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U.S. to Send 200 More Troops to Syria; South Korean Protesters Demanding Resignation of Park; Trump Skimping on Intel Briefings; Obama Orders Review of U.S. Election Hacking; Top Diplomats Meet in Paris to Discuss Syria; Russia Dismisses Report on Sports Doping; Dylann Roof's Massacre Confession to FBI; Former FARC Rebels Demining Colombia; Giraffe Population Plummets. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired December 10, 2016 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): -- Barack Obama orders a thorough assessment of hacking, alleged hacking, during the presidential campaign.
Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
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HOWELL: Good day to you. In the fight against ISIS, we now know that more American troops will be going into Syria. The U.S. said that it will deploy about 200 more troops there to support regional forces as they press on against ISIS and the stronghold of Raqqa. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made that announcement just a short time ago at a regional security conference in Bahrain. Listen.
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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 units already in Syria to continue organizing, equipping and otherwise enables motivated forces to take the fight to ISIL.
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HOWELL: Carter's comments come as top diplomats meet once again looking to end Syria's civil war. The U.S. secretary of state John Kerry joined foreign ministers from several different countries in Paris. The U.S. and Russian officials are set to meet separately in Switzerland. Russia claimed Thursday that an Aleppo cease-fire was in effect but the violence there does continue, as our Fred Pleitgen saw firsthand on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) 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 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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HOWELL: Fred Pleitgen there on the ground with the latest. And now let's bring in CNN correspondent Muhammad Lila, following this story from Istanbul, Turkey.
Muhammad, we just heard the report from Fred. The fighting continues on the ground. At the same time, there are efforts, diplomatic meetings, underway to try to find some sort of a pause in the fighting.
MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In fact, George, it might not just be a pause. It might actually eventually be an end to some of the fighting. And the reason is that the rebels are basically cornered and surrounded on all sides by the regime. There's very little chance they'll be able to regroup and take more territory.
The question is, what do the rebels do?
We know that the talks are going to be happening today between U.S. secretary of state John Kerry and his counterpart, Russian foreign minister Lavrov, they're going to put one final offer on the table. From what we understand for the rebels to put down their arms and leave the eastern part of Aleppo --
[04:05:00]
LILA: -- Russia has said that those who don't put down their arms will be, quote, "eliminated." But there are positive signs. We know that John Kerry has come out and said that he was feeling confident and hopeful that they would be able to to arrive at some sort of conclusive arrangement as a result of today's meetings.
HOWELL: It's been indicated by some that these two sides are described as poles apart from each other, though, Muhammad.
Can you help the viewers to understand the difference between the United States and Russia when it comes to this fight?
LILA: Sure. Russia's position is very simple. They believe that they're offering a peaceful way out for those moderate rebels who want to leave. The problem is that on the ground there are so many rebel groups and they're not united amongst themselves.
So some rebel groups are willing -- and we've spoken to a number of rebels -- that they're willing to leave the eastern part of Aleppo. But others are insistent on staying and essentially making one last stand and giving their lives for a revolution in the eastern part of Aleppo that seems to at least now to be unsuccessful.
So that's the Russian perspective. The United States perspective is slightly different and slightly more nuanced, trying to arrange a cease-fire and look more at the humanitarian angle.
So when we talk about the sides being poles apart that's one thing to keep in mind. But the reality on the ground is that the rebels control so little territory compared to what they have held several months ago that they're at a point now where they really have to start making that hard decision about giving up completely.
HOWELL: The U.N. also indicated, Muhammad, that the disappearance, I should say, of hundreds of people who were trying to flee.
LILA: Yes, of course, and that's a very important observation that the U.N. has made. The U.N. has said that they've received reports that men who are leaving Eastern Aleppo, that's the rebel-held side, and going to government-held areas, that those men, possibly hundreds of them, have simply disappeared.
Now there's a grave concern about what's happening to them.
Have they been imprisoned, have they been executed, have they been killed?
But at the same time, the U.N. in that same statement came out and said that there were civilians who were being abducted and killed that were living in rebel territory. And their only crime was that they asked the rebels to leave because they didn't want any fighting taking place in their neighborhoods. And in asking the rebels to leave, the rebels responded by killing
those people. The U.N. has basically said that there are most likely war crimes being committed on both sides.
HOWELL: Also I want to talk about another city there in that nation, the self-proclaimed capital of ISIS, Raqqah, under attack. The United States now looking to send in more troops into that fight.
What's the situation there?
LILA: The first thing is, you ought to think about the optics of this. It appears that Aleppo is on the verge of falling. The rebels have said themselves that they believe they may have 24 or 48 hours left.
So just as Aleppo is falling, the shift now is focusing towards the city Raqqah. And of course Raqqah is in Syria what Mosul is in Iraq. It's ISIS' stronghold. And the United States sending troops there is an indication that they're now starting to turn their attention towards Raqqah and fighting ISIS in that city.
Of course, very interesting in that statement, George, the United States Secretary of Defense talked about special forces troops going to Raqqah and we know that anytime special forces troops are on the ground, they're not in the back. They're usually right on the front lines.
So the U.S. could be prepared to take a more active role when it comes to capturing Raqqah from ISIS now that Aleppo seems like it's almost over.
HOWELL: CNN correspondent Muhammad Lila, live for us in Istanbul, Turkey. Muhammad, thank you for the insight and reporting. We'll stay in touch with you as we follow this story.
Moving on now to South Korea, there are new protests against that country's president, Park Geun-hye. And they are in full swing in Seoul, South Korea. Demonstrators have been calling on Park to resign for weeks now.
And Friday's vote to start the impeachment process has not satisfied the many, many people there who want her out now. Paula Hancocks is following this story live in Seoul, South Korea, this hour.
Paula, it's good to have you. So let's talk about this situation. The lawmakers there have voted to impeach; that has happened. The process could take time as this goes to the constitutional court and that is not exactly certain. Protesters, though, are demanding that the president resign immediately.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, George. This is what we've been hearing for seven weeks now. This is the seventh Saturday night in a row that these mass rallies have been taking place.
And they do want an immediate resignation. It could take up to six months for the constitutional court to decide whether or not this impeachment should go ahead and whether or not there's enough evidence against President Park in this ever-widening corruption scandal. They could find her innocent of the charges and they could decide that she should be reinstated.
So there are many people on the streets behind me, thousands upon thousands that are coming to this weekly rally to show their determination that they want her to step down immediately. It should be noted that --
[04:10:00]
HANCOCKS: -- the cries are not as big as they have been. So we are seeing fewer people coming out on the streets. Clearly for some impeachment or at least the start of the impeachment process was enough -- George.
HOWELL: Paula, you indicated this yesterday but I just want to reiterate for our viewers, when it comes to this constitutional court, there are members on that body that were appointed by the president.
HANCOCKS: That's right. There were two that were appointed by the president. It is an independent judicial system, though, the constitutional court, so, in theory, that shouldn't make a difference.
What will potentially make a difference is you have nine judges on this court. Six of those nine, at least six of those nine, have to agree either that she should be impeached or that she shouldn't.
But the problem is to have six out of nine, two of those members of the constitutional court are actually going to retire in the coming months before the decision actually comes down.
So then you've got six out of seven have to agree on the same results. So it's tight. Certainly there are some on the streets that are concerned that it's a little too tight and there is a chance that President Park could be reinstated.
It is worth mentioning of course, President Park has apologized. But she's apologized for carelessness of those around her. She herself has said that she's never again out for any self gain in anything she's done.
HOWELL: Her executive power has been suspended but, at the same time, the optics, you have people demanding that she leave. Though she were to remain in the Blue House until the constitutional court reaches a conclusion on this.
Paula Hancocks, following the story for us live in Seoul, South Korea, we'll stay in touch with you on this story. Paula, thank you.
This is CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, the U.S. president-elect, he doubts it, even though cyber security firms are sure of it. And now the President of the United States, Barack Obama, is ordering a review of Russia's alleged meddling in the U.S. elections.
Plus, the latest signal that some Trump loyal supporters may be left out in the cold when he moves into the White House. Stay with us.
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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.
The U.S. President of the United States, Barack Obama, is ordering a full review into cyber attacks in that influencing the U.S. elections. Intelligence officials believe that Russia interfered to ensure Donald Trump's victory.
Trump, though, isn't sure that Russia was not involved. He believes that Russia had nothing to do with it. CNN's Jim Sciutto has more on this.
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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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HOWELL: Jim, thank you.
Just a short time ago, a Kremlin spokesman told CNN there is no evidence to back the U.S. allegations of Russia's hacking into the U.S. elections. He went on to say that the U.S. may actually be trying to give Donald Trump a negative image of Russia.
Donald Trump also has made several controversial cabinet picks this week but one, Rudy Giuliani, his top surrogate on the election will not be on that team, as CNN's Sara Murray explains.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump's secretary of state option down one with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani withdrawing his name from contention for that or any other cabinet position.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER MAYOR OF NYC: My desire to be in the cabinet was great but it wasn't that great. And he had a lot of terrific candidates. And I thought I could play a better role being on the outside and continuing to be his close friend and adviser.
[04:20:00]
MURRAY (voice-over): But sources say that Rudy Giuliani didn't voluntarily withdrawal his name from the mix. He was informed he wouldn't get the State Department position.
This as CNN has learned that ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's stock is rising for the State Department post, that as Trump faces fresh questions about his business empire.
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump easily shrugged aside his business interests, insisting the allure of the White House was far more important.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. It is nice when you don't have to care. But I don't care. What I care about is making America great again. That's much more important.
MURRAY (voice-over): But now the president-elect is showing little sign of stepping back from his corporate calling and yet another potential conflict of interest, sources say Trump will remain an executive producer for NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice," even as he serves as President of this United States.
Trump hosted 14 seasons of "The Apprentice" but in 2015, NBC said it was cutting ties with Trump after his controversial remarks about undocumented Mexican immigrants.
TRUMP: I have a big chunk of that show. And I could have done it for another five years if I wanted to. But I don't know, there's a lot of pressure in Arnold because Arnold's got, you know, it's the number one show. And I did it for 14 seasons. I have a big stake in it.
MURRAY (voice-over): Now one of Trump's top advisers, Kellyanne Conway, is defending Trump's decision, saying he will remain involved in the show in his free time.
KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Were we so concerned about the hours and hours and hours spent on the golf course of the current president?
I mean presidents have the right to do things in their spare time or their leisure time.
MURRAY (voice-over): Of course Trump and other Republicans were sharply critical of the time President Obama spent on the links.
TRUMP: And he gets on this plane, flies to Hawaii. He is there for a long time. Golf, golf, golf, golf, more, more. Learning how to chip, learning how to hit the drive, learning how to putt. Oh, I want more.
MURRAY (voice-over): The latest news on Trump's business dealings comes days before he is slated to hold a press conference on who will run his company once he heads to the White House.
Although there is little indication Trump will fully divest from his business. And Trump is using his thank you tour to defend the cabinet picks he's already made, which include a number of business titans with little government experience.
TRUMP: By the way, some of the people I put on to negotiate, you have been noticing, are some of the most successful people in the world. Now one newspaper criticized me.
Why can't they have people of modest means?
Because I want people that made a fortune because now they are negotiating with you.
OK?
MURRAY (voice-over): That road show continues today with an evening rally in Michigan as well as a stop in Louisiana to campaign for Republican Senate candidate. But before he left Trump Tower he squeezed in a meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is putting aside his past criticism of Trump in favor of a show of unity instead.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: We are very excited about getting the work and hitting the ground running in 2017 to put this country back on track.
MURPHY: Now with Rudy Giuliani out of the mix, it appears that some of Donald Trump's earliest staunch supporters, Rudy Giuliani, New Jersey governor Chris Christie and even Newt Gingrich won't end up in a Donald Trump administration.
And already some early loyalists and even former Donald Trump campaign staffers have been grumbling that, maybe in the long run, loyalty won't be rewarded after all -- Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
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HOWELL: A lot to talk about here, let's go live to Washington. CNN's Eugene Scott is following this situation for us and we can get some insight.
Eugene, good to have you. The President of the United States is calling on a full review of Russia to see if it played any role in affecting U.S. elections; a likely possibility, say many in the intelligence community. But the president-elect is already casting doubt on their assessment.
EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Very much so, we have seen Donald Trump repeatedly suggest that Russia's involvement in this election isn't what his critics have said but an investigation, an official one, launched by the current President of the United States could help prove some -- provide some clarity, should we say, to people who doubt on both sides whether or not that is what actually happened.
HOWELL: Eugene, I want to read what we're seeing here from the Trump transition, a statement that they released about this. And I'll read it in part.
It says that these are the same people who said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
"The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest electoral college victories in history. It's now time to move on and make America great again." That's the statement from the transition team, Eugene. But again I
want to take our viewers back. Let's go back to just a short time ago, where Donald Trump actually called on Russia to hack the United States. Let's listen.
[04:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: So what we're finding here -- again, Eugene, this is one person who has cast doubt on the intelligence community, has cast doubt on the media. And we're seeing, again, changing his tune when it suits him.
SCOTT: Indeed that is what we're seeing. And we're also seeing a continued promotion of inaccuracies. The top administrators who were involved in the intelligence community regarding Saddam Hussein are not there. These are not the same people. That top administration during the Bush administration actually resigned.
So these are actually people who are on the ground, knowledgeable about what is happening. We have reports saying that U.S. officials believe that a few people directly connected to the Russian government handed WikiLeaks these e-mails.
We've reported here at CNN that the president-elect is not getting his daily briefs. I think if he did that hey may have more access to this data that the intelligence community is relying upon
HOWELL: Let's circle back and also talk about the fact that Rudy Giuliani, again, this is a person who has been loyal to Donald Trump for some time. Rudy Giuliani, though, withdrawing his name from the list of possibilities as a pick for secretary of state -- Eugene.
SCOTT: Yes, we saw early reporting suggesting that after he was told that he would not get this position, the one he wanted most, that he decided that he wanted no official position in the administration. I'm not sure that that's surprising, the no official position part because what we do know is that you don't have to be an official cabinet member to be a strong adviser. And that's what I think he's hoping on.
HOWELL: Eugene Scott, live for us via Skype in Washington. Eugene, thank you so much for the insight and perspective. We'll stay in touch with you.
SCOTT: Sure. Thank you.
HOWELL: This is CNN NEWSROOM, still ahead, a stinging new report takes aim at Russia and its Olympians. And it alleges that Moscow engaged in widespread state-sponsored doping that benefited hundreds of its athletes. What the Kremlin is saying in response, as CNN NEWSROOM continues.
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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome back to our viewers 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.
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HOWELL: Days after conceiting defeat in his country's election, Gambia's president is now demanding voters go back to the polls. President Yahya Jammeh claims that he lost to opposition leader Adama Baro (ph) because of voter irregularities.
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YAHYA JAMMEH, GAMBIAN PRESIDENT: I hereby 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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HOWELL: Yahya Jammeh there; his defeat following 22 years of hardline rule, prompted celebrations in the streets. The U.S. is urging him to carry out the transition of power to the president-elect.
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HOWELL: Revisiting our top story, the crisis in Syria. Diplomats are meeting in Paris to discuss Syria's brutal civil war. The U.S. secretary of state John Kerry has joined foreign ministers from several different countries and other U.S. and Russian officials are set to meet separately in Switzerland.
The meetings come as a crushing regime offensive continues in Eastern Aleppo. The U.N.'s special enjoy for Syria spoke earlier about Aleppo with my colleague, Natalie Allen. And he warned that civilians there were in great peril if the violence isn't stopped.
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STAFFAN DE MISTURA, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO SYRIA: This was taken by satellite and the UNITAR (ph) organized the 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 --
[04:35:00]
DE MISTURA: -- 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 that.
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: You mentioned the people that want to leave should be able to leave safely. But there are reports that 100 men went missing after they left.
Do you know about that?
DE MISTURA: Absolutely. We heard the same reports. And actually there was a message coming from our human rights office in Geneva, expressing concern about it.
Now that's why, yesterday, after the Security Council, I requested formally and officially that the U.N. team, which is present in Aleppo, should be present when people are coming. If they are present there, we will be able to at least deter the penalty of this type of issue.
In all fairness, 100 men is the number we heard; could be more. But also 30,000 of women and children, others, have been actually moving safely and been actually assisted. But 100 men, it's been a major concern.
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HOWELL: And that that we just heard there was the U.N. special enjoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, speaking with my colleague, Natalie Allen, on the situation there.
The International Olympic Committee plans to test urine samples from Russian athletes who took part in the Olympics in London in 2012 and in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.
This follows bombshell allegations by the World Anti-Doping Agency. It says that Moscow conspired to carry out an elaborate doping system and cover-up that benefited more than 1,000 Russian athletes. CNN's Jill Dougherty has more now on the reaction out of Russia.
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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Russian media and some sports officials here in Russia are dismissing and criticizing this report, saying essentially there's nothing new, there's no evidence and there are no names included in it.
Essentially what they're saying is everybody does it, athletes from other countries do it and, besides, it's a common evil. Now the Kremlin has weighed in, the spokesperson for President Putin, saying they're going to study this report but they're not going to react, as Dmitry Peskov put it, "emotionally."
Peskov said they will look especially at that Internet website from the McLaren report, looking at all the details from that but they will not respond emotionally to allegations of a state conspiracy.
The Russian ministry of sports insists that there is no state- sponsored program of doping. They said they continue their fight against doping from a zero tolerance position.
They also say that the security services in Russia have been investigating that first McLaren report that came out in July and they're urging them to do the same now with this second report.
And then, finally, the ministry of sports saying we're ready to cooperate with any international organization that is fighting doping -- Jill Dougherty, Moscow.
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HOWELL: CNN contributor and our former Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, with insight. We'll, of course, get more reporting and insight from her about this report.
Earlier, my colleague, Cyril Vanier, spoke with the U.S. Olympic medalist Lauryn Williams about her reaction to the Russian doping allegations. And here's what she told him.
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LAURYN WILLIAMS, OLYMPIC MEDALIST: In the sense that I'm disheartened on behalf of athletes worldwide to hear that the widespread doping in Russia was on such a large scale. And that athletes were allowed to compete in Rio is just sad for me to hear.
And the medals that were stolen in Sochi, the medals that were stolen in London, at the world championships in Moscow, all these different opportunities that -- opportunities where athletes missed their chance to stand on the podium.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: That was my colleague there, Cyril Vanier, talking with U.S. Olympic medalist Lauryn Williams about the allegations of state sponsored doping by Russia.
On now to South Carolina, the man there who calls himself a white supremacist said that he opened fire on an African American church because somebody had to.
Jurors heard Dylann Roof's chilling video confession on Friday. He's charged in a massacre killing nine people in an African American church in 2015. You see him there in the video entering. And then you see him leaving and you see the weapon in his hand. Roof began shooting when the worshippers bowed their heads in prayer.
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DYLANN ROOF, AMERICAN TERRORIST: It's not that I don't want to say it because I don't want to make myself seem guilty, I just don't really like saying it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But sometimes, we have to face those things, the realities, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want to --
[04:40:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- put any words in your mouth. That's why --
ROOF: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- that's why Agent Stansbury (ph) just is asking what it exactly is that you did do.
ROOF: Well, I did -- I killed -- well, I guess, I mean, I don't really -- well, (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
ROOF: -- didn't count how many people were in there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So did you shoot them?
ROOF: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Roof there saying that he wanted to agitate race relations. Even though Roof confessed, there has to be a trial because the prosecutors are asking for the death penalty.
This is CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back after the break.
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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.
The president of Colombia 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."
Even though the rebel group called the FARC and the Colombian government have signed a peace deal, the Colombian forest can still be very dangerous with lethal hazards that former rebels are working to remove. CNN's Shasta Darlington shows us.
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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.
[04:45:00]
CARLOS (through translator): 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 mine fields and destroyed hundreds of mines. -- Shasta Darlington, CNN.
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HOWELL: Wow. Shasta Darlington, thank you.
Still ahead, you may not know this, it may be a surprise to many people but Africa's giraffe population is falling sharply leading to growing concerns that the species could be facing a silent extinction. Stay with us.
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HOWELL: Welcome back. It is well-known that populations of gorillas, rhinos, tigers and other large mammals are in serious decline in the wild, at risk of becoming completely wiped out, extinct. But now another fixture of the African savannah is said to face possible extinction as well. We're talking about giraffes.
They have been put on red list of endangered species. CNN's Farai Sevenzo reports from Nairobi.
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FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A trip to Nairobi can bring you face-to-face with one of Africa's iconic creatures, the giraffe. Here at the giraffe center, these giraffes are raised in a controlled environment, where tourists and school kids and adults can learn more about them at close quarters.
Hello, Betty. I love a tall girl.
So you've heard that a bunch of elephants are called a herd and that a bunch of lions are called a pride.
Now what do you call a bunch of giraffes?
They're called a tower. And they certainly make me feel very small.
But scientists have found what they're calling a devastating trend. Giraffe populations have decreased almost 40 percent in the last 30 years, leading the International Union for Conservation of Nature to classify them as under threat of extinction.
These animals, which are so big, so visible, yet their decline has gone largely unnoticed until now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We focus so much on the big species like elephants. Sometimes, the rhinos; sometimes, the lions. And we forget about these tall gentle giants of African savannahs. SEVENZO (voice-over): A drive through Nairobi National Park entered one reason on the horizon, Africa's urban landscape is changing fast and eating up more of what used to be the giraffe's habitat. All over the continent, cities are growing to cope with increasing numbers of people and the giraffes are running out of grazing space.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Part of our planning should put into account that we do have actually wildlife and wildlife that requires big spaces and requires specific habitats. So in the planning is where we are calling for the planners to include wildlife as one of the land uses.
SEVENZO (voice-over): Saving giraffes will not be a simple task. Conflict, habitat degradation, poaching and hunting for bush meat have all contributed to the decline in giraffe numbers.
An ancient fable has it that a long time ago the giraffes were the soothsayers, they could lift their heads to the clouds, look back and see the past, look forward and see the future. But one thing no one, not even the giraffes could have predicted, is that by 2016 their numbers could have dropped and they could be facing what the conservationists are now calling a silent extinction -- Farai Sevenzo, CNN, Nairobi.
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HOWELL: Farai, thank you for that report.
Biologists say that our planet is on the verge of its sixth era of extinction. That means three-quarters of all species could disappear over the next couple of centuries if we don't make drastic changes now to stop it. Elephants, amphibians, coral reefs, bees and birds. The list could go on.
We'll explore five stories of endangered species in our special, "Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extinction." That airs Saturday at 12:00 pm in London, 8:00 pm in Hong Kong, right here on CNN.
A deadly 40-car pileup claimed three lives in the U.S. state of Michigan Thursday. And our meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, is here.
Derek, that's your home state.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. It's where I grew up and I'm all too familiar with these winter conditions and how quickly and how abruptly they can change. George, we're talking about visibility that goes from miles to a matter of feet in less than 30 seconds. That's what whiteout conditions are all about and this is what drivers unfortunately had to contend with around I-96 around the central part of Michigan. Unfortunately, three fatalities near Fowlerville.
As 40 vehicles piled up, including jackknifed trucks, low visibility at the time, there was also snow and ice on the roadways. You can see some of it there. It's really the dangerous whiteout conditions that gives people very little warning to look out for the potential of a crash.
And so the best advice I can give you there is allow and maintain a comfortable driving distance between the car in front of you.
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HOWELL: Derek Van Dam, thank you, appreciate it.
And thank you for being with us. The second hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts after the break. I'm George Howell. Stay with us.
