Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Bystanders Confront London Attacker With Narwhal Tusk And Fire Extinguisher; Iraq's Prime Minister Resigns In Response To Ongoing Protests; White House Faces New Deadline Ahead Of Hearings; Bolsonaro Blames Actor For Fires; Huawei CEO On Daughter's Arrest; World AIDS Day; NFL Suspends Player For Betting. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired December 01, 2019 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Today is the deadline for the White House to decide if they are going to a participate in the impeachment inquiry.
Will they deflect or defend?
You may have heard about the heroes who rushed the London knife attacker. We have footage of that. You won't want to miss it.
The president of Brazil said this movie star is to blame for the rain forests burning. Hear his response next.
Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. CNN NEWSROOM starts now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOLMES: Welcome, everyone.
British prime minister Boris Johnson said it was "repulsive" that London Bridge attacker Usman Khan was out on early release after being convicted on terror offenses.
His comments to the BBC followed British media reports that the U.K. Justice Ministry has begun an urgent review of the parole conditions for every convicted terrorist released from U.K. prisons. We're talking about 70 former inmates.
The government's action comes after a convicted terrorist on parole stabbed five people, killing two of them near London Bridge on Friday. The dramatic video you see there shows bystanders rushing the man with a fire extinguisher and a long narwhal tusk.
Video has surfaced of Usman Khan speaking to the BBC in 2008, a few years before he was caught up in a plot to bomb the London stock exchange. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
USMAN KHAN, TERRORIST: I've been born and bred in England. All the community knows me. These labels, terrorist, even though I am no terrorist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Mark Bolton covering the story for us in London.
Fill us in on the latest we are hearing of this man and also we have heard about at least one of the victims.
MARK BOLTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, 28-year-old British-born Usman Khan was first convicted at the age of 19 of the stockbroker bomb plot. The man that jailed him said he was a serious jihadist.
Previous, yes, he was being monitored. He was tagged. Police knew of his whereabouts. Yet nothing was done aside from what was done of the immediate aftermath of the attack on Fishmongers Hall on Friday.
He said it was an event he was made to attend because of his parole. We know that the one victim killed that has been named so far, Jack Merritt, a 25-year-old graduate of Cambridge University, was there specifically for that purpose to help rehabilitate former prisoners.
His father has spoken of him. Friend say he has a wonderful soul. Former prisoners said he was a man that championed the underdog and looked after them when most of society had abandoned them.
One other woman has been killed. She has not been named. The National Health Service said of the three people that remain in hospital being treated for severe injuries, one's conditions have improved.
Police have not updated regarding the conspiracy. They've said it's a lone acting individual, Usman Khan in this case. They have searched properties 125 miles north of London and working with West Midlands counter-terrorism squad and Staffordshire police.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOLTON (voice-over): Released from prison in December 2018, having served just under seven years of a 16-year sentence for terrorism, the British born 28-year-old Usman Khan was shot dead on by London police on Friday after they say he stabbed two people to death near London Bridge.
In 2012, Khan was convicted for his part in a terror plot. Aged just 19 and one of a gang of nine, Khan pleaded guilty for his role in a plan bombing the London Stock Exchange.
[05:05:00]
BOLTON: At sentencing, the presiding judge warned Khan was a serious jihadist who would pose a significant risk to the public, even after his jail term was complete. Yet, on appeal in 2013, the terms of Khan's sentence changed allowing for his automatic release without a hearing in December of 2018, on license, a form of parole in the U.K.
One condition of his release from custody, Khan had to wear an ankle monitor so his movements could be tracked. He was wearing it during Friday's attack.
Police later searched Khan's home in Staffordshire, 150 miles from London in the English woodlands, amid growing questions about his early release from custody following the 2012 terror conviction. Sources are telling CNN Khan had historical links to a now banned radical Islamic group founded by Anjem Choudary.
QUESTION: What's intelligence failure leading to yesterday's attack?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not the time to be talking about that. I am focusing entirely on going forward.
BOLTON: Friday's lunchtime panic prompted Prime Minister Boris Johnson to claim the system is doing its job.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This system simply isn't working. It does not make sense for us as a society to be putting terrorist, people committed terrorist offenses or serious, violent offenses out on early release.
BOLTON: Praise of the emergency services and individual acts of heroism have been universal.
But now, the British public will demand to know how could a convicted terrorist wearing an ankle monitor carry out such a horrific attack on the streets of London?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And there have been a lot of comments by politicians.
Is this becoming a political issue with the election coming up?
BOLTON: Yes, it is. No grace period; the election is two weeks away. We have heard from prime minister Boris Johnson, who will scrap automatic release and push for those convicted of these offenses to serve their full tariffs.
He criticized previous governments for putting in automatic releases. We know, indeterminate sentences, they had to be individually assessed before released, were passed under a previous Conservative government.
More questions should be asked of the prime minister regarding spending on counterterrorism and policing. But Jeremy Corbyn said he does not agree with the prime minister that convicted terrorists should serve their full sentence and said individual cases should be assessed and decisions based on those merits.
Division and more to come between now and the general election December 12th.
HOLMES: Mark Bolton in London, thank you very much.
All right. Maajid Nawaz is co-founder of a group countering extremism.
Usman Khan, this conference he was at was focusing on the rehabilitation of prisoners. Clearly with him, that didn't work.
What are the challenges when it comes to deradicalization?
What makes it work?
What makes it fail?
MAAJID NAWAZ, CO-FOUNDER, QUILLIAM FOUNDATION: He wasn't at a conference for de-radicalizing terrorist convicts. He was at a general rehabilitation conference. That's the problem. A prison government published 69 recommendations for what needs to be done in prison for terrorist convicts.
The previous government accepted 68 of those conditions and all of them have not been implemented. The 68 even they accepted have been ignored since prime minister Theresa May, the government, this Conservative government, has completely dropped the ball on counter radicalization and de-radicalization.
HOLMES: A lot of people say people deserve a second chance. You know, some of those who were radicals were duped and regret their actions. That's true, I'm sure, for many. But others will always remain true believers. If you have been radicalized once, I guess you can be susceptible again.
NAWAZ: The only way we will know which is which is, once we start the de-radicalization programs, it's a difficult way to proceed but it needs to be done. But side by side with that, a more efficient approach should be the preventive approach, counter radicalization, to prevent communities entering down that path in the first place.
We have a huge ticking time bomb here in the U.K. Security services are monitoring 3,000 operationally capable terrorists as of 2017.
[05:10:00]
NAWAZ: But there are 20,000 that they also need to be monitoring, according to them, and they simply don't have the capacity to it. Add to that nine out of 10 fighters who have returned from Syria who are walking free on the streets because there is no evidence to convict them.
We need to look at community-based initiatives and challenging some of this ideological indoctrination.
HOLMES: You can't blame authorities for not being across everyone. Khan was meant to be monitored as well. You cannot monitor hundreds and hundreds of people. This is likely to color the debate over the repatriation of ISIS
suspects, not just in the U.K. but in Europe as well. People are obviously going to slip through the cracks.
What is the answer when you talk about such numbers?
NAWAZ: Absolutely. It's impossible. That's why the police, what they did yesterday, are not at fault. If we're not even trying for any form of deradicalization, if we have stopped working with any community-based organizations on the ground, I fear it is only a matter of time before this gets out of control.
Unfortunately, for us, the debate in the United Kingdom, at least since the E.U. referendum has been totally distracted by this Brexit issue. And that needs to be done and dealt with. There are so many domestic issues that have been dropped to the side as a result of it. This is a classic case in point.
HOLMES: Maajid Nawaz, great to get your thoughts. It is a major problem. Thank you so much.
NAWAZ: My pleasure.
HOLMES: Poland is celebrating one of those heroic onlookers who took down the London attacker. The Polish prime minister praising a Polish chef working in London wielded, there you see him there, a tusk from a narwhal.
They are telling him, "Poland is proud of you."
Iraq's council of ministers reviewed a letter after the prime minister vowed to step down amid protests we have been reporting on. His exit requires parliament's approval on the vote. The prime minister telling the council his government has not spared any in responding to the protesters' demands.
They disagree with that. The prime minister now calling for peaceful transfer of power.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADIL ABDUL MAHDI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We had taken brave and daring decisions at that time to prevent the use of live bullets but, regrettably, when clashes happened, multiple interferences and complications occurred.
This led to the fall of victims and negative consequences. So it was left to the government to adopt a bold stance in this regard and, therefore, the resignation is now required in order to calm matters down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The prime minister's decision did not stop Iraqis from returning to the streets. Hundreds have died in the anti-government demonstrations. Protesters say much more needs to be done to fix the country's system. Arwa Damon reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is quite chaotic here but this is Shaima (ph) and we were just talking to her.
(Speaking Arabic).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Arabic).
DAMON: She was saying she just wanted the United Nations to come in and get involved at what is going on here, to come in and actually support the population. And they also want to end Iran's influence.
If you come this way, you can see --
(Speaking Arabic).
-- if you come this way, you can see what has become this de facto front line and what they are trying to do here is keep pushing forward to take control of these vital bridges that cross the Tigris River.
And in doing that, they are hoping to keep up even more pressure on the Iraqi government, because they say, unless they keep going like this, unless they keep trying to push forward and make sure that their demands are heard, they say nothing is going to change.
Shaima (ph) showing what is being shot at them, saying this, this is the blood.
(Speaking Arabic).
(CROSSTALK)
DAMON: He says this is blood from someone who he says was just shot and was just injured and he carried him. And this is the blood. You can see how intense it is here right now.
[05:15:00]
DAMON: And again, as we were saying, these are demonstrators who are determined to hold this ground, to hold all ground that they have and to keep pushing forward because, as I was saying, they want to make sure that, this time, their demands are heard.
And what they will also tell you is that just demonstrating has not been enough in the past. They say they have to keep the pressure up; otherwise, they say the government will just keep on making its empty promises -- Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: When we come back, President Trump gearing up for a big summit. As he does that, some of the people who could decide the fate of his presidency are waiting in Washington to hear from him.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOLMES: Welcome back to the program. The U.S. president finishing his Thanksgiving holiday at Mar-a-Lago in Florida before heading back to the White House. It's going to be a big week for his administration. The House Judiciary Committee is set to hold its first impeachment hearing but Mr. Trump will be in London.
Still, he has a decision to make and deadlines are looming. CNN's Jeremy Diamond explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No decision so far from the White House as it relates to this first impeachment deadline Sunday 6:00 pm Eastern. The White House needs to decide whether or not the president will send an attorney to represent him at the first impeachment hearing hosted by the House Judiciary Committee. That is coming up on Wednesday.
But there is a second, more critical deadline and that is coming up on Friday, by which time the White House needs to decide whether the president or any of his attorneys will participate in any of the impeachment hearings held by the House Judiciary Committee, something House Democrats are likely to move forward with in the coming weeks.
So far the White House has not indicated one way or the other. Here is the core question that the White House faces.
The president has, of course, been extremely critical of the impeachment proceedings calling it a hoax and a scam. He doesn't want to legitimize it by sending attorneys.
[05:20:00]
DIAMOND: At the same time, he has not been able to have an attorney present at any of the impeachment proceedings thus far. Those have unfolded on the House Intelligence Committee.
So that is kind of where the president is. So far it's not clear which way the White House is leaning. The president, though, on Saturday, did sound off. He is reveling in the contrast of what's going to happen in the first impeachment hearing on Wednesday.
As Democrats hold that hearing, the president will be abroad on international business. Here's what the president tweeted on Saturday.
"I will be representing our country in London at NATO while the Democrats are holding the most ridiculous impeachment hearings in history. Read the transcripts. Nothing was done or said wrong. The radical left is undercutting our country. Hearings scheduled on same dates as NATO." This is something quite familiar we have seen from the president, of
course, during special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. The president repeatedly complained about the cloud that he had over his head as he went to meet with key U.S. allies abroad.
He felt it undermined his diplomatic efforts abroad. And the president seems to be reprising that theme now that he faces the prospect of impeachment -- Jeremy Diamond, traveling with the president, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at the University of Essex in England, joins me now via Skype.
Good to see you again. This impeachment investigation, of course, has been in the Intelligence Committee. That's where we have heard the drama. It now goes to the Judiciary Committee.
How different does that look?
And do you think the Trump administration will take part?
NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Well, one of the big differences is they will be bringing in legal experts. And they're at the stage where the Judiciary report mentioned, where they are going to have to lay out what the articles of impeachment are.
Of course the big difference, as you already noted, they have invited Trump and counsel to participate. I don't think there's any chance that he is going to participate. I think he likes to keep everything in suspense. He likes to delay. He likes to distract. And he likes to delegitimize the whole process.
And that seems to be what he's doing. But I think we need to talk about the big picture and why the delaying process works so well here. We have a big tension between executive and legislative power with this president because Trump and his attorney general, Bill Barr, have an expansive view of presidential power.
Last week a federal judge ruling that Congress does have the power to subpoena and there is no such thing as absolute immunity.
But one of the things we're learning from this presidency, we're learning that though Congress has extensive power, as outlined in Article 1 of the Constitution, it just doesn't have the power to enforce anything. And Trump seems to know this and his legal team seems to know this.
If he can stonewall, delay, stall things, he is going to be able to get away with whatever he wants to do because Congress doesn't have the teeth to tell him to do anything.
HOLMES: It has been interesting on Twitter the last couple of days, a lot of people pointing out that he has been strangely quiet Twitter. Unusually so for the last week or so. He was back tweeting today. One tweet. I think it was the only one he initiated. He said he will be off at NATO, while the Democrats are holding "the most ridiculous impeachment hearings in history. Read the transcripts, nothing was done or said wrong. The radical left is undercutting our country. Hearings scheduled on same day on NATO."
LINDSTAEDT: The hearings have revealed all kind of important testimony. We heard this again and again. There was $400 million in military aid being held up. And nobody seems to have a reason as to why.
And we have been hearing more and more about people who were on this telephone call that they felt was improper, that Trump was abusing power. That's why it was important to go through these hearings.
And we're moving forward with the House Judiciary Committee. They are going to try to figure out what the articles of impeachment are. With certainty, they are going to be talking about abuse of power, whether it will bribery or extortion.
They're going to try to put together a clear narrative for voters to understand that what Trump did is not much ado about nothing. This is not a witch hunt. This is not OK.
And the test that they have to ask themselves, any person out there, if this was any other president, would that person have gotten away with what Trump has done?
[05:25:00]
LINDSTAEDT: I think the answer should be to everyone, no. But we are seeing our norms are shifting. And that's what is so problematic about this.
HOLMES: People making the point if Barack Obama had done anything like that, he would be impeached by now.
Donald Trump making the point that he is going to NATO. He doesn't have a lot of friends rolling out the red carpet and greeting him. Boris Johnson, who Donald Trump has praised, he has warned to keep quiet on the U.K. election. You have other NATO leaders who resent him and his admonishments.
How do you see this going?
Do you see it as Trump the disruptor again?
LINDSTAEDT: I don't know if it will be the Trump the disruptor. There are so many other tensions in NATO at the moment. There is a war of words going on between Macron and Erdogan. They have tremendous tension at the moment.
We have had comments from Macron about NATO and not believing in the commitment to NATO. And we have even had Angela Merkel try to step in and try to calm things down. So we are seeing a NATO that is very fractured. (CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Do you think Donald Trump has added to that, though?
LINDSTAEDT: In that he makes comments that not every country is not providing enough funding. He seems to be really focused on China and trying to contain China and not everybody is on the same page about how to deal with China.
And there's always the risk that he could say something that will disrupt things. But in particular, Boris Johnson is hoping that Trump doesn't say anything too embarrassing because he is eyeing what's going on in his election.
HOLMES: Jeremy Corbyn is delighted that Donald Trump is supporting Boris Johnson. Got to leave it there. Professor, good to see you.
LINDSTAEDT: Nice to see you, too.
HOLMES: All right. Millions of Americans bracing for a powerful winter storm. Coming up on the program, more on how it is expected to create a travel nightmare.
Plus she is known as the face of the U.S.-China trade war and spent the last year under house arrest. Now an exclusive interview with Huawei's founder speaking out about what is next for his daughter.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOLMES: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world, I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Let's update you on the hour's top stories.
(HEADLINES)
HOLMES: A plane crash in the U.S. has left nine people dead, including two children and the pilot. This happened near Chamberlain, South Dakota, shortly after takeoff. Three people survived. They have been taken to the hospital. Officials say the crash was weather related. It happened during heavy snowfall, which cut visibility.
A powerful winter storm is threatening millions of holiday travelers across the U.S.; 50 million people from coast to coast are under weather alerts as they brace for a treacherous mix of rain, wind, snow. Hundreds of flights have been canceled already.
(WEATHER REPORT)
[05:35:00]
HOLMES: Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro linking the Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio to the Amazon rain forest fires.
Without any proof, he claims NGOs started the fires to get donations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): An NGO hired, paid for photo fires.
What did they do?
What was the easiest?
Set the woods on fire, take a photo, film it, an NGO spreads it, launches a campaign against Brazil, then gets in touch with Leonardo DiCaprio and then he donates $500,000 to this NGO.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Extraordinary.
Environmental groups have accused Bolsonaro of relaxing policies that led to this year's fires.
DiCaprio refuted Bolsonaro's claims, saying, "The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I am proud to stand with the groups protecting them. While worthy of support, we did not fund the organizations targeted."
In Hong Kong, new pro-democracy rallies are underway. Several protesters held several events in fact, this weekend. Among them, a large gathering outside the American consulate.
They showed up to thank the U.S. for passing legislation that backs their movement. Many are expressing gratitude by waving U.S. flags. Others holding signs supporting the U.S. president who signed the law that Congress passed.
It has been exactly one year since the daughter of Huawei's founder was taken into custody and then put under house arrest in Canada. Meng Wanzhou has been called the face of the U.S.-China trade war. She's an executive in her own right, the CFO of the huge telecom provider.
Canada detained her on extradition request from the United States, which accuses her of violating sanctions against Iran. Kristie Lu Stout traveled to Shenzhen, China, to speak with her father at the company's headquarters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): She has been called a pawn and bargaining chip and the face of the U.S.-China trade war. The U.S. has accused her of fraud. But to the founder and CEO of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou is the daughter he praises for her year of suffering.
REN ZHENGFEI, CEO, HUAWEI (through translator): As a father, I, of course, care about my children. However, the experience of hardship and suffering is good for Meng and her growth. Under the backdrop of the U.S.-Sino trade war, she is like a small ant being caught between the collision of two giant powers.
STOUT (voice-over): On December 1st, 2018, Meng, the CFO of Huawei, was arrested at the request of the U.S. She and the Chinese tech giant face a number of charges, including bank fraud, trade secrets theft and sanctions violations.
Meng and Huawei both deny the charges. She is fighting extradition. I spoke with her father about life under house arrest, a life she spends in one of two homes she owns in Vancouver. She enjoys painting and studying. Her mother and husband routinely fly to Canada to care for her.
STOUT: When is the last time you spoke with her?
REN (through translator): Perhaps three or four days ago. There is no routine. Oftentimes I would send her funny stores I found online.
STOUT: Have you become closer as father and daughter?
REN (through translator): Yes. In the past she might not give me a call in a single year. She wouldn't ask how I was or send me a text message. Simply knowing my child is out there, working really hard, already makes me happy. Now our relationship has become much closer.
STOUT (voice-over): Days after her arrest in Vancouver, diplomatic relations between China and Canada soured. China detained two Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. China has charged them with espionage and denies their arrests are related to her case.
There has been no response, who, according to state media, have been denied access to lawyers and family since their arrest.
[05:40:00]
STOUT: As a father, you have been able to speak to your daughter. In fact, your relationship has gotten closer even though she's under house arrest. Do you think the fathers of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor deserve that as well?
REN (through translator): I don't have information about these two people or about the law enforcement in this case. That's why I cannot give any comment on this issue.
STOUT (voice-over): On January 20th, Meng will be in court to fight extradition to the U.S. As for her future at Huawei, one thing is for certain, she won't get promoted.
REN (through translator): Hardships will have a major impact on a person's grit and character. When she returns to Huawei, it doesn't mean she will be given greater responsibilities. She is a financial officer. She won't be handling other aspects of the business. STOUT (voice-over): One year of detention may have made his daughter stronger but not strong enough to one day take the reins from the father -- Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Shenzhen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Breaking down the stigma of HIV. Communities around the world are taking part today in World AIDS Day. Coming up, we'll speak with the leading researchers working to reduce the spread of the virus.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOLMES: Today communities across the globe are taking a stand against AIDS, from the White House in Washington, to Sao Paulo, Brazil, many are wearing red to raise awareness. Despite advances in research, there is still a long way to go.
[05:45:00]
HOLMES: About 1.7 million people were infected in 2018 alone. That's according to UNAIDS.
For more, Dr. Carlos Del Rio joins us from France via Skype.
You are the director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research. Reading your resume is like reading a history of service to the AIDS community and work in fighting AIDS. Things are looking up now in terms of treatments.
But was there a point where you despaired that you wouldn't get to this stage?
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, DIRECTOR, EMORY CENTER FOR AIDS RESEARCH: Thank you, Michael. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us, to me. Clearly I've been involved in this battle for over 30 years. And I will tell you that, yes, at the beginning there was a lot of despair.
But I think what really we have learned is that we have come together this far because communities, the people living there have worked together with researchers, industry, with governments to really through research advance knowledge. We are where we are right now.
We have treatments, we have prevention that we have because we have worked together and research has taken us here. So I want to really say it is really working together in communities, scientists, governments where we are making progress. I'm convinced we will be able to end this epidemic by continuing to do the same thing.
HOLMES: It is now basically like having a chronic illness that you can treat with drugs. People are showing no sign of the virus as long as they stay on the drugs. Preventive drugs can stop people from getting it.
What about a cure?
DEL RIO: Three major challenges remaining in research: one, finding a cure. As you say, we don't have a cure right now. A patient said something to me I'll always remember. While AIDS and HIV is not a death sentence, it is still a life sentence. You still have to take medications for the rest of your life.
We have 36 million affected worldwide. At some point in time, we want to not have to treat people the rest of their lives. And finding a vaccine will be a critical tool.
And then the other thing is to strengthen health care systems so people continue receiving medications in an appropriate way.
HOLMES: You froze there just for a second. But I think you were touching on something I wanted to get to as well.
According to World Health Organization, you have 37.9 (sic) people living with HIV. Two-thirds of them live in Africa. That's where retroviral (sic) drugs aren't as readily available as in the West. Getting it under control in places that do not have that kind of access.
What needs to be done there?
(CROSSTALK)
DEL RIO: -- are available in Africa. We have 20 million people on antiretroviral therapy. There are more people on antiretroviral therapy in South Africa than the entire United States.
HOLMES: Wow. That's extraordinary. Thank you for the work that you do, sir. And hopefully more advances will be made. Dr. Carlos Del Rio, from the Emory Center for AIDS Research.
DEL RIO: Thank you, Michael.
HOLMES: A gambling scandal rocks American football. The National Football League says this man was involved. Ahead, how the NFL is responding.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:50:00]
(WORLD SPORTS)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOLMES: Welcome back.
An American football player has been taken to hospital after he was stabbed in an apartment in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Terrell Pryor got into an argument with a woman that turned into a physical struggle. He has undergone surgery and is in stable condition.
The woman was arrested on charges of attempted homicide and assault. Police say Pryor also faces a charge of simple assault.
Another American football player has landed in hot water for an entirely different reason. The National Football League has suspended a player for betting on league games. Coy Wire with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the same year the NFL took on a casino sponsor and the season before they move one of their franchises to Vegas, a player is disciplined for gambling for the first time in the last 23 years.
The NFL has suspended Arizona Cardinals' Josh Shaw for betting on games on multiple occasions this season. They didn't name any games specifically. We don't know if the bets were placed legally.
But the league did say they didn't find any evidence that inside information was used or the game was compromised. They say none of Shaw's teammates or coaches were aware of his betting. He was drafted in 2014 out of USC. He hasn't played any games this season because he is on injured reserve.
[05:55:00]
WIRE: Commissioner Roger Goodell said, "The NFL depends directly on each of us doing everything necessary to safeguard the integrity of the game and the reputations of all who participate in the league. If you work in the NFL in any capacity, you may not bet on NFL football."
The NFL says he can apply for reinstatement in February 2021. He can appeal the suspension if he chooses to do so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Coy Wire, our thanks to you there.
Just in time for the holiday season, Christians celebrating after a fragment of wood, some people believe formed part of Jesus' manger, was returned to Bethlehem after more than a thousand years. It had been in Rome since the 7th century.
It was briefly put on display in Jerusalem before continuing its journey to Bethlehem, considered to be the birthplace of Jesus, to coincide with the start of Christmas celebrations there.
And the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree in Bethlehem's Manger Square did not disappoint. Hundreds gathered for the ceremony Saturday outside the Church of the Nativity. If you have not been, you should go.
Thousands of pilgrims are expected to flock to the West Bank town as they make their own preparations to mark the big day, December 25.
That will wrap it up for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. If you're joining us here in the United States, "NEW DAY" is just ahead. For our international viewers, I'll be right back with the headlines.
