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U.S. Government Has Dire Warnings about Climate Change; Murdered Journalist's Daughters Honor Their Father in Op-Ed; Conservative Writer in Plea Talks with Special Counsel; Spanish Prime Minister Warns E.U. Brexit Summit May not Happen; UAE Considers Clemency for Jailed U.K. Student; Girl Who Wrote about Gun Violence Killed by Stray Bullet; U.S. Missionary Allegedly Killed on Forbidden Island; Pop-Up Shop Sells Lifesaving Items for Refugees. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired November 24, 2018 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A major report on climate change contradicts President Trump's views and offers a dark view of the future.
Turkey's foreign minister says Donald Trump is turning a blind eye to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
And we're nearing the critical summit for Brexit.
But could Spain's threat involving Gibraltar unravel the plan?
These stories are ahead here. Live from CNN headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world, I'm Natalie Allen.
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ALLEN: Thank you for joining us.
Our top story, dire new warnings about the effects of climate change on human health and the health of the U.S. economy as a result. A U.S. government report suggests drastic action is needed to cut fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions to save thousands of lives. But as our Rene Marsh reports, the report conflicts with President Trump's skepticism about a changing climate.
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RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Well if you weren't paying attention to the climate change issue, this report could change that; it is frightening and screams serious action has to be taken now.
It is the work of federal agencies and the scientific community and the report makes it clear that we are already experiencing the dangerous effects of climate change.
It states that wildfire season is long now but will only get longer, burning six times more forest area per year by the year 2050; more people will be exposed to ticks that carry Lyme disease; and mosquitoes that transmits viruses such as Zika, West Nile and Dengue; allergy season will be a lot worse; higher temperatures will also kill more people, it specifically looks at the Midwest.
The Midwest is predicted to have the largest increase in extreme temperature and according to the report it will see an additional 2,000 premature deaths per year by the year 2090; oh, and the cost that's going to be a big one as well, the cost of climate change, according to the report, could reach hundreds of billions of dollars annually.
And by mid-century it says it is very likely that the Arctic will be nearly free of sea ice in late summer.
We should point out this was a congressionally mandated report. It was released by the Trump administration, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, when people were distracted and families are shopping and the release time really sparking controversy and speculation that it is being buried on a day when few people will be paying attention.
The report also came one day after the president tweeted -- and I'm quoting -- "Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS. Whatever happened to Global Warming?"
That tweet illustrates Trump's continued skepticism when it comes to climate change and it directly contradicts the findings in this government report.
The tweet also illustrates the president's lack of understanding on the issue, as we know climate change is best exemplified by the consistent rise in temperatures, year after year, not extreme weather over a one-day period -- Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.
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ALLEN: As Rene mentioned, the report's findings conflict with President Trump's skepticism about global warming. He reiterated that point just days ago while visiting areas devastated by the wildfires in California.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does seeing this devastation change your opinion at all on climate change, Mr. President?
TRUMP: No. No. I have a strong opinion. I want great climate. We're going to have that and we're going to have forests that are very safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: You know, it's bizarre that our president continues to avoid
talking about climate change and now we have the U.S. government report saying, it's here, it's manmade and there are going to be dire results.
Derek Van Dam is here with us.
Talk about the biggest takeaways, Derek, from the report.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A bit counterintuitive that a federal agency releasing this report and the president saying another thing. But regardless of that, what we've seen from this report is astounding.
It is the most comprehensive, meticulous, authoritative report that highlights the threats on climate change to the entire U.S. population. In big, bold lettering, it reads, the Earth's climate is changing faster than any point in the history of modern civilization primarily as a result of human activities.
That's burning of fossil fuels. It says it right there. Get to the graphics. We'll see what I'm talking about. This is incredible. It talks about the U.S. threats to climate change in more of a regional hyperlocal --
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VAN DAM: -- impact. It talks about health, your well-being, the agriculture and food production, availability of fresh water. Even the rate of economic growth. It highlights everything, people.
Here are some of the details. Talking about agriculture, for instance. A staple diet. Soybean and corn. The Midwest, the breadbasket of the U.S., is potentially going to produce less than 75 percent of its total yields of corn than it does today by the end of the century.
The region could lose more than 25 percent of the soybean production compared to what it produces today. Western wildfires, up to six times more acreage burned annually by 2050 and burned areas in Southwest California could double by the middle of the century.
Temperatures have risen 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the report, what's the big deal?
Why do we care?
More beach days, right?
Unfortunately that's not the idea they're trying to get across to the public. What they're trying to say here is that a warmer planet is concerted as the rate of change of warmth that is so alarming to scientists. You can see that here. Post industrial revolution how temperatures have increased dramatically, 1.7 degrees.
This is what the U.S. is doing so far. Hopefully we're leading by example. Cities assessing their vulnerability building an increase for infrastructure for resilience, adaptation to climate change, wildfires.
Some of the federal forests are developing adaptation strategies and methods to address this increasing risk that we saw. Just in California and Butte County, Paradise, two weeks ago, that unfortunately has taken the lives of over 80 people.
The big story here is that it covered every single aspect of climate change and the threats to our community.
ALLEN: Yes. We also know it's worldwide. We're all connected. This focused on the United States but, yes, it is kind of a bleary look at the future, isn't it?
VAN DAM: It's interesting. It talks about how it disproportionately impacts more vulnerable people, that being climate change.
So what can we do as humans -- if we could bring up the graphic here on the computer screen?
We've talked about it. It starts at the grassroots level. Natalie, for instance, you and I or anyone watching this morning could install solar panels, you could drive an electric vehicle.
People will start to see the financial implications of that, saving money in the long term. That builds up at the local level and it has a cascading effect on people's decision-making and it goes on from there.
ALLEN: Doesn't help that the Trump administration has rolled back environmental protections, too.
VAN DAM: No, it does not.
ALLEN: Derek, thank you.
Turkey's foreign minister blaming President Trump for turning a blind eye towards the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This comes one day after Mr. Trump doubled down on his defense of Saudi Arabia's prince Mohammad bin Salman. The kingdom admits that he was murdered at their embassy in Turkey but denied the crown prince was involved.
In Washington Democrats, who are about to regain control of the House of Representatives, say they're going to investigate American intelligence assessments and Mr. Trump's reaction to Khashoggi's murder. For more about it, here's Jeff Zeleny.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As President Trump continues to spend a long Thanksgiving weekend at his resort in Florida, one thing is clear: the new Democratic political order in Washington beginning to take shape.
The incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Adam Schiff, saying he wants to investigate what the president exactly knows and any potential financial ties between the White House and the Trump family and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This of course comes as the president embraces the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in saying that he did not or may not have known anything about the death of "The Washington Post" columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Of course, that's contradictory to what the CIA has already determined, that the Saudi crown prince did indeed know about the murder. The president says he simply does not know if that is true but even if it would be, it is not worth risking the economic ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
But the new Democratic chairman, incoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he indeed wants to look at this. This is all coming as the president is still focused on immigration, railing against judges on the 9th Circuit and still talking about potentially closing the U.S. border with Mexico.
Now the president spending plenty of time on the golf course as well as potentially interviewing possible new replacements for his cabinet as he heads into the second half of his first term in Washington.
One thing is clear: Democrats also getting ready. The president has one month left of Republican control in Washington before the new political order changes and puts a check on the Trump White House -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.
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ALLEN: More now on Jamal Khashoggi. His daughters say their father always thought of Saudi Arabia as his home.
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ALLEN: In an essay for "The Washington Post" they wrote this, "He also told us about the day he left Saudi Arabia, standing outside his doorstep, wondering if he would ever return. For a while, Dad had created a new life for himself in the United States. He grieved for the home he had left.
"Throughout all his trials and travels, he never abandoned hope for his country, because, in truth, Dad was no dissident. If being a writer was ingrained in his identity, being a Saudi was part of that same grain."
Let's bring in Leslie Vinjamuri, head of the U.S. and Americas Programme at Chatham House.
Leslie, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.
LESLIE VINJAMURI, SOAS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Thank you.
ALLEN: Let's begin with the new development in the death of Khashoggi. A senior U.S. official tells CNN the CIA concluded the Saudi crown prince personally ordered his killing.
However, the U.S. president disputes that conclusion and has signaled there will be no action taken against Mohammed bin Salman. Now we learn new Democratic dominated House of Representatives is going to investigate President Trump's response.
What specifically do you think they're after here?
VINJAMURI: Well, I think it's very clear now. When you have a report such as we've seen from the intelligence agencies, from the CIA, confirming something that the president has actively pushing back against, it's inevitable that we'll see a broader pushback in the American public.
And now we have Congress, which is divided and the Democrats will -- are going to take this forward. It's not surprising. I think the president's very much on the wrong side of this issue. And inevitably, given the new leadership in the House, he's going to come under very significant pressure.
ALLEN: And I guess that they may be looking for conflicts of interest?
There have been many questions about Mr. Trump and his ties to Saudi Arabia, his business ties.
VINJAMURI: Well, when the president came into office, he made it very clear that one thing he was seeking to do was to reorient and reaffirm America's relationship with Saudi, which you saw, of course, President Obama as having walked back from.
His first foreign trip was to Saudi. Those arms sales to Saudi, of course, very important part of America's relationship. But if you watch, you know, the defense sector's lying low right now. The mood on Capitol Hill from Congress and from the broader public on this issue, again, is very different from the president's.
So it does ask -- raise a very considerable question about why he is moving against his intelligence agency and what consequences this will have.
ALLEN: Yes. The president says it's the importance of arms sales with Saudi Arabia. We'll continue to watch what develops there.
Want to ask you about the new report on climate that we've been talking about that the U.S. Congress produced and the U.S. House just released. It talks about the dire warnings for the U.S. about climate change from shore to shore if no steps toward innovation are taken.
This is in contrast with the president, who hasn't acknowledged climate change.
How can he continue to ignore this?
Do you think he'll continue as a result of this report? VINJAMURI: Well, the report is devastating; 300 experts, more than 13 federal agencies open to the public for review. Oversight from the National Academy of Science is very hard to argue against the evidence of the devastation and the damaging consequences of climate change that will affect every part of America and the cost.
So the president once again has been on the wrong side of climate since he began taking America out of Paris, saying that he will, it hasn't happened yet, and pushing forward to deregulatory agenda, which has very negative consequences for the climate.
If you look at public responses, the public in America accepts the science of climate change. This report, of course, came out on Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday. Nonetheless, Democrats are ensuring the visibility of that report. Americans will pay attention to that report. The media will cover that report.
But the president once again seems to be trying to say it was overly pessimistic, that it will be reconsidered, re-evaluated. But I think the president's very much on the wrong side of this debate and it's unlikely to have the effect that he'd like it to have.
ALLEN: Leslie, you almost wonder how long he can put up the facade that climate change isn't here and there are also questions about the White House releasing this on the busiest shopping day of the year, where perhaps not that many people are paying attention to the news. We hope they are. But Leslies, thank you for your insights.
VINJAMURI: Thank you.
ALLEN: Another plea deal could be in the works as a result of the investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential --
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ALLEN: -- election. This involves this man, Jerome Corsi, a conservative writer and associate of long-time Trump ally, Roger Stone.
Corsi says he is in plea negotiations with the special counsel and expects to be indicted for lying. Robert Mueller wants to know if Corsi was the link between Roger Stone and WikiLeaks and if he tipped off the Trump campaign that WikiLeaks was planning to release stolen Democratic Party e-mails. Stone responded in a radio interview.
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ROGER STONE, LONG-TIME TRUMP ALLY: I have no idea what this is about, other than to say that the assertion that Jerry Corsi knew in advance that John Podesta's e-mails had been obtained and would be published would be news to me because he never told me anything of the kind.
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ALLEN: We'll continue to follow developments on that topic. Britain's prime minister heads to Brussels on the eve of the E.U. summit. Coming up, why the landmark deal to quit the European Union could unravel over this, the tiny British outpost of Gibraltar.
What's that about?
Stay with us.
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ALLEN: Spain's prime minister warns that the E.U.'s historic Brexit summit set for Sunday might not happen at all. Madrid is digging in its heels over the tiny British territory of Gibraltar on Spain's southern tip. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he'll oppose the draft agreement unless it recognizes Madrid's role in future negotiations over Gibraltar.
He was asked what would happen if Spain doesn't get what it wants.
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PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If there is no agreement, evidently what will happen is the that the European Council will not take place.
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ALLEN: Well, this is just one obstacle that British prime minister Theresa May is dealing with as she heads to Brussels to put the final touches on the landmark Brexit agreement.
Gibraltar is disputed territory and has been a sore point for Spain for centuries. And the British citizens who live in Gibraltar are keenly aware of what's at stake. For more, here's CNN's Nic Robertson from London.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gibraltar, population 30,000 proud Brits, a vestige of colonial power --
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ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- now a not-so-strategic rocky spit straggling out into the Mediterranean from Southern Spain, more than 1,000 miles from mainland U.K. and now, not unsurprisingly putting a wrinkle in Brexit negotiations. Last year, the Rock's chief minister gave me a flavor of behind the scenes tensions.
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FABIAN PICARDO, GIBRALTAR CHIEF MINISTER: Spain insists that Gibraltar must be Spanish and that we must hand over a slice of Gibraltar at least to her whilst we become entirely Spanish.
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ROBERTSON: Now come the 11th hour of Brexit talks in Brussels and Spain is throwing a wrench in the E.U.'s carefully coordinated plans.
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SANCHEZ (through translator): I have to say that we feel displeased. We found in the withdrawal agreement a number of elements, one article, Article 184, that call into question Spain's capacity to negotiate with the United Kingdom on the future of Gibraltar and the Spanish government cannot accept that.
MAY: I spoke to Prime Minister Sanchez of Spain. We have been working constructively with the governments of Spain and Gibraltar in the negotiations on the withdrawal agreement and we want this work to continue in the future relationship. But I was absolutely clear that Gibraltar's British sovereignty will be protected.
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ROBERTSON: As the clock ticks down, tensions on this are rising; all 27 E.U. leaders must sign off on the deal. There is impatience to get it done.
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ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): We still have an objection in Spain. I can't say exactly how we will solve this issue but I hope it will be solved by Sunday. Over the coming days more work will be done on the future relationship between Great Britain and the E.U.
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ROBERTSON: And while they decide, back on the rock, views expressed to me last year are likely only hardening.
What is it you're worried about that Spain wants here?
What are they trying to get out of this Brexit deal?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What they want to get out is Gibraltar back.
ROBERTSON: They have been through hard times with Spain here before. Border blockade from '69 to '82.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spain, they have always treated us the same. It's -- it doesn't change.
ROBERTSON: And although almost everyone here voted against Brexit, they are British before Spanish.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One hundred percent British. I'd rather die than be a Spaniard. ROBERTSON: In Brussels, talks are far from that kind of life and death choice. Quiet diplomacy is still the winning formula. Spain's longstanding desire to have a greater say in the future of the rock for now at least seems unlikely to crash the process. Predictions the rock's residents gave me last year look set to hold true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm quietly confident that we will find a way to survive. That we will find a way to take Gibraltar forward despite Spain's attempts.
ROBERTSON: It would be foolish, however, to think Gibraltar won't be making the headlines again at another delicate moment in the tortuous Brexit process -- Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
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ALLEN: Joining us now from London to discuss this is Henry Newman. He's director of the think tank Open Europe. He's also a former advisor to pro-Brexit politician, Michael Gove.
Henry, good morning to you.
HENRY NEWMAN, OPEN EUROPE: Good morning.
ALLEN: We appreciate you joining us.
Was anyone expecting the rock of Gibraltar to be a possible stumbling block to this agreement coming before E.U. leaders on Sunday?
NEWMAN: I don't think it's a total surprise. We saw some noises out of Spain earlier in the process when Spain insisted it would have a veto over the final negotiations of a future trade deal over the matter of Gibraltar. That was a little bit of politicking because ultimately every country has a veto because the trade deal future will require unanimous agreement by all E.U. members.
But clearly the news that Spanish prime minister has been at his post for half a year and he clearly feels that this is an important opportunity to sort of stake his claim on how to be the defender of Spanish interests. So I think it's more about the politics and the substance. But of course, politics can get in the way of substance.
ALLEN: Absolutely. So the summit on Sunday, if the Spain issue is resolved, do you think E.U. leaders will approve?
And if so, what then?
NEWMAN: Well, I suspect we'll get to the summit on Sunday, there will be a side arrangement on Gibraltar. Then the real challenge for the prime minister comes back in London, when she tries to introduce this deal on the floor of the House of Commons.
It seems overwhelmingly likely that MPs will not accept this from her own party. The opposition, the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and others are also implacably opposed at this point. So she may well come back with a deal but then be unable to get it
through to the Commons. There's no point in having a deal that you can agree in Brussels at a summit if it doesn't work in Westminster.
We saw some of that with David Cameron's renegotiation of the E.U. back in 2016, where he got a deal that he was quite happy with on the renegotiation, tried to bring it back to Westminster --
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NEWMAN: -- and it completely fell apart. I'm sure that E.U. leaders and the U.K. government, people on Downing Street, are very reluctant to reopen the deal. But they may have to. There are very serious concerns, particularly around the insurance policy for Northern Ireland, the backstop, that are deeply held by both the Conservatives and their partners in government, the DUP, the Ulster Unionists.
ALLEN: Right. And other citizens are worried about the availability of medicine with Brexit and the economy.
I want to ask you, how do you see the future of the U.K. if she gets this through?
NEWMAN: Well, I think if she gets the deal through, I think there will be a huge sigh of relief. We'll then have a standstill transition, where, although we'll be technically out the European Union, everything will stay the same. That will give the U.K. the opportunity to start negotiating a future relationship.
We don't have that clarity yet. There are many different possible outcomes, including, of course, the default, which is that the clock ticks out, the sand runs out of the timer and we leave without any deal at all.
Some, of course, are very worried about that. We've done some work at one think tank and we broadly feel that over the medium term, the effects on the U.K. economy will be relatively limited, particularly if the government took unilateral action to mitigate that by, for example, lowering tariffs and doing some deregulation on our openness to foreign investment.
But the actual moment of a no deal could be very disruptive for both sides on things like aviation; you were referring to medicines before. So it would depend on what actions the U.K. and E.U. together were willing to take to mitigate those effects.
ALLEN: Right. No deal just sounds like an ominous future because no one would know what that would lead to. We know that many in Parliament are against her on this, what she has delivered.
What are the reasons that it is so disliked?
NEWMAN: Sure. I think the problem is that she, the prime minister, has never really been able to explain that actually Brexit would require a compromise. The country was split 52-48. They have to negotiate something that needs to be agreed in Brussels where it was the 27 Brussels themselves and the commission has their own interests and then she has to try to deliver it through a divided Parliament where opinions are hardened and become more polarized over the past two years.
She hasn't been able to explain that compromise and tradeoff is required, particularly around the question of Northern Ireland. There's a huge amount of genuine concern because the current deal on the table would mean, for Northern Ireland in particular, the E.U. would be able to introduce new rules and regulations that would bind Northern Ireland, potentially in perpetuity, without any ability of the people of Northern Ireland to either influence the rules or say no to them.
So in constitutional terms, that's very problematic. Unless we find a clear way through that, I think the Northern Irish party, the DUP, which she relies on for her government, will continue to oppose this very, very strongly.
So I hope the government does look at that because we have to find a deal that works for both communities in Northern Ireland. The Nationalists, their interests have been protected by the Irish government, sitting at the table in Brussels and insisting they have this insurance policy, the backstop.
But the concerns of the Unionist community haven't been met and they're profoundly worried by the current deal.
ALLEN: It's amazing how many people are watching Brexit because it is so complex and the stakes are high. We'll continue to watch it closely. Thank you so much for your insights, Henry Newman. Thanks, Henry.
Still ahead here, the United Arab Emirates is taking a second look at a case that has caused an international uproar. Why it is now considering clemency for a jailed British student.
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ALLEN: Welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. We appreciate you watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen. Here are the top stories.
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ALLEN: U.S. Democrats say they'll look into the American-Saudi Arabian relationship and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi when they regain control of the House of Representatives in January. President Trump indicated the U.S. will not take strong action against the Saudi crown prince even though sources say the CIA believes he ordered the killing. Back now to our top story. A U.S. government report is full of bleak new warnings about climate change and if drastic changes aren't made, it could cost thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars before the end of the century. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has more.
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VAN DAM: For this analysis written by over 300 scientists is going to only contribute to the overwhelming evidence that global warming is happening, it is human caused.
ALLEN (voice-over): The report released by the White House directly contradicts the president's own words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does seeing this devastation change your opinion at all on climate change, Mr. President?
TRUMP: No. No. I have a strong opinion. I want great climate. We're going to have that and we're going to have forests that are very safe.
ALLEN (voice-over): The governor of fire-ravaged California, however, agrees more needs to be done.
JERRY BROWN (D), GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA: But managing all the forests in everywhere we can does not stop climate change. And those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies.
ALLEN (voice-over): According to the report, rising sea levels and storm surges threaten $1 trillion worth of real estate. Farmers will lose crops to droughts in some places and flooding in others.
Experts are also expecting worse allergies and an increase in tick- borne and foodborne diseases in the coming decades. While the report makes no specific recommendations on how to fix the problems --
[05:35:00]
ALLEN (voice-over): -- it does make clear the cause.
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ALLEN: Earlier I spoke with one of the authors of the climate report about the impact of the study. Here's part of my conversation with Katharine Hayhoe.
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KATHARINE HAYHOE, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY: The reason why we care about a changing climate is because it takes the risks that we already face naturally in the places where we live and it exacerbates or amplifies them.
So if we do live in Florida or along the Gulf Coast, then we care a lot about coastal flooding, which is getting worse due to sea level rise, as well as stronger hurricanes with a lot more rain associated with them.
If we live in the western U.S. we care about wildfires. Wildfires are a natural part of life but, as it's been getting hotter and dryer, they're burning greater and greater area. As this report lays out, about twice as much area now is being burned than if we didn't have a changing climate.
In the Midwest and Northeast, we're seeing major increases in heavy precipitation, which, of course, has all kinds of impacts on our infrastructure, on our insurance costs, on our agriculture.
We're seeing invasive species moving north and all kinds of impacts on our health and our air quality. Wherever we live today, we are being affected by a changing climate today.
ALLEN: Today. And it also gives an economic calculation that the cost of doing nothing will be an enormous blow to the U.S. economy.
How so?
HAYHOE: Hundreds of billions of dollars a year before the end of the century if we continue on our current pathway, an amount that is equivalent to the GDP of multiple states.
But when we look around the world, we see other countries who will see even more devastating impacts. A key aspect of climate change is that it disproportionately affects those who are already vulnerable today.
It exacerbates poverty, hunger, lack of access or resources. So if we continue on our current pathway, many of the world's poorest countries could see drops in their entire national GDP of 20 percent to 25 percent or more.
Compare that to the cost of meeting the Paris agreement. It's just a small fraction of global GDP. It really is worth it to take action now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: You can read more about the report on our website, of course, cnn.com.
In Iraq, at least 10 people were killed when flash floods engulfed several cities. The flooding forced hundreds of families from areas north of Baghdad. Heavy rain in recent weeks led to the high water.
Signs of a possible reprieve for the British PhD student sentenced to life in prison for spying. The United Arab Emirates said it is now considering clemency for Matthew Hedges and hopes to work towards an amicable solution. The case has threatened to upend relations between Britain and the UAE. For more, here's Sam Kiley.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: "This is the face of a British spy," according to an Emirate court, which handed down a life sentence to Matthew Hedges for espionage.
Officials here insist that he was working for MI6, that he was caught with electronic devices carrying evidence that proved his guilt. Now though, a glimmer of hope for his family and a way to end a diplomatic row between London and Abu Dhabi.
SULAIMAN HAMAD ALMAZROUI, UAE AMBASSADOR TO THE U.K.: This was an extremely serious case. We live in a dangerous neighborhood. And national security must be a top priority. This was also an unusual case. Many researchers visit the UAE freely every year without breaking our laws.
Under UAE law, everyone has to right to appeal the conviction and everybody can request a pardon from our president. Mr. Hedges' family have made a request for clemency and the government is studying that request.
KILEY: Traditionally, the UAE pardons some prisoners on its national day, December the 2nd. Clemency can prevent close allies from turning on each other. The whole purpose of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where the drivers are practicing for Sunday's final race, just across the water there, is to showcase the Emirates to the whole world.
But instead, the focus has not been on racecar driving, but on human rights. And there have been unwelcome comparisons from the Emirate perspective with their attitude toward Matthew Hedges and the Saudi treatment of Jamal Khashoggi.
Hedges' wife insists he's innocent and was mistreated during his five months in prison.
DANIELA TEJADA, WIFE OF MATTHEW HEDGES: Very tough to just think about what might be going through his head; the terror that he must be feeling and just the sheer sadness that a country that he considered to be his second home since he lived there for so many years has paid him back with such mistreatment and injustice.
KILEY: The U.K. helped create the United Arab Emirates out of former protectorates 47 years ago. They remain close allies who share intelligence and maintain close military links. Nonetheless, the British foreign secretary had been on the offensive before there was a suggestion of a pardon.
JEREMY HUNT, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: We have raised the issue repeatedly. I raised it last week --
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HUNT: -- with Crown Prince Mohammed himself. And yet, despite that, we have today's news. There will be serious diplomatic consequences for a country that says that it is a friend and ally of the United Kingdom.
KILEY: This threat could be undermined if the Emirates shared what evidence they have of alleged spying by Hedges but they insist that they want to find a way out of this dispute. The 47th anniversary of independence from Britain may just provide what the Emirates seek, an amicable solution -- Sam Kiley, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
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ALLEN: This just in: police in Paris have been firing teargas and using water cannon against protesters on the Champs-Elysees. The Yellow Vests protest, which began as a campaign against rising gas prices, has morphed recently into a wider demonstration against the Macron government.
Police say they've mobilized 3,000 officers in Paris to deal with the situation. The French interior minister says the freedom of demonstrators to protest must not affect security and public order. We'll keep you posted on developments there.
Police are trying to locate the body of an American missionary who was trying to spread Christianity to a remote tribe on a forbidden island. The tribe killed him. We'll have the latest details ahead.
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ALLEN: Take a look at this, dramatic footage from the U.S. state of Minnesota, where a house suddenly explodes. It happened Friday morning. The blast rattled the surrounding neighborhood, damaging nearby structures and sending debris flying.
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ALLEN: One person was injured. Officials, of course, are investigating what caused it.
And on the U.S. West Coast...
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ALLEN (voice-over): -- that was a ferry carrying 53 people, crashing into a dock in San Francisco on Friday. You can hear the people screaming as they saw it was about to happen. Two people on board suffered minor injuries. Both the ferry and the dock were damaged. Authorities, of course, investigating why that happened.
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ALLEN: California's deadliest wildfire is now 95 percent contained but the U.S. state still faces massive challenges. Officials say the rain that helped extinguish the flames could also lead to flooding and mudslides. And the list of people who remain unaccounted for is still high. At least 475 names currently on that list.
The death toll from the so-called Camp Fire, 84. More than 13,000 homes have been destroyed.
We turn to the state of Wisconsin now, where a girl who wrote an award-winning essay about gun violence was killed in a tragic twist of fate, by a stray bullet fired into her home. Two convicted felons are accused in Sandra Parks' death. Reporter Aaron Maybin with affiliate WITI spoke about with Parks' family about her life and now her legacy.
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TATIANA INGRAM, SANDRA PARKS' SISTER: Everybody has a voice that's always silent --
AARON MAYBIN, WITI CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Reciting a poem penned by her younger sister...
But I'm going to speak my mind and rap my rhymes.
MAYBIN (voice-over): Tatiana Ingram recalls the knowledge that filled Sandra Parks' young mind.
INGRAM: I didn't realize it until now but she was old. Like she had an old soul.
MAYBIN (voice-over): Wise beyond her years, the 13-year old was an award-winning writer with a bright future.
INGRAM: I miss her a lot. I can't go nowhere without crying.
MAYBIN (voice-over): Sandra Parks was killed by a stray bullet while insider her home at 13th and Hopkins Monday night. Her mother, Bernice Parks, says she's now consumed with a near suffocating sadness.
BERNICE PARKS, SANDRA'S MOTHER: I watched my baby die. I watched my baby take her last breath.
MAYBIN (voice-over): 26-year-old Isaac Barnes and 27-year-old Untrell Oden both face charges in the shooting death. Barnes is the accused gunman in the case. Prosecutors say Oden was with him at the time and helped him hide his guns.
PARKS: She didn't deserve that.
MAYBIN (voice-over): Oden told investigators Barnes was shooting at an unknown target as they walked from a nearby store.
PARKS: I'm positive I'm not the only one want to know why.
MAYBIN (voice-over): Underneath newly hung photographs lining the living room, this family has gathered to remember a young life lost.
INGRAM: Putting bullets through our chests, trying to stop us from being the best.
MAYBIN (voice-over): While honoring her haunting words that will live on for years to come.
INGRAM: I wonder who's next.
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ALLEN: Again, Sandra Parks was sitting in her bedroom when a stray bullet killed her.
In the days before his death on a forbidden island in the Bay of Bengal, American missionary John Allen Chau wrote in his journal his desire to convert the Sentinelese tribe to Christianity, even when they shot an arrow at him. CNN's Nikhil Kumar has the latest. He reports from New Delhi.
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NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DEHLI BUREAU CHIEF: The latest we have from authorities is they're still trying to locate the body of an American Christian missionary, who is believed to have been killed by an isolated tribe after he visited their remote island community.
Police here say 27-year-old John Allen Chau came to India on a tourist visa but he went to the country's North Sentinel Island to preach and convert its inhabitants, a tribespeople known as the Sentinelese, who are protected by Indian law. It's a tiny community with estimates ranging from just about a dozen to about 80-odd people.
The island itself sits off India's East Coast and is strictly off limits for tourists such as Chau. They're not allowed within five nautical miles of the island, a rule meant to protect both the tribe and outsiders because of the tribe's history of forcefully repelling strangers.
But Chau went. He found local fishermen who could take him close to island in mid-November. Police say he used a canoe the rest of the way. Days later, the fishermen say they saw the tribespeople dragging Chau's body around the island.
That hasn't been independently verified by the police. They're going by what the fishermen, who have been arrested for facilitating Chau's trip, have told them.
Meanwhile, a friend of Chau's tells CNN he knew the island was off limits and that his mission was illegal but he went nonetheless. It all appears to have ended in tragedy.
Authorities have sent out a team of experts in the waters near the island to see if they can spot Chau's body. They've been accompanied by the fishermen who say they saw the body. If they find it, the next step will be working out how to recover it --
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KUMAR: -- Nikhil Kumar, CNN, New Delhi.
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ALLEN: And that tribe has lived isolated on that island for tens of thousands of years. Ahead here, the shop where you can spend a lot but leave with nothing. We'll tell you about a store where holiday shoppers can buy gifts for refugees instead of themselves.
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ALLEN: Well, we hear of stores on Black Friday encourage people to shop to their heart's desire but what if the holiday shopping frenzy was used to sell items for those really in need?
One pop-up shop in London is doing just that. Hala Gorani reports on the store where consumers can buy life-saving gifts for refugees.
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HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cut prices. Hot deals. London retailers are doing all they can to lure in those festive shoppers with an eye for a bargain. But on this street corner, a store with an altogether different offer.
Here, you are encouraged to choose love and buy a gift not for yourself but for a refugee instead.
MATTHEW MCCABE, VOLUNTEER, HELP REFUGEES: Blankets --
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MCCABE: -- hot meals, children's coats. So everything is individually priced. Or you can buy a bundle of things.
GORANI: It's a project by charity Help Refugees that works on the frontline of the crisis.
On the shelves here, items in desperate need by refugees across Europe and the Middle East. From first arrival often by boat to life in a camp for months and often years.
JOSIE NAUGHTON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, HELP REFUGEES: So much stuff in the media are about buy this, buy that and it really feels like there's a lot of people who, you know, want to kind of turn consumerism on its head and do something for someone else and rather than just something for themselves.
And we've just been really overwhelmed all day. People have just been coming in and feeling so emotional about doing something for someone that they don't even know.
GORANI: It's the second year of the project. Last year's pop-up raised almost $1 million. As well as practical gifts, shoppers can buy mental health support or legal services for refugees. Helping with family reunions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here is a great way to actually buy something that's not for yourself that's going to make a difference to other people. And especially at this time of year. There's so much buying. It's why not buy something that's going to be a value to somebody else?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I bought the meal ingredients because one of the main things that you need is food when you come to a new place.
GORANI: Like most stores on Black Friday, here, they want you to shop your heart out, except in this case, it's not for yourself but for someone in need -- Hala Gorani, CNN, London.
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ALLEN: And that is CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Natalie Allen. For U.S. viewers, "NEW DAY" is next. For everyone else, I'll be right back with the headlines.
