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Trump Serves Thanksgiving Meals During Surprise Afghanistan Visit; U.S. President Signs Hong Kong Human Rights Act; Iraqi Prime Minister Orders Investigation into Deadly Protests in Iraq; Families Call Hillsborough Not Guilty Verdict a Disgrace; K-Pop Scrutinized Over Mental Health after Star's Death; World's First HIV-Positive Sperm Bank Opens in New Zealand; Russian Apple Maps Shows Crimea as Part of Russia; Report Warning: Earth Heading Toward 'Tipping Point'. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired November 29, 2019 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes.
[00:00:24]
Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, Turkey and the Taliban. The U.S. president surprises troops in Afghanistan for Thanksgiving and says talks with the militant group are back on.
Hong Kong braces for weekend demonstrations as police finally clear the university campus seized by pro-democracy protesters.
And a controversial verdict in the U.K. court, the Hillsborough police chief charged with the deaths of 95 soccer fans, cleared of all charges.
Hello and welcome, everyone. U.S. President Donald Trump on his way back to the U.S. after making an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday under extraordinary secrecy.
At Bagram Air Base, the president said that peace talks had restarted with the Taliban. You might remember just last September he abruptly pulled the plug on those talks. Here's how he broke the news to American forces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Taliban wants to make a deal. We'll see if they want to make a deal. It's got to be a real deal, but we'll see. But they want to make a deal, and they only want to make a deal because you're doing a great job. That's the only reason they want to make a deal. So I want to thank you, and I want to thank the Afghan soldiers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The president also pitched in to serve Thanksgiving meals to some of the men and women in uniform, but behind the scenes, there is friction between Mr. Trump and some U.S. military leaders.
We get more now from CNN's Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: President Trump says he thinks the Taliban are ready for a ceasefire and the negotiations with them are back on. All of this emerging on Thanksgiving day as Mr. Trump made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan and met with the Afghan leader, Asher Afghani, also greeting a number of U.S. troops at the Bagram Air Base.
Getting a peace agreement in Afghanistan is really critical for Mr. Trump's goal of reducing troop levels. Thirteen thousand troops there right now. He wants to get it down to about 8,600.
And obviously, at some point when the Afghans are able to stand on their own and have -- be able to protect security in their country, eventually withdraw all U.S. troops.
During the Thanksgiving visit, he took pains to thank the troops, to remind them that America, of course, is behind them. Thank them for their service so far away from home.
It comes at a tough time, though. It's been a difficult week for the U.S. military. Mr. Trump has intervened in several cases of war crimes allegations, and issued pardons, exonerations of troops involved in those. Not gone down particularly well with the top press at the Pentagon and actually, of course, has led to the firing of the Navy secretary, Richard Spencer, who then penned a scathing editorial op-ed in "The Washington Post," saying that Mr. Trump simply did not understand what it meant to serve in the U.S. military with uniform regulations and uniform discipline across the board.
For the U.S. military, they very much want to stay out of politics. Mr. Trump making that difficult for them, at least during this past week.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: North Korea says it has tested what it calls a, quote, "super-large multiple launch rocket system." South Korea says two projectiles were launched, the 13th since May.
Later, Kim Jong-un inspected the test firing, apparently, saying it was a success. But the U.S. condemning the launch. It's calling on North Korea to avoid provocations, abide by obligations under the U.N. Security Council resolutions, and return to sustained and substantive negotiations to do its part to achieve complete denuclearization.
Of course, none of that has happened.
Hong Kong is braced for more pro-democracy protests as police finish cleaning up Polytechnic University. They're expected to hand the campus back to university management after protesters occupied it for two weeks.
During their sweeps, police found thousands of petrol bombs. Meanwhile, protesters celebrating after President Trump signed legislation supporting their movement. But China accuses the U.S. of backing violent criminals.
Will Ripley with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[00:05:00]
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The competing images that we saw, within hours of each other here in Hong Kong illustrates the deep division that exists in this city, between the vast majority of citizens and the Hong Kong government, and of course, the Beijing government, as well.
You had thousands of people out in central Hong Kong, waving American flags, thanking the United States and President Trump for passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which could potentially result in not only sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials involved in human rights abuses, but it also, crucially, requires the State Department to review Hong Kong's highly coveted and hugely important special trade status. If that were to be revoked, it would be devastating for this territory's economy and for the mainland, as well. And it would also hurt the United States, frankly.
And so, some of the people who are out there thanking the U.S. for passing this bill could someday actually be hurt by it, and yet, that doesn't stop them from thanking the U.S. for supporting the pro- democracy movement.
It's the second time in less than a week that the pro-democracy movement has scored a victory. Because there was that landslide win in the district council elections where more than 90 percent of the votes and a record-high turnout went to anti-establishment candidates.
But despite all of that, despite the overwhelming public opinion, you have Carrie Lam, the chief executive, and establishment lawmakers firmly aligned with Beijing's view that the protesters are, in fact, rioters.
And as proof of that, they offered up images from Poly U. They allowed the press to join police when they went in to take away the weapons that they say protesters were storing at that university, including 600 petrol bombs that were thrown at police. You know, used in these confrontations.
The police claim it's the protesters that incite the violence. Protesters claim that police respond with disproportionate and excessive force against unarmed civilians.
But Beijing asking the United States, why would they support a movement that engages in regular violence? And that's the big debate. And the big divide here in Hong Kong, and for the moment, it really doesn't show any sign of -- of bringing these two sides closer together.
And on top of all of it, of course, you have these highly-sensitive trade talks happening between Washington and Beijing. And now the big question is, will any deal be in jeopardy, potentially, because of these new developments, and because President Trump decided to sign this bill into law?
Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong says the new U.S. law shows China that America puts the priority on human rights over economic interests. Here's some of what he told my colleague, Cyril Vanier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA WONG, HONG KONG PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: We're aware actions speak louder than words. At least, how President Trump during the trade war promise has signed on a bill 24 hours ago. It already sent a clear signal to Beijing. They cannot ignore the voice of Hong Kong people.
We have continued to ask for and demanding the U.S. Congress and administration to pass and sign on the bill, and we hope the administration on 2020, before the U.S. presidential election, can launch and to implement the sanction mechanism, to sanction riot police and official with the abuse of power in Hong Kong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: No indication, as yet, President Trump intends to actually enact any of the powers contained in that law anytime soon.
The Iraqi government ordering an investigation into deadly anti- government protests. At least 31 people killed this week alone.
On Wednesday, demonstrators torched the Iranian consulate in Najaf, and on Thursday, security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Nasiriyah.
CNN's Sam Kiley with more on why the protesters are so outraged.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAM KILEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Live rounds snap as they fly past. Automatic weapons in use against Iraqi civilians in Nasiriyah, at least 13 dead as riots and demonstrations continue into their second month against a government apparently bereft of any response but violence.
"This is blood," he says. "This is Iraqi blood."
A lot has been spilled already, well over 300 dead and 15,000 injured, across the center and south of Iraq. Tens of thousands have been protesting, they say, against the Shia-dominated government's corruption, mismanagement, sectarianism, and increasingly, against Iran's close involvement in Iraq's political life.
Here, torching the consulate of Iran, as Shia theocracy in Najaf, the heart of the Shia religion. Not long ago, such an act would've been unthinkable, but anti-Iranian feeling is so high it's the second time rioters have attempted to burn an Iranian consulate in this Shia region this month.
"When the consulate was set on fire, all the riot police in Najaf and the security forces started firing on us, as if we were burning the whole of Iraq," he says.
[00:10:07]
Iran has called for a firm response from the Iraqi government, after its diplomats were evacuated from the burned consulate. The U.S. and other nations have joined the U.N. in calling on the Baghdad government to meet the demands from the streets for new elections.
The prime minister has offered to resign weeks ago, but he remains in office.
In the port city of Basra, Baka Ibrahim (ph) summed up the national frustration. He said, "I've lived in deprivation and hunger for years. My life can be briefly described as injustice after injustice."
Iraq's government has shown no signs that it understands this, but it is comfortable with using brute force.
Sam Kiley, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: In the United Kingdom, families of the Hillsborough victims are calling Thursday's not guilty verdict a disgrace. Former police superintendent David Duckenfield has been cleared in the worst sports disaster in British history.
Duckenfield is now 75. He faced charges of gross negligence, manslaughter, in the deaths of 95 Liverpool supporters. They were crushed to death at a football match he was the match commander.
CNN's Alex Thomas with more from Preston Crown Court in northern England.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was dismay and anguish from the relatives of those who lost their lives 30 years ago, as David Duckenfield was pronounced not guilty. Both from the relatives attending Preston Crown Court behind me and from the many more watching live video link in Liverpool.
A bitter blow to those who have been fighting so long for justice after 96 fans of Liverpool football club went to watch their team play an FA Cup semifinal at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, and ended up dying, following lethal overcrowding.
MARGARET ASPINALL, MOTHER OF HILLSBOROUGH VICTIM: The question I'd like to ask all of you, if not people within the system, then who put the 96 in their graves? Who is accountable for 96 unlawfully killed? What a disgrace this has been today, and what a shame on this country of ours. I feel so embarrassed.
THOMAS (on camera): What has shocked for families of the 96 who died is how the verdict of a jury in 2016, after the largest inquest in British legal history, lasting more than two years, was not allowed to have any bearing on this criminal case.
(voice-over): At the inquest, the jury was instructed to find David Duckenfield, the police commander in charge on the day of the match, guilty of gross negligence manslaughter to a criminal standard. They did so.
Yet the jury of this latest criminal trial acquitted him from, effectively, the same charge.
The U.K.'s public prosecutor, the crown prosecution service, said, "The not guilty verdict today does not affect or alter the inquest jury's findings of unlawful killing or their conclusion that Liverpool fans were in no way responsible for the 96 deaths that resulted. We are acutely aware of how disappointing the verdict is for families who have waited anxiously for today. However, we respect the decision of the jury."
Jenni Hicks lost her teenage daughters, Victoria and Sara (ph), at Hillsborough.
JENNI HICKS, MOTHER OF HILLSBOROUGH VICTIMS: Whenever we've had disappointments in the past, we've always had somewhere else to go. Today, we haven't.
I have nowhere else to take this. This is it. We're going to have to live the rest of our lives with this injustice.
THOMAS (on camera): On April 15, 1989, 96 people went to enjoy a game of football and never came home. The youngest was just ten years old. They died unlawfully, and now nobody will be found criminally responsible.
Alex Thomas, CNN, Preston Crown Court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And Duckenfield's lawyer said in a statement after the verdict, quote, "David is, of course, relieved that the jury found him not guilty. However, his thoughts and sympathies remain with the families of those who lost their loved ones."
Going to take a short break. When we come back here on the program, dealing with mental health is back in the headlines after the suspected suicide of another K-pop star. Hear what some industry insiders are recommending.
Also, when we come back, New Zealand opens an HIV-positive sperm bank. We talked to the groups behind the initiative about how this could help reduce the stigma of HIV. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:17:29]
HOLMES: Welcome back. Mental health is a difficult thing to talk about in South Korea, but questions now being raised after the suspected suicide of yet another South Korean personality.
Paula Hancocks shows us what some industry insiders say could help entertainers deal with the pressure of K-pop stardom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As South Korea mourns the loss of another young star, fans are asking why Jonghyun and Sulli, two stars in their prime who took their own lives, and now Goo Hara, suspected of doing the same, bringing scrutiny to the industry whose selling point is the immaculate image of its performers.
Carefully curated and packaged, stars face not only the pressure of fame but increasingly malicious online comments. K-pop industry analysts say female artists bear the brunt of cyberbullying. Singer Sulli was slammed for being outspoken about women's rights.
And after Goo's boyfriend was convicted of assaulting her and also blackmailing her by threatening to release their sex tape, numerous online comments attacked for making the sex videos.
After a suspected suicide attempt in May, Goo revealed she was suffering from depression, a rare admission in the tight-lipped industry.
Brian Joo, a K-pop singer, told CNN in the past many stars feel unable to speak about their mental struggle.
BRIAN JOO, K-POP SINGER: As an entertainer, I'm already being judged on my career, and my job, this is another thing that people can judge me on, like, "Oh, I'm actually sad because of this and that." I feel like people are still pointing fingers at me all the time.
HANCOCKS: Brian says he suffered long-term periods of depression.
JOO: Because talking about it is just not something that a lot of people do in this country. And I think that's the main reason why. And that's how -- that's why a lot of K-pop singers feel like they're alone, because they feel like they can't talk to anybody about it.
HANCOCKS: A mental health expert and an industry analyst we spoke with say stars need more accessibility to mental health professionals. STACY NAM, K-POP EXPERT: They should have mental health specialists
in every single entertainment agency. I think that it should be mandatory for not just, you know, the top artists but for people when they're trainees.
HANCOCKS (on camera): Kakao (ph), one of the largest news services here in Korea has removed the comments section on its entertainment stories online to try and stop cyberbullying. It is a step in the right direction, according to mental health experts, but as this issue extends far beyond K-pop, so does the solution.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: New Zealand has opened the world's first HIV-positive sperm banks in the hopes of destigmatizing HIV.
Sperm Positive, as it's called, already has donors but they all have -- they all have the virus. But since the levels in their blood are so low, they cannot transmit the disease through childbirth or unprotected sex.
[00:20:14]
Three charities opened the bank ahead of World AIDS Day on December the 1st.
And joining me now, Jane Bruning, national coordinator at Positive Women, and also Mark Fisher, executive director at Body Positive, two groups behind this initiative. Good to see you both.
First of all, let's start with you, Jane. This is obviously good news for those with HIV.
Explain to viewers why someone would go to a sperm bank with HIV positive donors rather than donors without the virus.
JANE BRUNING, NATIONAL COORDINATOR, POSITIVE WOMEN: I guess, you know, nowadays getting a donor, there's actually, like a two-year waiting list in regular fertility clinics. And so it's not always that easy.
I guess we're doing more from the perspective of people living with HIV who, you know, over the years have not had the opportunity to be parents and so -- and we really want to highlight the fact that now, with the changes the HIV medication, where people can now have an undetectable viral load and not pass on HIV, that it's OK to be able to donate sperm and not pass HIV onto a partner onto the children.
HOLMES: Right. And Mark, to you, again, as Jane says, a major aim, of course, is raising awareness, you know, how HIV is far from death sentence these days. It's not. And also, reduce discrimination, in a way, with that knowledge.
How much of a stigma remains, even with the medical advances, and what does that stigma lead to?
MARK FISHER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BODY POSITIVE: There's a huge amount of stigma still existing. Just from the -- putting this campaign out there, the amount of negativity we've got towards it has been quite significant.
And just in terms of the awareness, even amongst the HIV community about the advances, a lot of that has not trickled down. And people aren't taking it on and being convinced that they can actually have children, have -- and have zero risk in terms of that process. It's -- it's been a long journey.
HOLMES: Yes, and Jane, you mentioned, so let's talk a little bit about it, the advances made with HIV. I bet a lot of people probably don't know. I mean, as I said, it's no longer a death sentence. and it's really a manageable condition now, isn't it?
BRUNING: Absolutely. I mean, I myself have been living with HIV for 32 years, so you know -- and that's all down to the medication.
So what happens nowadays, as soon as someone is diagnosed with HIV, they will get onto medications and, within three weeks to three months, their virus will be undetectable, which means that it can no longer be admitted (ph) in the blood.
It doesn't mean that they're cured. They've still got their HIV, but it's lying dormant. And so when the viral load is undetectable, HIV can no longer be transmitted sexually, cannot be passed onto a child.
So it's huge advances. And so people living with HIV now are living -- it's more of a chronic life illness. Still have to take medications every day, but our life expectancy is the same as someone who has not got HIV.
HOLMES: Jane, do you have many donors yet? And any -- any clients? What's been the reception?
BRUNING: We've actually had seven donors come forward and seven women recipients who would like to -- yes, so it's been very successful.
HOLMES: That's women with or without HIV?
BRUNING: Without HIV.
HOLMES: That is a big -- that's a big deal!
BRUNING: Yes.
FISHER: Yes.
BRUNING: Yes, so seven men with HIV and seven women without. Ironically, it's seven. Seven-seven. We can help everybody, then.
HOLMES: That -- I mean -- keep going.
BRUNING: That's only after three days -- that's only after three days of the campaign going out. So you know, there's -- while there's been a lot of sort of negativity, which highlights the need for something, you know, anti-stigma campaigns, there's also been a lot of positivity And I think this just shows that there was a need for this. And --
HOLMES: You know, when we were talking about this here in the NEWSROOM, I mean, several people were like, this is great, but if you were not HIV positive, why would you go? And you know, even if there is no risk, you know, in your head you might be taking a risk. Why would you do that?
Just to hear that there's seven women, HIV-free, who have signed up for this is -- is remarkable, isn't it?
BRUNING: Yes.
HOLMES: What's your reaction, Mark?
FISHER: I think it's amazing, and it just shows that people have listened, and they have learned that there is no risk. And it's all about creating life. And that's what we're doing this for, is to give people living with HIV to do the altruistic piece of being able to share and help someone to have a child.
In New Zealand, you don't -- you don't get paid to do donations in New Zealand. So --
HOLMES: Right.
[00:25:08]
FISHER: -- it's really hard to get clinic donations, in terms of sperm donors. So it's very much an altruistic kind of piece for people to come forward and contribute.
HOLMES: Where do you go from here with it? What -- where do you take it now?
BRUNING: We're going to connect these couples together. We're not actually, you know, at the fertility clinic. So we will work with these couples and work with the fertility clinics and match them up. It's not straightforward but, you know, we'll work through it within the next few weeks, months.
FISHER: And the other thing is that we want to change the way fertility clinics work around the world so that they can actually take on people living with HIV and support them, because there is no risk.
HOLMES: Yes. Jane Bruning, Mark Fisher, we have to leave it there. But that's -- I mean, remarkable, and it's just so encouraging that you have HIV-free women coming in and saying yes, because there is no risk. So great news. Good luck with it.
BRUNING: Thank you very much.
FISHER: Thank you.
BRUNING: Thanks, bye.
HOLMES: A new poll from Gallup says Americans weigh more than they did last decade, but many of them seem to be OK with that.
Twenty-eight percent of people polled said they weighed at least 200 pounds or 90 kilos. That's four percentage points more than the previous decade.
But fewer Americans consider themselves obese, perhaps reflecting changing attitudes towards weight.
Ninety kilos isn't an unhealthy weight if you are 193 centimeters or taller, but for most Americans, who are shorter, that weight can be considered overweight or even obese.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, historic floods, vicious wildfires, and now a stark warning about climate change. Is it too late to stop it? Just ahead, a troubling new report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:29:26]
HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Time to update you on the top news this hour.
North Korea says it has tested what it calls a super-large multiple- launch rocket system. South Korea says two projectiles were launched, the 12th and 13th launch since May. Leader Kim Jong-un inspected the test firing, saying it was a success.
Police in Italy say they have uncovered Nazi propaganda and weapons in a series of country-wide raids. Nineteen people under investigation for trying to form a new Nazi party and train militants. Police say the suspects have connections in the U.K. and Portugal.
[00:30:04]
U.S. President Donald Trump is on his way back to the U.S. after making an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday. At Bagram Air Base, the president said that peace talks had restarted with the Taliban. This last September he abruptly pulled the plug on those talks.
Ukraine is accusing the tech giant Apple of making a version of its app for Maps that seems to legitimize Russia's annexation of Crimea. If you're in Russia, the Apple map shows the disputed territory as Russia, which it is not. But if you're outside of Russia, Crimea still appears to be part of Ukraine, which it is.
Hadas Gold explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's been a lot of talk recently about the splinternet, where people in different parts of the world get a totally different online experience because of political or commercial reasons.
Well, we're seeing that now play out in real time this week with the Russian Parliament announcing that Apple had acquiesced in how it portrays Crimea, the disputed peninsula in the Black Sea.
If you live in Russia and are looking for Crimea on your iPhone map or the weather app that comes preinstalled on your iPhone, you'll see that it is listed as being part of Russia.
But outside of Russia, like here in the U.K., it's either listed as part of Ukraine or not belonging to any country at all.
Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, though many western nations, including the United States, say it was done so illegally. And violence continues in the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian soldiers to this day.
But according to Russian law, Crimea has to be designated as part of Russia. And the Russian Parliament announced that Apple had fixed what it said was, quote, "an accurate display."
The company is not alone, though, in apparently falling into line with these Russian demands. Google Maps also shows a border between Crimea and Ukraine for Russian users.
Ukrainian officials have slammed Apple. The foreign minister said in a series of tweets that the company should "stick to high tech and entertainment. Global politics is not your strong side."
For their part, Apple has not yet responded to our request for comment.
Hadas Gold, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The Chinese-owned social media app TikTok is apologizing for the way it handled the viral video of a teenage girl who was -- accused China of abusing Uygur Muslims.
The video starts with Feroza Aziz showing how to curl her eyelashes, giving advice to others before she denounces China's treatment of the minority community.
A TikTok official acknowledged that it temporarily blocked the 17- year-old from accessing her account, and that the video was briefly taken down because of a, quote, "human moderation error."
TikTok adds it does not moderate political content.
Aziz said she didn't do anything wrong..
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEROZA AZIZ, VIRAL VIDEO BLOGGER: I just know that what I did was correct, what I did was amazing, because I spread this news to a new audience, to the youth. And they know what's happening in our world now.
And because of using TikTok, I reached millions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The U.S. and other countries accuse China of setting up mass detention camps and committing human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims.
China insists the camps are voluntary, quote, "vocational training centers."
As the Thanksgiving holiday comes to a close in the United States, the holiday shopping season begins. Across the country, long lines wrapped around some big-box stores, thousands of shoppers flooding retailers to find the best discounts, from electronics to clothes and toys. Some stores opened their doors early.
Black Friday widely known as the biggest shopping day of the year.
Adobe Analytics reports Americans spent more than $6 billion on last year's Black Friday, and that number did not include Cyber Monday.
However, some stores are cashing in; others are fighting back. For a fifth year, the outdoor retail store, Recreational Equipment, or REI, is closing its doors on Black Friday. The store's CEO told CNN how they're using the time to reconnect with the outdoors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC ARTZ, CEO, REI: If you've been an employee -- and this is really the center of the journey that we're on -- if you've been an employee working in retail for many years, you've never seen the light of day on Black Friday.
So the opportunity here is to celebrate what we care about most, which is the outdoors. But as an employee, for you to finally be able to be outside with those that you care about, it's pretty profound.
Over 300 organizations have now joined us on Black Friday. And we even have states -- I think we have over a dozen states -- that have called in and said, You know what? We've been inspired by what you all are doing. We're opening our parks for free on Black Friday to join you in this movement.
So I think, you know, what we've created here is an experience that people really value.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And he says that closing the store is a way to kick off their movement to fight climate change.
[00:35:14]
All right. We're going to take one more quick break and be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back.
Anger and determination on the streets of Sydney, Australia, right now. Thousands of students are out to begin the global climate change protests.
They say the bush fires that have burned for weeks now have been caused by climate change.
Recently, protesters stormed the field during the Harvard-Yale football game. Climate activists around the world are showing solidarity, and they are demanding action from governments and big business. They also hope leaders of next week's U.N. climate conference in Madrid get the message.
Now, climate change is also an issue in Britain's upcoming general election, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson passed up a televised climate change debate. He was represented on stage, instead, by a block of mounting ice.
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage got another no-show. He was another no-show, and he got the same treatment. You can see it there.
Among those who did participate, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who promised to plant 300 million trees during his first term as prime minister. And Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson, who tied climate change to the Brexit debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JO SWINSON, BRITISH LIBERAL DEMOCRAT LEADER: I totally agree that the role that we play internationally is so important in this. But surely you can see that's why it's so important that we keep our seat at the European Union table, because we have led the way in Europe on this. Europe has led the world. That's how we got the ambitious Paris Accords through. And turning our back on the European Union is turning our back on our best way of fighting the climate emergency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Prime Minister Johnson's Conservative Party was not amused by the ice, calling the move "a provocative partisan stunt."
Well, the European Parliament has voted to declare a climate emergency as a new study warns the world is already at a tipping point. This is research that was published in the scientific journal, "Nature" and says irreversible changes are already taking place. And hothouse conditions may soon make some areas uninhabitable.
Our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon has reported extensively on the climate crisis. She has more now in this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This group of researchers is talking about irreversible changes to the arts environmental system that are already taking place. This is irreversible changes to the very planet that sustains all life, including ours.
[00:40:04]
What they are warning about is the need for rapid and immediate action to stop the pace of our greenhouse gas emissions before that becomes irreversible.
They are warning that we are on a global tipping point, the point of no return. And they highlight nine areas in particular where they say there is evidence that we have already breached this tipping point or are very close to it.
And these areas go -- stretch from the arctic and the loss of sea ice there, down to the Antarctic and the loss of glacial ice; Greenland, the permafrost and Russia that acts as a cover and prevents carbon dioxide from leaving the land underneath it; to areas in the United States, to the Amazon.
What they are saying we must do now is stop this current trend that we're on. We have significantly increased, as opposed to decreased greenhouse gas emissions.
And what this report is saying is that we have even less time than we thought we did. If we continue on this current trend, as we already know, we're on track for three degrees of warming. We need to drop that down significantly.
And what these researchers are saying is that even one degree of warming could have an environmental impact that we're not yet aware of. And what they're talking about if we don't address this immediately is the kind of weather, the kind of change to this planet that is going to significantly impact every single one of us.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, for every frightening report, there is always someone who is working to make a difference.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Each of us, in every country contributes a particular amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. Some, depending on where they live, more than others. But if we make a few small tweaks to our daily routines, together, we can make a big impact.
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HOLMES: CNN's "CALL TO EARTH" series shows us a multitude of different ways to address climate change. You can find out how you can help find (ph) the climate crisis in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
All right. Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM this hour. I'm Michael Holmes. WORLD SPORT is up next. I'll see you in about 15 minutes or so with more news.
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(WORLD SPORT)
[00:57:10]
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HOLMES: Hello, everyone. Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes.
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