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President Biden Hosts A Trilateral Summit With Leaders Of Japan And South Korea At Camp David; More Than A Thousand Wildfires Raging Across Parts Of Canada Forcing Massive Evacuations; CNN's Randi Kaye Investigates On Why Sirens Were Not Activated During Lahaina Wildfires; British Nurse Found Guilty Of Murdering Seven Babies, Trying To Kill Six More; Ukraine A Step Closer To Getting Long Sought After American F-16 Fighter Jets. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired August 18, 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]

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Julia Chatterley live in New York, and this is ONE WORLD. Building bridges and strengthening strategic

alliances, it's all part of the U.S. President's plan to counter a growing threat in the Indo-Pacific. But it doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

Right now, Joe Biden is hosting the leaders of Japan and South Korea at Camp David for their first ever trilateral summit. It's an attempt to forge

a fragile truce between two of America's most vital regional allies and combat China's expanding power in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical

environment.

The backdrop for this meeting is symbolic. Camp David occupies a storied place in American diplomatic history. And Tokyo and Seoul share a

complicated and bitter history. But the desire to present a united front isn't limited to security challenges posed by Beijing. It's by North Korea,

as well. The U.S. president says Washington and its allies have a shared strategic interest.

CNN's Ivan Watson joins us now from Hong Kong with a regional perspective. But first, let's get to Priscilla Alvarez, who's live at the White House

for us. Priscilla, what is the message that the White House is looking to send here, and what do they hope to achieve from this meeting?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, just moments ago, we heard from President Biden before they went behind closed doors, where he

called this, quote, a new chapter. And he said that with this united front, they would all and the globe would be, quote, safer. So, clearly, they are

trying to convey a message her of unity but also underscoring that there are mounting security concerns and that they do have shared interests in

working together.

Now, the big picture goals here range from addressing global and regional security challenges to economic prosperity to discussing technological

advancements. Now, when you go into the details of that, senior administration officials have said that will include annual military

exercises, discussing intelligence sharing agreements, setting up a three- way hotline, as well as formalizing this trilateral summit to happen on an annual basis.

Now, of course, President Biden has spent time over the course of his presidency to foster individual relationships with these countries. But

this is an opportunity for the three to meet in this historic place, Camp David, where there have historically been diplomatic negotiations, and have

robust discussions about how they move forward and set aside their fraught relationship to recognize that they want stabilization in the Indo-Pacific

region.

And again, just to underscore this, President Biden, this is his first convening at Camp David with foreign leaders. So, that just really tells

you how significant this is for this White House and how they're seriously, they are taking it.

Now, of course, moving forward, the looming question will be, how will this be maintained? How will it be institutionalized so that the commitments

they make today hold in the near future as well as in the long term?

CHATTERLEY: Yeah, great questions. I would present a paradigm shift, I think, in the region. Priscilla, thank you. Ivan, as Priscilla was saying

there, it's a sort of trilateral alliance born out of necessity, perhaps rather than anything else, as each of these nations look to bolster their

own national security and of the region.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, clearly what is allowing this to happen, what has pushed these countries together,

their leaders, is a sense of insecurity. And that was alluded to by the Japanese prime minister when he departed from Tokyo. He said it's because

of the international environment.

And we heard the South Korean president in his comments on camera there in the small room in Camp David saying that he kind of wants to

institutionalize the mechanisms, the meetings, the cooperation between these three governments. Let's take a listen to some of what President

Biden had to say there at this historic gathering in Camp David.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: -- our countries are stronger, and the world is safer.

[12:05:00]

Let me say that again. Our countries are stronger, and the world will be safer as we stand together. And I know this is a belief we all three share.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: That is not shared by Beijing. The Chinese newspaper there, "The Global Times", it came out with a commentary before this meeting saying

that the trilateral summit, quote, aims to form a mini-NATO structure that will be destructive to regional security. But, you know, that points to

perhaps what has contributed to South Korea and Japan that have this historical, tragic, traumatic history together that was hard to overcome

what's helped push them together.

The Japanese government has been complaining about a joint flotilla of Russian and Chinese warships steaming not far from the island of Okinawa in

international waters, saying this is a show of force. Japanese warplanes scrambled because Russian reconnaissance planes were flying in the strait

between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

It is some of these, the behavior that, I think, Asian powers have seen from Russia and China that have grown closer over the course of the last

year and a half since Russia invaded Ukraine that is perhaps contributing to Seoul and Tokyo coming closer alongside both of their individual long-

time ally, the U.S.

CHATTERLEY: And that mini-NATO concept is perhaps a prescient one, as well. An attack on one, an attack on all. We'll be discussing that later on

in the show. Ivan, for now, thank you. Ivan Watson there. And on to all too familiar and devastating scenes in Canada amid its worst fire season on

record. As we speak, more than a thousand wildfires are raging across parts of the country forcing massive evacuations. Just take a look at these

images.

They're from the northwest territories where flames have come within 17 kilometers of the capital, Yellowknife. All 20,000 residents have been

ordered to leave that city. Their deadline now less than two hours away. And in the western province of British Columbia, fire officials are bracing

for what they call quote, "aggressive and unpredictable conditions, strong winds hitting the region combined with existing drought".

Already, residents of at least 4800 homes around the city of Kelowna have been told to leave. A state of emergency was declared earlier Friday.

Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is at the CNN Weather Center for us. Alison, we're watching those strong winds, especially carefully, I think, at this

moment.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEROLOGIST: Yeah, that's right. In the short term we do have rain on the way, which is great. The problem is before the rain

gets here, we anticipate those winds continuing to be very strong right up until that point in which the rain comes down. And that's been a concern

because again, this is what the scene is like across the Northwest territories. So, every minute that we spend before that rain comes of that

wind just fueling those fires allows it to spread that much farther. So, here is a look.

Generally speaking, you can see Yellowknife way off to the north here, but all of those surrounding fires and that wind driving it down to the South

really pushing that ever so closely into the capital city. You can see a lot of that smoke shifting down to the South, as well as to the East making

air quality very unbearable for some folks, especially the closer you are to the fire.

Here you can see we do have several rounds of rain that are expected to come in mainly focused on late tonight and into the day on Saturday, but

it's that time leading up to it when those winds are still expected to be incredibly strong, likely 25 up to 35 kilometers per hour, miles per hour,

excuse me, and then continuing to start to die back down as we head into the latter half of the weekend and hopefully getting some improvement as

well from all of the rain in the area to help diminish some of the poor air quality in the area.

CHATTERLEY: Yeah, fingers crossed for that. Allison Chinchar, for now, thank you. And thousands of people in Spain's Canary Islands have been

forced to flee their homes as wildfires wave through Tenerife. One regional leader called it, quote, the most complicated fire the Canary Islands has

seen in 40 years. The fire broke out on Wednesday amid a heat wave about 2600 hectares have burned, so far. But earlier Friday officials said the

fire had slowed after weather conditions improved overnight.

And Maui's emergency management chief is stepping down. He cited health reasons, but his resignation comes as outrage grows in the wake of

wildfires that killed at least 111 people. As CNN's Randi Kaye reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: So many of us residents felt like we had absolutely no warning.

RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Hawaii has one of the largest public safety outdoor siren warning systems in the world.

[12:10:00]

Sirens that were silent as wildfires raged. Question is, why?

HERMAN ANDAYA, MAUI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: First, it was this. It would not have saved those people on the mountainside.

UNKNOWN: Do you regret not sounding the sirens?

ANDAYA: I -- I do not. The sirens, as I had mentioned earlier, is used primarily for tsunamis.

KAYE (voice-over): That's what the head of Maui's Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday before suddenly resigning a day later. But even

before that press conference ended, his reason had changed, this time suggesting the sirens weren't used because people wouldn't have been able

to hear the warning.

ANDAYA: It's an outdoor siren. So, a lot of people who are indoors, air conditioning on, whatever the case may be, they're not gonna hear the

siren. Plus, the winds were very gusty and everything. I heard it was very loud. And so, they wouldn't have heard the sirens.

KAYE: Same story with Hawaii's governor. First, this.

JOSH GREEN, HAWAII GOVERNOR: Sirens were typically used for tsunamis or hurricanes. To my knowledge, at least I never experienced them in use for

fires.

KAYE: Then minutes later, another explanation. This time, the governor suggested at least some of the sirens were broken.

GREEN: The sirens were essentially immobilized, we believe, we believe, by the extreme heat that came through. Some were broken and we're

investigating that.

KAYE: Yet that doesn't all track with the county's own web page, mauisirens.com, which clearly states how the siren system is capable of

alerting residents to multiple disasters, including wildfires.

UNKNOWN: Emergency alert.

KAYE: And we also found this explainer about the sirens' uses on Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency's web page.

UNKNOWN: We also use sirens for hurricanes, fresh fires, flooding, lava, hazmat conditions, or even a terrorist event.

KAYE: This map, also from the county's page, shows where the warning sirens are located. According to the state, there are about 400 sirens

statewide, including 80 on Maui. And in the historic town of Lahaina where more than 100 people were killed in the flames, there are five sirens --

five sirens that were not used to warn those in grave danger. Instead, officials say they chose to send alerts by text message to cell phones, as

well as alerts on landlines and through TV and radio.

ANDAYA: It is our practice to use the most effective means of conveying an emergency message to the public during a wildland fire.

KAYE: While that may have worked in some cases, the wildfire moved so swiftly it knocked out power and cell service. So, how were residents

supposed to receive those warnings?

MIKE CICCHINO, WILDFIRE SURVIVOR: There's no warning at all. There's not a siren, not a phone alert, not -- a nothing, not a call.

KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHATTERLEY: In less than 48 hours, we will have a new Women's World Cup champion. After a tournament filled with upsets and triumphs, it's down to

just two competitors. Yay, England and Spain. Spain's dramatic victory over Sweden was their ticket to the big match, their first final ever.

Meanwhile, it could be quite a party back home in England on Sunday. That's an understatement. This is also the first ever finals appearance for the

Lionesses 2. And England's star forward Alessia Russo says the enormity of the match hasn't hit her yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALESSIA RUSSO, ENGLAND FORWARD: I think obviously this is the biggest game, the one that you dream about, the one that means the most, but I feel

like it will hit when we're in the tunnel and we're ready to walk out and yeah, I think it's an incredible occasion, it's been an unbelievable

tournament and this is it. This is it.

CHATTERLEY: This is it. Patrick Snell joins us with a preview of this weekend full of football. You're already warming up. I can see it. We're

both ready.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: We most certainly are, Julia. Yes. As you say, we're going to get a new world champion. Incredible stuff. What a

final it should be. I want to start off by talking about the English national team. No particular reason for that at all, Julia, I will say. But

this is an English national team. The Lionesses have just got better and better as this tournament has progressed. Already, the reigning European

champions. What an impact from head coach Sarena Wiegman.

But they were so unconvincing weren't they in their opener against Haiti. They had that narrow 1-0 victory. Then they, you know, less than convincing

against Nigeria in the round of 16. They won that one on penalties but we've really seen them stepping it up, most notably in the quarterfinals

and then the semi-finals without victory over the Matildas.

So much of this centers on the head coach who I just mentioned, Sarena Wiegman, what an impact she has had not just overseeing the historic

European Championship triumph last year for the England.

[12:15:00]

Sarina Wiegman. What an impact she has had not just overseeing the historic European Championship triumph last year for the English national team but

she's now the first manager to take two countries to a World Cup final.

She did it with Netherlands back in 2019 and she is just bringing out the best of these players each and every time they take to the pitch. I want to

hear more now from that key player for England, Alessio Russo, who scored three goals so far at this tournament, three goals she hopes and counting.

More now from Russo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSSO: All I want to do is go out and obviously put on a performance we're proud of and obviously win. We go into every game. We started this

tournament wanting to win seven games and that's still the message and this is the last one to go and we're all really locked in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: And also, further good news for the English national team, Julia, is that Lauren James is back and available for selection. This after the

two-game suspension that she received after treading on an opponent in that Nigeria game. She got a red card, she got a two-game suspension. She's back

and available for selection. So, that should further boost the confidence ranks amongst the English.

CHATTERLEY: Fantastic. Now, I could continue to talk about England for the rest of the show. But let's talk about Spain, too, because as much as I

love being an underdog and seeing England being the underdog, we work well in those conditions and Spain probably the favorite and they've had a

phenomenal tournament also this far.

SNELL: They really have. But you know the lionesses may well justifiably claim that no, we're the favorites, we're the reigning European champions

but you're quite right. La Seleccion Roja La Roja, what an impact they have had in this World Cup. Remember, Spain didn't even qualify for the first

six women's World Cups. They have actually being quite the story behind the scenes.

If you go back to the Euros last year when they lost to England in the quarterfinals, they were a squad in absolute turmoil back then. They had

the Las Quince, the 15 players who declared themselves after that unavailable for the Spanish National Team who are overseen and have been

since 2015 by Jorge Wilder. The reports of concerns over training methods under his watch, inadequate game preparation as well, only three of those

15 are a part of the squad now that we've been seeing down under in Australia and New Zealand.

But they have come together for their country when it matters most as they seek a first-ever World Cup triumph. It should be an incredible game and

especially when you have the likes of Alexia Putellas, their superstar striker. Of course, she's had a torrid 10 months out the game with that

horrific ACL injury.

And they have this teenager. What an impact from Salma Parraluelo, 19-years of age who has been making a real impact with her IFA goal, as well. I just

wanna say this is gonna be a fantastic final. I believe it's gonna be full of drama and in keeping with what we've been seeing at this tournament,

Julia. It really, first time winner, England or Spain. I'm going for the Lionesses because I have to, but I will say, I will say Spain are an

incredible story. They really are.

CHATTERLEY: Yeah, it's not gonna be an easy one and we need to get an early night on Saturday night in preparation because it's a 6 a.m. Eastern

kick off, I believe, on Sunday. So, I'm certainly prepared. Patrick, we'll discuss on Monday. Thank you. Patrick Snell there.

Okay, still to come. West African defense chiefs meet to discuss possible military intervention to restore democracy in Niger following the coup.

We'll have a live report. But next, the families of the victims say justice has finally been served after a British nurse is found guilty of murdering

seven babies in her care. The details, next.

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[12:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHATTERLEY: She's been called Britain's worst child serial killer in recent history. A 33-year-old British nurse has been found guilty of

murdering seven babies and trying to kill another six in the hospital where she worked. Officials say Lucy Letby secretly attacked the babies on the

neonatal ward between 2015 and 2016. A coordinator for the heartbroken families read this statement from them earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET MOORE, CHESHIRE CONSTABULARY: Today, justice has been served, and a nurse who should have been caring for our babies has been found guilty of

harming them. But this justice will not take away from the extreme hurt, anger and distress that we've all had to experience. Some families did not

receive the verdict that they expected, and therefore, it is a bittersweet result. We are heartbroken, devastated, angry and feel numb. We may never

truly know why this happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: Prosecutors called her a calculating killer. ITN's Sangita Lal has more on this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANGITA LAL, REPORTER, "ITN": She was a nurse trusted to care who chose to kill. Arrested at her suburban home, everything about Lucy Letby seemed

normal. But that's exactly what she used to cover the truth that she's a murderer who attacked her victims as they desperately clung to life and now

the U.K's most prolific baby serial killer.

NICOLA EVANS, CHESHIRE CONSTABULARY: Lucy Letby had a position of trust, and the baby's parents in this case have put their trust in her and others

to look after their child, to their baby. And Lucy Letby has abused that trust on an unimaginable level.

LAL: This is where Letby began her murderous campaign in June 2015. Over a year, she attacked babies, some by injecting air into their bloodstreams or

stomachs, which killed seven newborns. She attacked her other victims by dislodging their breathing tubes or poisoning them with insulin, something

she used on a baby known in court as Baby L, whose twin brother, known as Baby M, was also attacked. She injected him with air, which caused his

heart to stop, something his parents say they'll never forget.

ACTOR'S VOICE: When I went down, I saw doctors around the trolley and they're just pumping his heart like a rag doll really. He was just like a

doll and they were just going like that, like that, to the chest. They were prescribing medication and they were ready to give up after 30 minutes and

then all of a sudden, Baby M just came back to life out of nowhere. By the grace of God, he's okay today.

LAL: What has Lucy Letby taken from your family?

ACTOR'S VOICE: She took everything. Our joy, happiness.

ACTOR'S VOICE: I'm not the same person I was before.

LAL: As a neonatal nurse, Letby operated in plain sight, but it didn't go unnoticed. Four consultants at the unit raised their concerns to hospital

bosses when they realized every time a baby inexplicably died, there was an explanation that Letby was always on shift.

[12:25:00]

JOHN GIBBS, CONSULTANT: It's regrettable that we had to wait for that accumulation of deaths to realize something bad was happening. But although

some concerns were raised early on, from my personal point of view, I felt that perhaps Lucy Letby had just been unlucky in being the nurse looking

after some of the babies who died. That concern of feeling sorry for her changed when the pattern of deaths continued and she continued to be

associated with them.

LAL: But more than a year later, by July 2016, hospital bosses finally involved the police. And after a two-year investigation, Letby was arrested

in 2018. When officers searched her home, they found a post-it note where she wrote, "I'm evil, I did this", and a diary where she marked the date of

her attacks with the initials of her victims. But Letby never admitted her guilt.

LUCY LETBY, CHILD SERIAL KILLER: They told me there would be a lot more deaths and that I've been lent to some of the others there for a lot of

them.

UNKNOWN: Did you have any concerns that there was a rise in mortality rate?

LETBY: Yes. Okay, so tell me about that. What concerns did you have?

LETBY: I think we don't just notice as a team in general, the nursing staff, that this was a rise compared to previous years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAL: And that was what she professed throughout the nine-month trial, where she calmly sat in the dock, but at times broke down when describing

how this has affected her life, telling the prosecution said that she never cried for her victims, whose parents should have believed their babies were

in the safest place, in the hands of a nurse whose job was to protect them from harm. But she betrayed those who dangerously depended on her, babies,

who had no chance to fight back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHATTERLEY: Letby will be sentenced at the Manchester Crown Court on Monday and the government has ordered an independent inquiry. We're back

after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHATTERLEY: Hello and welcome back to ONE WORLD with a look at some more of today's headlines. Mexican officials have issued warnings ahead of

Hurricane Hillary. California has issued its first ever tropical storm watch. The category four storm is headed towards Mexico's Baja California

Peninsula. It's expected to bring heavy rainfall and flooding to the region, then head to the southwest U.S. where it could dump a year's worth

of rain in three states.

Ukraine is a step closer to getting long sought after American F-16 fighter jets. A U.S. official says Washington will allow the transfer of the jets

to Ukraine as soon as pilot training is complete. A timetable, however, for the training is not yet clear. The Netherlands calls the pledge a major

milestone.

And defense chiefs from the West African bloc ECOWAS have been meeting in Ghana for a second day of high stakes talks about the coup in Niger.

Meantime, an E.U. source says the ECOWAS Chair warns of quote, "grave consequences if the well-being of ousted President Bazoum deteriorates

further. For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Larry Madowo who is in Nairobi, Kenya for us. Larry, there's been at least talk, suggestion,

rumors that there could be an unprecedented step with deploying some kind of standby force in the region. What would that mean? And surely some of

the members of this would not sign up to that.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, that's what the ECOWAS Chiefs of Defense are discussing right now in Accra. In Ghana, they've been meeting

since yesterday, and they should have ended that meeting and communicated their outcome, a communique, a statement of some kind. It's still not

happened yet, which kind of speaks to the difficulty of this military intervention if you were to take place. Niger has a sizable army. They are

battle-tested. They are trained by U.S. troops, as well as French troops and Italian.

And so, they will be ready for an adventure like this. And so far, the military junta has not shown that they are receptive to any threats from

ECOWAS. If anything, that has only emboldened their position. They refused to release President Mohamed Bazoum, who's been detained now since July 26,

even as there is concern about his health and well-being. They had a doctor see him over the weekend. And so, it's interesting this quote from an E.U.

official quoting President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, warning of grave consequences if he were to be harmed.

So, that's one part of it. The other is, Julia, the African Union Peace and Security Council met on Monday. Usually, they should have a communique out

within 24 hours after that meeting. It's been five days and we still haven't seen a statement from the meeting of this Peace and Security

Council of the African Union, which points to the deep divisions within the AU about the military intervention in ECOWAS.

There are members of the African Union who do not support ECOWAS militarily intervening in Niger because they understand that this will happen

spillover consequences within the wider Sahel region and so they want to see if there are other diplomatic or political solutions to this crisis

beyond boots on the ground because this will not be an easy operation and for the many people of Niger around the region, it will deeply destabilize

their lives.

CHATTERLEY: Yeah, no easy solutions. Larry Madowo there in Nairobi, thank you. And a historic trilateral summit is underway at the Camp David

presidential retreat outside of Washington as we speak. Joe Biden is hosting the leaders of Japan and South Korea in an attempt to shore up

fragile alliances and deepen regional cooperation. One of the main goals is to counter China's growing influence, but it's not the only one. As Brian

Todd reports, North Korea is also high up on that agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The threat from the aggressive tyrant in Pyongyang, serious enough to solidify a partnership between two

Asian powers that have a long-standing mistrust of each other. President Biden bringing the leaders of Japan and South Korea to Camp David this

weekend to push them to put aside their differences and unite against Kim Jong-un's nuclear and missile provocations. I

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN KIM, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: In order to deter and actually respond more quickly to North Korea's growing nuclear

missile threats, there is more urgency in both Seoul and Tokyo to enhance their cooperation.

[12:35:00]

TODD: The goal at Camp David, a three-way deal, including more enhanced intelligence sharing, regular military drills and missile drills, and a

crisis hotline. Even though North Korea's been a common enemy of both Japan and South Korea for decades, the historic tension between Tokyo and Seoul

is deep-rooted, dating back to when Japan occupied Korea before World War II, and sent hundreds of thousands of Koreans to Japan for forced labor.

KIM: Whenever there is a historical or a territorial dispute arises, then the relationship really quickly cools down. So, the relationship has never

been stable.

TODD: Kim Jong-un, not likely to take the new cooperation between Japan and South Korea well. The dictator preparing a likely intercontinental

ballistic missile launch in response to the summit, according to a South Korean lawmaker briefed by the country's intelligence service. Kim's solid

fuel ICBMs can now reach a high of at least 4000 miles and fly for at least an hour, as a test launch last month showed.

PATRICK CRONIN, HUDSON INSTITUTE: Long-range ICBM, the Hwasong 18, which is solid fuel, can fire quickly and can hit any part of America.

TODD: South Korean intelligence also expects North Korean cooperation with Russia to increase after an elaborate visit by Russia's defense secretary.

The South Koreans, alleging a Russian plane transferred military equipment last week from Pyongyang for destinations unknown.

DEAN CHENG, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE: North Korea has been stockpiling lots of munitions, munitions that at this point, Russia would happily pay in

money, oil or food for. So, we absolutely should be taking it very seriously. And the rise of another rival, China, also now prodding Japan

and South Korea to come together with the U.S.

KIM: What worries me right now is that this summit, although very important, will -- has a potential to accelerate the deep alignment or

partnership among the -- China, Russia and North Korea.

TODD: While Kim Jong-un engages in all this diplomatic entry yet continues to build his weapons arsenal, we're getting new information on how horribly

his own people are suffering. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has just come out and said that many North Koreans are facing extreme

hunger and acute medicine shortages. In the commissioner's own words, quote, "people are getting increasingly desperate ". Brian Todd, CNN,

Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHATTERLEY: And time now for The Exchange and my conversation with Daniel Russell, he's Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at

the Asia Society Policy Institute. And he joins us now from New York. Daniel, great to have you with us. A clearly groundbreaking summit between

these two leaders. Also, perhaps a clear sign that national and regional security interests now supersede deep regional grievances, national

grievances between Japan and South Korea.

DANIEL RUSSEL, VICE PRESIDENT, SECURITY AND DIPLOMACY, ASP: I agree, Julia. And I think immense credit goes to particularly the leaders of Korea

and Japan, who have found ways to break this stalemate and to get past the legacy of the very troubled history that they share. We just heard about

the threat posed by North Korea. We have seen the unprovoked aggression by Russia against Ukraine. And there is tremendous pressure from assertive and

threatening Chinese policies. So, the three leaders have an overriding interest in not only bolstering mutual defense, but importantly, increasing

deterrence.

CHATTERLEY: You have a vast experience in this region. You were President Barack Obama's special assistant, later assistant secretary of state for

East Asia, too. So, I think you know better than most how the frictions between these two nations stalled a whole array of efforts. And I think

what we've seen in the past is efforts to try and bring these two nations together have stalled as we've seen leadership change, which particularly

in the case of South Korea has been, I think also what's so fundamental at unlocking greater dialogue. Will this be different? Must this be different

given the regional challenges?

Well, it's very clear that what the U.S. government -- what the Biden administration is attempting to do is not to twist arms and force Japan and

Korea together, but rather to encourage and facilitate the progress that they are themselves making and create an environment that tends to lock in

the collaborative process, both among the three countries and also among the two Asian partners. This is a very sensitive issue in both countries.

There's a lot of politics at work here. And all leaders are facing some political contests.

Not only does Biden face re-election, but the Korean president has major elections in the spring. The Japanese leader might call snap elections

himself. So, the goal here by all three is to make as much progress as fast as possible.

[12:40:00]

But also to lock it in through durable processes among the three, so, that we don't have the repeat of the one step forward, one step backwards

dynamic that you referred to.

CHATTERLEY: How do you ensure that, Daniel? Is it about deepening trade links? It's about working on innovation together? It's about building the

relationship beyond the sort of most potent, at least at this moment, national security interests. Is that how you get to a stage, perhaps, where

we can start having a conversation about these three nations acting like some kind of mini-NATO where an attack on one is an attack on all? How do

we get to that stage?

RUSSEL: Well, Camp David is moving them, you know, demonstrably closer. I think there are two dimensions to it. One is the politics of it. Showing

the publics, not that this is a sacrifice, not that this is a compromise, and not that there's a risk of one country being dragged into the problems

of another, but rather that the three countries together can deter and defend each one of them in important ways, so that our own security is

benefiting from this partnership.

And then secondly, I think there is the institutionalization. In other words, creating a series, a network of cooperative projects among the three

governments at various levels, and not only on defense, but also on intelligence sharing, on educational initiatives, on energy security, on

emerging technology, so that the habit and the pattern of cooperation is sustained through changes in government, which in democracies are

inevitable.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, all the message that cooperation is beneficial to all and to the citizens of those nations. Daniel, great to have you on. Thank you.

Daniel Russell --

RUSSEL: Thanks, Julia.

CHATTERLEY: -- at the Asia Society Policy Institute. We appreciate your time. Now, the United Nations is expressing deep concern over the dire

situation in Afghanistan, especially over severe restrictions imposed on the rights of women. This week, Kabul marked two years since the Taliban

seized control, following a chaotic withdrawal by the United States after nearly 20 years of fighting. One Afghan girl risked everything to try and

get an education before she could escape to the United States. Sola Mahfouz memoir called "Defiant Dreams" was co-written by the Human Rights Activist,

Malaina Kapoor. I spoke to them earlier and asked Mahfouz about how she adjusted to life in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLA MAHFOUZ, CO-AUTHOR, 'DEFIANT DREAMS": I think for me, when I -- it felt surreal. I have thought, like, you know, I was reading books and, you

know, in some ways when I started learning I felt intellectually free. But, you know, only when I come to the U.S. I felt there was, you know, I just

felt like I was back, I was 11 years old because, you know, I could leave home without like the burqa and it just like the boundaries from home to

streets was kind of there was -- there was kind of no boundaries. And so, I think that was really freeing.

CHATTERLEY: What do you think it is about the about the Taliban, about -- to a larger degree, I think the culture as well that tries to prevent women

doing more, being more, getting educated. Malaina, start us off.

MALAINA KAPOOR, CO-AUTHOR, "DEFIANT DREAM": You know, I think that there's -- in the book, we cover so many generations of history. And this

repression of women really isn't just unique to the Taliban. It's something that has unfortunately unfolded across the country really because women

haven't ever been in a position of power for long enough to ensure that with the next political wins, their rights aren't taken away.

You know, Sola's mother, her grandmother, her aunts, all of them went through similar struggles, the fact that her sisters were just born a few

years older than her and then they had to live lives of arranged marriage at the age of 16 or 17. You know, this is not a story that only takes place

over the last 20 years when the United States was involved in Afghanistan, but the repression of women is something that's stretched on for so much

longer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHATTERLEY: And the good news is, Mahfouz is now a Quantum Computing Researcher at Tufts University, but it was a long road. Okay coming up,

Blue Beetle is more than just a superhero movie for the Latino community. Ahead, how the new film is opening doors.

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[12:45:00]

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CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to ONE WORLD with a look at probably the last thing you want to see out of your aeroplane window. Just take a look at

these flames. A passenger says he filmed while on board a Southwest Airlines flight out of Houston, Texas, heading to Cancun, Mexico. Reports

say the plane returned to Houston airport safely. A different plane eventually took the passengers on to Cancun. Glad it was a different one.

And this week we've been featuring stories on tech and health in Rwanda. Now, accessibility to healthcare remains a hurdle in many parts of Africa.

A Rwandan start-up though that helps healthcare providers understand their supply chain and offers top quality equipment and a streamlined AI-powered

procurement platform, as Stephanie Busari explains.

Stephanie Busari, CNN Editor, Africa: London startup Vbeg has positioned itself as the one-stop shop for all hospital supplies.

TOBIAS REITER, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF VIEBEG: A lot of healthcare providers do not have the right medical equipment, the right medical supplies to

properly treat their patients. And this is when we thought, why not use technology to solve this problem?

BUSARI: Alongside fellow co-founder Alex Musyoka, Tobias Reiter launched VIEBEG with the goal of making healthcare more affordable, efficient and

accessible. Harnessing the power of AI, VIEBEG ensures every hospital they work with gets the most out of the equipment they need.

GEORGES NTAKIYIRUTA, DOCTOR, BEST CARE SPECIALIST HOSPITAL: There are not many who are supplying this type of medical equipment in this country. So,

the value is, I would say, it's invaluable. Not only in Rwanda, VIEBEG also works to improve the procurement process in neighboring African states.

UNKNOWN: Throughout the continent, I've seen the same problem where basically these hospitals are not data-driven when they buy their products.

They buy everything based on gut feeling and often, you know, they're very inefficient with procurement decisions.

BUSARI: With complicated supply chains, financial constraints and poor stock management, the health service can become crippled under its own

weight. So, the team at VIEBEG streamline wherever they can.

SARAH NIRAGIRE, PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIALIST: With this model we go equipment by equipment.

[12:50:00]

We calculate its value based on the lifespan and then we calculate how long it will take till I give the return on investment.

BUSARI: In 2014, Dr. Birahira Williams founded this clinic. the Polyclinique de l'Etoile in Kigali. For all their equipment needs, they

turn to VIEBEG.

UNKNOWN: The uniqueness of VIEBEG is this, they work with you. You are not working alone. The second thing, they know what you need.

UNKNOWN: With artificial intelligence, you can model what kind of equipment will actually be profitable. And based on that, we can help

hospitals make better procurement decisions, become more profitable, treat more people, reach more people.

BUSARI: VIEBEG have made customer service into an essential part of their business model. The company says it offers not just thousands of top-

quality products, they also provide AI-driven data, financial support, plus training on how to make those products last longer.

UNKNOWN: We are a reliable partner to a health care provider. You know, they can rely on us, as so many people are relying on them.

BUSARI: Africa-led thinking can create a healthier, happier and more prosperous continent.

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CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. This weekend, the latest superhero movie, "Blue Beetle", hits theaters. But unlike the many other films in the

genre, this is the first featuring a Latino superhero. Twenty seven Latino Hollywood organizations signed an open letter calling on filmmakers to

amplify Latino works like Blue Beetle. The movie is distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures, which, like CNN, is part of Warner Brothers Discovery.

has the details.

("BLUE BEETLE" CLIP)

RICK DAMIGELLA, CNN ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCER: A young man is transformed into a superhero in "Blue Beetle" based on the D.C. Comics character.

("BLUE BEETLE" CLIP)

What the? He, oh, it's acquired. Lucinda! It's okay, it's gonna be okay!

ANGEL MANUEL SOTO, DIRECTOR, "BLUE BEETLE": The biggest challenge was focusing on the characters and being able to protect the heart of the movie

in the midst of the chaos, of all the explosions and the speed that we have to shoot.

[12:55:00]

DAMIGELLA: Director Angel Manuel Soto says filming in Puerto Rico was important to more than the movie itself.

SOTO: I remember going in Puerto Rico and working with the crew in Puerto Rico that has worked with me since I started my career. They took it as if

it was theirs, because they know how much this means to our community and our collective community, to finally see ourselves be the heroes of our

stories.

("BLUE BEETLE" CLIP)

SOTO: That's all I wanted in a way, you know, to be able to do right by Jaime Reyes, by "Blue Beetle", by the fans and by our community. And we did

do this with a lot of love.

("BLUE BEETLE" CLIP)

Whatever you can imagine, I can create.

("BLUE BEETLE" CLIP)

DAMAGELLA: In Hollywood, I'm Rick Damagella.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHATTERLEY: And that's it for us. Thank you for watching ONE WORLD. I'm Julia Chatterley. "AMANPOUR" is up next. Stay with CNN.

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END