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Deadly Volcanic Eruption in New Zealand; Putin and Zelensky to Meet in Paris; House Judiciary Committee to Hear on Evidence on Impeachment Report; U.S. Justice Department to Issue Report on FBI Probe; No Motive Yet for Pensacola Gunman; One Dead After New Zealand Volcano Erupts; Trump to Kim: You Could "Void Special Relationship" With Us; Madagascar Braces for Tropical Cyclone; Madrid Climate Talks Critical To Keep Emissions Down; Final Push For Labour Party Ahead Of Crucial Vote. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 09, 2019 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is "CNN Newsroom." Let's get started.

A tourist outing turns deadly in New Zealand after a volcano erupts on White Island.

A big week in Washington ahead of a possible vote on articles of impeachment.

And a special relationship on the rocks, the U.S. President warns North Korea over its latest test launch.

And we begin with breaking news out of New Zealand. At least one person has died after a volcano erupted on White Island. Police are expecting more fatalities though and say conditions are too dangerous for rescuers to access the island right now.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us live with more details. Kristie, this is certainly a tragedy but what more are you learning about these efforts for search and rescue on White Island because the problem of course is access to that island right now.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are right now tracking the devastation, the death toll as well as the rescue operation underway in New Zealand after a volcano erupted in the northern part of the country on White island.

We know at least one person has died, more fatalities are expected, this according to New Zealand police. Now, the person who died was one of 23 who were evacuated earlier from the island. Police say that around 50 people believed to be tourists were on the island at the time of the eruption. We also heard earlier from the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacina Ardern, who has been giving regular updates and she says the focus needs to be on the search and rescue right now.

The eruption, it took place earlier today, Monday 2:30 p.m. local time. It took place about 50 kilometers from the east coast of the north island of New Zealand.

And as you have been seeing it on this video that we have been broadcasting all day today, social media video from the mainland, you can see those big plumes of smoke rising from the volcano.

That emergency operation is underway to locate and rescue those who remain on the island but worryingly, New Zealand police say that at this moment it is just too dangerous for police and rescue to go on to the island because it is covered in ash and volcanic material.

The White Island volcano, it is one of the most active cone volcanoes in New Zealand. It's also been called one of the world's most accessible active volcanoes because there are ocean cruises that regularly run near the island, even guided tours on the island.

Tourists visit this island because they want to see the strange kind of alien landscape, the moonscape there. It is believed to be one of the most dramatic environments that can be visited in New Zealand, but again this is an active volcano and today, a scene of terrible tragedy, Rosemary.

CHURCH: We will continue to watch this. Kristie Lu Stout bringing us the very latest on that. Many thanks to you.

Well, in just a few hours Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold their first face-to- face meeting. The stakes are high as they are expected to try and hash out an agreement to end the five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The fighting began in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and then backed pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region. Since then, around 13,000 people have been killed in that conflict.

Well, Matthew Chance joins us now live from Moscow. So, Matthew, with the stakes so very high, what is expected to be achieved at this first face-to-face meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, I think it would be unrealistic to expect this one day meeting in Paris to completely resolve the outstanding issues in that conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has killed, as you say, 13,000 people over the past five years and has displaced millions of people in eastern Ukraine.

So the stakes are very high. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, was elected in a landslide election victory in May of this year on a platform and bringing the war to an end and so he's got a great deal of interest in trying to make that happen and try to push it towards that.

[02:04:59]

But, I mean, there's a number of, you know, very strong headwinds confronting him, not least the fact that he's going to be face-to-face for the first time with Vladimir Putin. They have spoken on the phone before. They have never met in person. They're going to be sitting across the table.

Vladimir Putin, you know, is an extremely tough negotiator, a very experienced leader whereas Volodymyr Zelensky, you know, less than a year ago was a comedian playing the part of a Ukrainian president on a television show in the country and he became president after that.

And so there is a big mismatch in the experiences of the two countries and there are various other problems facing Volodymyr Zelensky as well so, it's going to be an uphill struggle for him.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, how much pressure would President Zelensky be feeling right now because there is concern many Ukrainian people are worried that he will give too much ground.

CHANCE: Yes, I mean, that is his big problem. Many concessions he makes to try and achieve a final peace in eastern Ukraine is often sort of characterizes capitulation by his rivals inside Ukraine.

I mean, when he agreed to a plan to implement the Minsk Accord, which is the peace agreement that both sides have signed a couple of months ago, I mean, there were the biggest protests on the streets of Kiev, the Ukranian capital since the Maidan revolution.

And so, you know, any concessions he makes are going to be characterized in that way so he has to walk a very narrow thin line to try and push the situation towards greater peace without making too many concessions.

CHURCH: All right, Matthew Chance bring us the very latest on this from Moscow, many thanks. We will take a short break here. Still to come, U.S. Democrats have spent the weekend preparing for another round of impeachment hearings. What to expect next.

Plus, U.S. authorities piece together more details about the Florida naval base shooting. Ahead, what we are learning about the shooter and the weapon he used in that attack. And we remember the life and work of the young sailors killed in Friday's shooting.

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CHURCH: We want to welcome our viewers joining us from the United States for this edition of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. In the coming hours, all eyes will be on Washington as another public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump gets underway.

This hearing is imperative as it will set the stage for the rest of the impeachment process. Democrats are expected to present evidence against Mr. Trump. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler says he is confident the case for impeachment is solid. CNN's Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill with a look of what to expect.

LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITCS CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, House Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have been prepping all weekend for what is expected to be a high-profile hearing on Monday in the House Judiciary Committee.

Essentially, this is going to be an opportunity that will look very similar to a trial. You are going to see lawyers laying out the evidence that they believe exists to impeach President Donald Trump and it's a big moment for the House Judiciary Committee because they could unveil articles of impeachment as soon as this wee.

They could even vote on them out of committee. That would set up a full House of Representatives vote on whether or not to impeach Donald Trump before the Christmas holiday.

That is a very quick timeline when you think about the fact that the House Intelligence Committee's investigation took more than two months, but it's putting Democrats in what could be a difficult position as the caucus has to debate just how broad to make those articles of impeachment.

For one, they are trying to consider whether or not to include anything from the Mueller investigation in their articles. Some moderates believe that that would be too expansive. They want to keep it more narrow on that Ukraine issue. For CNN, Lauren Fox, Capitol Hill.

CHURCH: Meanwhile, the White House says that it will not be taking part in the House proceedings. Jeremy Diamond has more on that.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Today, the House Judiciary Committee is indeed convening to hear the evidence formally for the first time against President Trump in this impeachment inquiry, but neither the president nor any of his attorneys will be attending that hearing.

That is despite an invitation from the House Judiciary Committee Democrats for the president or his attorneys to attend and participate in that hearing, even giving them the ability to cross examine witnesses.

And that is also despite the criticism over these last several months of this impeachment inquiry from the president, from the White House that they have not been able to participate in the process thus far.

Nonetheless, the White House making very clear in a letter on Friday from the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, to the House Judiciary Committee that this White House will not be participating in any of these impeachment hearings carried out by the House Judiciary Committee.

In that letter, Cipollone calls the impeachment inquiry completely baseless and he also warns that impeaching Trump, introducing those articles of impeachment, something that this House Judiciary Committee may very well do this week, Cipollone calls that a reckless abuse of power if indeed House Democrats move forward as we expect them to.

The messaging from the White House though in that letter and in tweets from the president, remarks from the president, is essentially get on with it.

This White House is saying look, if House Democrats are going to impeach the president, which indeed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated last week, is likely where this is headed, the White House really wants that process to be done with.

And that is because they are looking forward to the Senate, which is controlled by the Republicans where the president believes that he will get a more fair shake.

Either way though, even if the president will not be attending these hearings, of course, House Republicans will have an opportunity to cross-examine the counsel from the House Intelligence Committee and of course provide the president's point of view, provide his defense.

[02:15:00]

The president for his part, well, he'll be using his own stage on Tuesday at a campaign rally to get his message out.

CHURCH: Well, a lot to get to. Thomas Gift, a political science lecturer at the University College London joins me now. Good to have you with us.

THOMAS GIFT, POLITICAL SCIENCE LECTURER, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Good morning Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, the public hearing that gets underway in just a matter of hours will of course shape the whole impeachment process and as far as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is concerned, Jerry Nadler, he thinks the Democrats have a solid case for impeachment. Do you agree and do you think they will vote on articles of impeachment this week?

GIFT: Well, I do think that the evidence at this point seems overwhelming. I think the big issue this week won't be about the disclosure of any new information but really help broadly or narrowly Jerry Nadler and the Democrats will define the articles of impeachment.

You know, the House Judiciary Committee will review this key testimony from the House Intelligence Committee which will establish the contours of the impeachment, but then you really have the key question, the political question of the scope of the articles of impeachment.

And so the risk I think of drafting a broad set of articles of impeachment is that Democrats can be seen as overreaching. But a narrow set of charges could be seen as overlooking certain acts of wrongdoing.

You know, my sense is that Democrats will air on the side of keeping it simple and focusing on Ukraine so it's clear to the public. But I think one place where there will be some intra-party disagreement to either to include obstruction as one of the impeachment articles to reflect all of this White House stonewalling.

But it does seem by all accounts that the Democrats want to get this done before Christmas. And if that's the case, they're going to have to draft articles quickly and so it does seem to indicate that they will try to get something out this week, you are right.

CHURCH: And opinion polls seemed to show a slim majority of the public consistently want to see President Trump impeached and removed, but over all who will be most politically damaged by this whole impeachment process do you think, the Democrats or the president and his party?

GIFT: Well, I still think that reasonable minds can disagree on that, Rosemary. If you look at polling data, you're correct that Americans remain very split with support for impeachment, dividing sharply along party lines. Certainly though, I think both sides see potential pitfalls with impeachment going forward.

For Democrats, I think they are concerned that there maybe some impeachment fatigue in swing states and that voters would have preferred that they have kept the focus more on policy, health care, education, the environment, all the things that Nancy Pelosi has been talking about as one of the reasons why I think she was reluctant to pursue the impeachment inquiry from the outset.

But Republicans also I think are concerned that impeachment is exposing some vulnerabilities in support for Trump despite his very loyal base. So if impeachment does get to the Senate, my sense is that Mitch McConnell will prefer to expedite the process to get it over as quickly as possible rather than let it drag further and further into 2020.

CHURCH: Right. And as we know, the White House and the president have decided not to take part in these proceedings. Is that a wise move?

GIFT: Well, I think it's basically the option that they have because since the very outset, they've been saying that this is a witch hunt, this is a hoax, this is presidential harassment. And so I think for them to participate in this process would in some sense legitimize it.

And so they have essentially taken the strategy that they're going to stand on the sidelines, that they are going to hurl insults on to the Democrats. They're going to impugn this process as politically motivated and baseless.

And so, you know, whether that's a good strategy or not really depends on how you define success. Donald Trump isn't changing the minds of many voters but at the same time he doesn't have to.

So we are basically in this place of kind of post-persuasion politics where the only goal is to mobilize your side. And so Trump's entire focus is just on keeping his electoral base in line, ensure Republicans don't turn on him. And polling do suggest that he's doing relatively well at least by that metric.

CHURCH: Thomas Gift, thank you so much for sharing your analysis and perspective on this. Appreciate it.

GIFT: Thank you Rosemary.

CHURCH: And stay with us for our special coverage of the Trump impeachment hearings by the House Judiciary Committee. That starts at 8:00 a.m. in Washington, 1:00 p.m. in London, 9:00 p.m. in Hong Kong, right here on CNN.

Washington is anxiously waiting for the release of a report from the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general. It will weigh in on a number of conspiracy theories including where the politically bias influenced the FBI's decision to start the Russia investigation. CNN's Marshall Cohen has more on that.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: The highly anticipated report from the Justice Department inspector general comes out today and we are expecting that it will debunk some major claims and conspiracy theories that President Trump has been peddling for years.

[02:20:03]

First, we are told that the I.G. will conclude that the Russia investigation was properly launched in 2016 and that senior FBI officials were not acting out of bias against candidate Trump.

Now, those findings undercut Trump's claim that the investigation was an illegitimate hoax designed to take him down. Also, the report is expected to say that the FBI did not implant spies in the Trump campaign.

But we are expecting a mixed verdict of sorts when it comes to the court approved surveillance of Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser. The report will say that the FBI had good reason to ask for those wiretaps but there were serious problems and mistakes with how the warrants were prepared.

CNN previously reported that one FBI lawyer was caught altering a document and that is now part of a criminal investigation which is being led by U.S. Attorney John Durham.

Long story short, the report will give us some much needed answers and debunk some conspiracies, but the fight will continue. CNN already reported that attorney general has told allies that this report won't be the final word. Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: We are learning more details about Friday's deadly naval base shooting in Florida. The FBI says the shooter, a Saudi air force officer bought his gun legally before killing three U.S. sailors. Now, Florida's governor is demanding more stringent vetting for foreign military personnel who were given access to U.S. bases. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON DESANTIS, GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: But I think there is a frustration with this. I mean, you know, you have foreign military personnel coming to our base. Now, they should not be doing that if they hate our country and I know that -- I talked with Secretary Esper on Friday. They're doing a big review about how all this stuff is done in terms of the vetting, but my sense is that more needs to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Brynn Gingras has been following all the developments and she has more now from Florida.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: The FBI says their main goal right now is to figure out if this gunman acted as a lone wolf or was part of a larger network and answering the question was he tied to any sort of ideology.

And of course, this is going to help prove a motive in their eyes, which is still unclear according to the FBI at this point. And how they're doing that, one, is classifying this -- carrying out this investigation as sort of presuming it's an act of terrorism, and that helps open up some more investigative tools.

And they're also reviewing evidence including videos. They are also talking to people, you know, we've been talking about the Saudi nationals that were detained.

Well, authorities now saying that those Saudi nationals, they are restricted to only stay on the base. They can't leave the base and that they're cooperating with this investigation. CNN has a source that says some of these friends of this gunman have said that they noticed a difference in this gunman after he returned from a trip home.

And that he was more observant and he wasn't drinking. So, the authorities are trying to really -- try to answer that question, what triggered the change in his demeanor and hopefully get to that main question again about motive.

Now, at the same time this community is still in shock and they are still trying to just comfort each other and we saw a lot of that as the procession of the three hearses carrying the bodies of the three victims in this attack went back to the naval base.

And those three victims are going to be reunited with their family, but it was an emotional time as people stood along the streets carrying flags, saluting, taking off their hats to these three victims. Certainly, Pensacola still trying to recover from what happened on Friday morning. Back to you guys.

CHURCH: And after that funeral procession, Brynn mentioned the U.S. military held a solemn transfer ceremony for the three slain sailors. Just a few hours ago their remains were carried out of a military plane and received at Dover Air Force Base in the state of Delaware. Well, earlier CNN military analysts Mark Hertling spoke about the life

and work of the fallen servicemen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You had, first of all, (inaudible) Kaleb Watson, a recent graduate of the U.S Naval academy out of Annapolis. This is a young man who was trying to decide what kind of officer he was going to be. Was he going to be a Marine or a NAVY Seal or a pilot?

And he finally determined that he wanted to be pilot. That's a tough call when you're a senior at the naval academy to determine where you're going to go, and from all accounts, this young that he wanted to be a pilot.

That is a tough call when you're a senior at the naval academy to determine where you're going to go and from all accounts this young man was quite the hero.

[02:24:56]

And in fact, reports from the seam said that he was shot five times as he attempted to wrestle the gun away from the shooter before he crawled outside the building and told the security folks what was going on inside.

Then you had Airman Mohammed Haitham who is from Saint Petersburg, Florida right down the road from Pensacola, would have turned 20 years-old a week from tomorrow. That's how young this young man was, his whole life in front of him.

And from all indicators, he was just a super star. And then finally, you had Airman Cam Walters from Georgia, just out of boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, 19 years old I believe and just had his entire life in front of him.

And of course, all three of them had left families and loved ones in a great deal of despair tonight. But these are the kind of a young people that are in the military, selfless servants ready to serve their country and it's just tragic that's something like this would occur.

But I think we got to all remember their names as we go into the Christmas season and beyond.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check the headlines for you this hour.

Another critical impeachment hearing is just hours away in Washington. It will be held by the House Judiciary Committee and sources tell CNN it will showcase a pattern of behavior that shows President Donald Trump's impeachable conduct. The White House says that it will not take part in those proceedings. Police say that at least one person has died after a volcano erupted

on White Island in New Zealand, with the death toll expected to climb

[02:30:00]

Dozens of people were on the island at the time of the eruption. Around 30 of them were tourists from cruise liner Ovation of the Seas. And a short time ago, we received this image from Jon Arrieta, he told CNN he left White Island one hour before the eruption.

U.S. President Donald Trump is warning North Korean leader Kim Jong- un, he could lose their special relationship. This comes a day after North Korea claimed it successfully conducted an important test at a missile site. Mr. Trump also tweeted Kim Jong-un is too smart and has far too much to lose if he acts in a hostile way.

Our Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Seoul in South Korea with more on this. Paula, good to see, you. Of course, the big question that everyone wants answered is, what exactly was this very important test that North Korea says it launched?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we haven't had official confirmation from North Korea at this point. That usually comes about 24 hours after the initial reports, potentially photos of what was tested, the speculation among -- the educated speculation, I should say, among many experts that it was something like an engine test.

And satellite images seen by CNN just last week, last Thursday, did show that this area, there were preparations underway, it appeared, according to those satellite images of such a test. So, this is what it is assumed to be. We don't have confirmation at this point, though. We do need to wait for Pyongyang to announce it itself.

But what we did hear from Pyongyang on Sunday local time, was that it was a success, it was a significant test saying that it will change the strategic position of North Korea in the near future. And this will place in as well to North Korea's threat of this and of year deadline for the United States.

And the United States has to change its attitude, has to deal with North Korea in a different way or North Korea will take a different path, suggest recently as well, saying there could be some kind of Christmas gift for the U.S., but it's up to them what kind of gift it is.

So, we've certainly been hearing these fairly clear threats that there was going to be something tested whether or not this engine test, if that is what it is, is the gift that they were referring to. We simply don't know whether that was a prelude to something more serious.

This would be used for a satellite launcher or an ICBM, an intercontinental ballistic missile with the potential to hit mainland United States. That sort of test would be something that President Trump and Washington would be far more concerned about than what we have seen in recent months. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And Paula, North Korea now says the denuclearization is off the table, what does that signal and how might Kim Jong-un respond to President Trump's warning that this and the test could end the special relationship between the two leaders?

HANCOCKS: Well, it is starting to sound a little familiar at this point, Rosemary. I mean, certainly, we have some fair rhetoric between these two leaders in the past. It was the ambassador for North Korea to the United Nations, Kim Song, who said that denuclearization is off the table and who also said that North Korea is not interested in having talks with the United States.

There have been efforts, we understand, for more working level talks, the likes of which we saw back in October between the U.S. and North Korea. In Sweden, the U.S. said that they went fairly well, North Korea said they didn't go well, so they certainly weren't on the same page at that point, but this is making it clear for North Korea's point of view, that they don't necessarily want those kinds of talks.

And many experts and observers say that Kim Jong-un is used to talking to the man at the top. He's used to talking to President Trump himself, so may not necessarily be interested in these lower level talks.

CHURCH: We shall watch to see what happens next. Paula Hancocks bringing us the very latest there from Seoul in South Korea, many thanks.

Well, Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement has called for new strikes in a bid to keep pressure on the city's government. This comes after activists held a massive rally on Sunday to mark six months since the unrest began. Thousands of people marched bringing parts of the city to a standstill. It was the first time in months police approved an event by the Civil Human Rights Front, one of the main protest groups.

In Lebanon, a man poured gasoline on his body and set himself on fire during a protest on Saturday. State news reports that protesters helped put out the fire, but the man suffered moderate burns.

[02:35:03]

Demonstrations erupted on October over a plunging economy and have since triggered demands for a new government. The economic crisis in Lebanon has become so severe, people are struggling to get enough work and food. CNN's Ben Wedeman takes us to the northern city of Tripoli, to show us how people are banding together to help each other survive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The kitchen of the revolution, as they call it, is open, feeding up to 2,000 people every evening in Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city. Linda Burhol (ph) runs the kitchen with an iron fist. The people of Tripoli have stepped in to fill the vacuum left by a government widely accused of corruption and incompetence. The revolution happened because everyone's lives have been destroyed says Linda. The government robbed us. People have become poor.

Nearby, another group of volunteers hands out used clothing. The poverty rate in Tripoli has more than doubled in the last 10 years and it's twice the national average. There are many reasons behind this protest movement, some people call it a revolution, and one of them is, that many people simply can't make ends meet.

And no more so than in Tripoli's old city, where we met the Kashif (ph) family. Yus Rafid's (ph) 16-year-old Matasum (ph), mentally and physically disabled since birth. Prior to the outbreak of nationwide mass protests, Mohammed was a daily worker in a furniture factory.

I was able to earn every day just enough for food and drink, he says, but now, nothing. I begged the boss, give me two days' work a week, the boss said no.

The family already among the poorest of Lebanon's poor, has reached rock-bottom.

Noal's (ph) daughters have stayed at home while their father is out searching for work. For this mother of four, the protests have made their already difficult life even harder.

The crisis has gotten worse, says Noal, everything is more expensive, how can a family live? She asks.

A question many here are asking and for which no one has an answer. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Tripoli, northern Lebanon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Intense winds and heavy rain, Madagascar is bracing for impact as a tropical cyclone nears the island, when it's expected to make landfall, we'll take a look at that, that's next.

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[02:40:00]

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CHURCH: Well, Madagascar is bracing for impact as a tropical cyclone nears the country. The storm has been intensifying as it moves through the Indian Ocean, bringing with it strong winds and heavy rain, so let's turn to our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, who joins us from the International Weather Center with all the details. And, of course, the big worry is just how bad will this likely be.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you know, it's a pretty strong storm system. And as you noted, Rosemary, it has been getting stronger in recent days. Of course, the concern is these coastal communities. They've dealt with plenty of tropical cyclones over the past few decades, but this particular one coming to shore here, potentially gets up to a Category 3, or very close to a Category 3 equivalent system.

There it is. Belna, sitting there across the Comoro Islands region, just off the coast of Mozambique, on approach, of course, towards Madagascar. We think within the next 24 or so hours, the storm system approaches and makes landfall, potentially getting a Category 2 to Category 3 strength.

And then beyond that, it works its way over a very mountainous area, a very -- and, of course, area of elevated terrain which kind of shred the system apart. And notice in recent years, we have had some strong systems that have caused significant damage in the way of Gafilo in 2004.

And also, several decades before that, we had Kamisy come in, a strong storm in the same general region that cause significant damage.

So, when you watch a system of this magnitude, you know heavy rainfall and potential for significant damage is in place and, in fact, you don't have to go too far away here. Towards the Reunion Island region, and this particular island, this is just east of Madagascar, has the world record, very unique distinction here, has not only the most rainfall ever observed for any given location on earth over a seven-day period, which is 5,400 millimeters of rainfall.

In a one-day period, it is a single weather spot on earth as well. It's picked up almost 1,900 millimeters of rainfall in one day from a tropical cyclone. So, when you, kind of, talk about elevated terrain in these very mountainous islands and, of course, Madagascar is the second largest island nation in the world, behind areas across the Indian Ocean.

So, we kind of put this in place. It is an area that's very susceptible to all of this, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Thank you so much, Pedram, for keeping a close eye on all of that. Appreciate it.

Well, the U.N. climate change conference in Madrid is now in its second week and U.S. businesses and leaders are attending the event, are trying to let the world know that they are still committed to sustainability despite the U.S. government beginning the process to withdraw from the Paris agreement.

So, let's turn to CNN's Arwa Damon, she joins us live from Madrid, good to see you, Arwa. So, how much has been achieved, so far, at this summit and what might the expectations be overall?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's still a lot of backdoor negotiating that is going on, although ministers are arriving at this stage, and even though this COP is not necessarily being built as one of the so-called decision-making COPs. What happens here is critical, especially in light of the science that has emerged over the last year or so.

Now, to help us understand all of this, I'm joined by Hoda Baraka, who is with the global climate group, 350.org. We're seeing this, sort of, disconnect, it would seem, between the science and what's happening on the ground and the speed of the debates and negotiations that are happening behind closed doors at the government level, why is that the case and what is actually at stake?

HODA BARAKA, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, 350.ORG: First of all, the stakes are huge. What we get to see nowadays is the fact that the climate change is already happening, it's already real and something that we are seeing unfolding everywhere, all over the world. People are impacted.

We're just seeing, for example, a report come out from Oxfam, describing how we know now for a fact that about approximately 20 million people every year are forced from their homes because of climate-induced impacts.

[02:44:57]

There's a huge disconnect between what the political process is about and what the reality on the ground is. You've seen millions of people take to the grounds. Just this past September, mobilization's around the world saw 7.6 million people take to the streets, demanding real climate action. There isn't -- this protest isn't really speaking to or addressing the real causes of emissions, right?

If we want to explain why we are at this point, to the climate crisis, we need to be looking at things like emissions from our dependency on fossil fuels. But then, you look at what the process is delivering on what kind of commitments the governments are putting on the table, there is nothing that puts us on a quick and fair and just transition away from fossil fuels.

We're still in a situation where the industry is very much present in the process, very much having access to the governments, and very much able to protect its interests. So that we do not have the quick transition away from fossil fuels that is very urgently required.

DAMON: And so, what can we do to help move this process along? Because if the status quo continues, if these key issues get kicked down the road to next year, we're talking about being in an even more critical situation than we're in today, despite the efforts on the levels of the consumers, and despite the efforts and some of the corporate levels as well. We can't do this on our own without federal government buy-in.

BARAKA: Absolutely. What we need to see are real commitments by governments to both phase out fossil fuels and to also cut the finance that still flows to fossil fuels. You see, for example, government subsidies in the billions every year supporting this industry.

Where now we are in a situation where we need to see if a drastic shift away from supporting this industry financially from investing in this industry and really be able to open up the opportunities that we know exist already, and being able to set up renewables as a very viable and very palpable alternative that will both address the climate issues but also safeguards the communities that are being impacted, and the opportunities that need to be created around it. Whether it's new jobs or whether it's actually being able to provide currently parts of the developing world that need access to energy. All of these things can be addressed holistically if we open up these opportunities.

DAMON: Thank you very much. And a lot of the other issues that we've been talking to with other participants in this COP are also centering around this notion that we need a revolution when it comes to how we're consuming fossil fuels when it comes to looking at renewable energy.

And these kinds of changes, they might seem drastic, but they're actually not. They're very doable. And not doing them is going to impact all of us.

CHURCH: All right, many thanks to you. Joining us there from Madrid, Arwa Damon.

We'll take a short break here. Still, to come, Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is not giving up. He's hoping to rally enough supporters to beat the Conservative Party on Election Day. We're back with that in just a moment.

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[02:51:46]

CHURCH: A critical general election is looming in the United Kingdom and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is hoping to claw back the lead and prevent Prime Minister Boris Johnson from getting a majority at Thursday's election.

Phil Black has a report.

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PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Round two for Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour leader, who in 2017 defy his unelectable reputation by losing. Just by a smaller margin than most predicted.

This hugely passionate supporters hope he can do better this time. But he's shedding fans too in places like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Labour is only a (INAUDIBLE)

BLACK: The so-called red wall, Labour's traditional working-class heartlands, parts of the country that overwhelmingly voted for Brexit. Here, the verdict from lifelong Labour voters can be scathing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not so much Labour, it's that what's the vote name, that's Corbyn, as you? The idiot.

BLACK: You didn't like him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I like him too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Labour will got a chance unless they get rid that Corbyn.

BLACK: Not just the man, it's also his Brexit policy. Like most of Britain, the party, and its voters had divided on the country's defining political issue. So, Corbin has decided not to take sides. He's offering a second referendum where he as prime minister would stay neutral.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't need a coward. There's too many cowards. And Jeremy Corbyn is a coward. Big sea.

BLACK: That strength of feeling means other parties now sense opportunity. The Conservatives are fighting to win places they've been locked out of for decades.

NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, BREXIT PARTY: We're going to go on fighting until we get there.

BLACK: And the Brexit Party is feeling cocky about taking Labour seats too.

This represents your cushion to essentially Labour territory -- a labor fortress. What can you realistically expect to achieve in these sorts of regions?

FARAGE: With seats around here, where 70 percent of people voted to leave in the referendum 3-1/2 years ago, they now represented by Labour M.P.s and were standing on a ticket saying you must have a second referendum because you got it wrong the first time.

And I think, into a space like that something remarkable can easily happen.

BLACK: Jeremy Corbyn likes to say his Brexit policy is sensible, the adult thing to do.

JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER OF THE LABOUR PARTY: Let's take this out of the hands of politicians and give the British people the final say. It's time to bring our divided country together.

BLACK: But he knows spent sitting on Brexit won't be enough to win power. So, he's taken all the popular ideas from his 2017 campaign and turned them up to 11.

CORBYN: This manifesto is, and I'm proud of it, the most radical and ambitious plan to transform our country for decades.

BLACK: Labour's plan, tax businesses in high incomes. Borrow, spend, and invest on an extraordinary scale.

CORBYN: We'll rebuild our schools, our hospitals, care homes, and the housing so desperately need.

BLACK: Corbin's other key tactic is designed to scare.

[02:55:02]

CORBYN: His toxic deal with Donald Trump --

BLACK: Weaponizing Donald Trump.

CORBYN: We will never let Donald Trump get his hands on our NHS.

BLACK: Corbyn likes to remind voters, Trump is tight with Conservative leader Boris Johnson. And he claims they're plotting to give U.S. companies greater access to Britain's most beloved institution, the National Health Service.

Both Trump and Johnson have denied this repeatedly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you doing that, why do you believe it's politically advantageous?

CORBYN: I think we're absolutely right to analyze this and point it out in this election campaign. You vote for Boris Johnson, you've got a trade deal with the USA and all the implications that go with it.

BLACK: Since taking over Labour more than four years ago, Corbyn has successfully worked to remake the party in his image. So, to realign it with his acutely left-wing worldview.

CORBYN: It's time for real change.

BLACK: This election is almost certainly his last chance to convince voters he should be allowed to do the same to the whole country.

Phil Black, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. You're watching CNN. Do stay with us.

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