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Connect the World
Australia Fires; India Protests; Afghanistan Election; Pentagon on Alert amid Signs North Korea May Conduct Another Test; Syrian Conflict; Trump Impeachment; Climate Crisis; Lebanon Protests. Aired 11a-12:00p ET
Aired December 22, 2019 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Atlanta, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST (voice-over): Hello and welcome to what is this last year's edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade stepping in
for Becky Anderson. Glad to have you with us.
Australian authorities are warning people to stay out of danger zones as the deadly fires threaten major cities. Officials say at least nine people
have died in September. This week fueled by record breaking heat waves. The danger level has been at the highest in days, 800 homes so far
destroyed.
Sydney looks almost unrecognizable with smoke from the fires on the outskirts of the city choking residents there. Officials say the air
quality is so bad, breathing in is like smoking more than a pack of cigarettes a day.
The crisis even forced prime minister Morrison to cancel his Christmas holiday and return home early from Hawaii. Mylee Hogan with CNN affiliate
7 News has more on the firefighters working to contain dozens of blazes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MYLEE HOGAN, SEVEN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what firefighters faced last night, staring down a wall of flames as it explodes
from the valley. Crews forced to retreat as the inferno quickly reaches the house. Nearby, similar scenes. A whirlwind of flames and thick smoke
makes visibility so poor, a firefighter was hit by a car. He was rushed back to his truck by colleagues.
The megablaze showing no mercy, taking the Tutti Frutti Cafe. By morning, it was a smoldering mess, crews on the ground calling this the black
mountains, fears, 20 homes are lost.
This is one home that did not stand a chance against yesterday's flames, recovery crews are now moving through the fire-affected communities. But
it could still be days before they know the full extent of the damage.
But many more are still standing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The roar is coming out of the hill just like a freight train, the roar of flames and the smoke, you just couldn't see a thing. I
just can't thank them enough.
HOGAN (voice-over): Others defended their homes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The smoke was horrific. My eyes were burning. My sons were just wetting the house down.
HOGAN (voice-over): Overnight, rows of homes burnt to the ground. One man was feared dead but, this morning, he was found alive in an evacuation
center, experienced crews still shocked by the conditions they've faced.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty horrendous, actually. I've had 29 years experience with firefighting and that will probably go down as the worst
day that I've ever seen.
HOGAN (voice-over): Now communities throughout the mountains face a rebuilding from homes to infrastructure. The threat is far from over as
the blaze continues to rage. Blackheath once again in the firing line today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have crown fire behind the houses. The situation is critical. We have serious concerns for property loss.
HOGAN (voice-over): A reality the community will have to deal with for months -- in Blackheath, Mylee Hogan, Seven News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: With dozens of fires burning out of control, there is no relief right now. This Christmas, many families are grieving the loss of loved
ones and the loss of their homes. CNN's Simon Cullen brings us this report from Queensland just above the border with New South Wales.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON CULLEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, as we've just heard, the death toll from this Australian bush fire crisis tragically rising to nine.
That is nine families that have been torn apart days before Christmas. Nationally, the authorities are saying 800 homes have been destroyed, that
will make for a sad Christmas as well.
Now, where I'm standing at the moment is very close to the border of Queensland and New South Wales. These, of course, are two states
devastated by the bush fire emergency. The smell of smoke is still relatively thick in the air, even though the nearest fire is still several
kilometers away himself away.
Further south in New South Wales is where the emergency is most intense, where dozens of fires are still burning and it's forced the closure of
major roads.
That, of course, is going to make holiday travel difficult for families as they head away for Christmas break. For the firefighters, there are
thousands of them. Most of them are volunteers.
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CULLEN: They will be hoping the cooler change coming through Australia at the moment will offer some relief. But the forecast is it will only be
temporary. More hot weather is expected in the coming days.
According to the New South Wales fire chief, he says there is no significant rain forecast for his state until at least the end of January.
So that means the hot, dry weather is likely to continue. Lynda, that means for the coming months, there are several hot months of weather still
to come. The Australian bush fire crisis is far from over.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Simon Cullen there.
After a weekend of deadly protests, India's prime minister is blaming opposition parties for misleading the public. Modi told supporters the new
citizenship law is not anti-Muslim, despite the widespread criticism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The Muslims born on Indian soil or whose ancestors are children of India, brothers and
sisters, they have nothing to do with the citizenship law or natural register of citizens. Neither Muslims are being sent to any detention
centers nor are there any detention centers. Brothers and sisters, this is a white lie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Jeffrey Gettleman is "The New York Times" South Asia bureau chief.
Good to have you with us.
JEFFREY GETTLEMAN, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Sure.
KINKADE: So prime minister Modi is accusing the opposition parties of inciting these protests and he's continuing to defend this very
controversial law.
GETTLEMAN: Yes, he's in a very tight spot. He's never faced anything like this before. He's an incredibly popular politician. He's won his re-
election a few months ago. He is probably the most powerful prime minister India has produced in decades.
But for the first time, there is a massive uprising in dozens of different places at the same time with people very upset and viscerally upset and
emotionally emotional and passionate because they think that this new law that this government has passed is very discriminatory.
KINKADE: And it's interesting, Jeffrey, when you look at the turnout at these protests, they're people from all different faiths. They have now
turned deadly; 22 people now dead.
What is it going to take do you think to rethink this law?
GETTLEMAN: That's the big question. I think he is under a lot of pressure. At the same time, India is a majority Hindu country and his
policies that speak to this idea of a strong Hindu nation are very popular.
So you are seeing images of big protests. Many people have been killed. It's a very divisive and turbulent time. But there is still a large chunk
of the population solidly behind him.
And we haven't seen these protests, you know, hit millions of people flooding into the streets like the Arab Spring. It's not anything close to
that scale. But it is growing. It is involving more people from different religions. It's not just students and left leaning people.
You need to bring in more, you know, more segments of society. And you get the sense, as that speech showed, that he's on the defensive, he now has to
explain this law that they've passed isn't discriminatory when the law says members of all religions except Islam will be granted citizenship faster in
India than Muslims can get.
KINKADE: It really does fuel that criticism against him. In terms of the numbers of people turning out, because Modi, obviously, has faced protests
in the past.
How does it compare to other protests that have happened during his term?
GETTLEMAN: These are the biggest protests by far that he's faced. We have tens of thousands of people protesting at the same time in different
cities. Each city across every corner of this country, northeast to the west, the south and center to New Delhi, the capital where I am.
This has never happened. This hasn't happened in decades in India, to have this many people in this area protesting the same thing. But India still
is a place with a strong police force and it's not afraid to use its power.
And so we've seen the, you know, a pretty harsh response to these protests. A lot of people have been beaten up. Almost 2 dozen people have been
killed. Thousands of people have been arrested.
And there's this kind of sweep that's happened in these areas where there are protests, where they're picking up young men and throwing them in jail.
So the signal is, we got to stomp this out fast before it spreads.
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GETTLEMAN: And his speech today was an attempt to calm the Muslim population down, that he wasn't against them. But many people believe he
is and that his party, which has this philosophy of really promoting Hinduism, is bent on marginalizing Muslims in India.
Let's not forget there are 200 million Muslims in India. It's one of the largest populations of Muslims anywhere in the world. But because India is
to big they're a minority right now. Now they're speaking out.
KINKADE: You make a big point. They are a minority there. But 200 million people, that's a lot of people angry about this law. Jeffrey
Gettleman, good to have you with us. Thanks, so much.
Still to come all over the world, activists have joined together to raise awareness, the impending dangers of the climate crisis.
But is anyone listening?
We will have a 2019 wrap-up of the global climate crisis next.
Also after months of uncertainty and tedious ballot counting, Afghanistan's election results are almost in. We will have a new live update.
Plus, Lebanon's new prime minister has a tough job ahead.
His first task?
Forming a new government. We'll look at the challenges he is facing when we come back. Stay with us.
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KINKADE: Welcome back.
Well, in Afghanistan, president Ashraf Ghani is reportedly on track to be reelected for a second term. Results from Afghanistan's independent
election commission shows he received more than 900,000 votes since the contentious presidential election.
Ghani's main challenger is refusing to accept the results, citing widespread and systematic fraud. CNN's Nathan Hodge has been following
this story.
Nathan, Ghani's on track to win a second five-year term.
Are these preliminary results still just coming in?
NATHAN HODGE, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: That's right. These are preliminary results. The candidates will have a chance to raise any
complaints with the electoral commission. But I think the fear here right now is that there could be a repeat of the protracted political crisis.
[11:15:00]
HODGE: That we saw in Afghanistan's last presidential election when the incumbent Ashraf Ghani faced off against Abdullah Abdullah, the same main
challenger in the current vote.
That election was also marred by allegations of fraud and a months-long political crisis. Then secretary of state John Kerry helped broker
basically a power sharing agreement that brought the presidency to Ashraf Ghani and created a new post for Abdullah Abdullah.
That resolved that crisis. But again, we seem to be seeing here, a repeat of these same sort of allegations of widespread fraud, which caused the
last controversy.
Again, it's important to know why this all matters. This is all happening against the background of the Trump administration's desire to wind down
involvement in Afghanistan.
Around 12,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan and, for months now, the Trump administration, led by President Trump's main envoy to Afghanistan,
have been involved in talks with the Taliban about negotiating an American exit from Afghanistan.
Those have been stop and start. Now they're starting up again. If there is a protracted political crisis, I think the question on the minds of many
observers is whether there will be the political will in Washington to resolve that crisis if it were to arise again.
Again, we're waiting to see and candidates will have the chance to formally raise complaints in the coming few days.
KINKADE: And this election happened September 28th, well over two months ago. These results are just trickling in.
What gets done in terms of governance as this ballot counting drags on?
HODGE: Well, again, the results, I think, say much. Afghanistan has still faced a very strong resurgence of the Taliban. Violence levels have not
abated. Civilian casualties are high, the Afghan government security forces have taken heavy casualties over the past year.
So certainly, this is all against the background of a very precarious situation for the central government in Afghanistan, a government that
still depends quite heavily on outside assistance. So again, I think the concern here is that there could be further rifts inside Afghanistan, along
possibly ethnic or geographic lines that could further exacerbate the situation.
KINKADE: On the Afghan election, from Moscow, good to have you with us. Thank you.
Still to come here on CONNECT THE WORLD, a fresh wave of airstrikes in Syria spikes condemnation and heroic efforts to save people.
Also, Lebanon's new prime minister promises to form a government that will bring peace but the protesters in the streets are not buying it. We'll
have the details next.
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KINKADE: Well, there are new signs that North Korea may be expanding its long-range missile program. Satellite images show fresh work at a site
linked with the production of intercontinental ballistic missile launches. It comes amid fresh threats from Pyongyang and as talks with the U.S. hit a
dead end. Our David Culver has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These latest satellite images out of North Korea show an automotive plant that is seemingly expanding. But this
is beyond any sort of normal vehicle factory. This is a place where analysts say North Korean military has been modifying some of the imported
launchers from China as well as retrofitting vehicles that can be used in support of their intercontinental ballistic missile program.
All of this comes as, within the past few weeks, North Korea has been using their Sohae satellite launch site to conduct these significant tests that
were kind of vague. But according to U.S. officials and other analysts, it's possible that they have been conducting tests that would help in
creating stronger rocket engines that could then help with intercontinental ballistic missile launches.
Put it in greater context here. We're seeing this war of words increase, North Korea promising this ominous Christmas gift to the U.S., unclear what
that could mean. Analysts say it can be anything from an ICBM launch to perhaps nuclear tests.
The U.S. military says, whatever it may be, they're prepared; as far as diplomacy is concerned, it seems like that's not on the table. The special
envoy to the U.S., Stephen Biegun, was just in this region. He wrapped up several meetings in Seoul, in Tokyo, in Beijing, trying to meet with
regional partners here to figure out how to contain any threat involving North Korea.
He even invited North Korea while here to say come to the table. We're here, let's talk. Those calls went unanswered.
North Korea has been launching over the past several months short range ballistic missiles. They have been testing these rockets as well, about 13
tests altogether. President Trump said repeatedly, these are not that concerning to him, because, in his words, they can't really reach beyond
the immediate region.
However, you can bet they have been concerning for folks in South Korea, including the 30,000 U.S. military officers and enlisted who are based
there as well as some of the allies, including South Korea and Japan.
But this would be another step forward. This will be something that could potentially cross the line with the Trump administration, if it goes into
an intercontinental ballistic missile or something nuclear.
The question remains, of course, what that Christmas gift could be; officials on all end here are analyzing this closely and trying to
determine whether it's something that could transpire into a complete breakdown of talks and an increasing of tensions beyond repair -- David
Culver, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, U.S. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo is slaying Russia and China for vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have
allowed humanitarian aid to reach Syrian rebels. He called their action shameful.
In the past few days, the Syrian government has intensified artillery and airstrikes on Idlib province. According to White Helmets, the volunteer
rescue group, more than 50 people have been killed in those attacks since Monday.
Well, CNN's Arwa Damon spoke with one volunteer in Idlib, who worked tirelessly to save a little girl from the rubble and from the heartbreak of
losing her mother.
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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's Isla, 9 years old, trapped under her collapsed home from an airstrike.
Moments earlier, Liev, the civil defense volunteer you see in this video, could hear her mother's faint cries from deeper under the rubble. But then
there is another warning.
When the smoke and dust clears, Liev is still by Isla's side but he says her mother's voice is gone.
It's hard to describe, he tells us the following day, what it was like with the girl in my arms and the strike and then realizing that I couldn't hear
her mother anymore.
He said he tried to distract Isla. He tried to focus her attention on freeing herself.
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DAMON (voice-over): He doesn't have the heart to tell her, her mother is dead. So are two of her little cousins.
And we're on the job, we sometimes have to have hearts of stone, he tells us. But in moments, we melt. We really melt.
The last five days have been especially merciless, even by Syria standards, with more than 50 civilians killed. Liev describes it as being the most
deliberate intense targeting of the civilian population in Idlib to date.
The rescuers, survivors and the dead, they're like family, Liev says, bonded by cruelty and courage.
Isla is sealed in his heart, the little girl who he saved but whose mother was stolen from her -- Arwa Damon, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, 90 minutes in July may have changed Donald Trump's life. New documents outline the timeline of his conduct with Ukraine and the
freezing of their military aid. We'll have those details next.
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KINKADE: Welcome back.
Well, U.S. President Donald Trump is at one of his golf courses in Florida right now after he began his Christmas holiday slamming the impeachment
process. In his speech Saturday night in Florida, the president falsely claimed the Democrats violated the U.S. Constitution during that process.
He tells the party the Democrats have abandoned the impeachment because they have no case. In reality, the House is waiting to send the articles
of impeachment to the Senate once the rules are set for trial.
Well this comes as emails surface showing the White House froze military aid to Ukraine just 90 minutes after Mr. Trump spoke to Ukraine's
president.
That action and that phone call were the basis for his impeachment. We are joined now by CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer in New York and White
House reporter Sarah Westwood, who is traveling with the president in Florida.
Good to have you both with us.
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you.
KINKADE: Sarah, first to you, because I understand President Trump back at his golf course.
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KINKADE: This is the 245th time at a Trump golf course since he entered office and aides right now are worried about all the time on his hands to
tweet about what's going on with the impeachment process.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. White House officials say they are concerned that the duration of the president's
vacation here in Mar-a-lago could affect the preparations for the Senate trial because there are a lot of unanswered questions about just how the
White House will handle that trial.
For example, who will deliver the opening and closing arguments. What that argument will be. Whether there is room on the president's team for
outsiders as some of the president's fiercest allies in the House.
That is under consideration. But White House aides are concerned about the unstructured nature of Mar-a-lago. While the president is at his resort
here in Florida, his informal advisers, his friends, they have an unusual amount of access to him.
Some aides are worried those people could influence the president's decision when it comes to the trial. Keep in mind, Senate leader Mitch
McConnell advocated for a shorter trial.
That would be better for both the president and Senate Republicans but President Trump previously expressed his desire with witnesses because he
doesn't just want to be acquitted here. He wants to be vindicated by the Senate trial.
Now Trump had started to come around to McConnell's point of view but White House officials are afraid while he's here for two weeks with all this free
time in Mar-a-lago the president could again change his mind.
KINKADE: He certainly could. I want to bring in Julian on all of this, particularly the impeachment trial that is expected to happen in January,
though no true sign of whether or not that will be the case, given that both sides still haven't agreed to how this will play out, the rules of
that trial.
ZELIZER: Well, yes, they are on a standoff. Speaker Pelosi is trying to use the leverage that she has, meaning not yet sending or bringing the
articles over to the Senate to try to get as favorable a set of rules as possible.
I suspect there will be a breakthrough and the Senate can move forward pretty quickly. Senator McConnell doesn't want to prolong this. He wants
to move forward as fast as possible. That's his strategy. He would like to essentially dismiss this through a speedy trial so I am optimistic the
two leaders will be able to work an agreement out soon.
KINKADE: I want to go back to Sarah, because we saw Donald Trump addressing a crowd of students in West Palm Beach, Florida, Saturday night,
again, attacking his foes like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. We heard from the host of this forum, conservative Rush Limbaugh, telling the crowd that
climate change was a hoax.
WESTWOOD: That's right. It was a very fiery performance from the president, from some of the other speakers there. But we saw hints of the
president's frustration about the fact that Speaker Pelosi is withholding those articles.
McConnell claims Pelosi isn't exercising any leverage, because it's not leverage when the Senate doesn't really want to confront these articles in
the first place but President Trump wants this trial to happen. He wants to be exonerated.
That's why he had wanted a more theatrical performance. And President Trump has been quizzing his aides, whether his White House counsel is ready
for prime time, whether he is the right choice for a televised trial that is as much political and exercising in the court of opinion as it is in the
Senate. Pat Cipollone he is considering using some he is considering using some conservative defenders on his team presenting in the Senate.
KINKADE: All right. So to stand by for a second. I want to go back to Julian on this. Because we now have these emails that Donald Trump ordered
the freeze on military aid to Ukraine some 90 minutes after his phone call with Ukraine's president calling for a political favor. It seems like the
evidence is continuing to build against him.
ZELIZER: Well, that's true. That's been the story since the whistleblower meaning almost every major piece of evidence and most of the testimony that
we've seen confirms the original story. It actually expands on the original story.
And it reveals a pretty concerted effort to use foreign policy in this manner for the president's own political objectives. And this is yet one
more tantalizing email where the administration and its officials seem to know exactly what it was doing.
Obviously, there's questions about what the intention was of the words and we don't know, because, once again, this is written by an official who
couldn't testify because the president is preventing them from doing so.
KINKADE: And just quickly, Julian, on the presidential race, looking at the Democrats, obviously, we saw the last debate of the year.
[11:35:00]
KINKADE: Joe Biden, former vice president, still well in front nationally in the polls but seeming to struggle in the primary states like Iowa.
ZELIZER: Yes, Mayor Pete is doing very well in Iowa. Senator Sanders remains very formidable and Warren as well. And Biden's campaign rests on
his claim of electability and the fact that many Americans are yearning for normal in an era where things seem to have moved off kilter with the
current president.
So that's where his success rests. But in Iowa, local organization. Local enthusiasm matters and the other candidates are really doing quite well,
especially the mayor from Indiana.
KINKADE: Certainly good news heading into Christmas. All right. Julian Zelizer and Sarah Westwood in West Palm Beach, Florida. Good to have you
both with us. Thank you.
ZELIZER: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still to come, melting glaciers, blazing wildfires and massive floods. This all happening right before our eyes. We will have a
2019 wrap-up of the global climate crisis next.
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KINKADE: Well, 2019 may go down in history as the year zero of the climate crisis. The flood of extreme events has been so relentless, each is
quickly forgotten when the next one comes along.
We started in Australia where bush fires are raging on an unprecedented scale. Also, in Brazil's Amazon, the so-called lungs of the Earth and all
of this coming at the end of the warmest decade on record. On other parts of globe, melting glaciers in Greenland and causing oceans to warm and sea
levels to rise.
We witness climate change making our natural world more violent than ever. "New York" magazine climate writer, David Wallace-Wells and the author of
"The Uninhabitable Earth."
Good to have you with us.
DAVID WALLACE-WELLS, "NEW YORK": Thanks for having me.
KINKADE: We seen these fires that are raging in Australia, the Amazon, even North America and all just some of the events we have seen. According
to many scientists, these events are becoming more extreme.
So how do we prepare for it?
WALLACE-WELLS: I think we need to do two things, develop systems to deal with more natural disasters. You are seeing the failure in Sydney, where
people are continuing to live in a city where air pollution because of the fires is as much as 100 times the safe level and twice as high as any
record set before.
[11:40:00]
WALLACE-WELLS: But we also need to take action on our emissions to make events less likely in the future to bend the curve of warming downward so,
20 years from now, 30 years from now, we are dealing with a world that is only 2 degrees warmer than pre-industrial average.
I think we need to take action on both fronts. I do think the extreme weather this year has mobilized an unprecedented political movement led by
Greta Thunberg but not just by her. We are seeing for the first time a real public response to this crisis at the scale it demands.
KINKADE: I want to get your perspective in a moment. First I want to go to Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, what he said while on holiday
in Hawaii. He said I know Australians will understand this. They will be pleased I am coming back, I'm sure.
But they know I don't hold a hose mate and I don't sit in a control room. That's the brave people who do that.
He signaled his government will not increase its efforts to combat climate change despite his bush fire crisis.
What do you make of those remarks?
I don't think any Australians expect him to come back and put out a fire out with a hose. They want him to fight the long-term problem, the climate
crisis.
wherewithal I think they want him to do both. There is a natural disaster crisis with many homes, many settlements, communities being terrorized by
these fires and it demands the full attention of the government there.
Also, of course, globally, we need to be moving to make these things less likely in the future and his particular brand of climate skepticism, some
might say climate denial, is doing a disservice to the people of this country, making these disasters more likely rather than less.
And in this, Australia is a concerning case study. It's basically the first wealthy country in the world that is facing this scale of climate
crisis and it's a sort of a test case for how the other wealthy nations of the world might respond when these impacts arrive in Europe and North
America.
KINKADE: The Trump administration here in the U.S. has squared off with the state of California over leadership in fighting climate change. And
we've seen in various examples, from cutting auto emissions to fighting wildfires. Walk us through that spat.
Who do you think is winning here?
WALLACE-WELLS: Well, I think that extreme weather has made the public of the country as a whole much more sympathetic to the leadership of a state
like California. Unfortunately, those states can't do it on their own.
Climate change is a global problem. Anything that California does to cut its own emissions or to make itself more resilient is ultimately only going
to be effective if the rest of the world is moving at the same time.
At the moment not even the entire United States is moving in unison with them. Because of catastrophes like the California fires and indeed the
Australian fires right now, each of these disasters are making the problem worse.
Trees are like coal in that they store carbon, when they burn they release carbon. In 2017 and 2018, the California wildfires released so much carbon
into the atmosphere, it totally counteracted all of the progress the state made on climate change.
In Australia, the fires we're watching right now have already released more than half of Australia's annual carbon emissions. So they're growing the
country's carbon footprint by as much as 50 percent.
I think anyone that watches the news knows we are in a climate crisis. I hope they understand things are worse and I think we are seeing with the
changing face of the our geopolitics that almost nothing, no aspect of life on this Earth will be unchanged by this. We are likely ordering leaders
going forward who orient around climate change and that's, frankly, what we need if we have a hope of getting a handle on this crisis.
KINKADE: Speaking of hope with the climate crisis, we have seen millions of people both young and old, across continents, holding strikes and
protests in the face of their leaders for not doing enough to save the planet.
You mention the teenage activist Greta Thunberg. People like that -- should we be hopeful that this future generation?
WALLACE-WELLS: I'm in awe of what they've accomplished, Greta in particular, barely a year ago, she was a friendless, lonely 15-year old,
sitting by herself outside of Swedish parliament.
Something like 15 months later, she is the leader of a global movement numbering in the millions, basically unprecedented in political history.
We've seen similar protest movements spring up around the world, in her image, inspired by her.
The question is whether the people in power will respond in time and take action of the scale that's truly necessary.
Now Greta's major message is simply to listen to the scientists. I think, for the first time, we are beginning to listen to them. The problem is,
many of the policies that need to be changed quickly require absolutely large-scale and immediately transformations of our energy sector,
transportation sector, industry, agriculture.
[11:45:00]
WALLACE-WELLS: These are changes that cannot be achieved through protest movements alone, it needs the support and indeed the leadership of people
actually in power.
Just how quickly those people move and turn towards climate action I think is an operation question and despite the leadership of figures like Greta
or Extinction or Rebellion in the U.K. or Sunrise in the U.S., those leaders are ultimately still failing that test.
KINKADE: David Wallace-Wells from "New York" magazine, always good to get your perspective. Thanks, so much.
WALLACE-WELLS: Thanks for having me.
KINKADE: Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, after months of unrest and political deadlock, Lebanon finally has a prime minister. Well, it's not
enough for demonstrators. In just a moment, we'll have that story.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
The next prime minister of Lebanon is promising to form a government to pull them out of crisis. Hassan Diab's designation as premier is sparking
protests. Hundreds took to the streets of Beirut Friday and clashed with police.
Diab has enjoyed the backing of Hezbollah but says he is not affiliated with anyone.
The holiday season isn't looking so good in Lebanon, joining us now, Rana Khoury, Lebanese activist, good to have you with us.
RANA KHOURY, LEBANESE ACTIVIST: Thank you.
KINKADE: So you have been on the streets today. There are reports that, amid the economic crisis, many stores and restaurants are simply void of
customers. Just give us a sense of the mood in Beirut.
KHOURY: First I would like to say that the economic crisis has been there for almost a year or two, if not more. You can sense it and feel it. Now
some of the restaurants in downtown have no customers because the area of downtown has been closed by the parliamentarians and by people in power.
They did speeches that prevented people from going into what they call Missionary Square, where the parliament is because they wanted to avoid
people to protest, which is actually illegal to do so. But also when they did is that actually also forbid any customer to go.
Now I don't think there is a spirit of joy, because there is a big economic crisis. But I think there is a very big spirit of solidarity. There are a
lot of initiatives in Beirut and outside, in the whole of Lebanon, who are calling people to help each other out.
I think this is the real spirit of Christmas.
KINKADE: So the people of Lebanon has been calling for accountability and an end to corruption.
Will they get that with this new prime minister?
[11:50:00]
KHOURY: I personally think that this new nomination and eventually the government is bound to fail, because the same coalition who nominated Diab
is the one who formed the government in 2011 and 2014.
It's the same government who completely mismanaged and failed to manage a very important issue in Lebanon, which was the refugee crisis. It failed
for the whole community. It is the same government 2011-2014 who failed and completely mismanaged environmental issues like the garbage crisis.
And I'm sure on CNN you covered the 2015 garbage crisis. It was an accumulation of the bad policies of the government of 2011 and 2014. Diab
was in this government. So he is not an independent person like the revolution had asked. He was no exception. He didn't see any exception
while he was in government in 2011 and 2014, when he was minister of education.
Whether in education, whether his call to abolish corruption, he was absolutely no exception in this government and this is why we don't trust
that today is going to be different.
It's very important, however to differentiate between the revolutionaries who are on the street and asking for completely independent government.
Because we believe that a polarized government will not work.
We have a history in this. But also what they call a national unity government also doesn't work as we have seen in the last government. This
is why we are asking for an independent government from the prime minister to all the members of the government.
KINKADE: I want to get a little bit more of your take on the fact that this new prime minister, the next prime minister is saying he is
independent. Because in his first interview, he has said that on Lebanese television, I'm not affiliated with anyone. I am independent. I will
reveal a secret, that I've not met with anyone from Hezbollah not in the past two days, two weeks and not in the past two months.
These comments are confusing as some Lebanese are publicly supported by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
So what kind of cabinet could we expect under his leadership?
KHOURY: I think it is also very important to note that the entire political class, the entire current leadership of this country at least
this is my opinion agree on the nomination of Diab even if we didn't see it in the official nomination.
The strategy and the plan of this political class is to go back to sectarian polarization and to say the only way we can save the sect is by
us being in power. It is also -- this is why, using as well protests and using the sectarian fuel again on the street is a part of the same strategy
that the entire people in power, the entire political class is using.
Now not meeting with a party or another doesn't make someone independent. Someone is independent when they have credentials to their record. They
didn't serve in government and failed bluntly in their position. This is what the revolution is seeing.
This is what I think the revolution deserves. We deserve someone with very good credentials, a good CV and someone who is fully independent in
decision-making. It's not only political affiliation.
This is a trap for the revolution. I'm not saying the revolution was not surprised by the name and that today a lot of people are acting, OK, like
let's wait and see. Our job is continue to pressure to get something that the country deserves, these people deserve.
We believe that the current form and the current nomination does not serve the people of Lebanon and as I said, there is a track record of the
coalition who named Mr. Hassan Diab.
(CROSSTALK)
KINKADE: We have to leave it there. But it's really good to get your perspective. Good to have you with us, thank you.
KHOURY: Thank you for having me.
KINKADE: Well, the artist Banksy is again turning heads with the latest work. It's called the "Scar of Bethlehem" and features a nativity scene,
with Mary, Jesus and Joseph and a bullet hole representing the star of Bethlehem. The barrier represents Israel and the West Bank. The art is on
display at the Waldorf Hotel in Bethlehem, which overlooks the world between the two territories.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: Before we go, let's take a moment for a warm and fuzzy surprise that has a family in the U.S. state of Georgia asking, whooo's there?
[11:55:00]
KINKADE: That's right. Take a look at this, it's a real owl as the family decorated their Christmas tree. They realized it was not an ornament but
an owl living in their Christmas tree. They said it was there for more than a week.
A local wildlife rescue team told them to place the owl outside in a crate with the door opened and it would simply fly away. Eventually, it did. So
good news.
That is our last CONNECT THE WORLD show for the year. It has been a great one for our team. The show's regular host Becky Anderson has been taking
time during her holiday to reflect on some of the best moments of the show in 2019 from interviews with sporting legends to a segment about the UAE's
historic space flight and reporting from the front lines of the climate crisis. Check out Instagram.
Well, that was CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Lynda Kinkade, thank you for watching. We are wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy 2020. See you
in the new year.
END
