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Naval Air Station Pensacola Shooter Was in Saudi Air Force; Trump Tells Democrats to Hurry and Impeach Him; New Concerns Russia is Spying on Trump-Giuliani Calls; Johnson and Corbyn Face Off in Final Debate; Migrant Boy Dies in Border Patrol Cell; Four Rape-Murder Suspects Killed by Police; Wisconsin Democrats Aim to Deny Trump Another Win; Firefighters Struggle Near Sydney; Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Criticizes Leaders as They Hold Negotiations. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired December 07, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Questions about motive and security, the come in the wake of a deadly shooting on a U.S. Navy base by a member of the Saudi military.
Also this hour, refusing to cooperate: the White House issues a strongly worded letter to lawmakers considering impeaching Donald Trump.
And out of control: raging bush fires in Australia and firefighters working desperately to put them out.
Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. We're coming to you live from Atlanta where it's 4:01 in the morning. I'm Natalie Allen and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
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ALLEN: Thank you so much for joining us. We begin with the investigation of Friday's deadly shooting at a U.S. Navy base in Pensacola, Florida. The FBI is trying to determine why a gunman shot and killed three people.
The attacker, identified as Saudi national Mohammed Alshamrani, was training at the base with other foreign military personnel. He was killed in a shoot-out with deputies. Investigators say it is too early to draw any conclusions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACHEL ROJAS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: We are not prepared at this hour to confirm what may have motivated the shooter to commit this horrific act today. There are many reports circulating but the FBI deals only in facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: Authorities are also looking at how the shooter got a weapon on to the base in the investigation, that is now global in scope. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr reports.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): This is a dark day for a very great, great place.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Florida governor Ron DeSantis confirming that the suspected gunman in the mass shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola is a member of the Saudi military.
He was there for aviation training. A motive has not yet been identified but FBI investigators are looking at whether the shooting was related to terrorism.
DESANTIS: The government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims. And I think that they are going to owe a debt here, given that this is one of their individuals.
STARR (voice-over): But tonight, President Trump, who has stood by the royal family through moments of crisis in the past, is now relaying a message on behalf of the Saudi Arabia's King Salman.
TRUMP: The king said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric action of the shooter and that this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people, who love the American people so much.
STARR (voice-over): The shooting occurred in the classroom building on the base. Law enforcement officials confirming the suspect used a handgun, killing three people before he was killed by police. Eight others were injured.
What was a Saudi air force officer doing on a U.S. Navy installation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's always been international students training here because it's a good place to train and it's good, quality training.
STARR (voice-over): U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia often have members of their military come to the U.S. for training, a practice that may now come under scrutiny, even as investigators talk to those who knew the shooter.
STARR: The Saudi news agency says the king has ordered Saudi security forces to cooperate with American investigators -- Barbara Starr, CNN the Pentagon.
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[04:05:00]
ALLEN: A Pentagon spokesman says there are more than 5,100 foreign students in the U.S. for security related training; 852 of them are from Saudi Arabia. CNN military analyst and retired Col. Cedric Leighton explained how the selection process works for letting these troops train in the United States.
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CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Most of them, 99 percent of them, are great people and will be people that we would want to have on our side as military allies.
But the types of selection processes that a country like Saudi Arabia has, we're dependent on those before we allow them to come into our country and the fact that these kinds of procedures did not catch this individual, we have to figure out, did he radicalize himself during his time here in the United States?
Or was this a long held plan that he had, to do something like this?
Of course, these things are unknown at this time.
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ALLEN: Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the attack as it tries to quash any notions that it promotes extremist ideology. Even though no motive has been revealed yet. For more on this, here is Sam Kiley from Abu Dhabi.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The confirmation that a Saudi citizen, Saudi member of the royal air force there, Mohammed Alshamrani was the gunman who murdered three others before he was gunned down himself by sheriff's deputies in Florida couldn't come at a worse time for Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and militarily.
It relies incredibly heavily on the relationship particularly between the Saudi air force and the United States. It is a major purchaser, of course, of American aircraft and airpower and it needs those pilots to get trained.
At the same time, it is in a very tense standoff, indeed, with nearby Iran, with the recent rocket attacks on its oil facilities being blamed on that Islamic theocracy.
And whatever the motives behind these attacks, they conjure up memories going back to 9/11, when the majority of the terrorists involved in those atrocities were from Saudi Arabia.
And questions that have been raised almost constantly about Saudi Arabia's influence in the wider dissemination of extremist ideology through the Wahhabi creed, something Saudi Arabia has worked very hard, indeed, not only to deny but recently to quash.
In that context, King Salman moved extremely quickly, calling the U.S. president and putting out a swift statement through the Saudi press agency, condemning this criminal act and promising, critically, unfettered access and help from the Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabian security services.
And the reason for that, of course, in the background, is the tensions with the United States over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi citizen who was working for "The Washington Post" and who was allegedly murdered by Saudi officials inside their consulate in Istanbul.
So a great amount of diplomatic and military focus on this incident which has not yet been proven even to be an act of terrorism -- Sam Kiley, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
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ALLEN: The White House says it will not participate in the impeachment process now under way in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, where articles of impeachment against President Trump will soon be written.
The move surprised no one since the administration telegraphed its intentions days ago. Jerry Nadler attacked the rejection from the White House in response.
Quote, "If the president has no good response to the allegations, then he would not want to appear before the committee. Having declined the opportunity, he cannot claim that the process is unfair." Here's CNN's Phil Mattingly.
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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House making it official, the White House counsel, in a blistering two-paragraph letter to Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler, saying the inquiry is, quote, "completely baseless and has violated basic principles of due process and fundamental fairness," leaving a divided House to move forward in a process that will kick into high gear next week.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Facts are clear. The Constitution is clear. The president violated the Constitution.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): With the House Judiciary Committee set to hold its second impeachment hearing on Monday, where majority and minority counsel for the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees will present their impeachment reports, the first action in what will be a defining week for the Trump presidency, with Democrats likely to reveal and vote in committee on articles of impeachment by the end of the week, setting up a final floor vote the week of December 16th.
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MATTINGLY: The debate over what those articles of impeachment will look like, however, still very much under way. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sources say, hearing out all corners of the caucus on whether to include elements of special counsel Robert Mueller's report in the final articles.
But asked specifically about adding Mueller's finding as an article of obstruction of justice, the speaker made clear in a CNN town hall Thursday, the process remains very much closely held.
PELOSI: We're operating collectively. With all due respect, I'm not going to answer one charge. We're not writing the articles of impeachment here tonight.
REP. JUSTIN AMASH (I-MI): It's a process.
MATTINGLY: Today, Republican turned independent Justin Amash of Michigan telling CNN he's ready to vote for articles of impeachment, but Democratic leaders acknowledge some of their members may defect.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Well, we do expect to lose some. And that's why I say it is a conscience vote and it's with their constituents. We have a very diverse caucus.
MATTINGLY: Phil Mattingly, CNN, Capitol Hill.
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ALLEN: James Davis joins us now. He's a political science professor at University of St. Gallen, joining us from Munich.
Thanks for joining us.
JAMES DAVIS, UNIVERSITY OF ST. GALLEN: Good morning.
ALLEN: Good morning to you. All right. We just heard it there. The White House announcing it will not cooperate with further hearings. No surprise there since it hasn't from the start.
In your opinion, has this approach in the realm of public opinion held or hurt President Trump?
DAVIS: I think, at this point, most people have made up their minds about the process and the procedure. We've seen the impeachment process has moved the needle a bit.
Now it looks like 50 percent of the population supports the impeachment proceedings but that leaves about 50 percent of the population either against it or undecided. And at this point, it seems there is very little changing the minds of those people.
I think the most important question now is how many Democrats defect and how will this play out in the Senate?
What sorts of procedures, processes, will the Senate adopt?
Will it be a serious investigation, the decorum of the Senate respected, or will this turn into a three-ring circus? ALLEN: Many people said get ready for more rough and tumble process as we move forward and right here at the holidays, as well. I want to ask you, the White House turning up the heat on Nancy Pelosi, warning this whole thing could hurt her. She lost her cool with a reporter Thursday.
Do you believe this is a political risk for her?
DAVIS: You know, I really don't. If there is one person in this whole experience who is professional, that is Nancy Pelosi. She understands the Congress, politics, she understands her caucus. I think she's paying attention to the diverse views of her caucus.
I wouldn't underestimate her ability to navigate what is a very difficult situation. It's clear, many Americans are uncomfortable with this procedure, with this process. And yet the Constitution does demand that the House of Representatives exercise oversight.
There's clear evidence that there was something untoward going on. It is the responsibility of the House of Representatives to investigate. So she is doing what she has to do. She took the oath of office but she is also, I think, very attuned to the politics of this.
ALLEN: And back to the articles of impeachment and whether they will go beyond the Ukraine situation, include aspects of the Mueller report, what is likely factoring into that decision?
DAVIS: I think it's a question of what can you put into these articles that make them seem as credible as possible?
And what is your strongest suit?
You want to lead off these articles of impeachment with your strongest claims.
[04:15:00]
DAVIS: And the question here is do you strengthen or weaken your charges by adding in the Mueller report?
Insofar as the Mueller report seems to have flopped from the political perspective of the Democrats, it's not clear to me that adding a weaker case to a strong case makes the final product that much stronger.
ALLEN: We move on this week and beyond. We'll perhaps talk more about it. Appreciate your time. Thank you.
DAVIS: Thank you.
ALLEN: The U.S. president has frequently communicated with his personal lawyer over Ukraine. You know who that is, Rudy Giuliani. But a new report suggests his phone calls may have been spied on by another country. We'll get into that next here.
Also, another migrant child dies in U.S. custody. We have newly released video of the boy's final moments in a cell.
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ALLEN: Welcome back.
There are new security concerns over the phone calls about Ukraine between the U.S. president and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. A new report suggests American adversaries might have listened in on those conversations.
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ALLEN: Here is CNN's Brian Todd.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are new concerns that Rudy Giuliani's communications with President Trump about possible dirt in Ukraine on the Bidens could be monitored by the Russians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One concern would be that, say, the Russians may have maybe have compromised Giuliani's phone.
TODD (voice-over): "The Washington Post" citing current and former U.S. officials reports the president has routinely communicated with Giuliani and others over cell phones and other lines that are not secure.
"The Post" citing one senior former White House aide as saying, "It happened all the time."
Giuliani, experts say, is likely a huge target for Russian intelligence every time he goes to Ukraine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For him to be talking on an unsecured cell phone is a bonanza for an intelligence service like Russia.
TODD (voice-over): Phone records released by the House Intelligence Committee this week show Giuliani had several calls with people at the White House and others who allegedly were involved in the campaign to pressure Ukraine.
The fact that House investigators were able to get those records from a phone company raises concerns that Giuliani wasn't using a phone that was encrypted or otherwise protected.
Former CIA and FBI analysts tell CNN, if Giuliani's phone wasn't secure, the Russians could have easily listened in on conversations Giuliani had while he was in Ukraine since the Kremlin has spies and electronic surveillance all over Ukraine. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would not be surprised if Russia has compromised Ukraine's telephone system. If they're able to do that, that's the easiest way to listen into a call that originates or is received by Ukraine.
RUDY GIULIANI, ADVISOR TO DONALD TRUMP: Have a safe trip. Bye-bye.
TODD (voice-over): Experts say if the Russians listened in on Giuliani's calls with Trump and others and picked up secrets on the campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, Moscow could exploit the information for its own gain.
Vladimir Putin and his spies could put out more propaganda on the false claim Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election or they could pull a classic Kremlin tactic and feed false information to Giuliani.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rudy Giuliani is a person who takes in all kinds of information. The Russians could feed him disinformation that he would, in turn, give to the President of the United States.
TODD (voice-over): The latest concerns, all the more surprising, considering that Trump slammed Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign for her email habits.
TRUMP: She routinely sent classified emails on an insecure private server that could be easily hacked by hostile foreign agents.
TODD (voice-over): Since then, whether at the White House, Mar-a-lago or elsewhere, President Trump has been criticized for using cell phones for sensitive calls, mobile devices which are harder to secure than landlines.
TODD: Neither the White House nor Rudy Giuliani responded to CNN's request for comment on "The Washington Post" report and other reporting by CNN and others about the concerns over their use of unsecured cellphones.
But last year, when CNN did similar reporting, a senior White House official brushed back, claiming the president's cell phone was secure and that he had accepted the recommendations put forth by the White House I.T. office on cell phone security -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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ALLEN: In other news involving President Trump, he has decided to delay his plan to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. That decision is getting a lot of praise from Mexican officials.
On Friday, the Mexican president thanked Trump and said both countries should respect each other's sovereignty. President Trump said he decided to delay the move at the request of his Mexican counterpart.
A senior British diplomat in the United States has quit her job while blasting the U.K. government over its handling of Brexit. Alexandra Hall was the lead envoy for Brexit in the British embassy in Washington. In her scathing resignation letter, she said she could no longer, quote, "peddle half-truths on behalf of political leaders she did not trust."
The British foreign office says it will not comment on the details of her resignation.
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ALLEN: Let's talk about the U.K. and the upcoming election. Voters will head to the polls in less than a week in an effort to win over voters. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn went head to head on Friday in one last debate. They focused on the National Health Service, the economy and, of course, Brexit.
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JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, U.K. LABOUR PARTY: No one voted to lose their job or lose trade with Europe. They voted for many reasons. But I think we have to come together and bring this issue to an end. Not go down the road of sweetheart deals with the USA.
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BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Actually what should we should do is respect the word of the people. People do not trust in politics. Look at the promises made by Corbyn and all the other parties that they would honor the referendum result. And they are refusing to do it.
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ALLEN: Well, the polls have been broadly consistent with Conservatives leading the Labour Party by nearly 10 points. In our next hour, we'll break down more about the election and what it means to the United States.
Next, he was left to die. The final moments of a migrant teen in a U.S. Border detention center caught on video. What authorities are saying about the case now?
Also, protests in Iraq have turned violent once again and the death toll from the unrest continues to rise.
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ALLEN: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM in Atlanta. Here are our top stories.
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ALLEN: U.S. Immigration officials say they are investigating the death of a Guatemalan teen who died in their custody earlier this year. Sixteen-year-old Carlos Hernandez Vasquez died in his cell without receiving any help or attention.
A newly released video shows his agonizing final moments. Warning: we are about to show you that video that is shocking and very disturbing. Our Nick Valencia walks us through it.
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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These are the final moments of life for 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant Carlos Hernandez Vasquez. The video is not only disturbing to watch, it calls into question the official narrative released by Border Patrol after the teen's death in May.
The security footage was first obtained by the investigative team at ProPublica. In the surveillance video from the early morning hours of May 20th, the Guatemalan teen, who was diagnosed with the flu and 103 degree fever, can be seen inside his cell at a Border Patrol station in Weslaco, Texas. Time stamps have been added by ProPublica.
At 1:20 am, Vasquez is seen laying on a concrete bench, appearing to be in pain. Four minutes later, he collapses on the floor, face down, clutching a Mylar blanket.
After more than ten minutes and with seemingly no one responding, the teen picks himself up and appears to prop himself against a toilet inside the cell. His feet can be seen flailing for minutes before the video abruptly ends at 1:47 am.
According to welfare check records obtained by ProPublica, Border Patrol says an agent checked on Vasquez three times over the next four and a half hours. The log does not indicate how those checks were done.
At 5:48 am, the video begins again. Officials did not provide an explanation for the gap. Vasquez still hasn't moved.
In an official press release by Border Patrol, the agency says Vasquez was found unresponsive during a welfare check, but video shows it isn't until Vasquez's cell mate wakes up that anyone realizes something is wrong. Several agents are then seen tending to Vasquez, but it's already too late.
VALENCIA: The video was obtained by ProPublica through local law enforcement via open records request.
Customs and Border Protection has refused to release the video, but they did send us this statement which read in part, "The investigation into the death of Carlos Hernandez Vasquez is ongoing. While we cannot discuss specific information or details of this investigation, we can tell you that the Department of Homeland Security and this agency are looking into all aspects of this case to ensure all procedures were followed" -- Nick Valencia, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
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ALLEN: That is just a horror.
A rape survivor in northern India has suffered cardiac arrest and died after she was stabbed and set on fire on her way to court to testify against her alleged rapist. Before she died, the 23-year-old woman was able to tell police that five men attacked her on Thursday, including the suspects she was preparing to testify against.
Police earlier reported that five men had been arrested.
India has been plagued by an epidemic of violent sexual assault against women. But another case now has human rights activists calling for an investigation. That's because the four suspects in a high-profile rape and murder case were shot dead by police while in custody. CNN's Ram Ramgopal has the details for us.
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RAM RAMGOPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what justice looks like to some. Four men lie dead in a field in Hyderabad, shot and killed by police. The men were accused of the horrific murder of a 27-year-old woman who was gang raped, strangled and then set on fire. The police commissioner said the suspects, who were in custody at the time, had been brought to the scene of the crime in search of evidence when --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They started attacking the police party (ph) with stones, sticks and other materials. Also they snatched away (ph) weapons from multiple officers and started fighting. So when our people started in retaliation (INAUDIBLE), we (INAUDIBLE).
RAMGOPAL (voice-over): The actions of police are being celebrated by many in this community who are outraged by the woman's murder.
[04:35:00]
RAMGOPAL (voice-over): Huge crowds gathered at the scene, showering police with flowers to express their gratitude.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): From now on, whenever someone even thinks of doing such a thing, they will think 10 times before actually doing it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I appeal to all Indian police, follow the (INAUDIBLE) police.
RAMGOPAL (voice-over): The rape and murder case has caused widespread protests across India with many demonstrators demanding the death penalty for the men.
Sexual assault often goes unpunished in India. India's national crimes records bureau says there are around 100 sexual assaults reported every day but many of them are never resolved in court because the system is so backlogged.
There are serious questions about the actions of police in this case. Amnesty International called for an independent investigation and some lawmakers are questioning whether police took the law into their own hands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those people were nearly killed going to get hanging (ph) as a punishment for the -- in the heinousness of their crimes. But you cannot kill people because you want to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The country was rule of law. Obviously, we want justice to be done through the judicial process.
RAMGOPAL (voice-over): But for the victim's family, there is a sense of closure that the courts may never have brought.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I would like to thank and congratulate the government, police and all those who supported me. It is now that my daughter's soul must have gotten peace.
RAMGOPAL (voice-over): Ram Ramgopal, CNN.
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ALLEN: We turn now to Iraq, where at least 12 people were killed, more than 20 wounded when gunmen opened fire on protesters.
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ALLEN (voice-over): This was the scene in central Baghdad Friday. Medical sources and activists tell CNN the gunmen stormed the protest site and started shooting at the crowd.
Authorities had not identified the gunmen but activists said progovernment militias have flocked to the area in recent days. More than 400 people have been killed since the unrest began in October.
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ALLEN: Neighboring Iran has also experienced deadly demonstrations in recent weeks. Now the U.N. says video evidence appears to show security forces using severe violence to quell the unrest.
The U.N. Human Rights Commissioner says the video shows authorities "shooting to kill" unarmed protesters even as they ran away. She's now calling for prompt independent investigations into all possible violations.
Violent protests also erupted in Chile Friday. Police deployed tear gas and water cannon after antigovernment protesters threw rocks at them. This started over a hike in metro fares but have still grown in efforts to reduce inequality in the country. The government has promised reforms, including raising the minimum wage and topping up pensions.
Donald Trump won the swing state of Wisconsin by a very narrow margin in 2016. Coming up, you'll hear what voters have to say.
Also, bush fires continue in Australia, firefighters anticipate more challenges ahead. We have new video for you, coming up.
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ALLEN: The outcome of next year's U.S. presidential election could depend on a handful of swing states like Wisconsin. A few thousand votes either way could make a huge difference. CNN's Kyung Lah is in Milwaukee.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now live from the heart of liberal Wisconsin where the political party is just beginning.
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A drop of blue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The impeachment of Donald Trump, it continues, Don.
LAH (voice-over): In a sea of conservative talk radio in Wisconsin, two progressives, pounding impeachment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Impeachment, is this sort of an optional thing?
LAH: To sway whatever swayable voters are listening to one of the only left-leaning talk radio stations in this swing state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And will you, sir, be on the right side of history for a change?
LAH: Hillary Clinton lost Wisconsin by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016. Energized Democrats and disaffected Republicans and these progressives believe the president won't win here again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I'm trying to convince are the reasonable Republicans.
LAH (on camera): Is your mission to flip the state?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
LAH: And to broadcasting the impeachment hearings?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gavel to gavel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a big show, Don.
LAH (voice over): From radio to television, wall to wall impeachment coverage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. Welcome to (INAUDIBLE). How you doing?
LAH: At this Milwaukee diner, hot cakes are served with hearings in the background.
MALCOLM STEWART, WISCONSIN VOTER: I did not vote in 2016.
LAH (on camera): Will you vote this time?
STEWART: I think I will. I think I will.
LAH (voice over): Malcolm Stewart says he's a swing voter, not a fan of the president, but wonders if weeks of hearings will have any impact.
STEWART: But as far as public opinion, people pretty much already have, you know, pro-Trump or anti-Trump pretty much right now. So I don't think it really helps or hurts.
JEFF SCHMIDT, WISCONSIN VOTER: Did you want something to drink?
LAH: Frustrating for Democrat Jeff Schmidt, who spends his day talking to table after table.
LAH (on camera): And is that the sense you get that people are stuck and they're not moving?
SCHMIT: Somewhat, yes. I don't -- I think -- I don't know what it's going to take for people to realize that there is -- this is an issue.
LAH (voice over): Progressives in Wisconsin say it just takes more work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here's to you, here's to me, here's to drinking liberally.
LAH: At an event called Drinking Liberally, the hearings have brought in new members. Among them, former Republicans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2016, I was wrong. I should have voted for Hillary Clinton.
LAH: Instead, life-long GOP-er Aaron Perry left his ballot blank. Now he's working to elect Democrats. And like these progressives believes impeachment will eventually help his new party.
LAH (on camera): Is it helpful to Republicans?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: IN the long run, I don't think that's a winning hand.
LAH (voice over): Win or lose, these Democrats say they have no choice but to move forward.
Win or lose, these Democrats say they have no choice but to move forward.
LAH (on camera): Will it be worth it if Democrats lose the state in 2020?
KRISTIN HANSEN, DRINKING LIBERALLY WAUKESHA CHAPTER HOST: Yes. Yes. If we don't impeach Donald Trump, who in the world are we ever going to impeach? There is a reason that the framers put this out in the Constitution to say --
LAH: Even if you lose?
HANSEN: Even if we lose. We have to do it for future generations.
LAH: The concern among Democrats is that impeachment will backfire here in 2020.
[04:45:00]
LAH: That's why state Democrats are not talking about it in the upcoming elections but state Republicans are. They're using it to fund raise and so far fund raise successfully -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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ALLEN: Next here, we turn to Australia where bushfires are raging. Firefighters say it may be weeks before they can contain the flames. Our Derek Van Dam looks at the forecast for us, next.
Also, an ocean graveyard brought back to life. How scientists have come up with a fresh way to revive dead coral.
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ALLEN: Look at this video. Firefighters in Australia are struggling to contain more than 100 bush fires raging across the country. Right now, there's a massive fire burning outside Sydney, which could take weeks to put out. The dry and windy conditions that have fueled the flames are expected to continue over the next few days.
Earlier, journalist Samantha Brett of 7 News spoke with CNN about the challenges firefighters in New South Wales face.
[04:50:00]
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SAMANTHA BRETT, JOURNALIST: You look on the map of where these bush fires are and you can see right up and down the coast of New South Wales from the north stretching all the way to the south. And we've had a couple of huge blazes in the past few weeks.
Unfortunately now, five of those fires have actually joined together so we have what is called now a mega blaze. So that is spanning about 330 hectares of land.
Next week, we are expecting more high temperatures, hot weather and it is very dry here. We have one of our worst droughts on record. It is also very, very windy. So unfortunately it is going to be another tough week ahead for the firefighters.
They are just doing everything, they are back burning this entire area. They are protecting homes. In the area I'm in, they protected every single home in this area.
The flames are leaping into the air. You can see that the trees have all been burned out here. I'm looking at my neighbor, here, his home has been saved, these firefighters are really they're just doing everything they can and they are doing an incredible job.
The people in this area are telling me as well they had meetings with the firefighters three weeks ago, they said the firefighters said this is coming, let's brace, ourselves let's prepare as best we, can and they, really have.
People are always going to say that the government can do more and they are going to try and blame someone. But we've had this incredible drought, you could not predict these very hot temperatures, these very high winds.
Unfortunately this has caused this absolute catastrophe here. People on the ground are just doing everything they can to try and protect the lives and homes.
Unfortunately, though, six people have actually died in these bush fires this season alone and I have some statistics for you; 680 homes have been lost. But tonight, 2,000 firefighters are in the fields so as I mentioned, they're doing simply everything that they can.
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ALLEN: They're probably, no doubt, exhausted.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ALLEN: Here is a quote for you. Teen activist Greta Thunberg and thousands of demonstrators hit the streets Friday as Spain's capital hosted U.N. climate negotiations. Here's Arwa Damon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Greta Thunberg arrived to Madrid and was very quickly understandably mobbed by both activists and the media.
[04:55:00] DAMON (voice-over): She has made quite a name for herself, not just because she is to a certain degree spearheading this global youth movement but also because of her very direct way of addressing global leaders. And that is the message that she is carrying with her in Madrid. Here is what she said to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: I sincerely hope that the COP 25 will lead into something concrete and that will lead to also an increase in awareness among people in general and that we -- that the world leaders that people empower grasp the urgency of the climate crisis because, right now, it doesn't seem like they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAMON (voice-over): None of us can hide away anymore because the climate crisis is going to affect all of us. When it comes to other types of crises, whether it's humanitarian, natural disasters or war, inaction on the part of the global leadership tends to only affect the area of the crisis itself.
But when it comes to the climate crisis, inaction by global leaders is going to doom all of us -- Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Scientists say they may have found a way to bring new life to dead coral reefs. Listen really closely here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN (voice-over): That is what a healthy coral reef sounds like. Scientists played the sound on loud, underwater speakers on dead patches of coral in the Great Barrier Reef.
And guess what?
They say twice as many fish came and stayed in the places where the sound was playing. The scientists say healthy coral reefs are noisy and young fish respond to the sounds when they're looking for somewhere to settle. They say the returning fish can help degraded ecosystems recover.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Pretty ingenious. More of that. We need it.
Thanks for watching this hour. I'll be right back with another hour of news.
