Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Hong Kong Firefighters Criticize Police Force; Duke of York Under Fire Over Epstein Defense; Venice Experiencing Historic Flooding; Police Standoff With Hong Kong Protesters Intensifies; U.S. Condemns Iran For Lethal Force On Demonstrators; Wall Street Journal Reports, Sondland Briefed Trump Officials On Ukraine Plans. Aired 12- 1a ET

Aired November 18, 2019 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:00]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes.

Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, sheer chaos in Hong Kong as police around a university, firing tear gas and water cannon on protesters who have been hold up for days setting fires and blocking off entrances.

As Iranians protest of 50 percent gas hike, the Interior Minister warns security forces may act against them.

And the U.S. president attacks yet another witness said to testify publicly this week in the impeachment inquiry. She's also an aide to the vice president.

Welcome, everyone. A standoff between Hong Kong police and pro- democracy protesters has now stretched into a second day, the confrontation intensifying. Right now, police are trying to remove demonstrators hold up inside Polytechnic University. They've surrounded the campus and fired tear gas to clear the area.

Some protesters who tried to flee have been arrested but many are still trying to defend their make-shift fortress. They've set fire to the main entrance and piled up furniture to keep police out,

The school is a strategic stronghold for protesters. It's in the center of Hong Kong close to major roads and also across harbor tunnel. Earlier, both sides engaged in violent clashes as they fought for control of the school.

You hear those loud pops echoing throughout the campus as the fight escalated. Police using tear gas and water cannon, but protesters fighting back with petrol bombs, slingshots, even bows and arrows.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Hong Kong. She is following developments for us. Now, Paula, obviously, the conditions are worsening. It was like a war zone at times. What's the situation now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, when it comes to the campus itself, I think you're right, it is a standoff at this point. It seems as though both sides have dug in, the protesters and the police. But, certainly, when it comes to outside that area, we're about two blocks away from the university here, and you can see that people are trying to distract the police from the campus it's self.

Now, we just saw the police trying to clear this road. The police then left and now the protesters are back putting the bricks back on the road.

So there are many other protests trying to get involved and to trying distract the police, they say. They want to bring them and pull them and draw them away from the campus, but that's simply not happening at this point. There were clashes just around the corner about an hour ago that we witnessed. And there were a couple petrol bombs from the protesters, tear gas from the police.

But when it comes to the campus itself, we did speak to one individual who is inside still. He's a 23-year-old. And he said that, effectively, what people are doing is they are sitting and waiting to be arrested. He said he is with a group of 20 of them.

Now, he didn't sound like one of the more radical elements of these protests, but he said that they are very tired and they are just waiting, thinking that the police are going to keep them there for as long as possible to tire them out and then arrest them.

We did also witness a little earlier this morning, Michael, dozens of the protesters creeping out of the campus in an area that was not guarded at that point by the police, and running to try and escape. As we understand it, an awful lot of those have since been arrested. The police opened up the cordon and extended it to make sure that they could try and round them up.

But what police are saying at this point is that they wanted people to leave the campus, and they are effectively arresting them as they leave. Michael?

HOLMES: And you've been inside there. You've talked to these protesters. Tell us about the makeup of them? Are they all students or some agitators, more radical? Who are they?

HANCOCKS: Well, you have a mixture in there. I've been there over the past few days. And within the campus itself, it's effectively like a self-sustained village. They have everything they need for a few days. They have enough food, water, they were cooking for each other. They have the gas masks, the helmets, the medical supplies.

But we do understand that a number of them have been arrested, although police were pleased to say that they didn't carry out a raid on the campus itself.

[00:05:01]

But you have many different protesters. You have the one that we spoke to. There was another one a couple of days ago we spoke to who was a student and he was still doing Skype tutorials with his professor, he said. But there are also definitely some hard-core violent elements within that area.

You could see crates a petrol bombs that were being made and that were being stacked up, an awful lot of them having been used overnight. You saw also a gas canister with ordinance taped around that's sort of close to one of the entrances. That's a photo that's been sent to us from inside. So you do have a mixture.

Now, those that escaped, we don't know whether they were the more hard-core elements. It's very difficult to know without being inside. But then, of course, you have the regular protesters here who are still just trying to distract the police, trying to block some of these roads just to draw them away from that campus, but it's not working at this point. Michael?

HOLMES: Great to have you there on the spot, Paula. Paula Hancocks there in Hong Kong for us.

Now, the violence around Hong Kong's universities has, in fact, forced some students to flee the city.

CNN's David Culver has that part of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The violent clashes between police and protesters in Hong Kong turning university campuses into scorched battlegrounds. For five months, demonstrators have been fighting against Beijing's increasing influence over the territory. They have smashed Mainland Chinese banks, vandalized a state-run newspaper office and trashed restaurants run by owners who support Beijing.

Once a city mainlanders plot to for a taste of western affluence and education, many are now fleeing Hong Kong heading back to the Mainland, some boarding a police boat to get out. These passengers took a train across the border into Shenzhen, China. Several are university students. The violence abruptly ending their semesters, greeted here with signs like this one. It reads, we are one family, we are with you, the young man holding it, fearing retaliation. He tells us his company sent him offering temporary housing to Mainland Chinese students leaving their Hong Kong universities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to help to ease their situation a little and give them some warmth.

CULER: Hotels in Shenzhen are rolling out the red welcome home signs. The Communist Youth League, run by the Communist Party of China, among the first to step up to assist with the growing exodus of young people.

Pro-Beijing private businesses and alumni network from Chinese universities also helping the students find a place to stay.

This Mainland student tells us she left the Education University of Hong Kong after administrators canceled classes last week. She, like everyone we spoke with, fearful to reveal her identity, experiencing a mix of emotion, fear, confusion, uncertainty, even resentment towards the violent protesters.

KATHERINE, MAINLAND STUDENT STUDYING IN HONG KONG: They're just try to destroy the normal people's lives, and it will influence our graduation, so really unhappy.

CULVER: Back in Hong Kong, we found other Mainlanders, like Charlie, staying put for now.

CHARLIE, MAINLAND STUDENT STUDYING IN HONG KONG: I think many students are scared, are worried. But I have to say that I cannot see many students targeted by those protesters or bullied by those protesters or their local classmates.

CULVER: But his mother still worries after seeing the images of destruction, she traveled from the Mainland to Hong Kong to check in on her some. Charlie says early on in the movement, he actually sympathized with the demonstrators.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I changed my mind. They need to reduce the violence.

CULVER: Violence has led to this, campuses that once promoted dialogue, left near empty, shattered, charred, residents now cleaning up, wondering what will ignite next.

David Culver, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And joining me now is Anson Chan, who served as Chief Secretary for Hong Kong back in the 1990s under the last British governor, Chris Patten, also under the Hong Kong government after the handover. It's a pleasure to have you on the program.

The situation clearly worsening, it was a bit like a war zone at times in the last day or so and threats of live fire. Where do you see this headed?

ANSON CHAN, FORMER CHIEF SECRETARY, HONG KONG: I'm sorry to say that, at the moment, I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel, because both sides remain intransigent and digging in their heels. The protesters feel that they have already made considerable sacrifices, some of the protests have been heard, and they're prepared to make a last ditch effort to try and get the government to consider some of their demands, even if this means laying their lives on the line.

[00:10:05]

On the other hand, we have a totally intransigent government that is providing no solution other than every day coming out to condemn violence. Well, yes, none of us wants to see violence, we should not tolerating violence, violence does not solve the problem. But with increasing brutality and excessive use of force by the police, the community and particularly the protesters are getting angrier by the day. And with a government that doesn't listen, you have some sympathy with the protesters. So it's very much up to the government to make the first move.

HOLMES: How do you see the level of determination of this core group of protesters? What would satisfy them at this point?

CHAN: I think what would satisfy them, I hope, but it's -- we're now into the sixth month of the protest, is for some of their public demands to be entertained to be entertained by the government. And chief amongst these demands are two things, I think. First, the establishment of an independent commission to the inquiry to look into the root cause of this whole protest movement, to look particularly at the actions not just of the police, but also the action of the protesters, in other words, to establish the truth and the facts. And once you have the truth, then we can begin to consider what steps can we take to begin the process of reconciliation, because the society at the moment is seriously split.

Now, it should not be difficult for the government to entertain this, particular as its own appointed overseas expert recently commented that the task given to them under the current remit (ph) is to narrowly defined, and therefore they do not feel they can render a report that will receive public support.

HOLMES: Isn't it difficult that there is no protest leader, no structure to this, and that makes it difficult for negotiations? I mean, can you see a negotiated resolution? Who talks to?

CHAN: Well, my view is that if the government demonstrates that it is serious at having a dialogue, a dialogue without preconditions being set by the government, then I'm sure the protesters can find a few people to represent them.

Now, in the early stages of the protesters, I think it being a leaderless movement probably provided much needed flexibility and agility in organizing their strategy and their tactics. But I agree with you. Now that this protest movement has been going on for several months, I think we've come to the stage where, actually, the protesters ought to be thinking about identifying a few persons who can represent them and begin this dialogue. Because you are right, the government uses this as an excuse for saying, even if we wanted to have a dialogue, to whom do we talk?

HOLMES: I wanted to get your thoughts on this. I mean, we've seen images of PLA soldiers, Mainland China soldiers on the streets, just cleaning up, but symbolic, optically, perhaps. What are your thoughts on that?

CHAN: I think that's a very, very dangerous precedent. It's the first step down a very slippery slope. Because the presence of the PLA in Hong Kong and what they can do and cannot do in the internal administration of Hong Kong is very clearly circumscribed in Hong Kong's basic law, which is our Constitution.

And in a nutshell, it says that the PLA can only render assistance in whatever form at the specific request of the SAR government.

Now, on this occasion, the SAR government has not made such a request. Ostensibly, they are out there voluntarily helping to clean up the streets. But once you establish such a precedent, what is to stop them from saying tomorrow, but I'm voluntarily coming out to assist the police? Where do you draw the line?

So I think the government should take a very --

HOLMES: Normalizing their presence.

CHAN: Yes, they are normalizing their presence. They're probably testing the waters to see whether there is any public reaction against this. And if there is none, then the next time, they will be even bolder. So I think we need to draw a very clear line.

HOLMES: Yes. Well, I'm also -- as this goes on, it's been weeks, it's been month, I mean, speak to the economic and even perhaps more importantly social impact of these protests. What is it all doing to Hong Kong for, so long an island of peace and prosperity?

CHAN: Certainly, it's not doing us any good. The economy is definitely suffering, particularly the retail industry.

[00:15:00]

People's safety are now at stake. Business confidence must also be affected, particularly when they lay siege to the main parts of Hong Kong Island, which is the business center. And the more that this goes on, the more I think you undermine Hong Kong's rule of law, respect for law and order, even respect for the police. Respect for the police is at an all-time low. This cannot do us any good. And for those of us --

HOLMES: And social divisions as well? I mean, social division.

CHAN: Absolutely. Well, even within our family, views are seriously divided. We are all very sad to see what is happening to this beloved city of ours, and we are looking to the government to provide some moral leadership and to have some courage to do the right thing by the people of Hong Kong.

HOLMES: You faced threats yourself, haven't you? Are you concerned as this continues?

CHAN: Well, I think for the first time in 50 years, yes, I am a little bit concerned, particularly when you received physical threats, when you have harassing calls all day and all hours of the night and when you have totally fabricated things written about you in the state propaganda media. But it hasn't deterred me from doing what I believe to be right, which is --

HOLMES: Do you know where those threats are coming from? CHAN: Well, it is entirely state-sponsored. People underestimate the pervasiveness of the state propaganda machinery. But this is a very good example of how they target individuals.

But when they feel the need to target individuals, you start to wonder how much confidence does the leadership have in its own leadership? Surely, it is not necessary to target individuals like myself, Martin Lee or Jimmy Li. What harm can we do?

HOLMES: Anson Chan, I appreciate your time. Very difficult times for Hong Kong. Thank you.

CHAN: Thank you.

HOLMES: The U.S. is condemning Iran for the way it has dealt with protesters who were denouncing a planned increase in gas prices, the White House accusing the government of using level force against the demonstrators. Violent scenes like these have been playing out for days. Iran's supreme leader says several people have died so far

CNN's Fred Pleitgen with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Violent protests in many parts of Iran. About a five-hour drive south of Tehran, in Isfahan, flames raged at a branch of the (INAUDIBLE) bank. A similar picture in Khorramabad near the border with Iraq, as Iranians faced with high unemployment and a crumbling economy take to the streets.

In the capital of Tehran, this social media video purports to show protesters screaming, death to the dictator, death to Rouhani, Iran's president. The government claims it wants to combat fuel smuggling when country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has backed the gas price hike while criticizing protesters.

ALI KHAMENEI, SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN: Some people would definitely get upset over this decision, he said, but damaging and setting fire to property is not something normal people would do. It's hooligans.

PLEITGEN: On Sunday morning, workers at the main bazaar in Tehran went on strike, effectively shutting business down there. But the merchants have been suffering for months since the Trump administration has pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement and hit Iran with wave after wave of crippling sanctions.

Iran's government says it will remain steadfast and initiated what it calls a resistance economy, an effort to become more self-sustained.

But while Iran's government says outside forces are fanning these new protests, many Iranians suffering under high unemployment and very little hope that things can improve every time soon.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: All eyes are on Capitol Hill as key witness Gordon Sondland gets ready to testify in the Trump impeachment hearings. New details on how closely U.S. ambassador to the European Union was involved in the Ukraine dealings. That's when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:20:00]

HOLMES: Welcome back.

The next round of impeachment hearings kicks off this week. Eight U.S. officials will be testifying and some of the most anticipated testimony will come from the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland.

The Wall Street Journal on Sunday disclosing emails that showed Sondland had been keeping Trump officials in the loop on the push to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.

On July 19th, Sondland wrote this, quote, I talked to Zelensky just now. He is prepared to receive POTUS's call, we will assure him that he intends to run a fully transparent investigation and, quote, will turn over every stone.

Now, why this is interesting is this was ahead of President Trump's call with the Ukrainian president the following week.

U.S. President Donald Trump meanwhile attacking another witness in the impeachment inquiry on Twitter Sunday. Jennifer William also publicly testify on Capitol Hill thisweek.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond with that.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump lashing out at yet another witness in the impeachment inquiry, this time going after Jennifer Williams, a special adviser to Vice President Mike Pence for Europe and Russia, a career foreign officer who has been a serving in the president's own administration.

The president took to Twitter to say, tell Jennifer Williams, whoever that is, to read both transcripts of the presidential calls and see the just released statements from Ukraine. Then she should meet with the other never Trumpers who I don't know and mostly never even heard of and work out a better presidential attack.

Now, there is no evidence to support the president's claims here that Jennifer Williams is a never Trumper, just like there is no evidence to back up the president's similar attacks on Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, Ukraine expert at the National Security Council, as well as the ambassador, Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, both of whom the president has also branded as never Trumpers.

[00:25:16]

But it is a pattern of the president going after these individuals who are bringing to light this Ukrainian scandal. Jennifer Williams testified in a closed-door deposition last week that the president's request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in this July call that he carry out these specific politically-charged investigations was quote, unusual and inappropriate.

Williams is just the latest Trump administration official to face these kinds attacks, of course. But what was perhaps more startling here was the response from the vice president's office. Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, Katie Waldman, I asked her for comments on these attacks from the president on an adviser to the vice president. And her response was to say, Jennifer is a State Department employee.

Now, while that may be technically accurate, Jennifer Williams is indeed a State Department employee, she is detailed to the vice president's office, like so many other career foreign officers who are detailed to the White House who become then White House advisers, White House officials in their current capacities. And so that was quite remarkable to see the distance being put there.

But Democrats are likely to also raise questions about whether, once again, this is the president attempting to intimidate a witness. Jennifer Williams, while she did already testify behind closed doors, and just a couple of days, on Tuesday, Jennifer Williams is expected to come forward and testify publicly on Capitol Hill.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.

HOLMES: And you can stay up to date on the impeachment hearings at our website, cnn.com. Do tune in to CNN as well for our special coverage this week starting Tuesday 1:00 P.M. in London, 9:00 P.M. in Hong Kong.

What might have started as an attempt to damage control appears to have backfired for Prince Andrew. Why he is under more pressure than ever after facing questions over his friendship with a convicted sex offender. That's when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:00]

HOLMES: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Time to update you on the headlines this hour.

[00:30:40]

The U.S. is condemning Iran for allegedly using lethal force on protesters, Iranians have been demonstrating against the planned increase in tax prices. Iran's supreme leader says several people have died so far.

Across the country, Internet and cell phone service has been down for more than 24 hours, the longest outage in six years.

U.S. President Donald Trump lashing out on Twitter, calling an aide to the vice president, Mike Pence, a quote, "never Trumper." Jennifer Williams will be testifying on Capitol Hill this week. This is the latest in a series of social media attacks by the president against those cooperating in the impeachment inquiry.

A long stand-off between police and protesters rages on at Hong Kong's Polytechnic University. Police have fired more tear gas near the school as they attempt to force out demonstrators. Some of the protesters have attempted to flee the campus, but many of them have been arrested on the way out.

Well, the police have been widely criticized for how they have handled the anti-government protests, but Hong Kong's firefighters have been applauded for their response. As CNN's Will Ripley reports, a growing number of firefighters admit they support the protest movement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A Hong Kong firefighter points to his swollen face. Riot police accidentally hit his fire engine with tear gas earlier this month. Tempers flared on both sides.

Police pushed the firefighter into a corner before chasing and pepper- spraying a journalist.

Police and fire services rushed to issue a joint statement within hours, calling it a misunderstanding. These men say it's more than that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The power of police is, like, unlimited. They can do whatever they like.

RIPLEY: Two Hong Kong firefighters and one paramedic, all not authorized to speak to CNN. They'll only talk if we hide their identities.

(on camera): Can I ask, have any of the three of you ever participated in the protests, you know, covering your own faces? --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

RIPLEY: Do you think you would be fired if that ever came out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, we will get fired.

RIPLEY (voice-over): They say many of their colleagues have also joined the protests, ignoring warnings like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You can't stand against the government, showing a negative image to the public.

RIPLEY: But, videos like these show what some consider government- sanctioned police brutality. Skeptics argue they generally lack context about what happened before. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police is using excessive violence, when they are arresting those young people.

RIPLEY (on camera): Can you describe what kind of excessive violence you've personally witnessed?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When someone is under arrest, and they didn't fight back, they are just lying on the ground, and the police were still beating them. And now it's like a common practice.

RIPLEY: Like every week?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like every protest.

RIPLEY (voice-over): This woman pepper-sprayed and pushed to the ground. This office worker's head injury said to be from a tear gas canister.

A protester shot in the torso with live ammunition, all in the span of two days.

Amnesty International accuses Hong Kong police of being out of control.

KONG WING-CHEUNG, SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT, HONG KONG POLICE: I do not agree that our officers is out of control in the use of force, but of course, we are under great pressure.

RIPLEY: Pressure including violent attacks targeting officers. Hong Kong police sent us this video: frontline protesters beating an off- duty cop. The firefighters watching said they tried to help but were outnumbered.

Bricks and petrol bombs are the weapons of choice against police. Others include an improvised explosive device, metal poles and flaming arrows.

This government supporter was even doused with flammable liquid and set on fire.

CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: These riotous acts have gone overboard with their demands, and these acts are the enemies of the people.

[00:35:05]

RIPLEY (on camera): Would you dispute is the fact that the protesters are also putting lives in danger through their behavior?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you are right. Some small groups of protesters are putting things in danger. That's undeniable. But for me, I understand what they are doing.

RIPLEY: So are you saying that you, if you had to pick a side, would you side with the protesters over the police, as a firefighter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I would be -- I will side with the protesters.

RIPLEY: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are desperate.

RIPLEY (voice-over): They all say the biggest challenge facing Hong Kong right now is not violence. It's lack of trust.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one is trusting each other. That's why we are hiding our face. People don't trust the government. We don't trust the police, and there's no way back.

RIPLEY: And no way forward. For the 70-year-old man hit with a brick and 22-year-old student who fell from a parking garage, two protest- related deaths in just one week.

Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Britain's Prince Andrew coming under fire after speaking out for the first time about his friendship with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lawyers for Epstein's victims are now demanding that the British royal talked to the FBI.

CNN's Hadas Gold with more from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prince Andrew may have hoped sitting down for an extensive forensic interview with the BBC would help quell the controversy surrounding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. But it seemed to have only fanned the flames.

The British press pounded the prince for his answers and demeanor, not expressing enough sympathy for Epstein's victims, they said, with blaring headlines like "not one single word of remorse."

PRINCE ANDREW, DUKE OF YORK: Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unbecoming? He was a sex offender.

PRINCE ANDREW: Yes. I'm sorry. I'm being polite. I mean, the sense that he was a sex offender.

GOLD: Prince Andrew claimed in the interview, aired on Saturday night, that he and Epstein were not that great of friends. But then said he went on to stay at Epstein's house in Manhattan just months after Epstein had been released for prison for sex crimes in order to break up the friendship in person.

He told the BBC he kicks himself daily for visiting Epstein, realizes it was the wrong thing to do, and let the royal family down. (on camera): The interview was taped on Thursday here at Buckingham

Palace, the seat of the British monarchy. According to the BBC, it took six months to arrange and was conducted with the queen's approval.

(voice-over): For the first time, Prince Andrew provided alibis for the allegations leveled against him by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed in a 2015 federal court filing, that she was forced to party with Prince Andrew and engage in sexual acts with him.

But the Duke of York has repeatedly denied all of the allegations, saying in the interview he couldn't have been with Giuffre on at least one of the occasions she cited because he was at a Pizza Express restaurant with his daughter, Princess Beatrice.

Prince Andrew said he has no recollection of even meeting Giuffre, despite the fact a photo allegedly shows him with his arm around a young Giuffre in 2001.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you saying you don't believe her? She's lying?

PRINCE ANDREW: That's a very difficult thing to answer, because I'm not in a position to know what she's trying to achieve. But I can tell you, categorically, I don't remember meeting her at all. I do not remember the photograph being taken. And I've said consistently and -- and frequently that we never had any sort of sexual contact whatever.

GOLD: Gloria Allred, an attorney for some of Epstein's victims, has called on Prince Andrew to speak under oath or testify to U.S. investigators. The prince said he would be willing to do so, if his legal counsel advised him to.

When asked if Buckingham Palace had a reaction to the fallout from the interview, a spokesperson said on Sunday that the duke's words speak for themselves.

Hadas Gold, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We'll take a short break on the program. When we come back, floodwaters inundating Venice once again, putting its historic treasures at risk. We'll see whether there is any relief in sight when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:41:46]

HOLMES: Floodwaters rising once again in Venice, putting centuries- old treasures at risk. Days of historic flooding have paralyzed the city, forcing businesses and iconic landmarks to close. The state of emergency still in effect, meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now with more. Is there ever going to be any good news for Venetians?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And Michael, you know, we are stuck in a pattern here where the wet weather has persisted. Of course, the winds have been strong, and this has been going on for about a ten-day period. And wait till you see some of the elements here as far as what has happened, the historic nature of what has happened here in the last couple of days.

Because yet another system here on the horizon, going to push in across the Adriatic, we think, within the next 36 hours. With it, yes, another round of strong winds here and another round of potential flooding across the region in Venice.

And of course, it just remains unsettled. It is November. You expect activity to flourish, as it does this time of year. But Michael, the elements here are not advancing. If we can advance the graphics for you. There we go.

So we kind of can show you exactly what has happened across this region. The intensive nature of these storms even spawned multiple tornadoes, one of which was an EF-2 in scale. So it kind of speaks to how impressive the storms have been. We think winds, once again, will be strong across Venice, moving forward over the next 24 or so hours. An exceptional tide, that's 140 centimeters or higher. That, on average, happens once every five years. But look at the past five days: 187, 144, 154, 150. Four of the last five days have seen an event that happens once every five years, one of which was 187 centimeters. And, of course, that is the second highest ever observed.

So people have not seen an event like this with this much persistence in their entire lifetime, and of course, that pattern is what's most devastating right now across Venice -- Michael.

(WEATHER GRAPHIC SWITCHES TO ONE SHOWING A MAP OF NEW SOUTH WALES WITH THE HEADLINE "NEW SOUTH WALES BUSHFIRES")

HOLMES: Yes, exactly. Yes. Pedram, thank you. Pedram Javaheri there. Tough times in Australia.

All right. Before we go, in the United States, it is bitter cold in the northeast, and an 8-year-old Maryland boy is on a mission to help thousands of homeless military veterans.

Tyler Stallings was just four when he found out how many of the nation's veterans were homeless. So he decided to put together what he calls Hero Bags, filled with hygiene and winter essentials. His mother says Stallings has donated more than 3,000 bags and raised more than $50,000.

Good for him.

All right. Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. WORLD SPORT is up next. I'll see you in about 15 minutes with more news. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:17]

(WORLD SPORT)

[00:57:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END