Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Manafort Hit with New Charges Moments after Sentencing; At Least One Death from Massive Winter Storm; U.N.: Civilization in Peril from Catastrophic Climate Change; Last Two Quarterfinal Spots in Champions League Decided; Golf's Unofficial 5th Major Set to Tee Off; Hamilton Hoping for Third Straight F1 Title. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired March 14, 2019 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): New evidence seems to connect two deadly plane crashes involving the same kind of Boeing jets, according to U.S. aviation authorities as President Trump follows the rest the world in grounding the planes.
Plus the British Parliament rejects a no deal Brexit. And now, talk of delay is there as the divorce proceeding with the E.U. descend even deeper into uncertainty.
Also ahead, it is My Freedom Day. CNN, taking you around the world to students everywhere, saying no to modern-day slavery.
Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to viewers all over the world. I'm George Howell. The CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOWELL: Around the world, good day.
We start with major developments on the Boeing story. The United States now grounding all Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 9s. After days of mounting pressure and examination of two deadly crashes.
President Trump saying he's shifting course based on new evidence from Sunday's tragedy in Ethiopia. That tragic plane crash killing 157 people. He also gave this reasoning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States has the greatest record in the world of aviation, we want to keep it that way. So I didn't want to take any chances. We didn't have to make this decision today. We could have delayed, we maybe don't have to make it at all. But I felt it was important both psychologically and a lot of otherwise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Boeing supports the U.S.' decision to ground the planes. And said by the company's CEO, "We are supporting this proactive step out of an abundance of caution. Safety is a core value at Boeing for as long as we have been building airplanes and it will always be."
Before Wednesday, several countries grounded the fleet following a crash in Ethiopia. That left the United States and Canada as the only two major countries that were still flying the aircraft. U.S. aviation officials identified similarities between the Ethiopia crash and the Lion Air incident in Indonesia last year back in October.
That is why they decided to ground the jets. The grounding is indefinite, pending examination of the so-called black box recorders from Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Let's talk more about this now with Alan Armstrong. Alan, a pilot and aviation attorney joining here on set.
Alan, good to have you with us. And you brought a model here to help us understand the mechanics of these planes. But before we get to that, I'd like to get your thoughts on the U.S. president announcing of the FAA s decision to ground this 737 Max 8.
ALAN ARMSTRONG, PILOT AND AVIATION ATTORNEY: I think it was appropriate, given the circumstances. With two crashes in succession like this, I think that's the right call.
HOWELL: Because this plane, very important to Southwest Airlines. This plane very important to American Airlines.
ARMSTRONG: Right, correct.
HOWELL: The fact that it will be grounded will certainly be impactful to their business.
ARMSTRONG: And the fact that people will die if they don't is also impactful.
HOWELL: Right, right. Well, I want to talk about the model itself here. Help us understand the mechanics because we understand the officials, they overlaid the flight plans and it's that upward lift that that's really one of the issues, one of the important similarities that drew concern.
ARMSTRONG: OK. An aircraft flies, we know from Bernoulli's theorem, the wind goes farther at the top of the wing and then on the bottom of the wing, the bottom wing is flat. But also an airplane flies because of the angle of attack. That is the angle of attack between the oncoming wind and the wing.
An aircraft can reach what's called the critical angle of attack, OK. If it does, that is going to depart control flight, OK. So you have a protection system of the aircraft to prevent you from exceeding the critical angle of attack or stalling and that is normally associated with your automatic pilot system.
So the aircraft is flying on automatic pilot and then the AOA, angle of attack indicator says, hey, your nose is too high, you're about to stall. First, the sticks start shaking, telling you, you're in a stick shaker.
After that, it will actually command the nose downward, which is what this flight crew encountered. And what they did is they make an -- they've made an incorrect conclusion about what was going on.
The airspeed indicator on the captain's side was wrong that led to the sense of confusion. It's not normally one thing that kills you in an airplane; it's normally two or three or four things. They reach the incorrect diagnosis and they died.
HOWELL: And once again, we talk about these similarities between the Lion Air flight back in October --
[00:05:00]
HOWELL: -- and this most recent crash in March with Ethiopian Airlines. One thing that is interesting, many people are asking, what did the FAA know?
After October and between that time until now?
ARMSTRONG: Very good question. The first crash is October 29, 2018. On November the 6th, Boeing issued a bulletin about this problem. The very next day, November 7th, the FAA issues an emergency airworthiness directive. They don't do those everyday. It's not common. So they knew there was a problem or they wouldn't have issued it.
So this is a very significant problem. And now it's compounded by the second crash. And no one really knows what the cause of the problem is. One thing we do know, the earlier version of the aircraft did not have an MCAS system. The MAX 8 does.
When you are a pilot, and you move from one airplane to another, you get what's called differences training because the aircraft you are moving into has systems and procedures that are different from the airplane you left.
HOWELL: This leads me to another question. And I don't mean to interrupt.
It really does come down to the training, Alan, right?
So, do you get a sense that these pilots -- did they get the proper training from Boeing on how to handle these planes?
And here is the thing, if the technology went down, could they go back to the old stick and rudder, you know, methods to take control of that plane again?
ARMSTRONG: To answer your second question, first, no because stick and rudder skills are no longer that much a part of flying because the computer --
(CROSSTALK)
ARMSTRONG: -- the computer has taken over its effect.
HOWELL: Wow.
ARMSTRONG: It's not just Airbus, that's Boeing, too.
And why do I make a statement like that?
What gives me the authority to say the computer's taken over?
Well, I'll tell you why. These flight controls, they're not manual anymore. It's not a cable when you pull back on the stick that a cable sends an input to the elevator to go up. It's in hydraulic system. It's 100 percent hydraulic with pumps. They're providing pressure to move the control surfaces up or down, OK?
And your ability to feel that as a pilot is taken away. The only way you get a feel is from a computer. And the computer, it gives you the sense or the impression of what the control inputs feel like.
HOWELL: OK, one other questions just before we go. Briefly, the U.S. president tweeted essentially that these planes are becoming too complex that it takes someone from MIT -- you know, to fly one of these planes. Do you agree with the president's assertion there?
ARMSTRONG: And -- the quick answer is yes.
HOWELL: OK.
ARMSTRONG: The quick answer is yes. Modern aircraft especially modern jet aircraft are extremely complex. Extremely complex. Many of the aircraft we see, no longer have anything that is not augmented or supplemented or boosted in some manner electronically or hydraulically.
And so, if you've lost the kinesthesia, when you're learning to fly and teach you going to fly, I want you to get that feeling in the city or pants about whether the airplanes flying straight or not, whether your plane's in your slip or not. That's what how to land the airplane.
I'm going to teach you kinesthesia. You're going to get that sense. You know it goes away.
HOWELL: Right.
ARMSTRONG: It's all gone. It's all gone. That does not apply anymore, the computer is telling you and the airplane what to do.
HOWELL: Alan Armstrong, we appreciate the insight. And thank you for bringing us this model to understands the mechanics behind these flights.
ARMSTRONG: You're welcome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Now to the issue of Brexit. If you thought Brexit could not be any more confused a process than it already is, think again. The U.K. now plunges even deeper into political uncertainty.
In the coming hours, lawmakers will hold yet another vote. This time, on whether to delay Brexit until June 30th. They already voted Wednesday against crashing out with no deal.
Here's the thing. It's still a possibility because they also voted down Theresa May's withdrawal agreement. As of now, the U.K. still set to leave the European Union in just over two weeks. You see the clock there, 15 days, 18 hours, 50 minutes, 49 seconds. The clock running down. The prime minister's urging Parliament to make a decision soon. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The house has to understand and accept that if it is not willing to support a deal in the coming days and as it is not willing to support with anything without the deal on a 29th of March, then is suggesting that it will need to be a much longer extent to June 15th. Such an extension would undoubtedly require the United Kingdom to hold parliamentary elections --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[00:10:00]
HOWELL: You hear Theresa May's voice. This has been a process. Let's talk about it with Dominic Thomas. Dominic is CNN's European affairs commentator, joining us this hour from Los Angeles.
That clock also makes me nervous. It just continues to tick down. Theresa May handed her second defeat in as many days, with Parliament voting against a no deal Brexit. They resoundingly voted down the prime minister's Brexit deal. Both seem to be no goes as the Labour leader described. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER OF THE LABOUR PARTY: The prime minister said the choice was retained her deal and no deal. In the last 24 hours Parliament has decisively rejected both her deal and no deal. While an extension of Article 50 is now inevitable, the responsibility for that extension lies solely and squarely at the prime minister's door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Dominic, again, the clock ticking down here.
Are you surprised that talks of extension are where things stand now?
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: It's absolutely remarkable. This is a prime minister that has suffered repeated and historic defeats in the Houses of Parliament. Whose own cabinet members and members of her party defied an order today to vote in a particular way in the Houses of Parliament that normally would have resulted in those members of Parliament or cabinet members rather being sacked.
She's effectively unable to govern. All of these motions are providing us with an indication as to what people don't want. What we still are not clear about is what can get through the Houses of Parliament. Yet Theresa May herself, having suffered two votes of no confidence, is still standing as the prime minister.
Today, we had three motions that were presented in Parliament that had to do with the question, broadly speaking, of the no deal. The Parliament weighed in on that and indicated that there was no appetite for leaving the European Union without a deal.
This means, effectively, that, tomorrow, the prime minister will present another motion. What's so extraordinary about the motion that we are going to be reviewing tomorrow is that she wants to come back to Parliament next week to present her withdrawal agreement again to the Houses of Parliament, even though it's already suffered these two defeats.
If it makes it through on this occasion, she will ask for an extension. But if it doesn't make it through, what she's now threatening folks in Parliament, is essentially to say, it does not make it through tomorrow, I'm going to have to go back to the European Union to ask for an extension.
They are going to ask for something called clear and purposeful indication as to where we are going to go.
Are we going to hold a general election?
Or are we going to hold a second referendum?
The warning is there to the Brexiteers that she desperately needs to get her withdrawal agreement through Parliament. This may result in some kind of motion or referendum which is a choice between not leaving the European Union or accepting her deal. Yet again, the same kind of argument and the story just keeps going.
HOWELL: It was interesting, Dominic, to hear the European Parliament, Brexit negotiator talk about this in the same terms. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUY VERHOFSTADT, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BREXIT COORDINATOR: I'm against every extension, while an extension of one day, one week, even 24 hours, if it is not based on a clear opinion of the House of Commons for something.
But please, make up your minds in London because this absurdity cannot continue, not for us, not for Britain and certainly not for us citizens. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: You hear the fire in his voice there.
The question is, what do you think could be one of the reasons, some of the reasons that could give the United Kingdom the possibility of a longer extension?
THOMAS: The European Parliament, the European Union has elections coming up in May. The European Union has been dealing with a whole range of distractions and issues over the past few years, from the migrants' crisis to the debt crisis to the rise of the far radical right and so on and so forth.
Brexit has been an enormous distraction in this particular dynamic. Having said that, a no deal is not attractive for the European Union, either. It would have all sorts of negative consequences and impacts.
Having said that, the way that Theresa May has gone around this is to come to the European Union to negotiate with them; 27 European Union countries have signed off on this withdrawal agreement.
Yet all of the problems she faces are back in the U.K. She can blame the E.U. for their issues. But the main fact remains that you have, on the one hand, the far right Brexiteers and her party that want a complete break with the European Union and the irony, of course, of all of this is that the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, is himself supporting a Brexit deal and is a eurosceptic himself.
The irony is, in order for Theresa May to get this deal through, she needs to move to the center. She needs to find a deal that --
[00:15:00]
THOMAS: -- will get the support of the Labour Party. In doing that, that will involve more alignments with the European Union, more rules, more obligations. The Brexiteers will not go along with this. The very idea that after suffering these two defeats that she wants to come back again for a third time is just absolutely extraordinary.
Particularly, since she will not allow a referendum to go ahead so the British people can weigh in on this once again. Yet she keeps bringing her own withdrawal agreement time and time again to Parliament and we all know it's not going to make its way through.
HOWELL: It just seems to be the very definition of a conundrum. Dominic Thomas, thanks again for your time. We will continue to follow it.
THOMAS: Thank you.
HOWELL: Now to Malaysia. The trial for one of two women charged with killing the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has resumed. It comes after charges against the second woman were dropped this week. Ivan Watson is following the story.
Ivan, where do things stand at this point?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a dramatic hearing in court. Just moments ago, the suspect, Doan Thi Huong, she came down these steps under heavy police escort after her lawyers appealed to have her charges dropped were rejected by the attorney general and prosecutor here of Malaysia.
The lawyer had made the case after the abrupt release of the other key suspect in this trial, the Indonesian woman, Siti Aisyah, who was released Monday and is already now back safe and escaped the threat of the death penalty in Indonesia.
There was a large Vietnamese ambassadorial delegation in the small courtroom and I caught up with the Vietnamese ambassador, who said he was very disappointed. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Mr. Ambassador -- are you disappointed today?
LE QUY QUYNH, VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR TO MALAYSIA: Yes, I am disappointed.
WATSON: And how did she look to you when you spoke with her?
QUYNH: She's nervous and weak. And I advised her to keep good hands (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now though the motion to drop charges was rejected, the judge did agree to postpone her defense testimony until April 1st, on humanitarian grounds, because she said she was sick.
And I saw her weeping and clasping the hands of the Vietnamese ambassador, putting her hand to her forehead -- his hand to her forehead -- and she did look very visibly distraught.
Of course, the argument that her lawyer makes, is if her fellow suspect was released after an intense lobbying effort by the Indonesian government, then shouldn't the Vietnamese suspect also be released on the grounds of fairness?
The Vietnamese government has engaged in a last-minute lobbying effort, including a phone call from the Vietnamese foreign minister to his Malaysian counterpart and a letter sent from the Vietnamese minister of justice to his Malaysian counterpart, trying to get their citizen set free.
Again the murder took place in February 2017. Both suspects appear to have been caught on security cameras, wiping some substance on the face of the half-brother of North Korea's dictator in Kuala Lumpur airport. He died shortly after of VX nerve agent poisoning.
Malaysia, the U.S., South Korea, all accused North Korea of this assassination, charges North Korea has rejected. Both women have pled not guilty, claiming that they thought they were participating in some kind of reality TV prank show.
And the lawyer for Doan Thi Huong says that North Korea has made his client a scapegoat in this brazen assassination.
HOWELL: Both are being scapegoated, we will have to keep seeing where this goes. We will stay in touch with you.
Still ahead, what makes you feel free?
We want to share your thoughts on My Freedom Day.
(VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Live in Hong Kong, India and around the world, students raise awareness about modern-day slavery.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:20:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOWELL: The global celebration of freedom is here. CNN reporters around the globe covering My Freedom Day today. Our teams are in schools all around the world from India to Ghana and the United States. People all over the world posting their messages on social media, describing what makes them feel free.
This example from Ecuador. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom for me is the right to act, speak or think as I want.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom for me is being able to choose who I date and when.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to me is when people have the liberty to express themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: What a wonderful day. Let's now bring in our CNN correspondents, welcome, Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and Nikhil Kumar, also following the story in India.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: George, here in Hong Kong and at one of many campuses across the region marking My Freedom Day, a student led day of action against modern-day slavery.
Once you walk on the campus of Hong Kong International School, you really see it and feel how this day is being marked with banners, badges, posters of anti slavery messages, a freedom wall with messages of hope.
Hope is what is needed in this region where, according to the Global Slavery Index, some 25 million men, women and children are working and living in slavelike conditions today. This must stop. This is an issue that the high school students of HIS are addressing. Let's find out how.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOPHIA, HIS STUDENT: I started working with domestic helpers in my eighth grade year here at HIS. From there, I kind of learned more about modern-day slavery and how it affects not only the helper community but a lot of the vulnerable women here in Hong Kong as well.
CAROLINE, HIS STUDENT: What we try to do is reach out to a lot of different NGOs in Hong Kong. Today, at our panel, we had five different NGOs represented. This is what we try to. We want to reach a wide audience to bring a lot of different types of events and types of people to them.
SAMARA, HIS STUDENT: I think it's really been fun for us to see how students can go from our club and make a change. We are still fairly new, so are we are really excited to see what the future holds and see what difference our members can make.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Those are the student leaders of the Against Human Trafficking Club here at the Hong Kong International School, an organization that's been in place for a few years. They've been working very closely with our next guest, Victoria Ahn of The Fair Employment Foundation.
You are a modern-day abolitionist. Here in Hong Kong, you've been focusing on the plight of domestic workers. There are about 350,000 domestic workers here in Hong Kong. It's been said, one of six are victims of labor exploitation.
How are you, along with the students, helping them?
VICTORIA AHN, DOMESTIC WORKERS RIGHTS ACTIVIST: We tell the students that forced slavery of migrant domestic workers is solvable. They are part of the solution. Forced labor of migrant domestic workers happens because they have to pay huge fees to employment agencies that are debt bonding them to their jobs.
At FAIR, we help workers find jobs and never charge them any fees. That means that they have the freedom to leave bad situations. They don't have to worry about debt or paying for a new job. We've seen that students are part of the solution by bringing awareness to this issue and stopping employment agency fees.
STOUT: What you are focusing on is looking at unethical recruitment. You have been lobbying the government to make some changes.
Are they receptive to your message? AHN: The government has done --
[00:25:00]
AHN: -- taken some really critical steps in the last year or so. We've seen a lot of progress in the space. Employers and the public are moving towards demanding more ethical options in the market to hire domestic workers.
STOUT: Absolutely. Victoria, thank you so much for joining us. Take care on this My Freedom Day. It's March 14th. It's been marked here in Hong Kong and across this region. Let's find out how it is been marked in India with Nikhil Kumar.
NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Thank you, Kristie.
I'm in this rural village in the state of Rajasthan in Northwest India. I'm at a government run school that's been set up, working with a Canadian charity called We. The school's really important here in this region.
Much like a lot of other regions of this country, female illiteracy is very high. Child labor, forced labor is a massive problem. The fact that the school is here, hundreds of kids attend the school, that's a big boom for the community.
All of these kids today are going to do a whole day of activities around My Freedom Day. They started putting up murals, celebrating what freedom means to them. They will do essays during the day about what freedom means to them, their thoughts on freedom.
And all later will come together in a giant mural. They just arrived. This is their morning assembly. Straight after, they will get into a whole day of activity celebrating freedom and the importance of institutions like this and communities like this and how to help these communities avoid these problems of child labor and improve things, such as female illiteracy.
HOWELL: Nikhil, we heard a report but certainly heard the voices of the children behind you. It is pure positivity. It's good to have the understanding of what's happening around the world on this very special occasion. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Of course, we ask you to tell us what makes you feel free. Use the #MyFreedomDay and follow the latest on cnn.com.
Still ahead, prison time is adding up for Paul Manafort. And more legal troubles on the way for the president's former campaign chairman. We will explain, stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. I am George Howell with the headlines.
(HEADLINES)
[00:30:21]
And here in the U.S., the U.S. president's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, experienced a Wednesday that, by any definition, you could call a pretty rough day. With tough talk from a judge, Paul Manafort was sentenced to another three and a half years of prison for conspiracy and obstruction charges. That adds up now to four years -- a four-year sentence that he received just last week, for financial crimes.
And, then an added surprise. Not even an hour after he was sentenced, the Manhattan district attorney hit Manafort with more charges.
Our Jessica Schneider has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paul Manafort facing compounding legal problems tonight. Minutes after being sentenced for the second time in federal court, the district attorney in Manhattan fired 16 new charges against him in New York, alleged state crimes that cannot be pardoned by President Trump.
The new charges announced moments after Manafort learned he could spend about seven and a half years in prison. Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordering an additional 43 months behind bars, or 3.6 years, adding on to the 47 months Manafort received last week in Virginia.
KEVIN DOWNING, PAUL MANAFORT'S ATTORNEY: It was such a callous, harsh sentence that is totally unnecessary.
SCHNEIDER: Manafort's attorney spoke briefly outside the courthouse and claimed that the judge found no collusion.
DOWNING: Judge Jackson conceded that there was absolutely no evidence of any Russian collusion in this case.
SCHNEIDER: Still, Judge Jackson was careful to state that was not her conclusion, saying, "Any conspiracy, collusion was not presented in this case. Therefore, it was not resolved in this case."
The judge listened to Manafort as he took responsibility for his crimes, coming across as more contrite than during his Virginia sentencing, when he simply said he was ashamed of his conduct. Manafort telling the D.C. court, "I am sorry for what I've done. Let me be very clear. I accept the responsibility for the acts that caused me to be here today."
Manafort pleaded with the judge to not add onto his sentence from last week: "Your honor, I will be 70 years old in a few weeks. Please let my wife and I be together."
But Judge Jackson came down hard on Manafort, emphasizing Manafort's seeming lack of remorse prior to his in-court sentencing statement: "Saying 'I'm sorry I got caught' is not an inspiring plea for leniency."
And she questioned Manafort's lawyers repeatedly referencing the special counsel's inability to charge Russian collusion in their sentencing memo, saying, "'No collusion' in simply a non-sequitur. The defendant's insistence he was caught up in the Russian collusion probe is just one more thing that's inconsistent with the notion of any genuine acceptance of responsibility."
And Judge Jackson wondered aloud if Manafort's words were a plea to the president for a pardon, asking if he was trying to persuade some other audience.
The Manhattan district attorney trying to take a pardon off the table, with the latest state charges for a mortgage fraud scheme, saying, "No one is beyond the law in New York."
But President Trump, just a short time ago, still leaving the pardon question lingering.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you pardon Paul Manafort?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have not even given it a thought as of this moment. It's not something that's right now on my mind. I do feel badly for Paul Manafort. That I can tell you.
SCHNEIDER (on camera): And while the president did not directly comment on these 16 new criminal counts Paul Manafort is facing in New York, he did say that Manafort's legal troubles overall are a very sad situation.
Now, as for the Manhattan district attorney, he's been investigating Paul Manafort since 2017. And the mortgage fraud crimes Manafort is accused of, they span from 2015 to 2018, which includes the time he served as the president's campaign chairman.
[00:35:06] Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Jessica, thank you.
The United Nations issues a dire warning for the entire planet. Unless decisive action is taken immediately, climate change will make the entire earth uninhabitable within a generation.
Plus, a rare blizzard called a bomb cyclone strikes the central United States with the ferocity of a major hurricane. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOWELL: Welcome back.
At least one death has been reported from a rare winter storm. It's called a bomb cyclone. A state trooper was struck and killed by a car in Colorado when he was helping another motorist.
A bomb cyclone gets its name because of the atmospheric pressure as it drops like a bomb over a 24-hour period. This one came quickly. It covered about 4 million square kilometers of the central U.S. from New Mexico to Canada. Wind gusts have topped 156 kilometers per hour. That's equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.
The blizzard dropped up to 44 centimeters of snow in some places.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(THUNDER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Do you hear that? It also produced another very unusual winter phenomenon. It's called thundersnow.
More than a quarter million customers lost power in the state of Texas and in Colorado because of the storm. Driving was almost impossible, due to whiteout conditions at the peak of the blizzard, leading up to this 100-car pileup.
Colorado officials estimate about 1,100 motorists were stranded along the interstates. Conditions there so bad at times, even emergency personnel needed rescuing themselves.
As you see here, the Denver International Airport completely shut down. About 2,000 flights were canceled there, leaving passengers stranded overnight.
And in New Mexico, the powerful winds are blamed for a train derailment near the Texas state line.
Storms like the bomb cyclone could become even more frequent. A new U.N. report on climate change paints a grim picture of the not-too- distant future. In fact, some scientists fear that it's already too late.
The report warns of millions of premature deaths caused by air pollution across large parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It also predicts the continuation of a major species extinction event that would impair earth's ability to meet human food and resource needs. And water pollution that could bring about infections that are resistant to treatment and become major causes of death.
Our Bill Weir has these very grim details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: For decades, hundreds of scientists from dozens of nations around the world have been putting out these periodical reports, this the sixth, the first since 2012, by far the most alarming.
[00:40:08] The language that these scientists use, 250 of them from 70 countries, quote, "The ecological foundations of society are in grave danger, if nothing is done to stop man-made global warming."
They are pointing out, too, hundreds of millions of additional premature deaths by the middle of the century if nothing is done. Hotter fires, longer droughts, bigger storms, more heat stress and resource stress, leading to conflict across national boundaries.
Our blue marble, they'll point out, is only as good as it is. It's the only sign of life in the known galaxy, because we have been living in this sort of Goldilocks moment of climate. Not too hot, not too cold, just the right temperature for human society to evolve and thrive.
But we have now officially moved out of that Goldilocks period. Goldilocks is dead, they are saying. So already locked in. Even if nothing is done on an international level, we're already locked into a new normal of higher sea level rise, and those longer droughts, and fires and all the things that come with this. The big question is, how much more damage will be done before this story is taken seriously?
The prime -- the Paris Climate Accord set a rather ambitious goal of capping the warming at one and a half degrees Celsius over pre- industrial levels. Well, by all accounts, we are certain to overshoot that. There's no real way, unless there's a massive mobilization, like within the coming months, to head that off. So now, things look much more like a three or four-degree Celsius rise.
The last time there was this much carbon in the atmosphere, though, there were no people. Sea levels were 100 feet higher than they are now. So this is completely uncharted territory.
But it is not all doom and gloom. These minds, these thinkers point out that there is enough technology, enough money to solve this problem if everybody starts rowing in the same direction. But it is human beings, human nature standing in the way.
We're now at an age of increased nationalization, the building of walls, the pulling out of agreements. The new president of Brazil, Bolsonaro, wants to deforest the Amazon at a level that would be like adding a second China to the carbon footprint.
And at what point do governments conflict get involved in trying to prevent big polluters from keeping on polluting?
There will be winners and losers. The northern climates will see increased temperatures, which means Russia will have a huge boon in agriculture, which means they almost have a perverse incentive to see things heat up.
So this report is so alarming, and it is intended to wake up leaders of all nations to take this seriously. The man-made climate change is not some distant threat. It is happening right now, and it is worse than you could possibly imagine.
I'm Bill Weir, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: That is sobering information. Bill Weir, thank you.
And we also want to remind you, My Freedom Day is also here. The young people all around the world are posting their messages on social media, describing what makes them feel free.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What makes me feel free is that I can travel from one place to another, and I can make my own decisions, and I can socialize with people, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What makes me feel free is that I'm able to express myself to anyone. And in our country of peace, that's what makes me feel free.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What makes me feel free is that I can be able to move from one place to another, interact with new people, learn new things in life. I can say that makes me feel free.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What makes me feel free is doing charity work, being with friends, getting help from others and assisting others who need help from me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Tell us what makes you feel free, using the hashtag #MyFreedomDay, and follow all the latest at CNN.com.
Thanks -- thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. WORLD SPORT is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KATE RILEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, welcome along to WORLD SPORT. We are going to be starting with the Champions League in Europe on Wednesday night, where for the first time, four English teams are through to the last eight of this elite football competition since the year 2008.
Their tie against Lyon was goalless after the first leg with Barce (ph), but look at how they broke open Barcelona's Lionel Messi with a penalty, an audacious penalty at that. That pressure was intense, but he was cool and calm. By halftime, Barcelona were 2-0 ahead, and it was Suarez taking on the keeper, supplying a perfectly-timed awaited pass for Philippe Coutinho to tail in a second.
Lyon pulled one back early in the 2nd half, but Messi once again came to the rescue, putting the tie to bed. After some great individual play in the area, Barcelona ended up running away with this one in the end, 5-1 on the night.
Well, in the Allianz arena, two teams who are also contending for their domestic titles in Germany and England, respectively. Bayern Munich and Liverpool goalless in the first leg. All to play for here, and Liverpool made a terrific start, taking the lead through Sadio Mane midway through the first half. There isn't very often that you see Manuel Neuer messing up like that. But, full credit to Mane, he took the goal very well, indeed.
By halftime, though, Bayern were level; and it was unfortunate that the Reds defender, John Matip, put the ball into his own net. The Reds were still ahead on away goals, though. And their superstar defender, Virgil van Dijk, reclaimed the lead before another Mane goal sealed the deal. An emphatic 3-1 victory for England's five-time European champions there.
The draw will be on Friday, and that's when UEFA will map out everybody's road to the final in Madrid, which is being held at Atletico's new stadium. These are the teams in the hat, and a great year for England's teams so far, with exactly half of the eight teams coming from the English Premier League.
Elsewhere, at this time of year, we are usually talking about Real Madrid marching towards yet another Champion League trophy. They've won four of the last five. But they almost certainly are going to win nothing this year. They are out of Europe, out of the Spanish cup, and 12 points adrift in La Liga.
However, they were very much in the news on Wednesday, because manager Zinedine Zidane was back in charge of training, the first time since he'd departed last May. Since then, they've tried and failed to make it work, with Lopetegui and Solari. Zidane officially returned on Monday. But this was his first time back with the players, both on the pitch and also in the dugout.
He is a Real Madrid legend, of course. But rebuilding this team will be a big job in the summer.
Right. To golf now, where the PGA tour season has been going for a couple of months now. But casual goal fans will feel as though this really is the week when it all kicks off.
The tour has a new calendar this year, meaning that the PLAYERS Championship in Florida will be played in March for the first time in more than a decade.
And after that, it's just a few weeks now until the first major, the Masters, just up the road from here, at Augusta.
Well, the season ended last year with this amazing image of Tiger Woods crowning his comeback with a victory at the Tour Championship. He will be playing at Sawgrass this week and will surely be the main attraction there.
But what's happened to everyone else since the end of last season? Well, things are going rather well for the world No. 1, Dustin Johnson, who's already won twice this year, in Mexico and Saudi Arabia last month.
World No. 2, Justin Rose, has been up and down and did one the Farmers Insurance Open in January for his 10th career PGA tour win. Brooks Koepka missed the cut in his last start but finished second at
the Honda Classic a week earlier, incredibly his 5th career PGA tour win, and three of them have been majors.
Rory McIlroy hasn't won in the year, but he's playing well, making the top six in each of his last five tournaments. That's very good form. Remember, he hasn't won a major, though, in five years.
[00:50:07] But Jordan Spieth is struggling and finding himself more and more in wayward locations like this. Well, the golden boy of 2015 has dropped down to 25th in the world rankings.
Dustin Johnson is certainly playing well right now. He is relishing his new date for the PLAYERS Championship. He's never finished inside the top 10 at Sawgrass. But now that it's two months earlier in the calendar, he thinks he has a much better chance, and here's why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUSTIN JOHNSON, GOLFER: For me, I seem to -- I like it better. I can -- I don't know. I just like the way the course feels, you know, playing at this time of year, and playing it over-seeded. I think it plays a little bit better. As far as, it's playing longer, it's a little bit softer. But you know, you've got to hit really good golf shots.
Where, you know, for me, playing in -- you know, in May, in the last few years, I've always struggled. You know, I've kind of struggled around here. Never really could get it going.
But, you know, the course played really fast. And firm. And, you know, now it seems like it's definitely a lot more receptive. And -- but it's still going to play difficult, just because of the length. And you know, especially with the forecast, with the wind, it's supposed to be -- the wind's supposed to blow a little bit. I think it's going to set up for a great week.
JUSTIN ROSE, GOLFER: Like I was saying earlier, I think the weather could play a part in March. You can get cold, much colder, windier days.
But all things being equal, I think scoring will be a hair lower. But I think also, the definition of the golf course, when its green, I think it just -- everything sets up better, and for me personally. You know, they talk about, does a golf course suit your eye? And I think that when it's greener, the golf courses does suit your eye a lot better around here.
The definition is, in terms of the runouts and the fairways and, you know, the margins, that you're playing with.
BROOKS KOEPKA, GOLFER: It doesn't matter what you do. In years previous, it's all about -- I mean, you could -- as long as you're playing good right now, it doesn't matter the golf course. If you're playing good, you shouldn't pick it apart and should play well. You know, course history, isn't what you guys make it out to be, I don't think. I've seen guys show up to an event and not see the golf course and win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RILEY: Well, would you believe that just one of the current top 10 players has ever won this tournament? That was Rickie Fowler in 2015.
It feels as though the last Formula 1 season has only just wrapped up. Well, we count down to the brand-new season, and that starts this weekend. And we'll be hearing from the world champion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RILEY: Hello. We are back with news from the new Formula 1 season, which is back this weekend.
As usual, the racing starts down under at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The big question is whether anyone can challenge Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, the Silver Arrows who have won the last five titles. Hamilton has won four of those. But Hamilton has been saying that this season he thinks it's going to be much closer. The teams behind him have upped their game over the winter break.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS HAMILTON, 5-TIME DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPION: I got here a couple days ago. And I love it here. It's really, really beautiful. It's been a little bit cold compared to previous years I've been, but I love this. It's a really beautiful city. It's a lot of great restaurants, great energy. And it gets better throughout the week. So --
SEBASTIAN VETTEL, 4-TIME WORLD CHAMPION: So far, you know, the spirit is right. The team is on track. The car feels good. So let's see how we start here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RILEY: All right. Well, Ferrari are just desperate to get back on top in F1. It's been more than a decade since they won their constructors or the drivers championship.
But, in the last couple of years, they've looked competitive, only to go off the rails in the second half of the season. Well, they expect to win. One driver is just simply glad to be there. That's Poland's Robert Kubica. He was one of the more promising young drivers back in 2010. However, he never raced in 2011, because he was seriously injured in a rallying crash.
The roadside crash barrier penetrated his car, trapping him in the wreckage for more than an hour. His forearm was partially amputated in the carnage. He also broke his shoulder, arm and leg and lost a significant amount of blood. It seems as though his racing career was over.
However, eight years later, his comeback to motor racing's most prestigious series is remarkable. He is competing for the Williams team. And a recent interview, he has acknowledged that it will be emotional.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT KUBICA, WILLIAMS DRIVER: Obviously, it will be an emotional day, but hopefully, those emotions will play a positive role and not giving additional, you know, aspects, which are unnecessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RILEY: Good for him.
And finally, the Women's World Cup this summer, there might cause for double celebration. Our congratulations go out to two players on the U.S. Women's team who announced their engagement earlier.
The defender Ali Krieger and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris just revealed that they've actually been dating for the last nine years, as well as being teammates. And back in September, it was Ashlyn who proposed to Ali, and of course, she said yes.
The World Cup in France will be played for a month, starting in June. The pair told "People" magazine here in the states that they hope to tie the knot at the end of this year.
This summer, the USA will aim for a fourth World Cup win, extending their record in the global tournament.
All right. Time to pop the champagne. Congrats to them. And that happy news brings this edition of CNN WORLD SPORT to a close. Many thanks for watching. I'm Kate Riley. Stay with us, though. The news is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
