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North Korea: "Very Important Test" Conducted; FBI Identifies Gunman in Pensacola Shooting; Authorized Pro-Democracy March Fills Hong Kong Streets; U.S. and Iran Swap Prisoners; Australia Firenado. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired December 08, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome live from Studio 7 at CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Paula Newton and here's what we have for you on CNN NEWSROOM.

New questions about a mysterious test at a North Korean satellite site.

New details about the deadly shooting on a U.S. Navy base.

And new information about U.S. lawmakers and the Trump impeachment inquiry.

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NEWTON: North Korea says that it has carried out what state media calls a successful and quote, "very important test" at its Sohae satellite launch site. We do not know what was tested on Saturday but North Korean state media reported it will change the strategic position of the country in the near future.

The announcement came just hours after North Korea said denuclearization is no longer on the table in negotiations with the United States. Our Will Ripley is, of course, following this very carefully.

You've been following this incredibly closely, Will, and I know that you really look at the technical issues when it comes to these kinds of tests. Fill us in.

Could this be a tipping point into a much more serious test to come?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly could, Paula, and North Korea has been deliberately cryptic in its messaging. But remember, they have been talking for a while now about this Christmas gift that they will send to the United States.

Given that they said an end of the year deadline for diplomacy, that at this stage has all but died. We can trace this back to late February, when President Trump walked out of summit talks in Hanoi, Vietnam, with Kim Jong-un. It left the North Korean side flabbergasted. And they've been scrambling ever since to try to regain their footing.

What we saw after the failed summit in Hanoi, a series of weapons tests. This is now the 14th weapons test this year. But they were short-range missiles that President Trump brushed off as not a big concern for him.

Missile tests that pose a threat to South Korea and Japan have rattled nerves in this region but not the kind of long-range missile that could hit the mainland United States.

So what makes this test different?

Well, experts are telling us that given the satellite imagery that we saw just last week, showing activity at the Sohae satellite launch site, at their missile engine test stand and the fact that we know North Korea has been trying to perfect its solid fuel missile engines, the kind of engine that could power a much longer range launch, an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear tip, that could hit the mainland U.S.

The fact that North Korea is calling this a very important, test, a game-changer. It all seems to point in the direction that North Korea has now tested the kind of engine that could power a very long range missile that would threaten the U.S., the kind of thing that President Trump has said repeatedly he would not stand for.

So the question I guess we have now, Paula, is this missile engine test the Christmas gift or is it the stocking, stuffer, a precursor for a much more provocative launch, possibly days or weeks away?

NEWTON: You know, Will, the president was asked about this and seemed fairly calm about the situation but I'm wondering what is going on behind the scenes and I know that you have your ear to the ground when it comes to this kinds of things.

Do you think that the United States at this point saying it is a provocation, believe it might be a provocation just to get attention or that there might be something very substantive in the offer?

RIPLEY: Even Trump's point man on North Korea Stephen Biegun talked recently about the fact that the United States does expect a return to the kind of provocations that preceded this diplomatic detente that began after North Korea's self imposed moratorium on long-range missile launches and nuclear tests.

The North Koreans, from their view, feel like they have been very patient with the U.S. But they have been increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress on the issue that is most important to them, which is sanctions relief.

They went to the table, back in Hanoi, thinking that they were making a great offer, that they would start to dismantle their Yongbyon nuclear complex in exchange for the lifting of some of the most crippling economic sanctions. The U.S. did not bite. President Trump walked out.

And the North Koreans have been trying to remind the world, through these other smaller tests, that they still have this capability, they still have the leverage. And it has been frustrating for Pyongyang to see President Trump kind of brush this off.

He used the words rocket man, the insult from the North Korean view, describing Kim Jong-un and then they revive their own use the word dotard, personally insulting President Trump.

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RIPLEY: That is very concerning for a lot of us who watch developments on the Korean Peninsula because the friendship between these two leaders has deteriorated to the point where the North Koreans may feel they will not get anything out of it. And they feel they have to do something bigger to get the attention of the United States and the world.

What that actually will be, we just don't know. But if you read the tea leaves and you see where this is headed, Paula, it is not headed in a positive direction.

What is going to be crucial is the response of the United States and when President Trump, if he does probably respond to this launch, what does he say?

What message does he sent to the North Koreans?

And will it be enough to dial this back from the brink of a really big escalation or are the North Koreans going to push forward with this year-end deadline and whatever it could bring after, that a launch of a type of missile that the United States might feel it has no choice but to respond?

We don't know but certainly at, this point, in some ways it is very fast moving and in some ways it has been very slow-moving but it has all been moving in the same direction, not a good direction for the Korean Peninsula and for the world at large.

NEWTON: Yes, while we were speaking we're showing the two leaders at the DMZ and you see how far we have not come given, how many photo ops we've had in the interim. Will, from Hong Kong once again, thank you for your insights. Appreciate it.

Authorities are hunting for a motive after Friday's deadly shooting at the U.S. Naval base in Pensacola, Florida. The FBI says the shooter was 21 year old Saudi air force lieutenant Mohammed Alshamrani, who was shot by law enforcement after killing three sailors.

Sources say authorities have not found apparent ties between the killer and terrorism but the investigation is, of course, still in its early stages. One official says concerning materials and online statements have been discovered. The Navy said the sailors killed in the shooting showed exceptional heroism, running toward danger and saving lives. Joshua Kaleb Watson was 23, from Coffee County, Alabama, who hoped to

fly jets after flight school.

Airman Mohammed Sameh Haitham was from St. Petersburg, Florida. His father says he was an all-star athlete.

There is also the airman apprentice Cameron Scott Walters. The Navy says he was 21 from Richmond Hill, Georgia.

For now, the killer's exact motivations remain unclear. CNN's Brynn Gingras has more on the investigation in Pensacola, Florida.

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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a global investigation. There are FBI attaches in Saudi Arabia, there are investigators here on the ground in Pensacola, Florida, and also communications happening with the FBI in Washington.

We know the Joint Terrorism Task Force is also contributing, among others. One of the big questions that is still outstanding is, what was the motivation of this gunman?

And that is what investigators are really trying to find out now. We are hearing the communications going on between investigators about whether or not to call this a terrorist act.

We know that Defense Secretary Esper says he is not going to say that this was an act of terrorism until investigators can do their work.

Now here in Pensacola, we know that there have been people on the ground for the last two days, really collecting evidence. We know the crime scene is two levels of a classroom building. And they are collecting evidence, both inside and outside, along with other members of the FBI.

As far as FBI Jacksonville, which is the lead investigative authority, they are remaining pretty tight-lipped as to what is going on with the investigation. A little bit more detail, though, of what we are learning from sources.

We know that other Saudi nationals were brought in for questioning. So that is certainly something where they are hoping to glean more answers, again, about the motivation of this act.

And we also learned from "The New York Times," again citing a source familiar with the investigation that this gunman was viewing mass shooting videos at a dinner party the day before the actual shooting on Friday.

Again, all of these little details coming out in this broad investigation that is moving pretty rapidly. This all happening in Pensacola, where this community is honestly grieving.

We talked to a woman not long ago, who basically said that her daughters -- she tugged them closer because she just can't believe that this happened in her community. So certainly people still coming to grips with what actually happened here in Pensacola. I am Brynn Gingras in Pensacola, Florida, CNN.

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NEWTON: The attack is, of course, also having major ramifications in Saudi Arabia. CNN's Nic Robertson has more from Riyadh.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So establishing that motive really is going to be key to understanding why this attack took place and really fully understanding what the repercussions and implications could be.

Now his family here in Saudi Arabia, his uncle, who we have spoken to, says that he was a good student, that he did well academically and that is why he made it into the military.

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ROBERTSON: And made it onto this prestigious long military training in the United States. That was something that the family was proud of. They say there was nothing in his background that indicated anything untoward. They have been speaking to him over the past few years during his training. They say there is nothing that has changed substantially about him that would give them cause for concern.

The bigger family, the tribe are saying this attack does not speak for the people of Saudi Arabia, does not represent the people of Saudi Arabia. They put their faith in the kingdom and in the king.

But what we are learning or appear to be learning at this stage, as indicated by a radical propaganda monitoring site, indicating that perhaps this attacker tweeted out some of his thinking or intentions in the minutes before the attack, anti American sentiment.

If that is true, that will make this shooting a more complex issue for the king of Saudi Arabia to deal with, with the United States. We know that he has called and spoken with President Trump and has called this a barbaric act, that it does not speak for the people of Saudi Arabia.

He has called on Saudi officials to give full cooperation with U.S. investigators but of course, if there is a hint of terrorism behind this, then this will reawaken a lot of old fears, going back to the 9/11 attacks and also to the killing of the Saudi journalist for "The Washington Post," Jamal Khashoggi.

So all of that relationship with factor in but, at the moment, the investigators undoubtedly digging into the attacker's social media, speaking with his family, with friends, to find out if his mood or his attitudes had changed in recent days or weeks.

But at the moment really, Saudi Arabia, stunned, surprised, shocked, angered, according to the king at what has happened in Pensacola, Florida -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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NEWTON: I spoke earlier to CNN military analyst Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling about the U.S. military relationship with Saudi Arabia. He reacted to the attack this way.

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LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It is unfortunate because we have in fact been training with Saudi Arabian forces since about 1973, major programs with the Saudi Arabian national guard and with other forces within the kingdom.

And something like this has never happened before, so it is certainly an anomaly and it is a horrible situation.

NEWTON: It's an anomaly, I am sure that will come as very little comfort to the families involved here of the victims and that is the problem here.

How much do you think this will affect the Saudis right now, in terms of their very tight military relationship with the United States?

HERTLING: Well, you talked about some of the things that have been happening with the kingdom recently that have been in the news.

First of, as you already mentioned or Nick Robertson just mentioned, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, has certainly established a bad reputation for the kingdom, specifically Mohammed bin Salman as one of the crown princes.

You also have the United States Congress that has been vehemently opposed to the actions that Saudi Arabia has taken in Yemen and, in fact, using some American equipment and armaments to bomb, in some cases, civilian targets within Yemen.

And members of Congress have been prone to want to stop some of the funding for some of the arms sales and some of the support for the kingdom. This will only add more fuel to that fire.

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NEWTON: That was CNN military analyst Lieutenant General Mark Hertling.

Pro democracy protesters are back on the streets of Hong Kong. When we return, we will take you there live.

And heavy winds are whipping up the fires, scorching Australia right now. A little later, how bush fires are threatening the very air people are breathing.

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NEWTON: We are following a horrific fire in India, where police say the death toll has risen to at least 43. Now flames swept a five story factory in New Delhi a few hours ago. Fire officials say they had to break through a locked iron door to try to reach those inside and the smoke was so thick, one official called it a toxic chamber.

Police say almost 60 people were evacuated from the building and taken to hospitals. Police say they are filing a case of causing death due to negligence against the factory's owner.

To Hong Kong now, where pro-democracy activists are once again staging a march in the city but unlike many of the recent protests, police have actually signed off on this one. It comes just weeks after pro China candidates suffered devastating losses in local elections. For more, we go to CNN's Ivan Watson, who joins us from Hong Kong.

And, Ivan, I'm usually used to seeing you dodging the tear gas and trying to keep up with protesters. This seems like a completely different tone and tenor. Tell us what you believe could unfold this afternoon.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, this is a gathering -- we cannot give you estimates of numbers just yet but --

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WATSON: -- represented here, this has been sanctioned by local authorities. It is a march organized by the civil rights, the Civil Human Rights Front which has helped organize some of the biggest, largest marches we have seen now in nearly six months of anti government protests here in Hong Kong.

The last one we saw on this Hong Kong island was back in August.

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WATSON: One of the big differences now is that I would say many, many, many more of the participants have their faces covered, which I believe is a sign of the distrust that a significant portion of the society has for the authorities after nearly six months of protests and turmoil and clashes between the authorities and the police and the demonstrators.

We have not seen any signs thus far of clashes of the more radical protesters who wear armor. We have not seen the riot police deploying the tear gas, some 10,000 rounds of which has been fired over six months of protests; on the worst days, more than one round of tear gas per minute, if you can believe it.

But this demonstrates that there is still a substantial portion of (INAUDIBLE) deeply unhappy with the policies of the unelected chief executive here. They're holding up their hands with five fingers pointed outward, saying five demands, no less, which has been a demand from the beginning, though some of the demands have evolved. They are calling for universal suffrage, the right to elect their own chief (INAUDIBLE) instead of that official being appointed effectively by Beijing.

And in this kind of referendum election that took place at the end of last month, the pro establishment camp got absolutely clobbered in that vote. Despite that, we do not really see a sign of any compromise between the pro establishment and the anti government sides in this ongoing --

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WATSON: -- that has driven Hong Kong into economic recession that has resulted in thousands and thousands of arrests.

WATSON: Yes, and that is the issue, there, really had quite a changing election there in terms of the complexion of that local council and yet, as you say, no common ground to be seen just yet. Ivan, you will continue to cover the protest for us throughout the coming hours. Appreciate your insights there.

Now U.S. president Donald Trump has taken the unusual step of thanking Iran. The country released an American graduate student while the U.S. released an Iranian scientist in a prisoner exchange.

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NEWTON: Kylie Atwood looked at who is involved and where Washington hopes it will eventually lead.

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KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: Xiyue Wang, an American who was detained in Iran for more than three years, has been released. He is currently in Germany undergoing a series of medical evaluations.

And according to a source familiar with the conditions that he was kept in while he was jailed in Iran, said that it was abhorrent and that the prison guards would often taunt him, saying things like, you think you're going to leave?

You're not going to leave. And other folks who are in that jail often threatened him. But the news, today according to a senior administration official is that Wang is in good health and he is in very good spirits.

Now today, the U.S. also released an Iranian who the U.S. had detained in 2018. This is an Iranian professor. So this was a prisoner exchange and President Trump tweeting just today that this demonstrates that the U.S. and Iran can make a deal, viewing this as a springboard to potentially make the U.S.-Iranian relations better going forward.

Now we should note, however that there are still Americans detained in Iran and a senior administration official said that they hope that the release of Wang creates positive momentum for the release of those other Americans -- Kylie Atwood, CNN, Washington.

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NEWTON: As bush fires are still raging right across Australia, when we return, we will find out why conditions are making it tough to breathe and if there is any relief to come.

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NEWTON: OK. We have some extraordinary aerial pictures to show you what is called a firenado in Queensland, Australia.

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NEWTON: Now a viral video is capturing hearts right around the world. Just ahead, we will show you what happens when a baby hears her parents' voice for the very first time.

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NEWTON: And finally, we can end on some inspiring video that I am sure has gone viral. A British family capture the moment their 4- month-old daughter was fitted with tiny hearing aids. Take a listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, so we just turn her hearing on.

Shall we say hello to everybody?

Shall we say hello?

That is a very loud hello.

NEWTON (voice-over): A very bright little girl and, Georgina Addison is her name. She was diagnosed with severe deafness as a newborn and doctors recommended the hearing aids, more than a half million people and counting, I am sure that is much higher right now.

I've already seen the video and many parents have commented on similar experiences with their own children. The bad (ph) says it has been heartwarming to (INAUDIBLE) stories it has given hope to many other families.

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NEWTON: We certainly loved looking at it.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton. I will be back in a moment with your headlines.