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U.S. Warns Syrian Civilians in Peril; Gambian President Demands New Election; Trump Skimping on Intel Briefings; South Korean Protesters Demanding Resignation of Park; Dylann Roof's Massacre Confession to FBI; Former FARC Rebels Demining Colombia. Aired 2-2:30a ET

Aired December 10, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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

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CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The U.N. calls for an urgent cease-fire in Syria with one official saying that Aleppo could be gone by Christmas.

Thousands of protesters were expected to gather shortly in Seoul. They want the president out of office right now.

And Russia under the microscope as President Obama orders a thorough assessment of hacking during the presidential campaign.

Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining us. I'm Cyril Vanier in Atlanta. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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VANIER: And we start the show with some breaking news. In the last hour, we have learned of a new development in the battle against ISIS. The U.S. is now saying it will deploy about 200 more troops to Syria in order to help regional forces as they press toward the ISIS stronghold of Raqqah.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made the announcement at a region security conference in Bahrain.

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ASH CARTER, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I can tell you today that the United States will deploy approximately 200 additional U.S. forces in Syria, including special operations forces, trainers, advisers and explosive ordnance disposal teams.

These uniquely skilled operators will join the 300 U.S. special operations forces already in Syria to continue organizing, training, equipping and otherwise enabling capable, motivated local forces to take the fight to ISIL.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VANIER: And as that decision was being made and that announcement was being made, the battle in Aleppo was continuing. The Syrian regime's offensive continuing there, with the U.N. warning that hundreds of men may have gone missing after fleeing rebel areas.

Family members say they lost contact with them after they headed for government-controlled neighborhoods. Meanwhile the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution, calling for a cease-fire in Syria.

The aim is allow civilians to escape and humanitarian aid to go in. But that resolution is nonbinding. Speaking early to CNN, the U.N. special envoy for Syria warned of the continuing danger for civilians.

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STAFFAN DE MISTURA, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO SYRIA: This was taken by satellite and the UN -- a U.N. type have organized this satellite picture. All the red you're seeing, it is totally destroyed. And the yellow is partially destroyed. And that is the city of Aleppo.

Now we need to avoid that the so-called battle of Aleppo will actually end up with the total destruction of the city and many more people killed. So the priority are the Syrian civilian people.

And to do so, we need first a pause in order to be able to allow the people to move and I think some have already, as you know, moved and others may be moving. But they need to be also welcome and given shelter (INAUDIBLE).

And second, to avoid the final part of the battle, we need to make sure that the fighters, if they decide to do so -- and we hope to do, that they do so -- will be able to move out of it in safety so that, in fact, we will be avoiding the last part of the battle of Aleppo.

You remember about a month ago, I said, if the bombing continued, there would be no left Aleppo by Christmas. We need and we hope that we will be able to avoid at least, at least that.

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VANIER: Friday's general assembly resolution comes as global officials are set to meet yet again to try and end Syria's civil war. U.S. secretary of state John Kerry will participate in a ministers' meeting in Paris on Saturday.

And U.S. and Russian officials are set to meet the same day in Geneva in Switzerland. Now Russia backs the Syrian government and it claimed on Thursday that an Aleppo cease-fire was already in effect. But as our Fred Pleitgen saw first-hand, the violence is continuing.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This is what the Syrian army's alleged halt in fighting looks like in Aleppo, the call to prayer pierced by explosions of gunfire as Bashar al-Assad's forces continue to pound the rebels. Aid groups like the Red Crescent working around the clock to try to

provide help for the growing tide of displaced. Of course, the volunteers from the Red Crescent are doing their best to try and keep up with the massive demand for aid here in this district after it was taken back by the Syrian military. But there are so many people lining up, that it's impossible to meet all the needs.

Tens of thousands have already fled Eastern Aleppo, many with only a few belongings they were able to grab, trying to get out of the crossfire, now left with almost nothing.

"These are the blankets --

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PLEITGEN (voice-over): "-- they gave us," this woman says "but we're 10 people.

"Do you really think that one blanket per person will be enough?"

These could be the rebels' final days in Aleppo as the Syrian army continues to hit them hard, bringing more weapons like tanks and artillery into position, a senior general telling CNN he believes his forces could take the entire city soon.

"It won't be long until we get it back," he says. "It might be a matter of weeks but not more than that."

As the international community continues to try to broker a truce for Aleppo, the reality on the ground shows an escalation in the fighting, the Syrian army so close to achieving their goal, seemingly unwilling to back down -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Aleppo.

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VANIER: In African news, just days after he conceded defeat in his country's presidential election, Gambia's president now apparently wants a do-over. President Yahya Jammeh lost last week after 22 years of hardline rule, prompted celebrations in Gambia's streets, as we see right there.

But appearing on state television on Friday, Mr. Jammeh called for new elections, claiming that he lost to opposition leader Adama Baro (ph) because of voting irregularities.

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Yahya Jammeh, Gambian president: I here announce the new government (ph) my total rejection of the electoral results and thereby annulling the elections in its entirety.

And until we go back -- we will go back to the polls because I want to make sure that every Gambian has voted. On an independent electoral culture, that is independent, neutral and free from foreign influences.

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VANIER: Now this has, as you can imagine, thrown the country into some confusion. Baro (ph) is still said to take office in late January. The head of his team says Baro (ph) and his staff are safe and are consulting on what to do next.

U.S. President Barack Obama is ordering a review into cyber attacks aimed at influencing U.S. elections. The new intel assessment comes as we're learning that Trump is only getting an average of one intelligence briefing per week. For comparison, other presidents- elect got one a day. Jim Sciutto has more.

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was an unprecedented cyber attack ordered by senior Russian leadership on the U.S. election, hacking the e-mails of Democratic officials, then released to the public virtually daily by WikiLeaks.

Now President Obama is ordering the intelligence community to conduct a full review of Putin's meddling and all cyber attacks connected to U.S. elections going back to 2008.

The question is, how will his successor react?

TRUMP: Wouldn't it be nice if we actually did get along with Russia?

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Trump repeatedly praised Russia during his campaign and denied that the Kremlin interfered in the election.

And he's continued to express doubts, even now that he has access to top U.S. intelligence as the president-elect, telling "TIME" magazine this week, "I don't believe they interfered. That became a laughing point, not a talking point, a laughing point. Anytime I do something they say, 'Oh, Russia interfered.'"

Trump's skepticism of the intelligence community comes despite his own limited appetite for intelligence briefings. So far, Trump has only had four presidential daily briefings; on average, one per week.

Former CIA director Leon Panetta telling CBS News that is not nearly often enough.

LEON PANETTA, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: If you're President of the United States, you'd better be in touch on a daily basis with your intelligence briefers so that you have an understanding as to what are -- what's happening in the world.

What are the crises you have to pay attention to and what steps do you have to take in order to deal with those crises?

SCIUTTO (voice-over): CNN has learned, however, that Trump has requested a more focused briefing on the threat from North Korea. The U.S. now believes the regime can mount a nuclear warhead on a missile, according to a senior military official.

CIA director John Brennan told Erin Burnett in a recent interview that he considers Pyongyang America's biggest current threat.

JOHN BRENNAN, CIA DIRECTOR: OK, look at the globe right now, North Korea with continued march toward increasing Kim Jong-un's nuclear arsenal and missile capability, not just to threaten his neighbors but also to have intercontinental capability. We can't allow Kim Jong-un to continue on this march.

SCIUTTO: Now on Mr. Trump's intelligence briefings, he is receiving them less frequently than previous presidents-elect; however Reince Priebus, his incoming chief of staff, telling CBS News that as they get closer to the inauguration, the number and the frequency of those briefings will increase -- Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

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VANIER: So for more on all of this I'm joined by CNN political commentator, Lanhee Chen, a former policy director for Mitt Romney.

Thanks for joining us. And the first thing I want to ask you about is following up on what we just said, Donald Trump not taking even a fraction of those national security briefings, intelligence briefings, that are offered to him or made available to him.

What do you make of that?

LANHEE CHEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think, first of all, these briefings during this period of time, they're important but they're probably not as critical as they'll be as when he takes office and certainly it should be the case that people around him who are going to be advising him -- for example, his national security adviser-to-be, General Flynn-- it's important for him to be getting access to the information.

But as far as Mr. Trump is concerned, I think at this point, there are probably a lot of different things he's focused on. And so I presume, as we get closer to when he takes office, he may end up taking more of these briefings.

But they are certainly important. It's important for the commander in chief-to-be to be familiar with all of the challenges that America faces around the world, as well as the national security posture of the country, going into the day he'll be inaugurated.

VANIER: OK. But I'm hearing you're saying essentially it's OK and it stands to reason, if he's focusing on building his team and on his domestic politics rather than the national security at this moment in time?

CHEN: Yes. I think at this moment in time I think it's important that he's getting some of that information, it's important that he's getting a picture of what's going on.

But in terms of actually needing to be in those briefings every day -- now if he -- once he takes office, if he's not getting a daily briefing, that's a problem. He needs to be getting a daily briefing. But at this point remember Barack Obama is still the commander in chief; Donald Trump needs situational awareness. But beyond that I don't think everyday briefings are needed.

VANIER: OK. So if building his team at this point is more important, tell me about former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. It looks like he's been -- it looks like he won't be part of the team and that they're putting a nice face on it but essentially he's been dropped.

CHEN: There could be any number of different reasons for that. And some of it may be that Mayor Giuliani himself decided that whatever the sacrifice was going to have to be for him to serve, he wasn't willing to make that sacrifice.

But it seemed clear that, for whatever reason, there wasn't a good fit there between Giuliani and the job of secretary of state. And what I was saying earlier is I think they have got a pool of very strong candidates remaining for that job. So I'm not sure that the president-elect is any worse for the wear.

VANIER: So a smart move then by Donald Trump?

CHEN: Well, I think that there probably were others in that pool that were stronger than Mayor Giuliani as secretary of state candidates. I think that the others that are being named, that are being considered all have great experience.

I think would bring a great deal of perspective to the job. So I certainly don't think it's any worse for the president-elect and for, Mr. Giuliani, it sounds like he has got a bunch of stuff he wants to pursue in the private sector.

VANIER: All right. CNN political commentator, Lanhee Chen, thank you very much.

CHEN: Thank you. VANIER: All right. We will take a very short break. When we are

back, more protests in the streets of Seoul. Live pictures right now from the South Korean capital. Why an overwhelming impeachment vote hasn't slowed down the crowds.

Plus a shocking confession. Hear what Dylann Roof told the FBI about shooting and killing nine people while they prayed in church.

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VANIER: New protests against South Korean President Park Geun-hye are getting underway in Seoul. Demonstrators have called on her to resign for weeks. While lawmakers on Friday voted to start the impeachment process, that has not satisfied the thousands of people who want the president out now.

We are looking at live pictures from the center of the South Korean capital. You can see people there, gathering, congregating, as they have been doing over the past number of weeks, calling for the ouster of the president. Our Paula Hancocks joins us live from Seoul.

Paula, it could look as seen from here that it is mission accomplished for the protesters. The lawmakers voted for the impeachment process to start.

Why does this not satisfy them?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cyril, the protesters weren't asking for impeachment of President Park Geun-hye; they were asking for her resignation. They want her gone today. In fact, they want her to have resigned yesterday,

But that doesn't appear as though it's going to happen. So even when impeachment started to be talked about, this is week number seven of the Saturday night vigils.

Protesters I spoke to said, yes, fine, if she is impeached. But we want her to resign because that is immediate and then we can get on with trying to restore democracy to this country.

So that's the reason you are going to see many people coming out onto the streets today. The few thousand out there at this point it looks like we have seen hundreds of thousands. Organizers claim there's been 1 million, some weeks 1.5 million; police estimates far more conservative.

But the fact is they are closing down a 12-lane highway in downtown Seoul every single Saturday, calling for her resignation. Impeachment for many of the people that are coming here today is simply not good enough -- Cyril.

VANIER: These pictures are very telling. And in the way that you read the political situation and the mood on the street right now in Seoul, do you they think they can achieve that?

Can they actually push her out of power before the constitutional court rules on that impeachment procedure?

HANCOCKS: Well, there's only one woman that can decide that. And she's currently believed to be in the presidential office, the Blue House. which is just a couple of kilometers away from here.

So every Saturday night she can hear these protests, you would imagine, and the chanting and the singing, calling for her resignation. Many times these marches go just 200 meters, 100 meters close to the Blue House before police stop them for security reasons.

So the fact is it is only President Park Geun-hye who can decide to step down. The lawmakers have done what they wanted, a very convincing vote, 234 versus 56. A very convincing vote to impeach her. But of course it will take another six months -- up to six months, I

should say -- for this constitutional court to decide whether there is enough evidence against her in this corruption scandal and they uphold the impeachment.

But if they decide there is not enough evidence, they could actually reinstate her in six months' time. People on the streets know that -- Cyril.

VANIER: And is that why, Paula, in your assessment, Park Geun-hye is not stepping down?

Is it because she still sees a window of opportunity for her to stay in power medium-term?

HANCOCKS: Possibly. It's very difficult to read exactly what the president is doing at this point. But certainly the expert opinion, when she apologized once again, but said I will resign if the parliament can figure out the timetable and the logistics and then saying I will respect the constitutional court's decision.

Many experts think she is playing for time. Remember, as well, prosecutors have said that they want to investigate her in this corruption as a suspect. She has immunity from prosecution when she is a president. She loses that immunity when she is no longer president -- Cyril.

VANIER: All right. Paula Hancocks reporting live from Seoul, nobody than her to read the politics of South Korea at the moment. Thank you very much.

To the U.S. now, the South Carolina man who calls himself a white supremacist says he opened fire in a black church because, quote, "somebody had to."

Jurors heard Dylann Roof's chilling video confession on Friday. He is charged in the massacre of nine people in an African American church in 2015. Roof opened fire as worshipers bowed their heads in prayer. He said he wanted to agitate race relations.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- make sure I'm clear on this. You've already said if it wouldn't have been black people in that church you would have never walked in there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, it was because of your belief, you understanding of black people in America and (INAUDIBLE) they're doing to society.

The crimes and everything else. And you wanted to -- it was a retaliation or a...

DYLANN ROOF, AMERICAN TERRORIST: Right, well (INAUDIBLE).

These people, you know, they're in a church, you know, they're not criminals or anything. But that's -- I mean, it's the criminal black people kill innocent white people every day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what was the -- what was your point then?

What point were you trying to make by using -- you said right there, these people were in church; they were in innocent.

ROOF: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, what was the -- so what was the plan in targeting them?

ROOF: Because I just knew that that would be a place where there would be, you know, at least, you know, some of them black people, you know, in one area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: And even though Roof has confessed to the crime, there has to be a trial because the prosecutors are asking for the death penalty.

Now it's Nobel weekend in Norway and Colombia's president is getting an award for his role in bringing peace to the country -- up next on CNN.

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VANIER: So the Colombian president is collecting his Nobel Peace Prize in Norway in a few hours. The Nobel Committee awarded President Juan Manuel Santos the peace prize for his efforts to end Colombia's half-century-long civil war.

Mr. Santos calls the prize "a gift from heaven." But even though the FARC and the Colombian government has signed that piece deal, the Colombian FARC can still be dangerous with lethal hazards that former rebels are now working to remove. Here's Shasta Darlington.

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SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beneath these trees in Northern Colombia the remnants of civil war between leftist FARC rebels and right-wing paramilitaries.

Though the conflict itself has largely abated and Congress has approved a revised peace deal, the dangers of war beneath the Earth's surface are still very real.

This is Carlos. He's looking for land mines, land mines he likely planted in his former life as a FARC rebels.

CARLOS, FARC REBEL (through translator): I worked setting up land mines for a year. They gave me an area like this one and they said, "You are in charge. You have to have your mines ready."

DARLINGTON (voice-over): Carlos is not a member of FARC anymore. A government agency for reintegration and humanitarian demining, Halo Trust (ph), gave him a second chance. Now he works removing the mines.

CARLOS (through translator): I took this job because I wanted better opportunities and to contribute to Colombia with all the violence it has had.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): Although recent peace efforts have reduced the number of new mines being planted, the 2016 Land Mine Monitor Report still shows Colombia ranking in the top 10 for mine-related casualties during 2015.

Halo Trust's (ph) deminers are local community members, including people like Carlos and victims of the armed conflict alike. They are paid a living wage, financed through international donors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Thank God, we are fortunate for having this program. I want to thank every single one of them for their support in our region. Today we can walk without fear or danger.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): To date, they have cleared dozens of --

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DARLINGTON (voice-over): -- mine fields and destroyed hundreds of mines. -- Shasta Darlington, CNN.

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VANIER: On the other side of the world now -- or thereabouts -- a tropical cyclone is gaining strength in the Bay of Bengal, posing a threat to Eastern India. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now for more on this.

We have been talking about this for a few days.

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DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I want to take you to the other side of the world. This is from my home state in Michigan in the United States. They had a rough week. The first taste of winter driving for many people didn't fare too well unfortunately. There was a 40-car pileup on Interstate 96 in Fowlerville, Michigan, it's near the center of the state.

Unfortunately, there were three fatalities you can see just how slick the roads were. When the whiteout conditions happen like that, it can become very dangerous very quick. VANIER: From the International Weather Center, Derek Van Dam, thank you very much.

And of course we'll have a lot more from Derek over the coming hours. I will be back with the headlines in just a moment. Thank you very much for watching CNN.

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