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Trump Questions Value of "One China" Policy; Kurdish Militant Group, TAK, Claims Istanbul Bombings; ISIS And Regime Forces Clash in Palmyra; Israel Buying U.S. F-35 Lightning Stealth Fighter Jets; Venezuelan Government Confiscates Toys Ahead of Christmas; S.C. Pastor Speaks Out on Dylann Roof Trial; Dying Coral Reefs Spells Disaster for Madagascar. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired December 12, 2016 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00] CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: He's not even president yet, but Donald Trump's foreign policy comments are already causing division. We'll tell you how he's moving closer to Moscow and further away from Beijing.

Hiding from war, but presenting a brave face to the world, we hear exclusively from the girl who has become the voice of innocent victims of Aleppo.

And the nightmare before Christmas, why Venezuela's government has taken four million toys off the shelves ahead of the big day.

We're very glad to have you with us, I'm Cyril Vanier, live from CNN Headquarters in Atlanta. Your CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

A Chinese state-sanctioned newspaper is slamming Donald Trump over his latest remarks on the One-China Policy. An editorial compared the president-elect to an ignorant child, when it comes to foreign policy. Under the One-China Policy, the U.S. only has diplomatic relations with Beijing and not with Taiwan. But on Sunday, Trump hinted that he might no longer abide by that policy, once he's in power. Here's what he said to FOX News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I fully understand the One-China Policy, but I don't know why we have to be bound by One-China Policy unless we make a deal with China, having to do with other things, including trade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: Our Matt Rivers has China's reaction to that from Beijing. Matt, you know, it's interesting a little while ago after Donald Trump spoke to the president of Taiwan over the phone, there was some talk as to just how seriously they should be taking him. Is Beijing taking Donald Trump seriously now?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think Beijing is absolutely taking Donald Trump seriously. This is an issue here in China. This One- China Policy is something that the government here in Beijing, holds sacrosanct. It is really formed the basis of not only as cross-strait relations between Taiwan and China, but also, really, it's been at the basis of U.S.-Chinese diplomatic relations for decades now.

And so, in a couple of hours, we are expecting to hear from the Beijing government officially at their regularly scheduled ministry of foreign affairs press conference, where we expect to - a relatively strong reaction, we would imagine, to what the president-elect said, but we are getting other ways that the government is reacting through more unofficial channels. So for a tabloid newspaper here, run by the state, that would be the Global Times, they released an editorial this morning.

And I can show you, in part, what it said. Talking about Donald Trump, the editorial wrote, "He is like a child in his ignorance of foreign policy. The One-China Policy cannot be bought and sold only by going through some tough times, will he come to realize that China and other international powers are not to be bullied." Now, again, that's not officially from the Chinese government but this is a state- run newspaper that goes to the exact same review process by the communist party, so they often times will be the mouthpiece, if you will, of China's government, very, very strong negative rhetoric from this newspaper, perhaps not a surprise, given the president-elect's comments about the One-China Policy.

VANIER: Matt, now, I know this is uncharted territory, but what do you think will happen or could happen if Donald Trump were indeed to reverse decades of U.S. policy on China?

RIVERS: Well, the implications are far and wide, if in fact he were to go through with turning his back on the One-China Policy. And I think you can look at two areas, you look economically and look militarily. What China has said consistently is that issues of national sovereignty, which is the lens in which they've used the Taiwan issue. Trump's any type of economic negative results that might come about as a - as a result of national policy, national security policy change. So, what you could easily see is the Chinese government talking drastic steps to freeze U.S. businesses out of Chinese market. And you could also see hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese businessmen and women who rely on the Chinese market suddenly see their access to the market, dry up.

On the military side of things, China has never taken off the table, its right, as it calls it, to retake the island of Taiwan by force, if necessary. So could that happen? Could China go so far as to do something like that? That would be an extreme step, but it certainly is a possibility. On the U.S. side, there is U.S. law that states that U.S. - that the U.S. would come -- would assist in the defense of Taiwan, in case of an invasion by mainland China. What that assistance would look like? We're not exactly sure.

[01:05:00] But that, of course, is an extreme possibility on the military side of things, so economically, militarily, big implications there. But we should note, this is all hypothetical. We don't know if Donald Trump is just using this as bluster for future negotiations and economic talks, but the fact remains that the implications of reversing a One-China Policy that's been in place for decades, are immense, Cyril.

VANIER: Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing. Thank you so much. And of course, about six more weeks left before the inauguration, we'll be looking very keenly until then at what Donalt Trump says. And after then, more importantly, at what policy directions he actually sets for his White House. Thank you.

And Trump is also squaring off against the U.S. intelligence community and senior lawmakers here. The intelligence agencies say that Russian hackers intended to sway the presidential election in Trump's favor. Some republican and democratic senators say a full investigation is needed. Ryan Nobles reports that Trump calls the accusations ridiculous.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This has the potential to be a major showdown in the early days of the Trump administration. A bipartisan group of senators calling for a full investigation into Russia's attempt to influence the American election. Among them, powerful senators like, repulican John McCain and democrat, Chuck Schumer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK SCHUMER, UNITED STATES SENATOR: The fact that the CIA and FBI disagree, shows the need for a bipartisan investigation that gets to the bottom of this. The investigation should be tough, strong, and bipartisan, and should have access to all materials, classified and not. A lot of this is now, it seems, is done by governments, foreign governments and that raises things to a much higher level, and the fact that they hacked and may have tried to influence an election, is even more serious still. Our election process should be sacrosanct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: Schumer is of course, the incoming minority leader in the U.S. senate and McCain is obviously someone with a lot of influence. Both say that this shouldn't be a partisan issue. It's something that affects all Americans. And McCain making the point that even though it was democrats that were the victims this time around, it could easily be republicans the next time around. One person who doesn't agree with that assessment, the incoming President-elect Donald Trump, saying he just doesn't believe the intelligence's assessment that the Russians were behind the hack, and he forcefully believes it had nothing to do with the outcome of the election. Ryan Nobles, CNN New York.

VANIER: For more on this, I spoke earlier with political analyst Ellis Henican about the Russian hacking. I asked how long Trump would be able to deny the intelligence agency's conclusion.

ELLIS HENICAN, POLITICAL ANALYST: If history is a guide, Donald Trump can keep up denials a good long while, even after very few people agree with him, but you know, the Trump base, they're likely to stick with him for a good long while, I think.

VANIER: Yeah, but look, he's going to be in office, you know, soon, just a month and a half from now. Right now, he's saying this as still something of an outsider because he doesn't hold the reins of power. Soon these people will be briefing him on a much more regular basis and he's going to be heading the whole show.

HENICAN: Yeah, that's an excellent insight, Cyril. But here's the history of this, I think, is that we keep saying that well, you know, when Donald Trump just reaches the next stage, everything's going to be different. It's going to be different when he gets the republican nomination. It's going to be different when he wins the election. And now, I guess we're saying it's going to be different when he finally moves into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I don't know. I'm not sure how different he's really going to be.

VANIER: All right. So you're saying he can keep this up even when he's in power?

HENICAN: You know, listen, the facts may ultimately overwhelm him here. But so far, at least, I would say that we all have to acknowledge that Donald Trump is showing remarkable ability to stick by his guns, even in the face of a widespread opposition.

VANIER: And look, how much of a price do you think he might end up having to pay for this, both in terms of his relationship with the intelligence community and with some leading republicans who were not aligned with him on this?

HENICAN: Well, there could be some cause. And I'll give you a couple of them right now. I mean, it really might end up affecting who becomes our Secretary of State, right? Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil chairman who over the past 24 hours or so has seemed to be, you know, increasingly the leading candidate for that job that runs head long into some very uncomfortable questions on this issue. And as this becomes a bigger issue with the - with the media, with the public, even with some republicans in the senate, you might see some real pushback around that.

And increasingly, I mean, his position is intellectually, I would say, a little untenable. It's hard to argue against the idea of conducting a thorough investigation. And at this point, that's really all that's being demanded.

VANIER: How do you see all of these affecting Trump's future relationship with Russia?

[01:09:59] HENICAN: Well, I mean, the Russians, so far, I think, mostly the popping champagne corks. I mean, I think they look at him as a - as a very promising U.S. president. It's - it might not be so good with his relationship with the American intelligence community who he has essentially thrown under the bus in the past couple of days.

VANIER: But, I mean, I asked the question about the relationship with Russia because there will come a point when if he's seen as perhaps defending Russia's interests as opposed to interests at home, you know, with his own political party telling him, "Hey, Russia interfered in our elections.' With his own intelligence community saying the same thing, at some point, it's going to become costly, politically speaking.

HENICAN: Yeah. It could. And you're absolutely right to ask the question of how does that bounce back in terms of his ultimate ability to maneuver in terms of his relationship with Russia. But, you know, there are just so many bank shots between here and there. We've got to see whether he can tough out this call for an investigation. We've got to see what the exact facts are once they do get - do get gathered. We've got to see how the republicans in congress line up.

Paul Ryan, the head of the house, has shown some reluctance to press ahead with an aggressive investigation. So, there are just still a lot of unknowns here, but boy, there are a lot of questions swirling around it.

VANIER: One of them is the idea that he might just be really damaging his relationship with the intelligence community. Do you think that holds any sway? Because after all, once he's president, they answer to him.

HENICAN: Yeah, but you know what, he also needs them. It's a very -- at least, traditionally, has been a very symbiotic relationship, but, boy, so we're in some uncharted territories here. I mean, we really haven't had a president-elect, for instance, who has made himself so unavailable for the daily intelligence briefings that incoming presidents have traditionally received. He has shown, I guess, disdain might almost be the word, but certainly, some strong reluctance to give the intelligence community the role that they usually have in the administration. And I just don't think we know yet how all that's going to play out.

VANIER: Yeah, his argument is, and I mean, literally, this is what he said in an interview. "I'm an intelligent guy. You tell me once, you don't need to tell me the same thing every day." You don't buy that?

HENICAN: Right. Right. Well, you know what, there are 190-semi nations in the world and believe me, something crazy is happening in a few of them every day. There's always some kind of new development somewhere in this - in this big bad world of ours. It's hard to imagine that boredom would be the response that most curious public leaders would have.

VANIER: All right. Ellis Henican, political analyst joining us from New York. I should point out that his Vice President Mike Pence is receiving and will continue to receive those daily briefings.

HENICAN: He is indeed.

VANIER: All right. Thank you very much for your time.

HENICAN: Interesting stuff. Thanks.

VANIER: Istanbul is once again a city in mourning. How Turkey is responding to yet another deadly attack next. Plus, a young Syrian girl speaks to CNN about the dangers of life in war-torn Aleppo, her story coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:15:00] PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLDSPORT ANCHOR: Hi there, I'm Patrick Snell, with your "CNN WORLDSPORT" headlines. In the Premiere League on Sunday, Chelsea came in needing a win or draw to stay ahead of Arsenal to beat Stoke City on Saturday. And that's just what they did. Their three points on Sunday are harder and now terrific finish from Diego Costa on 76 minutes to break down a stubborn West Ham side at Stamford Bridge has 12 goals now for the Brazilian-born Spaniard who's already maxed his tally from last season after just 15 matches.

The Chelsea victory left forward position in Liverpool trying to keep pace as they took on West Ham at Anfield, though, The Reds would strike first, and this one would prove to be a tight match, West Ham would answer with two goals of their own to go into the break, leading Liverpool, could only muster a second half level up from Divock Origi in a 48-minute, would end 2-2 there.

Sunday, also seeing Manchester United take on Tottenham. They came in to the home game at Old Trafford, and run a three straight draws that well off the pace in the Premiere League, but maybe, just maybe, their luck is changing. Henrikh Mkhitaryan's first half goal, first Premiere League goal, in fact, for the club, that was the difference, United win, 1-0, the victory moving united to within 6 points of fourth place and sputtering Manchester City who lost on the weekend. Thanks for joining us. I'm Patrick Snell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VANIER: Welcome back, the Kurdish Militant Group, TAK, or the Kurdish Freedom Hawks is claiming responsibility for Saturday's deadly bombings in Istanbul. Explosions near a football stadium killed 38 people, mostly police officers, and wounded a 155 more. Our Muhammad Lila, reports from Istanbul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was the first moment of terror. Watch as cars drive along a busy street outside a football stadium, then, the unthinkable. From another angle, these musicians with a camera rolling capture the moment of the blast. And just listen to this inside as commentators run for cover.

The explosion caused by a car bomb. The football match had just finished and fans were flooding into the streets. Before ambulances could arrive, a second blast, this one a suicide bomber detonating barely a kilometer away. The bright flash of light seen around the city.

But Kurdish Militant Group claimed responsibility. Saying, they weren't targeting civilians, only the police. Turkey's President today vowing revenge.

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY (through translator): They need to know that we will not let this go unpunished and that they will pay a higher price for which they need to understand.

LILA: The site of the attack, once a place of celebration is now a somber memorial.

This right here is the exact spot where the car bomb exploded. All day people have been gathering offering players for the victims.

"We in Turkey are very strong country," this man says. "These explosions will reinforce our solidarity, unity and integrity." But this is just the latest in a series of attacks, terrorizing the country in the past year leaving many feeling trapped.

"I worry about being outside in the daytime, evenings or nights," this woman says, "because the time and the place, it doesn't matter anymore."

And for many, that is their biggest fear, that the terrorists can strike anywhere at any time. Muhammad Lila, CNN Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: And a deadly explosion also rocked Egypt over the weekend, the target, a Coptic Church in Cairo. It's still unclear who was behind that bombing. Local media reporting the blast killed 25 people and wounded dozens of others.

The church sits next to St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, a key site for Coptic Christians. Egypt's president has called for three days of national mourning. And the country's Grand Mufti condemned the bombing as a deplorable terrorist attack.

Now, let's give you a little background on the Egypt's Coptic Christians because they have been frequent targets of violence in Egypt for the last few years. While 90 percent of Egypt is Muslim, the other 10 percent are Christian, most of those, Coptic Christians. They based their theology on the teachings of the Apostle Mark, who introduced Christianity to Egypt.

[01:20:04] Discrimination and persecution of the Copts has been escalating since Hosni Mubarak's regime was overthroned in 2011, dozens have been killed in sectarian violence.

A fierce battle rage on Sunday between ISIS and Syrian and the Russian forces in Palmyra. This propaganda video from ISIS' media wing, purports to show some of the fighting. The terror group was driven from the ancient settlement last March, but on Saturday, activists say that it pushed back inside and almost seized the entire city. Russia said its air force responded backing regime troops with more than 60 overnight airstrikes. ISIS was forced to withdraw but reportedly still lurks in Palmyra's outskirts.

And north of there, still in Syria, in Aleppo, Syrian and Russian troops continue their offensive to retake the whole city. For you to understand that story, we need to look at a map now. See exactly where this is happening. The sea of red around Syria's second largest city, all of these, are the areas controlled by the regime. Inside the yellow lines is Aleppo. And this gray area here, is what's left of the rebel-held area. This dark red is the government offensive over the last few week. As you can see, there's been advancing, biting into what was left of

rebel-held territory. A lot of people, we estimate up until yesterday, about a hundred thousand people, were trying to flee this part of Aleppo. Not many can. CNN's Fred Pleitgen met some of those who did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN: This is as close as journalists can get to Aleppo's southern front line. Air strikes, artillery and gun battles, the shrinking opposition enclave is getting pounded by Bashar al-Assad's forces. For tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside, the only escape is to walk right through this front line.

In a situation, the rebel area is so bad that many are an exodus under fire. There is a massive, almost avalanche of people trying to make it to safety. As you can see, there's people who are carrying their children but also a lot of children left to make the trek themselves. It's so difficult for many of them, of course. They've been under siege for such a very long time. This is what total exhaustion from starvation and war looks like. This woman wounded when her house collapsed during the fighting.

"It is undescribable inside," she says. "Hunger, suppression and everything bad you can imagine. No medicine, we have nothing. Literally, we couldn't get treatment for our injuries."

All of these, of course, as the rebels continue to lose control of those eastern districts of Aleppo and also while the fighting is going on here, we're hearing constant barrages of artillery. We're hearing rockets being fired. It's a very dangerous trek that these people are making, and it's a trek also into a very uncertain future. We found this family about half a mile from the front line, too tired to walk any further.

"I left my house in there," the father says. "I don't want my house. I want to be safe. I want my children to be safe."

And thousands like them are also risking their lives, going through one of Syria's most violent front lines, hoping somehow to reach a safe place. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Aleppo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Amid that Syrian regime offensive, a young girl living in East Aleppo has grabbed the world's attention. And we've been telling you her story. With the help of her mother, 7-year-old Bana has been tweeting about life in the besieged city. She even caught the eye of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. The writer sent her e-books of the fancy series after an exchange of tweets. But as the regime assault continued, Bana's Twitter account was deactivated. Well, we can tell you the next part of her story. She has now returned to Twitter but still lives in hiding. On Sunday, Bana and her family spoke exclusively to CNN's Jomana Karadsheh via Skype.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BANA ALABED: Hello my friends, how are you? Stand with Aleppo.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN PRODUCER: The 7-year-old captured the world's attention as her mother Fatemah, tweeted almost daily about Bana's life under siege in Eastern Aleppo. Then this chilling tweet came last month. "Tonight, we have no house. It's bombed. I got in rubble. I saw death and I almost died. With a photo of a shell- shocked banner covered in dust. As regime forces advanced and captured their neighborhood, the family disappeared for a while and rarely tweeted. On Sunday, Bana and her mother spoke exclusively to CNN from an undisclosed location in rebel-held Eastern Aleppo.

FATEMAH ALABED: I feel that we are really targeted from regime people, so I can't tell anyone, even my parents doesn't know where I live really.

[01:25:05] KARADSHEH: But tens of thousands of people have left East Aleppo and they've gone out. Why are you still there?

F. ALABED: I am afraid to lose one of my kids if I flee with the -- all the people because they think I am work against the regime. I don't belong to any side. I am just what I was speaking about the civilian people, about children.

F. ALABED: Fatemah says she decided to speak to us because some have accused them of being an anti-regime propaganda tool, something she denies. But she admits helping her daughter articulate their messages to the world. Fatemah says, she feels doing it in English is more effective.

F. ALABED: Bana can speak a little English. I help Bana to make sure that her voice reach to a lot of people in English.

KARADSHEH: Bana's answers in English are short and her mother in the background helps her. We switched to Arabic. She clearly is more comfortable.

B. ALABED: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

KARADSHEH: Bana says she misses school, she misses her home and with barely any food available, she also misses fruits. Two months ago, Fatemah told us she would never leave Aleppo. Now, all she wants is for someone to evacuate them to safety. Bana sings her favorite song, a 1980 song about children of war.

B. ALABED: I am a child with something to say please listen to me. I am a child who wants to play. Why don't you let me? My doors are waiting. My friends are praying, small hearts are begging.

KARADSHEH: Jomana Karadsheh, CNN

ALABED: Give us a chance. Give us a chance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: We're going take a break on CNN NEWSROOM, but still, coming up on the show, the leader of Israel says that he is looking forward to the Trump presidency. What Benjamin Netanyahu had to say? Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:31:03] VANIER: Hi, everyone. Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier, with your headlines.

(HEADLINES)

VANIER: Now Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he plans to meet with President-elect Donald Trump soon to discuss the Iran nuclear deal, something both men have criticized.

Mr. Netanyahu tells CBS's "60 Minutes" that he's optimistic that after years of strained relationships between the U.S. and Israel, it will improve once Donald Trump is in the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I know Donald Trump. I know him very well. And I think his attitude his support for Israel is clear. He feels very warmly about the Jewish state, about the Jewish people, and about Jewish people. There's no question about that.

LESLEY STAHL, CO-HOST, 60 MINUTES: With Trump, do you think that Israel will not be as at odds with the United States as you have been under the Obama administration?

NETANYAHU: Yeah. We had differences of opinions with -- I had differences of opinion with President Obama and most well-known, of course, is Iran.

STAHL: Was it personal between the two of you?

NETANYAHU: No. No. I don't think so. I think that -- suppose we had the greatest of personal chemistry, OK? So, what? You think I wouldn't stand up against the Iran deal if I thought, as I did, that it endangers the existence of Israel? Of course, I would.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: A few hours from now, Israel begins taking delivery of the most-advanced Stealth fighter jet in the world, the F-35 Lightning. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter will be there for the ceremony.

And as CNN's Ian Lee explains, the American warplanes eclipses the capability of anything else in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jets screech across the summer sky. Israel's surprise attack destroyed hundreds of Egyptian planes in hours. Their air superiority shortened the 1967 war to just six days. The new sound of air domination in the 21st century, say Israeli

generals. The F-35 Stealth fighter will be the most-advanced plane in the region. Israel ordered 50. The initial two arriving Monday, making Israel the first country outside of the United States to receive Lockheed-Martin's fighter. The price tag, more than $100 million.

Lieutenant Colonel Yotam (ph) will lead the squadron. His identity concealed for security, we're told.

UNIDENTIFIED COLONEL (through translation): The F-35 Stealth capabilities widen out operational theater. It allows us to bring into action many abilities that are needed from the air force for superiority.

LEE: As it looks around its neighborhood, Israel perceives many threats.

(EXPLOSION)

[01:35:08] LEE: The Syrian conflict is on its doorstep. Hezbollah in Lebanon rearming since the last war with Israel in 2016. Russia's S-300 and more advanced S-400 surface-to-air missiles systems, introduced to support President Assad's military efforts.

The advantage of the F-35, Israel hopes, is that it can fly virtually undetected.

UNIDENTIFIED COLONEL (through translation): The F-35 is built to deal with threats on the ground. It deals in the best possible way with everything that lies in the region of interest of the IDF outside of the borders of Israel.

LEE: But the plane has faced growing pains, includes problems with software, the engines and weapons.

This retired Air Force brigadier general has seen this before.

UNIDENTIFIED BRIGADIER GENERAL: When you're developing new technology, you suffer from problems and you fix it.

LEE: But he insists, this plane is a game changer.

UNIDENTIFEID BRIGADIER GENERAL: They idea that you are the first state, the first air force in the area that gets it, it's a lot to your reputation.

LEE: A reputation that Israel hopes will make any rival think twice.

Ian Lee, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Venezuela's government is replacing the country's highest bank note. Venezuelans have just 72 hours, just three days, to trade in the 100 bolivar bills for coins. President Nicolas Maduro announced the switch in a televised statement on Sunday. He said the purpose is to prevent mafias from smuggling the bills outside the country.

And another move by the Venezuela government has parents outraged. Two weeks before Christmas, nearly four million toys are off the shelves.

Rafael Romo explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN LATIN-AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Boxes upon boxes of toys stacked up to the ceiling in this spacious warehouse. It's not the North Pole. The warehouse belongs to Venezuela's largest distributor of toys. All of this merchandise was confiscated by the Venezuelan government.

Venezuela's chief of consumer protection said the government confiscated nearly four million toys. The government accuses them of hiding them to sell at highly inflated prices during the Christmas season.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We have found the case of hording of four million toys, so the children of our community's neighborhood and government committees will, for sure, have their toys for Christmas thanks to our laws. This is like reinforcement for Baby Jesus.

ROMO: Venezuelan tradition says that Baby Jesus, not Santa, brings the toys.

(on camera): According to authorities, the operation targeting the toy distributor began Thursday. But law enforcement officials were still at the warehouse over the weekend. The toys, the government says, will now be made available at under-market prices to families with children in impoverished neighborhoods.

(voice-over): Some consumers are calling President Maduro the Grinch that stole Christmas. Now many stores won't have any toys for the Christmas season.

Business leaders go further, saying this is nothing less than thefts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): This is against our rights and due process. This is part of the constant attacks that we business people have endured in Venezuela over the last 15 years, which have caused a loss of 60 percent of all companies in Venezuela.

ROMO: And while many children in poorer neighborhoods will get some of the toys, for other families elsewhere in the country, their only hope now rests with Baby Jesus.

Rafael Ramos, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VANIER: We're going to take a short break. Coming up after that, ocean coral bleached white and dead. This summer's heat wave caused it to happen at an astonishing rate. It's impact on communities that depend on the sea may be very severe.

Plus, the murder trial of an accused church shooter is rocking Charleston, South Carolina, and the church's new pastor speaks to CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:42:17] VANIER: Welcome back, everyone. Friday was an emotional day in a South Carolina courtroom. The racist confession of accused gunman, Dylann Roof, was shown during his murder trial. Roof is accused of shooting people at a prayer meeting in a Charleston church in 2015.

Polo Sandoval talked to the church's new pastor who is breaking his silence after the disturbing video went public.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Reverend Eric Manning planned to stay silent during the trial of Dylann Roof out of respect for the families, but he said he felt the need to speak out, most recently since the evidence began to surface during the trial itself to tell people in Charleston and the rest of the world he and congregation are still hurting, but they're doing OK. And that is something we saw firsthand when they invited us into the sanctuary, mainly that room where that awful shooting took place last summer. There is that sense of togetherness there and even celebration as people are coming together, particularly this time of years, to celebrate the memories of those nine victims.

Back to the pastor, I can tell you last few days have been difficult and challenging for him. His goal here, his role, according to him, is to be the spiritual leader for the victims and the survivors and the families of these victims as they head to court. He told us what it was like as he sat in that courtroom on Friday with the families and watched Dylann Roof's confession tape.

REV. ERIC S.C. MANNING, EMANUEL AME CHURCH: I think realistically, from that particular perspective, it showed no remorse. The sad part is, after taking nine lives, you find humor in it. There's something not right with that.

But as I shared with so many others, being reminded that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, it's a spiritual warfare. And as I shared with someone else as well, that is just pure evil. And people saw it. And reacted as such. So, yeah.

SANDOVAL: That was very difficult to watch and the image, too, that was put out on Thursday of him walking in and walking out.

MANNING: Uh-huh. Yeah. It was.

I will be there with the families to provide spiritual support, and like I said, just the presence of the ministry just being there. It's very important to me.

SANDOVAL: Reverend Manning saying that perhaps some of the hardest days could still be ahead for some of these survivors and the families of the victims when those family impact statements take place during the Dylann Roof trial. I can tell you, for the leaders of this church, the focus is on the victims. Even today, they handed out calendars to church goers each month, including the story of Emanuel Nine, but also the survivors that were in that church on that unholy day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:45:29] VANIER: Polo Sandoval reporting there.

Still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, coral reefs in Africa are in crisis. And for the local fishing communities that depend on them, there's no plan B. That's coming up after the break.

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VANIER: Some of the world's precious coral reefs are disappearing. That spells disaster for everyone who depend on those reefs for survival.

John Sutter visits a community in Madagascar at the heart of the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[01:49:53] JOHN SUTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a tiny fishing community off the coast of East Africa. It's home to only a few dozen people, and among them are Hari (ph) and Lydia (ph), who are raising six children.

(SHOUTING)

SUTTER: This family knows this reef better than anyone. Until recently, they never saw coral this damaged.

Extreme heat this year has caused coral all around the world to start to suffocate and turn ghostly white. The aftermath looks like a disaster zone or the ruins of an ancient city. No one here can make sense of it.

Scientists do know what's going on. Divers surveyed these waters during a heat wave in April and they say about 70 percent of the reef was damaged by high temperatures. This is a clear sign of climate change. We're causing this damage by burning fossil fuels, heating up the oceans and making them more acidic.

But Lydia has only been in a car once in her life. She may not understand the science, but she knows what she sees.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SUTTER (on camera): The family's response to the vanishing coral? Work harder. Hari (ph) and his sons cast lines deep into the ocean while Lydia walks the reef flats in search of octopus.

These skills are passed between generations. Hari (ph) and Lydia are Basu (ph), and that name means "at struggle with the sea." It's hard to imagine a people more connected to the water.

(SHOUTING)

SUTTER: When Basu (ph) children are born, their umbilical cords are placed in a shell like this one and that's tossed into the ocean as a sort of offering. Right from birth, they are a part of the reef.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SUTTER: There's no fresh water, electricity, or school out here. There's no plan B. It's too expensive for Hari (ph) and Lydia to give their kids an education off the island, so the kids must simply learn to fish and sail.

But climate change is putting all of this in jeopardy. Thousands of miles away, we continue to burn fossil fuels, which is heating up the oceans and making them more acidic. That's killing the coral, which 275 million people depend upon for their survival. And here is where they feel it most.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SUTTER: I told Lydia that scientists expect coral reefs worldwide to disappear by 2050 because of climate change. That's about when her children will be grown. She looked back at me and said she's thinks of the white coral almost like curse, one sent from my people to her people.

Before we left, Lydia asked a question about our visit: when we went back home, we would teach people about Madagascar, she asked. Would we tell them about the little kids and their toy boats, about how much they need the reef and this ocean. Will people to see the harm they're causing? I told her, yes, but, honestly, I worry those of us causing the coral to vanish won't care enough to stop.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: And biologists say that the planet is on the verge of the sixth era of extension. That means three-quarters of all species could disappear over the next couple of centuries if we don't make drastic changes now.

Elephants, amphibians, coral reefs, bees and birds, we'll be exploring five stories of endangered species in our special program "Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extension." It airs Tuesday at 5:30 in London, 12:30 p.m. in New York.

CNN has announced its hero of the year. The hosts of the tenth annual show, CNN's Anderson Cooper with Kelly Ripa, did the honors just a few hours ago. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, CNN HEROS: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE: Ladies and gentlemen, the 2016 CNN Hero of the year is Jeison Aristizabal (ph).

ANDERSON COOPER, CO-HOST, CNN HEROS: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE & CNN ANCHOR, A.C. 36: Jeison Aristizabal (ph).

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: The 33-year-old grew up in one of the poorest parts of Colombia and he has battled cerebral palsy his entire life. He created a foundation out of his parent's garage to help provide free medical care and services for more than 1000 disabled youths.

You can watch the entire "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" in a few hours, at 10:00 a.m. in London, 6:00 p.m. if you're in Hong Kong.

Before we leave you, a little something different. Ahead of the Christmas holidays, if you're one of those people for whom it can be a little bit of an ordeal, a little bit daunting putting up a Christmas tree and decorating it, imagine decorating not one but 100 trees. That's what one German couple has done. Thomas and Suzanne Geramin (ph) apparently take eight weeks to decorate their home. It's not a one-off thing. They do it each year. That means it fills every room apart from their bedroom, which they call a retreat from Christmas. It makes those of us who merely deck our own halls seem a little bit lacking.

[01:55:26] Thank you for joining us. I'm Cyril Vanier.

Our colleague, George Howell, will be after a break with another edition of CNN NEWSROOM. Stay tuned for that.

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[01:59:39] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: One China, a policy that has been around for decades, but now, Donald Trump is saying maybe it's due for a review.