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Trump Breaks Protocol with Taiwan Call; Conway Asked about Trump Briefing Books; Remains of Crash Victims Returned to Brazil; Vote Set on Impeaching South Korean President; Battle to Drive ISIS from Mosul; Aleppo Rebels Unite. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired December 03, 2016 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The phone call that China calls a little trick. Donald Trump speaks with Taiwan's president, breaking decades of diplomatic protocol.

A somber return: Brazil preparing to receive the remains of victims from the Colombia plane crash.

Plus, two major votes loom over Europe. Italy and Austria prepare for ballots that could shift the political order.

Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: 4:00 am on the U.S. East Coast. The president-elect Donald Trump broke nearly 40 years of protocol by taking time to talk with the leader of Taiwan on Friday and now China is reacting, not pleased with what happened.

Trump has said that Taiwan's president called him. Now we are hearing from China's foreign minister, calling the 10-minute chat, quote, "a shenanigan by Taiwan." Important to bear in mind here China considers Taiwan to be part of a renegade province and opposes official contact.

CNN's Elise Labott has more now on the call and its possible fallout.

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ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIR CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a stunning breach of protocol and break with decades of U.S. foreign policy, the Trump transition team releasing a statement announcing the call with the Taiwanese president saying during the discussion Trump and the Taiwanese president "noted the close economic, political and security ties that exist between Taiwan and the United States."

President-Elect Trump also congratulating the president, Tsai Ing-wen, on becoming the president of Taiwan earlier this year. The Taiwanese had said that the conversation also talked about strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan.

Now we understand an adviser to the Trump transition, Stephen Yates, is in Taiwan. He helped facilitate that call. Yates is a former advisor of Vice President Dick Cheney. He's known to be very pro- Taiwan. We're told the Obama administration was not told of the call until after it happened.

And already the Chinese are chiming in, speaking to a Taiwanese leader is something no American president or president-elect has done for nearly 40 years because the U.S. has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1979 respecting the One China policy.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory. Chinese state media already calling the exchange unprecedented break in the policy and that Beijing opposes any contact between Washington and Taipei.

So this is sure to cause an initial diplomatic uproar with China even before President-Elect Trump takes office. But former diplomats note that many incoming Republican administration have sought to elevate Taiwan over China.

President Reagan invited the Taiwanese delegation too, his inaugural ball. President George W. Bush also increased arms sales to Taiwan.

So while there could be some gestures of early on to show some more respect to Taiwan, long-time former diplomats don't predict this will be an end to the One China policy because the relationship with China is just too important -- Elise Labott, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Elise Labott, thank you for the report.

The office of Taiwan's president issued a statement on her phone call, saying in part, quote, "President Tsai and President-Elect Trump, besides having an intimate and relaxed conversation, also shared their views and concepts on future important policy points; in particular, to promote the domestic economy and to strengthen national defense.

"The president also expressed to President-Elect Trump the desire that America would support Taiwan to have the opportunity to participate in and contribute more in international issues."

CNN has team coverage this hour on China's reaction and the fallout, the political fallout from this phone call. CNN Politics reporter Eugene Scott, live in New York with us.

But first, let's bring in the reaction from our correspondent in Beijing, Steven Jiang, following the response there.

And Steven, I'd like to get a sense here, China seems to be giving the president-elect the benefit of the doubt in its response.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, George. You mention the term "shenanigan" which was used by the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, earlier on a Saturday, in response to a question over this controversial phone call.

But Mr. Wang also said in a quote here, "I don't think it will change the One China policy --

[04:05:00]

JIANG: " -- that U.S. administrations have adhered to over the years. The One China policy is the cornerstone of a healthy U.S.-China relationship and I hope this political foundation won't be disrupted or damaged."

So, yes, China seems to be giving the Trump team the benefit of doubt by placing blame on Taiwan for this very sharp breach of diplomatic practice and for a good reason probably. The Chinese are probably, like many others, are trying to decipher the true meaning of this phone call.

Was it just a blunder because of the Trump team's inexperience in foreign policy?

Or was it something more significant?

Does it signal a major policy shift by the incoming White House?

Interestingly, George, Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, met with Henry Kissinger on Friday. Now Kissinger of course was the former U.S. secretary of state who was instrumental in establishing ties between Beijing and Washington in the 1970s.

And Mr. Xi told Mr. Kissinger that it is critically important for both sides to correctly understand each other's strategic intentions. And now Mr. Xi must be wondering what Mr. Trump's intentions are and if Mr. Trump is somebody China can work with in the next four years -- George.

HOWELL: That is the burning question here, what were his intentions?

You point out, was this a blunder or does this signal a shift in focus?

We'll drill down that a bit more with Eugene here in a moment. But I do want to, Steven, read these tweets from the president-elect Donald Trump, if we can take them full screen. I'll show you what he said here.

"The president of Taiwan," he said, "called me today to wish me congratulations on winning the presidency, thank you."

That's one tweet. Let's take the other tweet also that came after.

It says, "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept the congratulatory call."

So Donald Trump pointing out that he doesn't quite believe that the United States shouldn't have some sort of conversation, some sort of a connection with Taiwan.

But look, when it comes to official communication with Taiwan, what we're talking about here is something that has not happened since 1979. Help our viewers to understand the background of the cross- strait relationship.

JIANG: George, the so-called One China policy means both the U.S. and China agree there is only One China in the world and Taiwan is part of that. Both sides have maintained some sort of ambiguity in terms of how they interpret this.

Still, as you mention, over the past four decades, no U.S. president or president-elect has directly contacted leaders of Taiwan. That's why this is a so-called red line China simply does not want any government to cross without bearing any consequences.

And Mr. Trump has crossed that line. That's why many foreign policy experts said it was very risky and reckless move and there will be an impact even before he takes office on this bilateral relationship. But also I think this is a very steep learning curve on both sides.

Mr. Trump is trying to -- is learning to navigate a very complex international relations map. But for Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his team, they're also trying to adapt to this new reality of dealing with a president-elect who likes to conduct foreign policy and diplomacy on Twitter -- George.

HOWELL: A measured response, though, coming from China.

Steven Jiang, thank you for your reporting. Stay with us, though. I'd like to now bring in Eugene Scott.

Eugene, so let's talk about this.

Is this a signal of Donald Trump departing from the geopolitical status quo?

Or could this be a mistake?

EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It's definitely a signal. One of Trump's advisors on issues related to China seems to believe that it's possible to reach out to Taiwan without alienating Beijing.

You saw that Trump was very defensive on Twitter regarding how the U.S. government interacts with Taiwan regarding trade. So what will happen from this point forward seems to be an approach that will be different from how the U.S. government has responded to Taiwan in the past.

HOWELL: Eugene, there has been the question, is Donald Trump, is his transition team, are they working with government officials that, you know, have detailed explanations of how to interact with different countries?

Is that happening? I want to play a sound bite here from Kellyanne Conway with the Trump transition team, speaking with our own Anderson Cooper about that very question. You get to hear her response about it. We can talk about this on the other side.

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: There have been questions about the briefings materials that president-elect Trump has used in phone calls with world leaders, whether or not he's used state department briefing --

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COOPER: -- booklets and information and, you know, the expertise of people in the state department that is available to him.

Can you confirm if he did consult that before this phone call?

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I can confirm that he has access to these materials and he has access to daily briefings. He had access to other information that comes to him from official government agencies and out there.

COOPER: Does he use it though?

CONWAY: Of course he uses it. He reads everything. And the guy is the busiest guy on the planet and pretty much has been for a while now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: So just from what you hear there, do you get a sense -- I mean, are we seeing a disciplined transition team, where Donald Trump consistently works with government officials, who already have, you know, an understanding of how to interact with these other countries?

Or is Trump, as one writer suggested, winging it?

SCOTT: Well, we saw in that exchange Kellyanne said that the president-elect reads everything. But we also have reports suggesting that he actually has not been very present in some of the security briefings from national security advisors.

There were reports that, despite the team making security advice and knowledge available almost daily, Trump has responded only at least twice. And as a result, this is not even the first time this week where Donald Trump has had interactions with a foreign leader that have raised eyebrows.

You may recall that previously his exchange with the prime minister of Pakistan caught -- grabbed quite a bit of national attention as well.

HOWELL: Eugene Scott, stand by. I also want to bring in Steven Jiang just one more time. Steven, if you could just explain the implications, if this is indeed

a shift by the Trump transition team and the president-elect in his new administration, if it is indeed a shift, what could be the implications?

SCOTT: If it's indeed a shift, George, there could be serious consequences because, as I mentioned, Taiwan is a so-called red line issue for China. It is a bottom line that they simply does not let people cross without bearing consequences. And this is what they consider its core interest.

So I think there is some experts even having warning potential war online. That may be a bit -- a step too far at this stage. But this is a relationship too important for both sides to let it hijack by any single issue.

That's why, at this stage, the Chinese government is giving Mr. Trump's team the benefit of doubt by trying to have the foreign minister issue a rather mildly worded statement.

Whether there is something more strongly worded come out later remains to be seen. But at this stage, I think they understand, for any issue of global importance to be resolved, it needs the cooperation between China and the U.S.

That's actually something Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi both pledged in their own conversation on November 14th. But now with this phone call with Taiwan's leader, if that kind of cooperation will materialize, is something many people are trying to find out -- George.

HOWELL: It is interesting to see on the geopolitical stage where actions speak volumes and words do matter.

Steven Jiang, thank you so much, live in Beijing.

And Eugene Scott, live for us in New York,

Thank you both, gentlemen, for your reporting. We'll stay in touch with you.

Trump also spoke with another Asian leader on Friday, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte. Mr. Duterte has been called the Trump of the east and has threatened to sever ties with the U.S. But after his talk with Trump, Mr. Duterte said the following.

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RODRIGO DUTERTE, PRESIDENT, THE PHILIPPINES: He was quite sensitive to our war on drugs and he wishes me well in my campaign and said that we are doing, as he so put it, the right way.

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HOWELL: Human Rights Watch has called the Philippines' war on drugs abusive and says that it has resulted in deaths of 5,000 Filipinos since July. This is CNN and still ahead, Brazilians preparing to say goodbye to

their football heroes as victims of Colombia's plane crash make their final journey home.

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HOWELL (voice-over): Plus, Austria and Italy are having crucial votes this weekend. And the results could drastically change the political fabric of Europe. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

The remains of victims from Monday's plane crash in Colombia are back on their way to Brazil. Three planes carrying the bodies are due to arrive shortly; 71 people were killed, many of them football players for the Brazilian Chapecoense club. Their coffins will be taken to an Arena Conda there. That is the club's stadium in Chapeco.

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SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For many on the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense this is the final journey home. Hearses bearing 64 coffins drive slowly through Medellin.

Fans and supporters cheering them on in a last show of solidarity and affection. After the tragic plane crash of LaMia Flight 2933 cut so many lives short. A military guard of honor at the airport where the bodies were received with care and a heart felt tribute. A Catholic priest offers a blessing.

Then the bodies carried one by one aboard Brazilian military planes. Brazil's ambassador to Colombia just one of many mourning the victims.

JULIO BITELLI, BRAZILLIAN AMBASSADOR TO COLUMBIA: It was a fairy tale, a small club from a small town --

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BITELLI: -- ready to play what would be their most important match in history. It just breaks your heart. Everything was ready for a beautiful party.

DARLINGTON: First plane loaded, then the second and third. Finally, taking off for Brazil, where grieving families and fans await -- Shasta Darlington, CNN, Medellin, Colombia.

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HOWELL: Shasta, thank you.

Two separate votes on Sunday could bring major political changes across Europe. Italy's prime minister has made his final pitch ahead of a constitutional referendum.

Matteo Renzi says making the senate smaller would improve efficiency. But opponents say the reforms would eliminate important checks and balances.

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MATTEO RENZI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (voice-over): If Yes wins, Italy will become a leader in Europe, not because we're good but because the international scene is in chaos and Europe is struggling. The countries that were brought into the European Project today are those that dream of building walls.

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HOWELL: In fact, Mr. Renzi says that he will quit if the reforms are rejected. That could increase support for candidates who are against immigration and who are skeptical with the European Union.

And the presidential election in Austria is also crucial for the E.U. and its future. Leftist candidate Alexander Van der Bellen supports staying in the union. He won the election in May but another was ordered due to voting irregularities. He is a supporter of the E.U. Listen.

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ALEXANDER VAN DER BELLEN, AUSTRIAN LEFTIST CANDIDATE (through translator): This is about which direction our homeland, Austria, is supposed to take.

Do we want to build up our old borders again outside the E.U. and go into the future on our own?

Or do we want Austria to stay an important member of the E.U.?

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HOWELL: The other leading candidate is this man here, Norbert Hofer. He could become the first far right head of state in Western Europe since World War II. His opponent says that Hofer wants Austria to leave the E.U. Hofer initially supported a vote on E.U. membership but now Hofer says he just wants to strengthen the union. Listen.

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NORBERT HOFER, AUSTRIAN FAR RIGHT CANDIDATE (through translator): I get asked by a lot of media representatives, will Austria quit the European Union?

No. Austria's duty as a country in the middle of Europe is to develop this union.

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HOWELL: Now moving onto South Korea. Tens of thousands of people there are marching against the president of that nation, Park Geun- hye, in Seoul. They are demanding that she step down immediately rather than waiting on the impeachment proceedings that are set to begin next week. CNN international correspondent Saima Mohsin is watching this march unfold and joins us now live in Seoul.

Saima, thank you for being with us this hour. We have seen these large crowds gather week after week now. The question still, it isn't if but it is how and when President Park will go.

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, George. And incredible to see for a sixth week running these crowds behind me. Right the way up and down this main boulevard leading up to the palace in Seoul. And just a few hundred meters behind that, by the way, President Park Geun-hye's presidential house.

We called in to the Blue House earlier to ask where she was. She's inside there, probably watching these pictures unfold.

Now people are outside in their tens of thousands yet again. There was concern that perhaps they wouldn't come out today because temperatures are dropping and, of course, things are at play. As you say, it's no longer a question of if but when she will go.

Now behind that, there's a lot of politicking going on. There's a lot of number crunching going on as well and a number of variables. You'll remember she came out during the week with her third national address, saying that she is willing to step down if parliament decides for her.

She batted the ball, if you like, back into parliament's hand. Now parliament has returned, the opposition party saying they will go ahead and impeach her but they still need members of her party to join them.

That's why today there was a simultaneous march from the national assembly. The people here are showing their displeasure with the politicians for not being able to take action and take it quick.

That's why they're out on the streets tonight. What they've been saying today is, we don't care about all these variables. We don't care about the options you're offering us. Listen to the voice of the people and step down immediately. We're not going to wait any longer -- George.

HOWELL: Saima, I know that you've been following news media there in South Korea. I know that you've been speaking with officials as well. So you point out that the opposition --

[04:25:00]

HOWELL: -- party does not have the numbers at this point, that they need members of her own party to support them.

Is there a sense that the pressure is mounting?

And just given what we see behind you there, will it be enough pressure to have these lawmakers side together and basically follow the demands of the people?

MOHSIN: Well, you know, George, it's interesting you ask that because, of course, they've lasted six weeks now with all this pressure on them. They've managed to effectively ignore it, really.

But in the last three or four days, the momentum has built up. And I'm seeing increasing frequency of statements, politicians coming out to reassure that they are doing something about this.

And just in the last 24 hours, we've really seen a lot of change. The opposition parties have come together and announced a date for impeachment. They said that they will go for that vote on December 9th. They've already handed in the motion into parliament. They needed half of parliament members to sign up for that motion. They got more than that.

And that means, George, crucially, that a few of the Senuri (ph) party, President Park's party, have signed up for that, too. So we know that they are planning to go ahead for impeachment.

And now we have also got a statement from the Senuri (ph) party itself, giving President Park an ultimatum, saying, for goodness sake, step down, go now, let's not face this embarrassment anymore -- George.

HOWELL: I know that you've been following this for quite some time. It's good to get your expertise. CNN international correspondent Saima Mohsin live for us in Seoul, South Korea.

Saima, thank you for the reporting. We'll stay in touch with you.

This is CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, more on Donald Trump's controversial phone call with Taiwan and diplomatic reaction to the U.S. president-elect's way of doing business.

This is CNN NEWSROOM, live in Atlanta, broadcasting across the United States and around the world this hour. Stay with us.

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HOWELL (voice-over): Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. It is good to have you with us. I'm George Howell, with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

(HEADLINES) HOWELL: China's foreign minister is blaming Donald Trump's break in

protocol on Taiwan, calling it, quote, "a shenanigan" by Taipei. The U.S. president-elect spoke with Taiwan's president Friday. No U.S. leader has had official contact with Taiwan since 1979.

That is when the U.S. acknowledged China's claim on the island as a One China policy.

Let's talk more about the fallout from the president-elect's phone call with the leader of Taiwan, bringing in now Kerry Brown, who joins us, a professor of Chinese politics at Kings College in London and the director of The Lao China Institute, live via Skype this hour from Canterbury, England.

It's good to have you with us, Kerry.

First of all, I just want to get your thoughts. This is a big deal. This is a shift in protocol after many decades.

What were your thoughts when you heard that this happened?

KERRY BROWN, KINGS COLLEGE, LONDON: Well, I think it's indicative of the surprises we've probably got in store with Mr. Trump. And I think, in Beijing, the government, the biggest republic there, were probably expecting some surprises.

He's a businessman, not a politician; and so I think that they knew that there were going to be some unexpected things. This is on their list probably the least that they wanted and the most inflammatory.

As you said, since 1979, no American president or president-elect has had direct contact with the president of the Republic of China or Taiwan. And so this is a very, very big break in protocol. And no preparation for it.

And I think it happened even before Mr. Trump has become president, so it will set a really difficult tone to a relationship between the world's first and second biggest economies and the biggest geostrategic partners. So this is pretty extreme. This is a pretty big story.

HOWELL: So your thoughts there on what happened here. But I'd also like to get your thoughts on China's reaction. It seemed to be very measured and putting the blame on Taiwan and seeming to give the president-elect the benefit of the doubt.

BROWN: Yes, I think that's because they understand in Beijing that Mr. Trump is not that experienced as a diplomat. He's a businessman and he made some comments on Twitter about, well, we give lots of arms trade to this place; why can't we talk to them. So there is a kind of logic to that.

The problem is, of course, that, for Beijing, this is the big red line. They still claim sovereignty over the island and they have actually a law since 2005, saying that they will take military action if independence is declared. Now China is really on this issue because of its nationalism at the

moment, because of the falling growth, because of the way in which the current President Xi Jinping has staked so much on China's national integrity. It's not willing to compromise.

So I think it's a case of this is before Mr. Trump became president. After the 20th of January, this kind of thing will be no game. This is really, really a line in which China has basically no real space to back down on. So it's a pretty difficult area to operate in.

HOWELL: I want to help our viewers to understand, those who may not be familiar with cross-strait relations. But help people to get a sense of the history here and, again, why this is so crucial and important.

BROWN: So as a civil war from 1946, the Communist Party won that civil war against the nationalists. In 1949, the People's Republic of China was established. The nationalists fled to the island of Taiwan and set up an alternative regime, the Republic of China.

And indeed, until, as you said, 1979, the United States recognized the republic of China, not the People's Republic of China on the mainland. But then they shifted --

[04:35:00]

BROWN: -- diplomatic allegiance and they accepted a policy called the One China policy, so saying that there was One China and therefore that they couldn't be two split Chinas. And that's where they've sort of maintained that policy to this day for Beijing.

The bottom line is that they still claim sovereignty over the island. But in Taiwan, the problem is, it's a democracy. The overwhelming number of the 23 million people there feel that they are an independent country in all but name. They have their own currency, their own systems, their own postage stamps, everything really apart from being able to call it a country.

So it's a very, very delicate and sensitive issue and one that has, in the past, caused America to intervene because of a thing called the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979. That means that America will -- does have a security alliance with Taiwan.

HOWELL: Kerry Brown giving us the background there and some context on these very interesting developments that have happened. We'll see how this plays out.

Kerry, thank you for the insight.

Moving on now to the U.S. state of South Carolina. Jury deliberations will resume Monday in the murder trial of a former police officer. Michael Slager is accused of fatally shooting an unarmed African American man, Walter Scott, during a traffic stop last year.

Slager admits that he shot Scott in the back but says that it was done in self-defense. Friday the 12-member jury told the judge that they were deadlocked. One juror wrote a note, saying that he could not vote to convict Slager. The judge told jurors what will happen if they cannot reach a unanimous decision. Listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every one of you has the right to your own opinion. The verdict you agree to must be your own verdict, the result of your own convictions, and you should not give up your firmly held beliefs merely to be in agreement with your fellow jurors.

If you do not agree on a verdict, I must declare a mistrial. In that case, it does not mean that anybody wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: A jury then decided that they would keep deliberating. If convicted of murder, Slager faces 30 years to life in prison.

Nearly 600 patients in the state of Wisconsin may have been exposed to HIV or hepatitis because of a dentist improperly using his equipment. It happened at a Veterans Affairs medical center in the town of Toma (ph).

Officials say the dentist, who has not been named, reused his own equipment. That could be contrary to V.A. rules, which require the use and sterilization of disposable tools. Patients are being offered free tests to find out if they are infected and the dentist is no longer seeing patients. He is set to face a review board come Monday.

Still ahead here on NEWSROOM, Iraq's battle for Mosul grinds on and the U.N. warns casualties are mounting. CNN is live in Iraq -- ahead.

Plus: Syrian rebels try to stop a government offensive in Aleppo. Details on a new alliance that they say they've formed. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: Welcome back.

In Iraq, November was a particularly bloody month in the fight against ISIS. The U.N. says nearly 2,000 Iraqi troops were killed across the country, nearly triple the number of military casualties reported in October. Almost 1,000 civilians were also killed just last month.

For more on these figures and the war against ISIS, CNN producer Salma Abdelaziz joins now live from Irbil.

Thank you for being with us this hour. Let's break this down to explain exactly why we're seeing such high casualty numbers.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: George, these numbers are staggering, 2,000 soldiers killed, 1,000 civilians killed in just a matter of a month. We're seeing these high numbers now for the first time. The Iraqi army had not provided us with any figures since this conflict began in October.

What this paints a picture of is a grueling battle. The Iraqi army has now entered Mosul. They are now fighting house to house to retake that city from ISIS, which is deeply entrenched.

We're hearing from the Iraqi army that ISIS has used hundreds of car bombs. They have set up snipers on the rooftops of homes and they're even using residents as civilian shields.

And in this densely populated urban environment, U.S. airstrikes can simply not be used as much because they could create more civilian casualties. So it's a very difficult battle now. And we saw firsthand just how that's affecting the civilian population.

Just a week ago, we were at a triage point that's just on the outskirts of Mosul. And we saw family after family coming in with shrapnel wounds because mortar rounds from ISIS had landed close to their homes.

We saw families fleeing their homes because they said we are caught in the crossfire and we do not feel safe. And this battle is expected to take many more months to come, George. And we can expect to see a high civilian death toll but also a high soldier death toll from the Iraqi military in these many more months to come -- George.

HOWELL: Salma, I'd like to talk just a bit more about that. You touch on it, the situation with civilians. There are so many people who are just trying to get out of harm's way.

Talk to us about the situation that they are dealing with and what it's like to flee, to get out of harm's way, and then to try to find a place where you can get shelter, safety, because it is creating sort of a humanitarian issue.

ABDELAZIZ: Well, George, let me start by explaining to you why this humanitarian issue is the way it is in the first place. When Mosul started, the Baghdad central government asked all the civilians to stay in their homes. That's over 1 million residents.

They said please stay put, we're going to fight this fight while you remain at home. What that's meant is that this battle is happening on their doorstep. That means people are exchange gunfire; mortar rounds are landing, as I said earlier, right outside their doors.

And on top of that, you also have an issue of services. Half a million residents right now in Mosul have no water, according to the United Nations. When we went to the liberated areas, these are areas that the Iraqi military says are secure and clear of ISIS, there was no running water, there was no power, there was no hospitals nearby to provide medical care to anybody who's been wounded in those mortar strikes.

So it's a very bleak picture. And eight (ph) agencies in the United Nations say they expect it to get worse as this battle carries on. As we said, it's become very slow. It's become very meticulous. And ISIS has really taken advantage of the fact that it has had two years to prepare for this. And it's really dug itself deep, dug its heels into that civilian population --

[04:45:00]

ABDELAZIZ: -- and is using them in the worst possible ways, as we said, as human shields even, to protect themselves. And so this is a great deal of concern for the Iraqi military. They're trying to take as many precautions as they can as they move forward.

But as one U.N. official told me, ISIS is not fighting that way. They will do anything they can to protect themselves, to keep themselves alive in Mosul. And that means taking advantage of the civilian population -- George.

HOWELL: And as you point out, so some have, you know, found a way to get out of harm's way but there are many who are just waiting at home and waiting it out. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much for your reporting and we'll stay in touch with you.

Outgunned and surrounded, rebels in Aleppo, Syria, say that they have a new alliance to take on regime forces. It appears to be a last- ditch effort, though, aimed at repelling a crushing government assault.

Syrian regime forces and their allies have pushed into Eastern Aleppo; backed by airstrikes and artillery, they have encircled rebel positions and are now in control of more than 20 percent of the city's east. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more now from Damascus.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another day, more violence in Aleppo. The youngest suffering the most, this video from the Syrian civil defense showing rescuers saving a child after a suspected airstrike, the fighting claiming at least 45 lives on Wednesday alone, according to monitoring groups.

Over 30,000 people mostly children have been displaced since government forces launched a large scale offensive making sweeping gains in the east of Aleppo, the U.N. says.

In Rome, efforts continue to try and broker some sort of truce and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged area, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meeting Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And so hopefully, if the humanitarian situation can be dealt with in Aleppo more effectively. And if indeed we could create a framework for the passage of people out of Aleppo so that Aleppo itself might be able to be relieved from this agony.

That could open up the space to perhaps be able to start some kind of conversation in Geneva.

PLEITGEN: Even as its air force pounds rebel positions, Russia said it's still committed to a political solution in Syria.

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER, (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): There's no military solution to the Syrian conflict. We support this position within the framework of the International Syria Support Group.

Unfortunately, not all of its members were ready to support this common position that there is no military solution. But I'm sure it is absolutely clear any way, even without formal acceptance of this point of view.

PLEITGEN: In a desperate effort to fend off Syrian government troops, rebel factions in the besiege areas of Aleppo have announced a new alliance named the Army of Aleppo. But their fight remains desperate in the face of an offensive that is already cost the opposition much of the territory it held in Aleppo for years -- Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.

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HOWELL: The fight there continues.

This is CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back after this.

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[04:50:00]

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell, alongside meteorologist Derek Van Dam.

I want to talk about this situation, Derek, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This is where 13 people died after this major wildfire.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: There's also been 700 confirmed structures that have lost as well and leading up to the Christmas holiday season and coming off of a very busy tourist season for this part of Tennessee.

You can only imagine that the feeling of great loss is so palpable across this area right now.

We want to show you some footage of a gentleman who took his own cellphone just to one of the 700 structures that were demolished in this raging inferno. You can see the chimney still stands here.

The fire hit the communities of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the surrounding areas adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There's so many areas that didn't get burnt within the fire perimeter but the city of Gatlinburg, that was the exception. That was literally in the center of this wildfire.

What we've done is kind of calculated and compared the size so you at home can get an understanding of what these people and these residents of Central Tennessee have had to deal with over the past week or so. This area that you see highlighted in that shading of orange, that is the burn area.

There's another separate burn just outside of the Pigeon Forge region. But look at Gatlinburg, right smack dab in the middle of that burn area. Terrible to see, 27.9 square miles have burned so far with this Chimney Tops 2 fire. That is the amount of land consumed.

If you compare Manhattan, the size of Manhattan which is roughly 23 square miles, the burn area is larger than that of Manhattan. If you've ever traveled to New York City, you know that is a large space to consume in that period of time.

And really talking to some of the residents there and hearing some of the firsthand accounts, this fire spread very quickly. It went from 35 acres at 5:00 am in the morning to over 15,000 acres in a short period of time. We're talking five to 12 hours even.

We want to show you some of these images from digital globe 2016. You can see the fire burn scars as this wildfire raged through the region. And these are individual homes along the mountain sides across Gatlinburg. These are people's memories, their relationships --

[04:55:00]

VAN DAM: -- livelihoods. So really difficult to see these images. But it's important to help tell the story of really the loss being felt across this area.

Fortunately, George, there is some rain in the forecast that will help quell some of the fires that are still ongoing across that area because the fires have not yet been contained completely.

HOWELL: That rain is much needed.

VAN DAM: It is. And it needs to happen for a solid period of three to five days and it looks like it might.

HOWELL: We'll keep our fingers crossed. Derek, thank you.

Now the new champion of Formula 1 has a new speedy exit from the top racing circuit. Nico Rosberg says that he is retiring from F1 just five days after he won the world title in Abu Dhabi.

In a Facebook statement, Rosberg called winning the title a dream.

He said, quote, "I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right. My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen."

Congratulations. That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'll be back after the break with more news from around the world. Stay with us.

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