to happen? He had police approval for this to take place.
And while Swedish officials have in the past said they don't condone this, they are, they find it insulting, they always refer you back to freedom of
expression in Sweden that they say is central to their country's democracy, that this is protected by the Swedish constitution. And in this case as
well, police did acknowledge in their authorization for this so-called protest to go ahead, this burning of the Quran, they do acknowledge that
this could have some serious repercussions when it comes to foreign policy. And they also do say that this could raise the risk of terrorist attacks.
But they say in this case specifically, there was no direct risk of a security risk posed by this taking place today. So, they allowed it to go
ahead. And we've already seen the reaction from Turkey, a very short statement coming out from the Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in the past few
hours calling this a heinous act, saying that this is allowed to happen on the first day of Eid, a disgraceful act against our Holy Book, unacceptable
that Sweden would allow these anti-Islamic actions under the pretext of freedom of expression. And to turn a blind eye, he says to such a heinous
act is to be complicit in this. So, really, it's not looking really good for Sweden right now when it comes to these accession talks, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, absolutely, it's not. Jomana Karadsheh, for us there live from London. Thank you. Meanwhile, four Israeli settlers have been
arrested. A senior Israeli defense official says they were involved in recent violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
That official adds the four have been involved in violent overt and covert events for several years. They are under administrative detention. Okay,
coming up. A desperate search for the missing in China after rain and flash floods triggered deadly landslides.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Hello and welcome back to ONE WORLD. Let's catch up now on the latest headlines. Pieces of that Titan submersible wreckage have just been
retrieved from the ocean floor. The vessel imploded, killing all five people on board in the North Atlantic during a trip to view the Titanic
wreckage. Pelagic Research Services says it has been working around the clock for 10 days and has successfully completed offshore operations
surrounding the salvaging of Titan.
Four people are dead and three missing after two landslides in southwest China Tuesday. Emergency officials say the landslides were triggered by
sudden rainstorms and flash floods. Chinese state media reports more than 500 people have been joined in the search for the missing and more than 900
local residents have been relocated.
A jury has been selected in the sexual assault trial of actor Kevin Spacey. The disgraced actor has pleaded not guilty to a dozen charges connected to
alleged encounters he had with four men from 2001 to 2013 when he lived in Britain. If convicted of all the charges, Spacey could face a maximum
penalty of life in prison.
The U.S. is imposing sanctions that take aim at the Wagner mercenary group over its activities in Africa. The Treasury Department took action against
four companies it accuses of engaging in illicit gold dealings to fund and expand the mercenary force.
The U.S. says it's not linked to the aborted insurrection in Russia last weekend. Yevgeny Prigozhin is one of the few Russians to have openly defied
or criticized Moscow and the war in Ukraine apparently without much consequence. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more on the fate of Putin's critics in
the past.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A march of justice is how Wagner's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin justified it. For
others, such as Russia's leader Putin himself, this was betrayal, a red line not many dare to cross.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): All those who deliberately chose the path of treachery, who prepared an armed mutiny, who
chose the path of blackmail and terrorist methods will face inevitable punishment and will answer both to the law and to our people.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Just as quickly as the insurrection became reality, a deal was brokered with the Belarusian President. While the situation
appears defused for now, many who dared to defy Putin paid a heavy price. A fierce Kremlin critic, Boris Nemtsov, was once one of Russia's promising
opposition leaders, jailed several times for speaking out against Putin's government. But in 2015, on a Friday night just steps away from the
Kremlin, Nemtsov was shot and killed. A dissident voice silenced.
Five Chechen men were later found guilty and sentenced to over a decade in prison. Oppose Mr. Putin's rule, threaten his establishment, and life can
turn into one behind bars. Once the wealthiest man in Russia, former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky crossed the line with Putin when he began to
promote reforms and accused him of corruption. Khodorkovsky was charged with tax fraud, a charge he says was politically motivated. Putin, then the
prime minister, was asked about the case and he replied, a thief should be in prison.
The maximum prison sentence was given to the Kremlin critic and he spent years behind bars. Alexei Navalny, a staunch Russian opposition leader,
critical of Putin, fell into a coma on a flight returning to Moscow three years ago. He was later medevaced to Germany where he recovered.
Investigations later concluded he was poisoned with a nerve agent.
Navalny vowed to keep fighting. An opposition threat to the Kremlin lingered and as he landed back in Russia months later he was arrested. Now
held in a maximum security prison, Navalny faces a term extension that could possibly see him behind bars for decades.
It's a fate seen many times over when someone crosses Mr. Putin and not all can escape it, not even living in exile.
[12:35:00]
Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin may have found a haven in Belarus for now, but his safety seems fragile at best. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, CNN's Melissa Bell spoke to a former Wagner commander who explains why he thinks the group's rebellion failed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (voice-over): Shadowy mercenaries and their enigmatic leader thrust into the sunlight with their charge towards Moscow. Ukraine will have been
both Wagner's making and its undoing. Its men, inspiring a grudging respect even from their Ukrainian enemies. Its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, hailed a
hero by Moscow until he became the enemy.
MARAT GABIDULLIN, FORMER WAGNER COMMANDER (through translator): He miscalculated. He made a mistake. Generally speaking, the system rejects
rational thinking.
BELL (voice-over): A former Wagner Commander himself, Marat Gabidullin says that Prigozhin's hubris was fueled by battlefield frustrations.
UNKNOWN: I'm sorry, bro. I'm sorry.
BELL (voice-over): For months, the Wagner chief had railed against Russia's military leaders, claiming they were starving the mercenaries of much-
needed ammunition.
YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, WAGNER GROUP CHIEF: You think you can dispose of their lives? You think because you have warehouses full of ammunition that you
have that right?
BELL (voice-over): Those powerless battlefield struggles, a far cry from the bold insurrection that was to follow, a fact not lost on the Wagner
leader himself.
PRIGOZHIN (through translator): If at the beginning of the special military operation, the tasks were performed by a unit on the same skill level,
level of morale and preparedness as the Wagner PMC, perhaps the special operation in Ukraine would have lasted a day.
BELL (voice-over): Unsurprisingly, the betrayal has been felt most keenly by the man most directly threatened.
PUTIN (through translator): The organizers of the rebellion betraying their country, their people, also betrayed those who were drawn into the crime.
BELL (voice-over): Wagner's now infamous role in Ukraine, perhaps a thing of the past.
GABIDULLIN: Prigozhin completely faltered his mission in Ukraine.
BELL (voice-over): The reasons for Putin's clemency not yet clear. But they may be linked to the philosophy at the heart of Wagner's operations, as
Gabidullin told CNN last year.
GABIDULLIN: Russian peace for the American dollars.
BELL (voice-over): For years, Wagner has operated the Kremlin's shadow foreign policy across the Middle East and Africa and much closer to home.
GABIDULLIN (through translator): Putin sees Prigozhin as a really effective commander, the more so that the successful functioning of the African
project speaks in his favor.
BELL (voice-over): But it was in Prigozhin's strength that his danger lay, as Vladimir Putin found over the weekend in the biggest challenge to his
power in more than 20 years. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now, not even one of the holiest days in Islam could bring a halt to the fighting in Sudan. Despite both the government and the RSF
paramilitary saying they plan to stop fighting so people could celebrate Eid al-Adha, the sounds of gunfire and artillery could be heard Tuesday and
Wednesday in Sudan's capital.
The conflict has forced almost three million people to flee their homes, some going to elsewhere in Sudan but more than 600,000 becoming refugees in
neighboring countries. And we've seen that number really jump in the past week with an extra quarter million people on the move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ENDRE STIANSEN, NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR TO SUDAN & ERITREA: The situation on the ground for most people is a living nightmare. They could never have
imagined going through a situation like this. This, I think, is for the whole country, even though it's worse in some areas. And Darfur has been
recently especially badly hit because there are so many groups fighting each other. And it's just a horrendous situation made worse by the fact
that we're not able to get humanitarian assistance to it because we just don't have the agreements to do that. We just don't have the mechanisms to
do it now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Now, while diet and exercise are still key, a range of new drugs can supercharge your weight loss efforts. We'll look at what experts
say about their safety and effectiveness.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Get ready to hear a new phrase in U.S. politics, Bidenomics. U.S. President Joe Biden is set to deliver a major address on
the economy in the next hour. He is laying out his vision for growth, a plan that will attempt to boost the middle class and rejects the notion of
trickle-down economics where businesses and rich spread their wealth to others. He plans to highlight the low inflation and strong job growth
during the first few years in office.
And moving now to the African economy, many businesses and individuals there have been burned by the ups and downs of cryptocurrencies. That is
one reason why few have been willing to embrace the economic benefits of blockchain technology. But in our latest edition of Africa Insider, we meet
one Nigerian company that sees blockchain as the key to unlocking the country's financial future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OBI EMETAROM, ZONE, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO of ZONE: We want to connect. every monetary store of value by harnessing the power of blockchain and through
that enable reliable frictionless and universally interoperable payments across Africa initially and around the whole world. My name is Obi Emetarom
and I'm Co-Founder and CEO of Zone.
MAYOWA KUYORO, PARTNER, MCKINSLEY NIGERIA: Think about blockchain technology as a digital ledger. So, remember when you were doing accounting
and finance where you would have an entry for debits and an entry for credit. Think about it as a ledger, essentially where you can record and
verify transactions without the need of an intermediary because everybody can see and has access to the ledger.
I think if someone can get it right, it could really help unlock digital payments across the continent.
EMETAROM: Zone addresses all sorts of payments that need to go from one store of value or financial institution to the other. Our clients are
financial services providers. So, payment companies, banks, and other types of financial institutions, fintechs, and so on.
In our model, when a sender's bank is sending money to a receiver's bank, the transaction goes direct from the sender's bank to the receiver's bank
and back without any central intermediary. It means that the transaction is more reliable because there's no scenario where the central hub is not
available. It is frictionless in terms of reconciliation, and the cost of that central hub goes out.
One of the most challenging things we've experienced in our journey, so far, with ZONE has been overcoming the skepticism associated with the new
technology itself. And the fact that blockchain was linked with cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency has been quite controversial and
contentious over the past few years. We've significantly overcome that now and this is especially within the traditional financial services industry.
What we expect to achieve in the next two to three years is to expand our network into the continent.
[12:45:00]
We have a unique approach where we are not rebuilding a network in each country. In each new country, each participating financial institution is
joining one borderless global network. So, for us, that is the main focus and main aspiration, and to allow value flow across that one network,
whether into Africa, within Africa, or outward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Plenty more to come this hour on ONE WORLD. We'll be back after this short break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: We're back with a stark warning about the safety of British classrooms. A school collapse that caused death or injury is deemed very
likely. That's according to a troubling new report by the National Audit Office, a public spending watchdog. It finds about 700,000 children in
England are attending schools that need major repairs and more than a third of school buildings across the country are beyond their estimated design
lifespan. That report says specialists are carrying out urgent structural checks on about 600 schools identified as possibly high-risk and at-risk.
In the last few years, the popularity of weight loss drugs has soared. Many of these medications like Ozempic were originally developed for diabetes
but were said to help patients lose weight. This class of drugs has been shown to produce up to 15 percent loss in body weight in trials.
Earlier this week drug maker Eli Lilly announced an experimental drug they say will take off 24 percent of your weight over 11 months. Obesity is not
just a problem for the developed world. Time.com cites a report from the world obesity atlas which says that by 2035, more than half the global
population will be considered obese. It says that's up from 39 percent currently.
Well, joining me now to give us some perspective on these weight loss drugs is Dr. Alicia Shelly. She's an obesity medicine specialist in Georgia.
Thank you so much for joining us. Dr. Alicia, we heard just yesterday that the U.K. watchdog actually rejected Eli Lilly as a weight loss drug saying
they needed more evidence before they could roll this out to the NHS. As an obesity medicine physician, what is your view on whether this medication
and others like it are safe and effective when it comes to losing weight?
[12:50:00]
ALICIA SHELLY, OBESITY MEDICINE SPECIALIST: Well, you know, it's understandable that the watchdog wants to get more information. This is a
new medication, first in its class. And so, when it's the first medication, you wanna get as much information as you need. And so, I am excited about
these medications. I feel that as, you know, time goes long and they realize the efficacy of it, the safety of it, and then also, the cost-
effectiveness of the medication, I think eventually they may, will be approved and will be available for people to take.
MACFARLANE: So, you're excited about this. You say that the safety aspects are there or they're coming along, but we know that these drugs do come
with side effects, which can be quite crippling in some ways. Can you talk us through those?
SHELLY: Yes, so with this particular class of medications, the way they work is they work at the level of the stomach and they slow down the gut
motility. So, a lot of the side effects kind of stem from that. So, some of the patients do complain of having nausea, vomiting, sometimes stomach
upset. How we try to reduce those side effects is by tapering up on the medication slowly. But for some people, they may not be able to take it
because those side effects are too great.
MACFARLANE: So, the way it works is that it sort of reduces your appetite essentially, right, by restricting food from moving through the body at a
sort of metabolic rate. Do these drugs need to be accompanied by diet and exercise? I mean, how likely is it that if a patient stops using these
drugs, they will just put the weight straight back on?
SHELLY: So, definitely this needs to be done between exercise and lifestyle changes and diet. Because unfortunately, obesity is a chronic disease. So,
a lot of times when people are just taking medication and not having the lifestyle changes, what will happen is once they stop the medication, the
weight will come back. So, it's important that as people are losing weight with the medications and diet and exercise, they're taking these habits and
making them part of their lifestyles, part of who they are, so that they're able to, once they get off the medication, be able to maintain their
weight.
MACFARLANE: As you say, we are in an obesity crisis. We were just saying there that by 2035, you know, over half the world could be obese, which is
kind of staggering, actually. Some may view these drugs as being a shortcut to losing weight. But, in your view, I mean, are these types of drugs the
answer to the crisis that we're in? Are they necessary?
SHELLY: They're definitely necessary. So, when we look at other chronic diseases like high blood pressure or diabetes, we don't bat an eye when we
add a medication to help treat those conditions. It's the same with obesity medicine. It is a chronic disease. There are multiple reasons why people
gain weight. It's not just because of the fact that they're eating too much or not exercising enough.
Sometimes it's because it's genetic, it's in their genes or hereditary. Sometimes it's due to conditions that people have like PCOS or thyroid
disease. And sometimes it can be medications that are causing us to gain weight. And so, we need to look at these anti-obesity medications as a way
for us to be able to help people who are struggling with obesity, to be able to lose the weight and live a healthier life.
MACFARLANE: That may be so, but I wanna talk to you about body positivity, because it does feel over the past decade that we have kind of reached a
point where people are more accepting of different shapes and sizes, you know, there has been to a degree a celebration of different types of
bodies. Could these drugs be damaging really in the progress that we've made in that degree?
SHELLY: No, I disagree with that because I think we should love our bodies regardless of where we are, whether we have extra weight or we don't have
extra weight. I think that should still be the same. These medications allow us not only to lose weight but to be healthier. If we think about it,
for every pound that we have, it's like four pounds on our knees. So, if somebody loses 10 pounds, it's like you're losing 40 pounds on your knees.
And a lot of times, especially with my patients, they complain of knee pain, they complain of back pain. So, we can allow people to lose even just
a small amount of weight, five to 10 percent of their body weight, it can reduce that pain and allow them to be more mobile and allow them to be able
to, you know, go and play with your kids, their grandkids and have a healthier life that without -- with less pain. And then that's the same.
So, I think it is important to have body positivity regardless of wherever you are in your weight spectrum, but these medications can help with you
being able to achieve a more healthier life.
[12:55:00]
MACFARLANE: I hear what you're saying. I say the only counter to that is, you know, as long as the right people are taking these drugs for the right
reasons, you know, because obviously --
SHELLY: Definitely.
MACFARLANE: -- you have to be clinically obese.
SHELLY: Yes, that's correct.
MACFARLANE: Dr. Alicia Shelly, I really appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you very much.
SHELLY: Thank you very much.
MACFARLANE: All right, finally this hour, Barbie fans are invited to live in a legendary Barbie world this summer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Where are we?
BARBIE: This is Barbie Land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: And according to Airbnb listing, which appears to have been written by her beau, Ken, Barbie's Malibu Dream House is up for rent from
July 17th. The iconic mansion with ocean view features a disco dance floor, an infinity pool, and a wardrobe of clothes. It's all part of a huge
promotion for the highly anticipated film, "Barbie", set to hit theatres on July 21st.
The movie is produced by Warner Brothers, which is of course owned by Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of CNN. But just looking at
these images gives me a massive, massive headache. I don't think I'll be reaching out for that Airbnb posting anytime soon. Thank you so much for
watching ONE WORLD. I'm Christina MacFarlane. Stay tuned. Amanpour is up next after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
