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NATO Meeting; Trump Meets World Leaders As He Faces Impeachment; Trump And Macron Spar Over Russia And ISIS; China Lashes Out At U.S. Over Uyghur Bill; Indians Seeks Justice On Rape Case; U.S.-China Tensions; Greta Thunberg Sails Across Atlantic; Alphabet Shuffle, Google Co-Founders Stepping Down; Hottest Decade On Record; New Developments in North Korea. Aired 3-3:30a ET
Aired December 04, 2019 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Coming up on CNN Newsroom, a 300-page case for impeachment. The U.S. House Intelligence Committees goes public with its findings in the Ukraine scandal, claiming strong evidence that President Trump abused his power. All of this as Donald Trump meets with NATO leaders and some of their disagreements play out in front of the cameras.
And later, the angry reaction from China after U.S. lawmakers condemn human rights abuses against a Muslim minority.
Well, next hour, U.S. President Donald Trump will be at the formal NATO session in the U.K., shaking hands with other world leaders, but the cries of impeachment are following him even on his journey abroad.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to be impeached, Mister President?
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CHURCH: President Trump spent his day Tuesday picking fights with other NATO members. He blasted French President, Emmanuel Macron's comments calling NATO braindead as nasty and insulting and called Canada slightly delinquent over its, but it's clear the impeachment inquiry is still top of mind, and President Trump did not miss an opportunity to slam the man leading it.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Adam Schiff is a deranged human being. I think he grew up with a complex for lots of reasons that are obvious and I think he is a very sick man and he lies. Adam Schiff made up my conversation with the president of Ukraine. This guy is sick. He made up a conversation. He lied. If he did not do that in the halls of Congress, he would be thrown into jail.
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CHURCH: And even as the president used character assassination as a defense, the U.S. House Intelligence chairman delivered his committees report on its impeachment hearings. The 300-page document summarizes two months of testimony and concludes there was overwhelming evidence President Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress.
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REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): This report chronicles a scheme by the president of the United States to coerce an ally, Ukraine, that is at war with an adversary, Russia, into doing the president's political dirty work. It involves a scheme in which Donald Trump withheld official acts at a White House meeting, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars of needed military assistance in order to compel that power to deliver to investigations that he believed would assist his reelection campaign.
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CHURCH: And we will have much more on the committee's report and the next phase proceedings later this hour.
Meanwhile, President Trump's bromance with President Macron has clearly gone south. The two sparred over major issues Tuesday, including how to resolve the ISIS dilemma and NATO's relationship with Russia.
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TRUMP: Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I can give -- them you can take everyone you want.
PRES. EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): Let's be serious. There are a large number of fighters you have on the ground. ISIS fighters coming from Syria, from Iraq and I think number one priority, because it is not yet finished, is to get rid of ISIS.
TRUMP: This is why he is a great politician. Because I was one of the greatest non answers I've ever heard. I think it's a good thing to get along with Russia and I campaigned on it, and then I go to the big stadiums, people like it.
MACRON (through translator): I think it is important to have a strategic dialog with Russia. We must do so without naivety.
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CHURCH: And earlier, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg laid out the agenda for today's meeting, including fighting terrorism, arms control, the relationship with Russia and China and burden sharing. Take a listen.
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JENS STOLTENBERG, SECRETARY GENERAL OF NATO: We will also recognize the progress allies are making when it comes to burden sharing. Since 2016, European allies and Canada, will add 130 billion U.S. dollars to the defense budget. This number will increase to 400 billion by 2024, this is unprecedented. This is making NATO stronger.
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CHURCH: CNN is covering the story from all angles. Nic Robertson is in Watford, just outside London where the NATO meeting will be taking place and Melissa Bell is in Paris. Good to see you both. So, Nic, let's go to you first, and after some pretty tense moments on day one of the NATO meeting, the U.S. president will meet with Germany's Angela Merkel today. What else can we expect to see, and what can we expect from that exchange, do you think?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't think President Trump will have quite a time available to get into sort of big long on camera question and answer with journalist, and those sort of photo opportunities at the beginning of the meeting as he did yesterday where Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron, and yet still the NATO secretary, general, but absolutely we have heard him say that he wants Germany to contribute 2 percent of GDP to defense spending, as all NATO allies are required to do and signed up several years ago, to say that they would do, just not quite the timeframe that President Trump wanted.
So, we are going to hear President Trump speak about that with Angela Merkel, how much we will get on camera, and will he do what he did with Justin Trudeau yesterday, which was asked the Canadian Prime Minister several times on camera, what is your contribution right now, sort of -- almost as a sort of embarrassing, moment I suppose, that Germany has been increasing its defense spending, but President Trump is saying that yesterday speculating, well, what can I do with these delinquent countries that are not contributing this 2 percent?
Do we, when we finally make their contributions, do we back date all their arrears? He suggested that perhaps he would think about trade sanctions of some descriptions to get them to pay up, so that may come up, but the big three hour could be behind a closed door meeting, obviously the big issue over how NATO tackles this issue.
You heard Stoltenberg speaking about it there and common focusing common vision, which is what Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister suspect that when he went in this morning saying look, NATO successful, is 29 nations, the civilian people and the reason it is successful, safety in numbers. We come to each other's aide, so that is the guiding light here, if you will. The difference is how to do it, precisely the nature of the aid.
CHURCH: Yes. We will be watching very closely. Thanks, Nic. And to Melissa in Paris now, what is being said across France about that testy exchange we saw between presidents Trump and Macron, and of course the way the French leader was able to get the U.S. president to actually defend NATO? MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it was fascinating to
watch the two men, first of all, because no one had expected that particular photo opportunity, that particular press conference to turn into such a public debate, a public spat over a number of issues that really expose some of the main fault lines that divide NATO over them.
And I think, what was surprising about it also, Rosemary, is that we are just not used to seeing other leaders squaring up to Donald Trump. Often you see them sitting next to him, listening sometimes slightly, embarrassed, sometimes looking slightly concern, you simply don't see them getting into public rouse with him as Emmanuel Macron did yesterday.
Both men determined to show that they were willing to stand up to one another and to stand up for what they believed in, but you're right, in the end perhaps, when the most surprising things to come out over the course of the last day is that -- what appears to be that, shift. Donald Trump for the first three years of his presidency really railing against the transnational organization in NATO in particular coming in yesterday and saying, look that NATO had plenty to offer and criticizing Emmanuel Macron for having been critical of it.
So, there would seem to be some convergence over the importance of NATO, some agreement also on the fact that a new dialog needs to be set out with Russia, both men, we heard in a clip their speaking about the need perhaps to look again at how NATO engages with Russia and on what terms, and also perhaps most surprisingly, some agreement even on trade barriers that had so cooled the relationship between the two men. The famous bromance just a few months ago and then again threatened to derail it and make it even testier than it had been with that French tax on the digital giants.
The two men agreeing that perhaps there might be some room for compromising and this was something they are going to continue talking about. So yes, a great deal of testiness, a lot of division on the number of issues, and yet on some of the most crucial ones, some almost surprising convergence between the two men's views, Rosemary.
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CHURCH: All, right Melissa Bell, bringing us a live report from Paris. Many thanks.
Well, the next stage of the U.S. impeachment process is just hours away, with hearings before the House Judiciary Committee. On, Tuesday the Intelligence Committee released its findings saying there was overwhelming evidence President Trump abuse the power of his office for his own personal benefit, and then obstructed Congress to cover it up. Sara Murray has the details.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: House Democrats concluding evidence of the president's misconduct is overwhelming, as lawmakers take a big step forward in impeaching the president. By pressuring the Ukrainian president to open investigation into the Biden family and the 2016 election in exchange for White House meeting and security assistance, the president plays his own personal and political interests above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process, and endangered U.S. national security. According to the newly released impeachment report.
The 300-page document, expected to service the framework for articles of impeachment sharply condemned the president's efforts to block witnesses from testifying, saying it would be hard to imagine a stronger or more complete case of obstruction and that demonstrated by the president since the inquiry began.
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, and the other committee chairs leading the inquiry stopped short of recommending impeachment, saying it will be up to the Congress to determine whether these acts rise to the level of an impeachable offense, whether the president shall be held to account and whether we as a nation are committed to the rule of law or instead whether a president who uses the power of his office to coerced foreign interference in U.S. election is something that Americans must simply get over. But a sharply worded document lays the groundwork for a U.S. president to be impeached for the third time in American history.
SCHIFF: If we don't care about this, we couldn't darn well be assured the president will be back at it doing this all over again.
MURRAY: The document makes the case that President Trump's efforts to shape foreign policy to benefit him politically stretch beyond his July 25th call with President Zelensky. The call was a dramatic crescendo in those efforts.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He abused his office to leverage taxpayer dollars to have a foreign government to try and cheat an election.
MURRAY: Other administration officials, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, allegedly knew of or aided the president's efforts, according to the report. The document also provides new details on Rudy Giuliani's efforts to peddle conspiracy theories about Ukraine and named Trump in his pursuit investigations.
After subpoenaing phone companies, Democrats laid out calls between Giuliani and officials at the Office of Management and Budget, as well as Giuliani and Congressman Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House intelligence panel.
SCHIFF: It is, I think, deeply concerning that at a time when the president of the United States was using the power of his office to dig up dirt on a political rival, that there may be evidence that there were members of Congress complicit in that activity.
MURRAY: Now, our colleagues on Capitol Hill trying to catch up with Congress and Devin Nunes today, to ask him about being named in the report, but he refused to comment. Sarah Murray, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: Well, Beijing has a message for the U.S., stay out of our affairs. Coming, up its response to the latest U.S. bill condemning Chinese human rights record. Also ahead, gang rape, murder then burned. Indians are seething over a horrific rape case, why many are saying an extreme crime deserves extreme punishment. We are back with that in just a moment.
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CHURCH: U.S. lawmakers have paved the way for sanctions on top Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses against the Uyghurs. Beijing was outrage last week after President Trump signed a bill supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, and officials are lashing out again, saying the U.S. House is wantonly smearing counter- terrorism efforts.
All this comes after a leak of Chinese government documents shed new light on detainment camps for Uyghurs and other largely Muslim minorities. There are reports of torture and starvation in the camps. But China insists they are voluntary training centers.
Well, CNN's David Culver, joins us now from Beijing, and David, China is slamming U.S. lawmakers, and you just heard from the foreign ministry spokesperson, how are they reacting and what is the likely impact of this bill?
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just going through, some of these strong words coming out of the foreign ministry, Rosemary. They are hinting that China will retaliate, not going into specifics as to how that might play out. They add that this will impact cooperation between the U.S. and China and they stress that they want the U.S. to stay out of their business.
They say this is a matter of counter-terrorism, that this is de- radicalization and that it is a matter of national security, quite frankly. Now this bill that has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives goes much further and this alleges that this is widespread abuse, as you detail there.
So, this goes from the House back to the Senate now and if they pass it, it will ultimately get to President Trump. The question, is what impact will this have? And I think it's going to be broken down into a few phases. For, one it is the passing of this bill, than if it is put into law and signed by President Trump, Chinese officials were certainly look at that carefully, and then it is the enforcement factor. How much of this will actually put into effect, and that is where Chinese officials say they are going to wait it out and see exactly how they're going to respond, but vowing they will in fact retaliate in some fashion.
And we saw just a week ago with the Hong Kong human rights and democracy act that we signed into law by President Trump, China immediately responded by saying that they will sanction some NGO's, not going to specifics on which ones or how they will be sanctioned and then adding that U.S. Warship would be banned from going into Hong Kong, so they are taking action there. It could go much further though, Rosemary, as we continue to monitor this. This is something that is certainly also fueling the trade war and making it less likely that there will be any immediate phase one trade deal in the near future.
CHURCH: Yes, well, we will watch to see what happens there. David Culver bringing us the very latest on this from Beijing. Many thanks.
Well, a gruesome rape and murder is sparking outrage in India. Authorities say a group of men took turns raping a 27 year old woman in the outskirts of a major Indian City, Hyderabad, before strangling her and burning her body. Police have arrested four men in connection to the case, but Indians are seething over what has become an all too familiar crime.
Days of protests have erupted in cities across the country including the capital, New Delhi, and earlier CNN spoke to the chairwoman for Delis commission for women, Swati Maliwal, and she says she has no choice, but to go on a hunger strike until a law is passed requiring the death penalty for all rapists. Take a listen.
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SWATI MALIWAL, CHAIRWOMAN, DELHI COMMISSION FOR WOMAN: I think we all have had enough. The country lacks stringent mechanism to punish rapist. Last year, I was on an indefinite hunger strike.
[03:20:00]
On the 10th day of my hunger strike, the (inaudible) created a law in the country, which said, from now on, rapist to children will be given very stringent punishment in six months, but even that law is yet to be implemented. There is a lack of policing sources, lack of police accountability, lack of fast track records and that is my demand that a stringent mechanism which includes strengthening of all these aspects. They need to be set up with immediately, that's a need of the other.
It is very shameful for my country, that today, the chief of a statutory body is having to go on a hunger strike, because I'm left with no other options. The government only knows this way. They are not hearing my letters. They are not heeding to my various notices and actions that we have done, so this is the only way that is left and I'm willing to resort to.
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CHURCH: Women's rights activists say authorities view the rape problem in India as a social and cultural issue rather than a concern for law enforcement.
Well, true to her word, teen climate activist Greta Thunberg leads by example, crossing the Atlantic on a zero emission sailboat as she brings her message to the U.N. climate conference. We will have that on the other side of the break.
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CHURCH: It's been more than 20 years since Larry Page and Sergei Brynn launched the world most popular search engine out of a garage in California, and now the Google cofounders or stepping down. Current Google CEO Sundar Pichai is keeping his job and is also taking over from Page as CEO of Alphabet, that's Google's parent company. The tech giant says Brynn will also step down as Alphabet president. Page and Brynn will remain on Alphabets board and retain voting control. The shuffle comes as Google faces growing scrutiny over data privacy and its market dominance.
Well, a new report says the past decade will be record breaking, but not in ways that bode well for the planet. The world meteorological organization says the past 10 years will likely go down as the hottest ever recorded, with the high temperatures having far reaching effects, including warmer sea waters, which degrade marine ecosystems, increased weather disasters, and a rise in global hunger due to crop failures, but despite the gloomy outlook, officials say there is still hope if countries take the action they pledged in the 2015 Paris agreement.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world is moving and this problem is understood, but so far the ambition level hasn't been high enough to reach the Paris targets, but there is no reason to be totally pessimistic that nothing is happening. I think things are happening, but so far the ambitions level has not been high enough.
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CHURCH: Well, one activists trying to get countries to do more to combat climate change is 16 year old Greta Thunberg. She is on her way to Madrid for the U.N. climate conference after finishing her second transatlantic journey by boat. Jim Bittermann reports.
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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Greta Thunberg stepped off the boat to the cheers of dozens of supporters who had waited hours to welcome her to Lisbon.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you. Thank you so much for coming.
GRETA THUNBERG, SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: This feels very good doesn't it, to be welcome in such a way?
BITTERMANN: Also there for Greta, colorfully dressed protesters on another boat with a sign reading climate emergency. The 16 year old spent 20 days crossing the Atlantic in this 48 foot catamaran, La Vagabonde choosing to go by sea rather than flying to make her trip emissions free. She set sail on November 13th from Hampton, Virginia near Washington,
traveling more than 3400 miles with an Australian family that owns the vessel. The young activist will now head to Spain to join the cop25 climate summit under in Madrid.
THUNBERG: I will continue the fight to make sure that within those walls, the voices of the people are being heard and that the voices of the future generations are being heard, and the voices for the people, especially from the global south are being heard.
BITTERMANN: Already summit to summit are anticipating Greta's arrival.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has been a leader and has been able to move and open hearts for many young people and many people all over the world. We need that tremendous force in order to increase climate action.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is nice, she is sailing to the COP, and she's taking another way than taking the plane, because it is much more sustainable.
BITTERMANN: This is Greta's second transatlantic crossing by sea. Earlier this year she traveled on an old racing yacht from Europe to New York to address the U.N. climate summit. From the U.S., she had planned to travel to Chile for the COP25 summit but due to violent protest against the government there, the event was moved to Madrid.
While in north America, Greta also participated in several peaceful climate protest, and with activist staging ongoing climate protest in Madrid, their most famous campaigner may soon joined them. Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
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CHURCH: Well, North Korea is hailing a newly opened city as the epitome of modern civilization and a socialist utopia. Sam Jeong is one of Pyongyang's largest economic initiatives, part of leader Kim Jong-un's push for a self-reliant economy. State media showed video of a smiling Kim leading a ribbon cutting ceremony with thousands in attendance. The defectors and human rights activists say the town was built by youth laborers forced to work more than 12 hours a day with little food and no pay for up to 10 years.
We will leave you that. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Business traveler is coming up next, but first, I will be back with a checkup the headlines. You are watching CNN.
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