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Ninth Straight Week of Hong Kong Protests; Majority of House Dems Favor Impeachment Inquiry; Opponents Question Legitimacy of New Puerto Rico Governor; Messi Suspended for Corruption Comment; A$AP Rocky Goes Home; American Teen's Family Wants to See Video Evidence of Italian Policeman's Murder; NYPD Judge Says Cop Should Be Fired for Garner Death; Siberian Wildfires Raising CO2 as Permafrost Melts. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired August 03, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Dueling protests: demonstrators take to the streets on Hong Kong, one pushing for democracy, the other backing police.
A majority of House Democrats now calling for impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump.
Also ahead, questions of legitimacy: a new governor takes the oath in Puerto Rico but his status in the role already facing some legal questions.
Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, we welcome our viewers here and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
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HOWELL: We start in Hong Kong, the ninth straight weekend of protests around the city. And you're seeing the pro democracy protest taking place. Again, we have two very different demonstrations to tell you about.
Again the main protest has already started. Thousands have come together in this district that is among the most crowded places in the world.
In the meantime, supporters of the city's police are holding their own rally in Victoria Park. CNN, of course, live in Hong Kong, where our correspondents are covering all sides of these protests. Matt Rivers is with the pro democracy group and Ben Wedeman following the pro police event.
Matt, let's start with you. Again, there is always that difference between sanctioned and unsanctioned protests.
And what we're seeing right there on this day, these are sanctioned protests, correct, just so long as people stick to the agreed route.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, as compared to last weekend, for example, when there were protests that were not sanctioned by the police. What is happening behind me here is a lawful assembly.
They are now about to start a march that will go on for the next several hours. There are thousands of people here, many of them holding up signs. And everyone here is unified around this pro democracy message.
This kind of assembly, easily thousands of people here, make over 10,000 at this point. And what is happening is it is very peaceful. And this is what we've seen before, very peaceful to start. There will be a march, pro democracy lawmakers leading that march.
The question becomes if it does become violent, when will that happen?
And what we've seen in the past is that a peaceful march occurs, the vast majority go home. But the people ready for a fight, they stay. And at some point police say, OK, this is no longer a legal assembly and then that is where the violence begins between protesters and police.
We're not sure how it will play out today but this is very indicative of the protests. A cross section of Hong Kong society here, putting out the message that centers directly on a pro democracy message, universal suffrage among a list of other demands.
And perhaps timing will play into this. From what we've seen as it gets closer to evening there, police look to clear the streets, timing could play into this and also whether protesters stay along the agreed route. Let's bring in Ben Wedeman.
What are people saying to you?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're at Victoria Park, which is about a 20- or 30-minute drive from where Matt is. Obviously this is the other side of the situation here in Hong Kong. This is a protest organized by people to support the Hong Kong police force.
And what we're seeing here is an older cross-section of the population. Not too many young people here. And they are chanting -- let me show you one of the signs that they are using.
Excuse me, sir.
"Give peace a chance."
I think what they are really saying is give law and order a chance. This is very much, as one man told me, they are part of the silent majority. Not so silent at the moment, however.
[04:05:00] WEDEMAN: Hard to say what this group of people represent. They certainly represent a vocal part of the population that is disturbed by the disruption to life in this territory. Let's move a little further inside to give you an idea of what there is to see here.
In the in the distance, you can see a flag of the People's Republic of China. Many of these older people do originally come from Mainland China and, therefore, they in a sense do feel a certain connection to the government in Beijing, keeping in mind, of course, that since 1997 and the end of British sovereignty, Hong Kong has been a special administrative area under what is called the one country/two system arrangement worked out with the British.
Whereas these older people feel an allegiance or connection to Mainland China, many of their children don't have that historic connection and feel much closer to Hong Kong as a separate independent entity.
HOWELL: Ben Wedeman live for us with the pro police protests -- and speaking again of the one country/two systems also speaks to a generational divide. Ben, thank you for the reporting. Matt as well.
And, of course, there is a lot more that you can find out on this story at cnn.com. A new section there features maps, backgrounders and links to video. Of course connect to cnn.com anytime and learn more about what is happening at Hong Kong.
Back in the United States, a 180 by the U.S. president on his pick to replace Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence. Coats set to step down in just a couple weeks. The Republican congressman John Ratcliffe now won't be offered that job.
Mr. Trump's plan fell flat when it was announced just days ago and it became clear that Ratcliffe's lack of experience in the intelligence field would be hard to sell in the Senate. But none of that figured into the president's explanation. Listen.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I said you want to go through this for two or three months or would you want me to maybe do something else. And he thought about it. I said it's going to be rough. I could see exactly where the press is going.
We hadn't started the process and I thought it is easier before we start. But I read things that were just unfair.
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HOWELL: It came down to a matter of vetting in fact. The president made that stunning and some might say disturbing admission that he said he relies at least in part on the news media to vet his choices for important government jobs rather than the government to vet those roles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: I think the White House has a great vetting process. You vet for me. When I give a name, I give it out to the press and you vet for me. A lot of times, you do a very good job. Not always.
I think that the White -- if you look at it, I mean, if you take a look at it, the vetting process for the White House is very good. But you're part of the vetting process, you know? I give out a name to the press and they vet for me. We save a lot of money that way.
But in the case of John, I really believe that he was being treated very harshly and very unfairly.
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HOWELL: The president trusting the press that the president has called before the enemy of the people.
Democrats on Capitol Hill will have reached a significant milestone, a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives, 118 so far, have come out in favor of a formal impeachment inquiry. Not too long ago only a handful were making that argument. Lauren Fox explains for you.
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LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A majority of the Democratic caucus is supporting moving forward with an impeachment inquiry into President Trump and that is significant because Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, has been trying to hold her caucus back.
She released a statement just a short time ago, arguing the Democrats should stay the course. And now is not necessarily the best time for impeachment. She wrote, quote, "Democrats in the Congress continue to legislate, investigate and litigate. The president will be held accountable."
And Democrats in the caucus are back in their districts for this recess, you can expect that they will be hearing from constituents who also might be making the calls to impeach the president. But it's a difficult balance because you have moderates who may be going back to districts where President Trump won in 2016. They may be hearing a different message than those in safe Democratic seats, who might be hearing from more liberal constituents.
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HOWELL: Let's talk more about this with Peter Mathews, a professor of political science at Cypress College in Los Angeles and author of "Dollar Democracy on Steroids." Joining us from our London bureau. Good to have you with us.
PETER MATHEWS, CYPRESS COLLEGE: Good to be here.
HOWELL: So Peter, a number of Democrats want to make the case for impeachment, that number has grown now, a majority in the House. But still nowhere near the 218 needed to pass legislation through the House. The House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is still pushing members to be patient.
But with this growing pressure to impeach, can Pelosi continue to hold that line do you think?
MATHEWS: It will be very difficult. She has over half the Democrats -- and don't forget she allows the Democrats to put her in as Speaker every time. And so this is a significant move that over half do want to begin a formal impeachment inquiry.
And when that began under President Nixon, then other people started changing their minds, including Republicans Like Senator Baker because, when the evidence came out, the formal inquiry allows a much more in-depth investigation. And so it is a very important development.
HOWELL: Let's also talk about Democrats; of course, if they do push ahead, if it does pass through the House, it won't pass through the Senate. Republicans won't let that happen.
So what is the real impact on President Trump if House Democrats do move forward with impeachment?
MATHEWS: If they move forward and they actually do have the votes, if they have the votes to impeach, then President Trump is sent to the Senate to stand trial. And the point is that the Republicans have the majority in the Senate so they probably will not vote to remove him.
However, like I said before, once the investigation in the House begins, more information could come out that could change a few Republicans' minds as well. I'm not saying that it will happen but there is a good possibility.
So I think that the House should go forward as opposed to waiting to see what the Senate will do. One step at a time.
HOWELL: Let's also talk about the Texas representative John Ratcliffe who Mr. Trump announced that he would nominate to take over for Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence, now President Trump changing course saying that scrutiny over his experience was overstated.
Clearly though the White House did not vet this candidate. The president pointing out that he relies on the press, who he typically disparages, to do the vetting for the White House.
MATHEWS: Yes, I think that is very true that Mr. Ratcliffe, I think it had to do with his background and what he did regarding other things that were questionable. And the president should not rely on the press.
While the press is very important to keep government accountability, he should have the government, his own investigators, find out what these candidates have in their background that could compromise them and rely on that, not the press. So that was a wrong move on his part to say that the press is vetting
and sometimes you do a good job, sometimes you don't.
What about the times that the press doesn't do a good job?
So that was disingenuous the way he put it.
HOWELL: And Ratcliffe, many have looked into his past and pointed out many instances where his experience has been overstated.
MATHEWS: That is very true. And the point is that the Director of National Intelligence is an extremely important position because he coordinates all the other agencies' information as it comes in and summarizes it and makes reports to the president.
And this person has to have experience, judgment, understand how intelligence gathering works. And that is why this Republican from Texas would not necessarily be qualified for this and that is why he decided to remove -- or withdraw the nomination in the end. Very important to note those are some of the reasons, I think.
HOWELL: And does this expose the fact that there aren't enough people around the president to look out for things like this, Peter?
MATHEWS: Once again?
HOWELL: Does this expose the possibility that President Trump may not have enough people around him to be on the lookout for things like this?
MATHEWS: Absolutely, that seems to be the case and that is really unfortunate, wrong and dangerous, because this kind of position is so extremely important for the United States security and other positions as well, where the president needs to have people around him who have experience in investigating people up for nomination, finding out what their weaknesses are and confirming to the president, look, these people are ready to go, these are not.
That is a very important function of top notch advisers who the president needs and doesn't seem to have unfortunately.
HOWELL: Peter Mathews with perspective for us in London be. Thank you for your time.
MATHEWS: My pleasure.
HOWELL: A new governor takes the oath of office in Puerto Rico but his term may be short lived. We'll have the latest on the controversial appointment there.
Also, a U.S. rapper is back home --
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HOWELL: -- for now at least. Details on his assault case as he makes his way back to the United States. Stay with us. (MUSIC PLAYING)
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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has a new governor, Pedro Pierluisi. He took the oath Friday, replacing Ricardo Rossello, who stepped down after weeks of protests against him there.
Opponents are now questioning the legitimacy of the appointment. That is because the senate has not yet weighed in on his nomination. CNN's Leyla Santiago is in San Juan where people have been holding rallies.
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LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Protests are continuing here in old San Juan at the governor's mansion here in Puerto Rico says that Pedro Pierluisi will be the new governor of Puerto Rico after Ricardo Rossello stepped down, now a lot of people are saying they are not happy with that selection and more so they are questioning the constitutionality of that decision.
Why is that?
They are saying --
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SANTIAGO: -- that he was confirmed by the house but he was not confirmed by the senate and his appointment as secretary of state, the next in line, should the governor reside and the senate here will not consider the issue until next week, so it is far from over.
And whether these protesters are questioning their constitutionality of this decision or are they just unhappy with this selection, they say it is enough for them to stay on the streets and not go on, continuing to call for an island that can't get rid of corruption.
Very, much a lot of uncertainty still on the island of Puerto Rico as they figure out what's next for the island -- in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Leyla Santiago, CNN.
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HOWELL: American rapper A$AP Rocky is back in the United States after being in a Swedish jail. His plane landed in Los Angeles just a short time ago; this is after a judge in Sweden allowed him to return home to await the verdict of his assault case. He and two others were accused of assaulting a man during a street brawl in Stockholm.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is following this.
And what is the latest as we know that A$AP Rocky is back in the U.S.? SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: That's right, he landed in L.A. just a short time ago and this closes one of the chapters in this saga that has seen fans, celebrities and, of course, president Donald Trump himself get involved on behalf of the rapper.
Yesterday was an emotional day in court when the judge announced that he could go back to the United States. His supporters erupted in cheers and applause. His mother could be seen crying. Take a listen to his lawyer at that moment.
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SLOBODAN JOVIVIC, A$AP ROCKY'S LAWYER: We had two goals. One goal was that my client was going to be a free man today and that we have achieved. And then we are hoping for an acquittal in 14 days. But we have to wait and see.
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ABDELAZIZ: The 30-year-old rapper had spent about a month in jail. This, of course, after an altercation where a 19-year-old Afghan man accused the rapper and his friends of beating him and hitting him with a glass bottle. A$AP Rocky denied using the glass bottle and said that he was acting in self-defense and felt threatened.
This, of course, drew the attention of president Donald Trump who took to Twitter to petition for his release and at one point sending a special envoy for hostage affairs to intervene on A$AP Rocky's behalf.
He did attend the trial and at one point sent a letter to the Swedish prosecution authority and, in that letter, said that there would be, quote, "negative consequences" for the bilateral relationship between the two countries if the issue wasn't resolved.
Trump's critics have accused him of pandering to the country's black community during an election period. For A$AP Rocky's part, he thanked his supporters and said he is glad to be back home but that he will be nervous to await the verdict.
HOWELL: And as he awaits that final verdict, is there any indication what prosecutors are seeking?
ABDELAZIZ: It is difficult to speculate but legal analysts will tell you that the fact that he has been released and allowed to go back to the U.S. is an indication potentially that he will either get a sentence that is shorter than the time that he has already served, which again is about a month already in jail, or that he would be acquitted.
Just to remind you, that serious assault allegation can hold a sentence of up to two years in Sweden. The prosecutor in this specific case asked for six months of jail time on behalf of the victim. The victim is also asking for monetary compensation.
Again, A$AP Rocky has maintained his innocence, has said that this is self-defense. The case, which took place last week, reviewed a lot of video; there was a document, over 500 pages to go through. So for these next two week, it will be radio silence as we wait for this final verdict, George.
HOWELL: Salma Abdelaziz, thank you.
Now to tell you about a tragic scene in California. Three died when a cliff collapsed into a beach. It left a swath debris next to the beach chairs and surfboards. Five people were rescued.
The Argentina national soccer team will now be without their star player for three months. The South American football confederation has suspended Lionel Messi for calling the organization corrupt. He made the remark last --
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HOWELL: -- month after being ejected from a match against Chile. The superstar insists that he was referring to the referees. Messi was also fined $50,000 and can appeal that ruling. He has not yet publicly reacted to the suspension.
In Sudan, people are celebrating a new political deal there. Hundreds of people cheered and waved flags in the capital city on Friday, this after a mediator announced a final constitutional declaration had been reached. It would pave the way for a transitional government.
Officials of the military council and opposition are meeting to work out details for the signing ceremony. Sudan has been hit by protests, some violent, since the president Omar al-Bashir was ousted back in April.
Two months on and Hong Kong's political unrest is still strong there. Ahead, what government supporters think about the pro democracy movement.
Plus, one of the families of two American teens held in the stabbing death of an Italian policeman is now speaking out. We'll have the latest on that from Rome as CNN NEWSROOM pushes ahead.
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HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you.
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HOWELL: Let's talk more about what is happening in Hong Kong right now with Holden Chow, with the Democratic Alliance of Betterment and Progress for Hong Kong, which is the largest pro Beijing party. Good to you have here on the show. Thank you.
HOLDEN CHOW, HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBER: Thank you, George.
So citing clashes with police, citing disruptions in the different districts, your group has proposed taking a more aggressive approach at addressing these protests. Tell us more about that.
CHOW: Well, I think first of all it is sad to see the violence erupting in Hong Kong over the past few weekends. Many people here have grave concerns. For example, people worry that how the business could continue to operate, it will cause harm to the economy. It would also cause some harm to the daily lives of people.
I think that we do respect peaceful demonstrations because we have the right to have freedom of assembly. This guarantee under our basic law. But people don't accept the violence.
And as you say may see, over the few weekends, violence erupted throughout the city and we don't want to see that carry on. And if that goes down, people decide to go down that path, I think that that will eventually ruin the entire city.
So I think that we do first of all urge the people to step back and think and calm down and this is not the right way to carry on. I mean, for the violence.
HOWELL: Earlier in the week there was a warning from China's military which increased the worry that they could intervene in these protests.
Is that something that you would like to see?
CHOW: Well, I don't think that the PLA would come in and deal with the demonstrations or the violence in Hong Kong because we trust that the Hong Kong police is able to deal with the entire situation.
And, of course, under the one country/two systems, we have our Hong Kong government and our Hong Kong police to deal with the situation. So I don't think that the PLA will come in and deal with the situation here.
But what I would say is, of course, right now we see the angry crowd and we have always been urging the public to step back and think and calm down because even if you have a righteous motive, if you carry on with the violence, eventually it will ruin the entire city and, of course, it will cause tension between Hong Kong and central government to escalate.
And that is not a robust way to deal with the problem, is it?
HOWELL: Many pro democracy protesters don't trust leadership, they are concerned with what leadership tells them.
Is there a way do you think that there could be a meeting in the middle here for people to feel that their voices are being heard, despite the risks that they are seeing there in the streets? CHOW: I can understand people are very angry and they have already expressed some demands. For example, they would demand a sort of investigation into the police conduct.
But what I would assure you is right now we have a mechanism in Hong Kong to conduct a sort of a thorough investigation into police wrongdoing, which is called the IBCC. This is a platform to carry out investigation into police conduct which has already begun. So that is one thing.
And the second thing is, when the protesters call for another platform to deal with the investigation on police conduct, the difficulties for the government is --
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CHOW: -- even if the government decide to make concession there, take on board their advice, because there are no leaders in this movement, so there is no negotiation, there is nobody could assure that even if the government take on that advice, would they be able to pacify the angry crowd. So the protests could actually carry on.
So I think that that is the difficulty that the government is facing. There are no leaders in this movement. So there is nobody for the government to identify to engage and perhaps to establish a robust dialogue.
HOWELL: There are some officials who have reportedly suggested that pro democracy protesters are strategically staging these demonstrations in districts where people will be voting in upcoming elections.
Is there a concern among your group that you could lose seats with people expressing their discontent with what is happening and request with the government's handling of it?
CHOW: I have no idea on the strategy presented by the protesters. But what I care is I think that for the time being everyone in Hong Kong, they have concern on how we are going to solve this problem. It is not about election, it is not about something happen at the end of this year, which is the election.
But people are very concerned about how to move on, how to deal with this problem. I think that people don't expect the government sitting on its hands. But at the same time, I think that one of the ways to deal with that is that we would urge the government to at least establish some dialogues with different people, at least to have the dialogue to sort of mend the rift within the society. So that is one thing that government could do.
HOWELL: Holden Chow, we appreciate your time today. Thank you.
CHOW: Thank you.
HOWELL: Now to that killing of an Italian police officer, the parents of one of two American suspects wants the prosecution to produce video evidence of the crime. The officer was stabbed 11 times during a drug bust that went wrong.
Let's go live to Rome now and, Melissa Bell, she's on the story.
And these parents speaking out, they want to see exactly how all of this transpired.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is the exact spot, George, where a week ago on Friday morning, officer Mario Cerciello Rega was stabbed to death. That we all know for sure.
The rest is pretty much what is contained in the prosecution's case and ruling given by the investigating judge a few days ago. The defense for its part has not only not communicated much with the press or given its version of events but simply not had access to much of the evidence that has been collected.
And we've heard frustration expressed from a source close to the defense of these two American teens. Now that is partly because certain elements like the final autopsy report are simply not completed yet.
The other crucial part of evidence will be the CCTV footage. Remember that it was crucial from the very beginnings to this case, to the prosecution's case, since it was thanks to the CCTV footage -- and we've seen the one of the boys running away after having allegedly stolen a backpack and before that confrontation happened here with the two Italian police officers.
But the CCTV footage of this spot, that is what the defense really wants to get its hands on, it wants to see precisely what happened in the early hours of that Friday morning when the two boys were confronted by the two Italian police officers.
For the time being they haven't had a chance to see it and it could take more time since, under Italian law, prosecutors and judges have many months up to even a year to bring charges against these teens.
And, of course, that will delay the time that it will take the defense to get its hands on precisely all the evidence. That has potentially just changed since the lawyer of the other teen involved, Hjorth's attorney has confirmed has launched an appeal on his client's behalf.
So Italian authorities have until Monday to provide the defense with all of that evidence. So this is a crucial time in that story.
HOWELL: All right. The latest on the case.
But what about the community coming together for the death of the officer?
BELL: This is a killing that has shocked the country. It is a rare event here in Italy that a police officer should be slain in the line of duty. And there has been a great outpouring of grief, there has been a lot of mourning. You see here behind me the flowers -- the flag -- I'm sorry -- that marks the exact spot --
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BELL: -- where Rega was killed. So there has been all that emotion.
But there are also questions for the police. And prosecutors have launched a parallel investigation into exactly what went on that night. Specifically, why was this police officer confronting these American teens in the early hours of the morning when he was not carrying a weapon?
The prosecutors are looking into who was on shift, who was on duty, why they were where they were and why specifically Mario Rega was out that night without his fire weapon.
HOWELL: Certainly a lot of questions. Melissa Bell on the story. We'll stay in touch with you as we follow it. Thank you.
Eric Garner's family is speaking out five years after his arrest turned deadly. We'll hear what police plan to do about one of the officers who was there that day, stay with us.
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HOWELL: In New York a police administrative judge is recommending an officer be fired for his role in the 2014 death of Eric Garner. Eric Garner died after being pulled to the ground during an arrest. NYPD police commissioner James O'Neal will decide whether to follow the recommendation.
Disturbing video captured the arrest and it went viral. Garner can be heard pleading, saying, "I can't breathe." That phrase became a national rallying cry for activists battling police brutality. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio praised the judge's decision.
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BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK MAYOR AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today we finally saw a step towards justice and accountability. We saw a process that was actually fair and impartial. And I hope that this will --
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DE BLASIO: -- now bring the Garner family a sense of closure and beginning of some peace.
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HOWELL: And we heard from Garner's children, who spoke with my colleague, Brooke Baldwin and had a message to the commissioner. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feel like he is being arrogant.
EMERALD GARNER, ERIC'S DAUGHTER: Eric Garner is gone. I can never get my father back. Do us a favor as a family and make this right. Justice for Eric Garner would be firing Pantaleo. Stand with the family of Eric Garner who have been suffering for the past five years. Stand with the children and grandchildren of Eric Garner, who have been suffering for the past five years. Make the right decision and fire this officer.
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HOWELL: And Garner's widow also saying that the officer should have been fired right on the spot.
Out of controlled wildfires are raging in Siberia. They have a devastating impact on the environment there. We'll have the latest on Russia's battles to stop the growing ecological disaster.
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Climate crisis Russia is battling a --
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HOWELL: -- climate emergency in the Arctic right now. Out of control wildfires have been raging in Siberia since June and melting permafrost is releasing dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide. Fred Pleitgen reports on this ecological disaster.
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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Siberia is a place where you can see the global climate crisis in full effect. The wildfires here in this region have been raging out of control for months. If I took a three-hour flight west of this location, I would still be inside the zone that's impacted by these fires. They're caused, on the one hand, by global warming, but also by melting permafrost and they're dumping megatons of CO2 into the air.
Hellfire in what should be one of the coldest places on earth. Russia's arctic is burning. Firefighters we meet near the far eastern city of Yakutsk struggling to keep the flames at bay.
"We have a lot of land that is hard to reach so we need heavy machinery. By the time we get there, they can spread very far."
PLEITGEN (voice-over): This year, they've spread extremely far. Fires are raging in almost all of Eastern Russia. By comparison, this would be the same area in the U.S.
Siberia's wildfires have gotten worse as our planet warms up. At the same time, the greenhouse gases they spew into the air contribute to further global warming.
Fifty megatons of carbon dioxide blown into the atmosphere by fires in arctic regions in June alone, scientists say, leaving scorched earth behind.
PLEITGEN (on camera): So here you see one of the reasons why these fires are so dangerous and spreading so quickly. There's a lot of dead undergrowth and dead trees here in this area that not only catch fire really quickly but then also store tons of carbon that's now being released into the atmosphere.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Towns like Yakutsk have been under heavy smoke for months while their foundation is literally melting away as the planet gets hotter.
This is what this region looks like underground. It's built on permafrost, now getting weaker as temperatures this summer soared into the 90s.
The head of Yakutsk's Permafrost Institute says the world needs to cut back emissions fast.
"The depth of melting is growing," he says. "The point of no return is almost here. We are at a critical point when it comes to permafrost."
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And this is what it looks like when the point of no return is reached. Giant sinkholes, like this one, are popping up all over Siberia and growing.
The sound you hear is ice and frozen earth breaking off, climate change in action.
PLEITGEN (on camera): The Russians call this place the "Gateway to Hell" because it looks almost like the earth is crumbling and the underworld is coming to light. And there are fears in this region that fast erosion like this could destroy entire cities very soon.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Melting permafrost also releases huge amounts of carbon stored in the melting ice, further fueling the hellish flames now eating their way through Russia's arctic and affecting our climate back home -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Russia.
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HOWELL: The new issue of British "Vogue" is on newsstands but there is nothing ordinary about it, thanks to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. She was the guest editor and focused the issue on women who have made change in the world.
Among the 15 featured are Jane Fonda and Michelle Obama. The duchess herself is not on the cover. Before we go, of course, NASA has discovered a nearby super Earth that
just might support life. The U.S. space agency was looking for planets outside of our solar system and it found three of them orbiting a dwarf star just about 31 light years away. Wow.
Researchers say one planet is within the star's habitable zone. Scientists believe, if its atmosphere is dense enough, it could trap heat to warm the planet and also allow for water and life on the surface.
Thank you for being with us for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. More news right after the break. Stay with us.
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