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- [00:01]
Eva Longoria
Join Eva Longoria as she explores France's rich history and savors its world. Celebrated cuisine in the CNN original series Eva Searching for France, premiering April 12th on CNN.
- [00:12]
Adrien Brody
And the next day on the CNN app.
- [00:14]
Suzanne Maloney
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this,
- [00:17]
Christiane Amanpour
but anyone can get the same Premium
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Suzanne Maloney
Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities.
- [00:24]
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
So do like I did and have
- [00:25]
Suzanne Maloney
one of your assistant's assistants switch you
- [00:27]
Christiane Amanpour
to Mint Mobile today.
- [00:29]
Eva Longoria
I'm told it's super easy to do@mintmobile.com
- [00:31]
Narrator/Announcer
Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com.
- [00:52]
Christiane Amanpour
Hello everyone and welcome to the Amanpur Hour. Here's where we're headed this week. Ceasefire talks begin in Pakistan. Will they lead to a permanent way out of this disastrous war on Iran? And how has it changed the world? We seek the answers. First, how will Europe chart a way forward? Unable to rely on the USA for security, I'm joined by the Greek prime minister.
- [01:16]
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
I don't think that the international community would be ready to accept Iran. Setting up a toll booth for every ship that crosses the straits. It seems to me to be completely unacceptable.
- [01:27]
Christiane Amanpour
Then American Iran experts Ray Takier and Suzanne Maloney on the potential rise of a brutal third Islamic republic.
- [01:35]
Suzanne Maloney
It is stunning to see that at least at the moment, the Iranians appear to have retained the upper hand.
- [01:41]
Christiane Amanpour
And the view from Tehran with a former government official and now university professor also on the program, a horrendous and yet persistent US Injustice now takes center stage to the new Broadway play about a man wrongfully consigned to death row. Joining me are double Oscar winner Adrien Brody and playwright Lindsey Ferrantino. On the fear of 13 and as life grinds to a halt in Cuba, from my archive, how the US Embargo has punished Cubans for generations.
- [02:15]
Narrator/Announcer
The Americans are strangling us. My daughter is sick and we don't have medicine. They should lift the embargo.
- [02:26]
Christiane Amanpour
Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. What has 40 days of war achieved? It's hard to answer as both sides, Iran and the United States, claim victory. Thousands died, critical energy infrastructure around the region was damaged or destroyed. And the cost of living is surging everywhere with a shaky ceasefire. Here in Europe, leaders are breathing a sigh of relief. But their relationship with the United States may never recover. Speaking of Trump, the Spanish Prime Minister says he will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket. While the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis told me that Israel must also be stopped from destroying Lebanon following some of its heaviest bombardments yet. And just after our conversation, the Israeli Prime Minister did announce direct talks with the government of Lebanon after pressure from Mitsotakis and other European leaders. So what do you, what's your immediate thoughts about the so called ceasefire?
- [03:27]
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Well, first of all, let me point out that Greece joined a common statement which was signed by many European leaders, welcoming the ceasefire and hoping that we can use this 15 day window to reach a negotiated settlement. And I do believe that we have reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Having said that, I would like to express my deep concern about what is happening in Lebanon because it is very clear to me as a country which is relatively close to Lebanon, that the Israeli offensive right now is completely counterproductive. And I do believe that if we want to talk about a complete ceasefire in the region, it needs to essentially extend to all theaters of operation, including Lebanon. We need to give some space to the Lebanese government to do its job in terms of taking control of the Lebanese south. And by attacking Lebanon right now, the only thing that Israel is achieving is giving Hezbollah, which has already been significantly weakened, a new lease of life.
- [04:35]
Christiane Amanpour
Well, I mean, you're very, very clear on a position. I could ask you, do you think, like many think, that, that the Israeli government just doesn't want a ceasefire and is not interested in enlightening up, certainly not on Hezbollah?
- [04:48]
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Look, I want to be very clear, Christian. We have a strategic partnership with Israel. But you know, friends need to speak truth to France. And my view on Lebanon has been very clear for the first time in decades. I think we have a competent government in Lebanon. If these attacks continue, you will have a humanitarian catastrophe. It is already evolving, but you will also end up legitimizing, delegitimizing completely the Lebanese government. I don't think this is in Israel's long term interest. And you know, I would hope that these operations stop as quickly as possible, not just for humanitarian reasons, but also for making sure that we, we maintain, you know, a general framework of a ceasefire that encompasses the whole region.
- [05:33]
Christiane Amanpour
In the meantime, what is your biggest takeaway from what needs to happen in this, if it continues, this cease fire between the US and Iran, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz?
- [05:45]
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Obviously we have skin in the Game, Christian. We are one of the largest players in terms of the Greek owned and Greek controlled maritime fleet. And I've always been defending the freedom of navigation. And this is becoming a critical topic vis a vis the future of the Straits of Hormuz. I don't think that the international community, community would be ready to accept Iran setting up a toll booth for every ship that crosses the straits. It seems to me to be completely unacceptable. So I do believe that intense negotiations will take place. I think it is possible, Christian, that we may end up needing a separate international agreement regarding the Straits of Hormuz. There are precedents in history, but this agreement cannot, I repeat, cannot include sort of a fee that ships will have to pay every time they cross the Strait of Hormuz. This was not the case before the war started and it cannot be the case after the war finishes.
- [06:43]
Christiane Amanpour
So, Prime Minister, what I mean, this is your major ally. The transatlantic alliance has been the formative, you know, alliance, you know, since the Second World War. Do you think it's weakened beyond repair?
- [06:58]
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Well, I'm a firm believer in the longevity of the transatlantic alliance. At the same time, I do recognize that we're currently faced with significant challenges. But I would also like to point out, Christiane, that as a result of initiatives taken by the US President, Europe has gotten its act together when it comes to defence. President Trump was right to say that essentially Europe did not pick up its fair share of the burden in terms of defense spending. Greece was always the exception for our own geopolitical reasons. We're currently spending more than 3% of our GDP on defence. And I can tell you that there's a lot of momentum in Europe to strengthen the European strategic autonomy pillar. And I think this will be good
- [07:37]
Christiane Amanpour
for NATO, including Greece has joined an initiative to have nuclear protection like nuclear umbrella right here in Europe, you know, as was proposed by the French president.
- [07:51]
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
That is correct. We've started preliminary discussions regarding some proposals by President Macron. As you know, France is the only country that currently possesses a nuclear deterrent within the European Union. And again, any discussion to strengthen the European pillar of our European defence, I think needs to be welcomed by European countries. Again, I don't think this will happen at the detriment of of NATO, but we need to recognize that NATO was essentially and still is, to a certain extent an alliance that is way too much dependent on the US So we need to also do our pick up our fair share of the burden and make sure that we increase our defence spending, bolster our European defence capabilities. And I can tell you that this is a topic that is frequently discussed at the European Council, and we are making significant progress in that direction.
- [08:48]
Christiane Amanpour
Just afterwards, Trump met with NATO chief Mark Rutte. His public posts at least showed him still disgruntled with NATO allies for not joining his war of choice on Iran. Now, after a break, the face of the Middle east is indeed changing. But how? I'll discuss the war's unintended consequences with former US Government advisers Suzanne Maloney and Ray Taki.
- [09:15]
Narrator/Announcer
I'm CNN tech reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast Terms of Service. I don't think I need to tell anyone that life these days is expensive. Now imagine that the cost you're charged is different from the cost your neighbor pays for the exact same product, maybe because you have different budgets or shopping habits. It's actually happening a big shift. Is everyone seeing the same price tag in the store to now everyone's seeing prices on their private screens and also companies having a ton of information about each of. I'm talking to Grace Getty, a policy analyst at Consumer Reports. She has some tips on how to look out for automated pricing schemes and what we can all do about it. Listen to CNN's terms of service wherever you get your podcasts.
- [10:04]
Christiane Amanpour
Welcome back to the program. Now, whatever happens at ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran, both sides are currently so far apart, a permanent end to this war will be a steep mountain to climb. Objectively speaking, few of the US War aims have been achieved, according to analysts, and the Iranian people are left once again to fend for themselves under a regime that claims to have won just by surviving the onslaught. I'm joined next by Ray Takir, an Iranian American academic and former State Department official, and Suzanne Maloney, vice president of the Brookings Institution in Washington and a former advisor on Iran to both Democratic and Republican administrations. They also happen to be married and have somewhat different views of Iran. As Suzanne explains, we do have different
- [10:54]
Suzanne Maloney
views, and I think in this case I believe that the war was a strategic miscalculation by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. And it is stunning to see that, at least at the moment, the Iranians appear to have retained the upper hand for the first time in history. They closed the Strait of Hormuz over the course of the past five weeks. And it appears that they will be able to continue to control that key waterway as well as to potentially monetize it as they've been doing. And that is an enormous victory for a regime that only two months ago was facing massive protests on the streets as a result of economic problems.
- [11:34]
Christiane Amanpour
Ray? Obviously the Iranians say that they have won, but so do, so do the Americans. You disagree with, Suzanne I think about, about how this has turned out.
- [11:44]
Eva Longoria
Well, up to a point, as, as you mentioned, both sides have a narrative of success. And in both cases there's some plausibility to that narrative. The United States and Israel can demonstrate quantitatively the level of destruction that they have, particularly on Iranian defense forces and so forth. But the way this war is ending with Iran also having a narrative of success, namely that they managed to impose costs on the global economy, they managed to interdict maritime traffic through the Gulf with primitive technologies. I think in this war the President failed to make the case to the American people that the United States would have to have a long term commitment to the security of the Gulf. And that essentially meant concentration of naval assets in that region for a foreseeable future. He failed to do that. He failed to establish a domestic consensus. He failed to bring allies on board. These are not his strong suits. But the level of Iranian program that's been set back and the defense forces that have been set back, that's real. And it will take a long time for Iran to recover from 13,000American strike on their targets and the decapitation of many of their critical leaders.
- [12:51]
Christiane Amanpour
This is what Trump has put on Truth Social. The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive regime change. There will be no enrichment of uranium and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all the deeply buried. I don't know. He's put B2 bombers, nuclear dust. I think he means they were buried by B2 bombers. He also then said that we could have a joint operation to safeguard and securitize the Strait of Hormuz. Suzanne, is this wishful thinking or is it a way to come out of this?
- [13:27]
Suzanne Maloney
Well, I think that there is a possibility of constructing an agreement that does require some meaningful concessions from the Iranians in the aftermath of the war, particularly around reimposing constraints on their nuclear program and extracting the highly enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried near Isfahan, but may have been dispersed around the country prior to the June 2025 war. That's a really critical issue because the world needs to ensure that with this regime still intact, that it cannot move quickly toward nuclear weapons capability. And I think the Iranians appreciate that there is going to be some need for some concessions and what that looks like and how they phrase that the Iranians can't, in fact, enrich uranium at the moment anyway because of the destruction of the program over the course of these two wars. And so, you know, there may be a creative way to manage that.
- [14:18]
Christiane Amanpour
Suzanne. We need to, clearly, because this was really about the Iranian people when Trump started this and Netanyahu started this, and of course, the protest by the Iranian people at the end of December into January, the massive crackdown and the bloodshed, but by the regime against the people. Now the people have been left with, oh, my God, what are we left with? A ceasefire that leaves them in place. And what happens to us? What do you think is going to happen to the people there?
- [14:48]
Suzanne Maloney
I think the Iranian people are, as has been the case for at least 47 years, really in the losing situation here. They have risked their lives countless times, and most recently in January, to try to push for some more responsible, more respected government in the world. And they have been repressed viciously by their own leadership. And what has happened over the course of the war is not just that the regime has remained intact, but the very people who were brutallyorchestrating the brutality in January are now in a stronger position. And they have been making that point through continued executions, through text message warnings to the Iranian people not to go back to the streets. It is incumbent on the world to ensure that their cause is not forgotten, that we continue to look for avenues to try to advance a democratic outcome over the long term in Iran. This is a country that is profoundly ready for some kind of democracy. They just have a government that has been averse to it for 47 years.
- [15:51]
Christiane Amanpour
And, Ray, to you, the same question. You know, you grew up in Iran. You left at the time of the revolution, like many of us did. And clearly there are a lot of people outside of Iran who don't believe you can do anything with this regime.
- [16:05]
Eva Longoria
The Iranian people are trapped in their usual positions. Cruelty by their government and indifference by the international community. That is a reality. One of the things that one can be certain of in terms of Iranian politics is there will be another protest movement. And this is one of the reasons why the regime was so insistent on not capitulating to the American demands, because they understand that right now their power is demystified, their cadre is depleted, and their security services are stretched. So they're very concerned about their capabilities of dealing with the next round of protests. I suspect that the balance of power still favors the regime, and the Revolutionary Guards are capable of maintaining order. And throughout the past 30 days, when there has been war abroad. The Iranian regime has not stopped arresting and even executing some of its own subjects. So the question is, when that protest movement breaks out, and I think it will, what is the response of the international community, not just the United States, not just the Israelis, who actually have spoken on behalf of the Iranian people, but the larger international community in terms of their reception? And I should say one thing. Having lived through the 1979 revolution, the future of the Iranian people depends largely on themselves. And that's just the reality of the situation. Whether they can displace this regime will be power that they have themselves, as they did in 1979. Whether they succeed or not, I'm not sure. But the agency lies with them.
- [17:30]
Christiane Amanpour
Ray Taki, thank you so much. Indeed, Suzanne Baloney, thank you very much, both of you for being with us. Next up, we hear from inside Iran why one Tehran professor thinks the war may make the country more unified than ever. That's after the break. Welcome back. To this day, the U.S. administration, including the U.S. defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, insists there has been regime change in Iran or a change within the regime. It is true much of the Islamic Republic leadership was wiped out from day one, but they have a deep bench and all have been replaced. All are considered more hardline, with the IRGC firmly in charge. Now, I got the view from inside Iran with Sasan Karimi, a professor of global studies at the University of Tehran and a former deputy vice president for strategic affairs. He says the war has united the country. So what happens to the hopes of the protesters? Professor Karimi, welcome to the program. Let me just ask you first, you just heard the secretary of Defense Hegseth claiming that the regime has changed. There's a new regime, a new group of people. Is that the case?
- [18:51]
Sasan Karimi
I studied political science at the university. There's not a regime change. Classically, the people are the same and the top people who are dealing the United States are the same. The top negotiator will be the spokesman of the parliament. The constitutional law is the same. The organs are the same. The defense system is the same. And you know, the defense minister of the United States wants to just coin something, to pretend victory. It is not a big deal. I think people need to pretend victory after wars.
- [19:36]
Christiane Amanpour
Okay, well, does that mean Iran is doing what is expected, pretending victory? Because it is claiming victory, calling it a great historic one. But as you know, I'm sure that by any measure, your country has suffered great losses, particularly in the military field. How do you assess whether Iran won
- [19:55]
Sasan Karimi
or lost you know, victory in a war defines, depends on which side you are. But if you are defending your country, only defense of your country, protecting your sovereignty and not being occupied will be your victory.
- [20:16]
Christiane Amanpour
But I want to ask you about the protesters because your government massacred, killed, mowed down thousands of Iranians. Thousands of Iranians who were protesting for their rights and their economic survival. So my question is, what is going to happen? What will your government do now that it's still in position to these protesters, including meeting their economic demands? Because right now you have no sanctions relief. There is no way that you can actually meet their economic needs. And already there are crackdowns and have been throughout this war on, let's say democracy activists, protesters taking them to jail, their executions and the like. What is going to happen to the Iranian people?
- [21:06]
Sasan Karimi
You know, it is not true because it was 11 days protest in Tehran. Normal people protest, were protesting, were on the street and police was also on the street without any gun. And when Donald Trump declared whatever he said and threatened Iranian political system. And also other things happened, a new group came that today there are big names like the Everlasting Guard. Let's say they are a fake group of terrorists and they're not real people. In the 11th day of protest, they came to the streets and started for bloody violation. So it was not a normal one. You know, I am following all the protests since 1997. You know, when I was teenager at the university and all in 2009, I witnessed all the protests from very closely, but this time was totally different. So. But yes, that's true. That beginning of this or the start of this protest was economic. And without relieving the sanctions, it is very difficult to ease the situation. So that's why one of the main terms of Iranian 10 point declared situation and the conditions is relieving all the secondary and primary sanctions and also UN sanctions.
- [23:02]
Christiane Amanpour
Professor Sasan Karimi, thank you very much for joining us from Tehran.
- [23:06]
Eva Longoria
Thank you.
- [23:08]
Christiane Amanpour
But the majority of the Iranian people want their human rights, their freedom, their democratic rights, as well as being able to make ends meet, their economic rights. We will see what happens to them in the coming weeks, months or even years. Next. This portrait of American injustice first opened here in London's West End and now it has moved to Broadway. My conversation with the Oscar winner Adrien Brody and writer Lindsey Ferrantino about their play the fear of 13.
- [23:39]
Adrien Brody
You can find great depths of suffering within the world around you if you have a glimpse of it. And if he's had more than his share.
- [23:54]
Narrator/Announcer
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- [24:23]
Adrien Brody
See a nation's enduring love for baseball when Shohei Ohtani and Japan's biggest major league star return home to play in front of their fans for the first time. Homecoming, the Tokyo series, now streaming on the CNN app.
- [24:42]
Christiane Amanpour
Welcome back. Now, for Americans, it's a familiar if tragic story. For Europeans, not so much. When the Fear of Thirteen, a play about the real life Nick Yaris, who spent more than two decades wrongfully incarcerated on death row, opened here on London's West End, audiences found it shocking. But now it's traveled to Broadway and a country that tragically is used to this miscarriage of justice. Two time Oscar winner Adrien Brody is making his Broadway debut as Yaris in a powerful and intimate portrayal of one man's struggle to be exonerated. Brody and playwright Lindsey Ferrantino spoke to me about why they took on this story. Lindsey ferrantino, Adrien Brody, welcome to the program. What is it about the character of Yaris that drew you in and made you want to play this?
- [25:34]
Adrien Brody
Well, it's Nick Yaris story. And who is the man that I portray, who was a man who'd served over two decades on death row, incarcerated for a crime that he had not committed. So that alone speaks to not just his individual plight and the grave injustice that he's experienced, but this pervasive sense of injustice which references an even greater injustice that you're very privy to in the world of news and what we experience. And for me, as an artist or in an artistic capacity to be able to explore and help open the conversation and consider these grave issues and ailments within our society are very important and meaningful. Lindsay wrote an incredible play, incredible work. It is incredible. And the words were so moving that they, they pulled me out of my own apprehension of doing theater for many years. And, and it's very alive. And I love communing with an audience and I love the, the relationship that ensues. And every night it's different. And certain things they find amusing and certain things they gasp and find shocking. And it's Really a wonderful exchange.
- [27:17]
Christiane Amanpour
And, Lindsay, you wrote it as Adrian's talking. You know, obviously, in the United States, people know, especially through the news and documentary, of this massive and pervasive injustice. And the whole idea of DNA exoneration is not new. So how do you see audiences react differently? Because maybe they're not as, you know. You know, maybe they don't know as much about this in the UK as they do here. Do you see a different reaction?
- [27:45]
Lindsey Ferrantino
Yeah, we've been talking about this a lot, is that I feel like in the uk, when the play was done, you get a lot of gasps because the audience doesn't have the death penalty. They can look at the play with a sort of critical distance and go, isn't it crazy, the justice system in America? Whereas the audience reaction here, there are shocks, you know, shocks in the play and gasps, but there's also a sort of knowingness to the audience response and an anger and a complicity, I think, in the part of the audience that we're all sort of complicit in a system, in a culture, in a country that produces stories like Nick.
- [28:20]
Christiane Amanpour
That's so interesting to use the word complicit, actually. You know, it's obviously very dramatic, very sad, but darkly hubris.
- [28:26]
Lindsey Ferrantino
Yeah.
- [28:27]
Christiane Amanpour
Tell me about Nick Yaris and why the dark humor? What was it about him?
- [28:32]
Eva Longoria
Well, he exudes the dark.
- [28:34]
Christiane Amanpour
He exudes it, and so do you.
- [28:37]
Lindsey Ferrantino
I think, you know, Nick was a man who was wrongfully incarcerated on death row for 22 years and was able to exonerate himself through his love of storytelling and his. His ability to articulate his own story, which he learned in prison from reading books and finding his own voice. But I think also, when you talk to anyone who's been incarcerated, they don't want their incarceration to be the only thing that defines their existence. And so I think it was important in the telling of the story that we capture, and that's something that I'm so grateful to. Adrian also has helped pull out all of these different sides of this person, that he was a romantic and an adventure seeker, and he's hilarious, and he has a gallows sense of humor about his time in, you know, in prison and that you want the character to contain those multitudes.
- [29:27]
Christiane Amanpour
You know, 20 years is a huge, long, long time. Did he come out bitter or did he come out grateful or what was you.
- [29:38]
Adrien Brody
You're very aware of the harrowing circumstances that this man has endured in his life, yet all the edge and everything that is within him that has Kept him alive. And he kind of expresses a great deal of grace and a great deal of humanness and understanding. You know, to suffer gives you understanding of the suffering of others, you know, and you. You can find great depths of suffering within the world around you if you have a glimpse of it and if he's had more than his share.
- [30:25]
Christiane Amanpour
But he's still alive, Nick, right?
- [30:27]
Lindsey Ferrantino
Yes, he's.
- [30:27]
Christiane Amanpour
So you met him.
- [30:28]
Orlando (Cuban hospital orderly)
He.
- [30:28]
Christiane Amanpour
Was he in the writer room?
- [30:31]
Adrien Brody
Yes.
- [30:31]
Christiane Amanpour
Yeah.
- [30:32]
Adrien Brody
Yes.
- [30:32]
Christiane Amanpour
And what was it like meeting him?
- [30:35]
Adrien Brody
Does he have a.
- [30:36]
Christiane Amanpour
Does he have a say in how his story is told?
- [30:38]
Adrien Brody
He's been very involved, you know, and very. It's been very helpful to have Nick's approval, and it's beyond approval. I really. I really love what this feels like for Nick. It's. It's quite freeing and healing in a lot of ways, as I can only imagine. To have all your hardships and story and to be such a wonderful storyteller yourself, to have someone like Lindsay, to find the eloquence of weaving his poetic language and gregariousness and then to offer it to someone, to conjure up every night and share it with people. And it is quite so. I think it's been quite healing for him. It's been. It's been wonderful for me to see his response to it.
- [31:44]
Christiane Amanpour
Yeah, well, it's out there. It got great reviews in London and I'm sure it will hear. Okay, Lindsay Ferrantino, Adrien Brody, thank you very much indeed.
- [31:52]
Lindsey Ferrantino
Thank you. Thanks for having us.
- [31:53]
Adrien Brody
Pleasure to see you.
- [31:55]
Christiane Amanpour
And the Fear of thirteen is on at Broadway's James Earl Jones Theater until July. And after a break, is Cuba. Next, an American naval blockade is strangling it. From my archive, the real life human toll of an embargo that's lasted more than half a century, but still hasn't toppled the Communist regime there. Welcome back. In Cuba, some 90 miles off the coast of Florida, a US pressure campaign and naval blockade continues to gr the island nation into the ground. And the Trump administration hopes it'll somehow lead to the end of the Castro Communist regime, like many administrations before have also hoped. Now, though, there are energy emergencies, hospital patients are at risk of death, classes are suspended, workers have been furloughed. That's now. But for more than half a century, the US embargo has caused suffering and poverty for the roughly 10 million Cubans who live there. The most vulnerable, the people who have little to do with the State of Cuba. U.S. relations. From my archives, I first saw firsthand the depth of the embargo's impact back in 1998.
- [33:15]
Orlando (Cuban hospital orderly)
The casual observer may see all of this and think Cuba is the land of plenty. But look a little closer and you'll find a lot of people, just the typical couple, comes here perhaps once every two weeks, examines every stall and scrutinizes every price. Because the average salary is less than $10 a month, and the US embargo means that every pepper, every peanut is a luxury. Orlando tells us he can barely live on what he earns. And he earns an average wage. He has three children, a four year old, a two year old and a newborn. The whole family lives in one room. No bathroom, no refrigerator. A cooking stove in the corner. Orlando's daily obsession finding milk for the children. He's a hospital orderly who has to work odd jobs on his off hours. The milk he needs costs one third of his monthly salary. Others need medicine restricted by the US Embargo.
- [34:28]
Narrator/Announcer
The Americans are strangling us. My daughter is sick and we don't have medicine. They should lift the embargo. Down with the Helms Burton Law.
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Orlando (Cuban hospital orderly)
Cira's got prescriptions for drugs to treat a basic stomach parasite. But the pharmacies don't to seem stock it. They don't stock much of anything. The shelves are practically bare. At Cuba's best pediatric hospital, the staff works around the shortages. They ration everything from X rays to operations. Emergency surgery is performed. The rest must wait. The best, cheapest medicine and equipment are 90 miles away in the United States. But the embargo forces Cuba to pay four times as much to ship supplies thousands of miles from South Korea. It's both stressful and immoral, say the doctors.
- [35:23]
Eva Longoria
Even during war, I have to treat the enemy soldier exactly the same, with the same dedication as my own soldier. You know, if the American people knew this, things would change in less than 24 hours. Because the American people is noble, is humane, is sympathetic.
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Orlando (Cuban hospital orderly)
Wherever you go, whoever you talk to, you always hear. People blame the US embargo for all their woes.
- [35:50]
Christiane Amanpour
But the fact is that Cuba's rigid
- [35:52]
Orlando (Cuban hospital orderly)
socialist structures are as much to blame for this country's dysfunctional economy. A few openly admit to, and they complain about a growing elite. Most people are suffering, says this woman. But those at the top, by Fidel's side, live very well. And the gap gets wider. In 1993, Fidel Castro allowed ordinary Cubans to hold dollars and open special dollar stores. But not everyone has access to those dollars.
- [36:27]
Narrator/Announcer
At those stores, there is everything. But we have no dollars because Fidel doesn't pay us in dollars.
- [36:33]
Orlando (Cuban hospital orderly)
Pesos don't buy much. But still, people like Orlando don't wake up every morning plotting how to overthrow Fidel, rather how to find milk for their children.
- [36:46]
Sasan Karimi
I don't know who to blame. There are many people like me.
- [36:50]
Orlando (Cuban hospital orderly)
And theirs are the politics of survival. Christiana Manpour, cnn, Havana.
- [36:57]
Christiane Amanpour
When we come back, views from space. They've been thrilling us for the last 10 days. Now Artemis 2 is back on Earth after a historic mission and we get reflections on an awesome feat with Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins after the break. And finally, the Artemis 2 astronauts are back on Earth after an extraordinary 10 day mission around the moon. It was of course, that record breaking adventure that took the crew further, a greater distance from Earth than ever before. Up there on the far side of the moon, there were no comms with the mothership for a full 40 minutes. Blissfully unbothered by us Earthlings, they captured unprecedented views and witnessed a solar eclipse which pilot Victor Glover described as unreal. Back in 2019, I spoke to astronaut Michael Collins, who was part of the truly historic 1969 Apollo 11 mission. Whilst Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored the moon's surface, Collins orbited alone 30 times. From there. He says he was the lucky one who saw the whole incredible picture.
- [38:17]
Eva Longoria
It was certainly an impressive view. You know, that tiny little silver sliver that lives up above my backyard had been replaced by a gigantic three dimensional
- [38:30]
Adrien Brody
bulbous thing that was almost trying to
- [38:34]
Eva Longoria
push its way into our window. However, it was nothing compared to seeing the Earth from afar. That was the main chance. That was it.
- [38:43]
Christiane Amanpour
Mike Collins died a couple of years later at the age of 90. But he told me he was so proud to really see the culmination of John F. Kennedy's dream to put someone on the moon by the end of the decade. That's all we have time for. Don't forget, you can find all of our shows online as podcasts@cnn.com audio and on all other major platforms. I'm Christiana Wampour in London. Thank you for watching and I'll see you again next week.
- [39:19]
Narrator/Announcer
I'm Eva Longoria and I'm setting out to really experience France, to savor its world celebrated cuisine and explore the country's rich history.
- [39:28]
Adrien Brody
Eva Longoria Searching For France premieres April 12th on CNN. And next day on the CNN app.