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Lawmakers Will Vote on Whether to Impeach President Donald Trump; North Korea Threat; Sports Versus Politics; Unrest in Lebanon; Rise in Anti-Semitic Vandalism; Chuck Schumer Wants a Minimum of Four Witnesses to Testify in the Impeachment; Last Presidential Debate of the Year; Trump's Administration Ready to Announce Drawdown of Troops from Afghanistan; Star Wars will be Coming to a Close After Five Decades. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 16, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen.

Here's what's next: The beginning of a historic week in Washington. Lawmakers will vote on whether to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump. Also, China's state TV censors a Premier League match after one of the sport's top stars criticized one of the country's controversial policies. Also, the U.S. plans on withdrawing thousands of troops from Afghanistan but hear why the timing is still up in the air.

Thank you again for joining us. Our top story, this will be a historic week in Washington. The full U.S. House is expected to vote on articles of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump, and the House Judiciary Committee has just released a report detailing its arguments for impeachment stemming from the scandal with Ukraine.

It says in part, "While there is no need for a crime to be proven in order for impeachment to be warranted, here, President Trump's scheme or course of conduct also encompassed other offenses, both constitutional and criminal in character, and it is appropriate for the committee to recognize such offenses in assessing the question of impeachment."

The Republicans spent dissenting view writing this: "The majority's actions are unprecedented, unjustifiable and will only dilute the significance of the dire recourse that is impeachment. The ramifications for future presidents are not difficult to surmise." That is from the Republicans in the House.

Sources say the full House could vote on articles on impeachment Wednesday. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more about how this week may shape up from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The House of Representatives this week is expected to vote on those articles of impeachment that passed in the House Judiciary Committee, making it all but certain that President Trump will become the third American persidetn in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

But at the White House, much of the focus has already shifted to the Senate, where the president, of course, will face trial if indeed he is impeached by the House. White House lawyers have been working on the president's legal defense and there has been coordination already between the White House and Senate Republicans over how that trial would actually take place.

We heard on Sunday from White House adviser Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of the state of Florida who is advising the president on impeachment, she said that the president hopes the trial in the Senate with Republicans in the majority will make for a fair trial.

PAM BONDI, WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: We were given a fair trial in the House at all. Now, it goes to the Senate and these senators -- the president deserves to be heard. We should be working hand-in-hand with them. The rules of evidence will apply. These are the senators who will decide if our president is impeached -- which will not happen -- we should and will work hand-in-hand with them.

DIAMOND: Despite what Pam Bondi said there about the president wanting to be heard in the Senate trial, there is no indication that the president will testify in the trial. In fact, Senate Republicans and the White House have started coalescing around this notion of a shorter trial that would have no witnesses.

But just as that is happening, we've now heard from the Senate minority leader, the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, and he is making his pitch for what he would like to see in a Senate trial and it involves witnesses, it involves subpoenaing documents for key witnesses that Senate Democrats want Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Republicans to agree to bring forward and subpoena in a Senate trial.

They are the White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, his senior adviser, Robert Blair, the former National Security adviser, John Bolton, as well as Michael Duffey, who is the associate director for National Security programs. He's one of those officials who actually signed off on several of the documents relating to that aide freeze of nearly $400 million of security aid to Ukraine.

Now, of course, this is a request from the top Democrats in the Senate and that is because Republicans control the majority in the Senate.

[03:04:57]

DIAMOND: Therefore, anything that actually goes through as far as the rules of this trial will require a 51 senator majority. Unless Democrats are somehow able to peel away four Republican senators to get them to agree to these rules, Mitch McConnell is ultimately going to be the decider here. McConnell, he has suggested that he will run anything as it relates to the proceedings of that Senate trial by the White House specifically the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone. So far, there is no indication from the White House that they would agree to have any of these witnesses, of course, come forward.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: All right. So, what a week to watch Washington! Let's talk about it with our guest, Thomas Gift. He is live for us in London. He's a lecturer in political science at University College London. Thanks so much for coming on, Thomas.

THOMAS GIFT, LECTURER IN POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Thank you, Natalie.

ALLEN: Let's begin to break this down. We just heard there that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants to ask for witnesses from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But very slim chance that will happen because it's almost looking like this trial won't really be a trial. What are your thoughts?

GIFT: Well, I would agree with your assessment. I do think that one of the main unresolved questions is how the impeachment trial in the Senate will be conducted. Chuck Schumer's calls for new witnesses reflect a broader desire by some Democrats to turn this into more of a full pledged process that's designed to ensure all of the relevant information is assessed and evaluated on the merits.

They really pushed back on what they see as an effort by Republicans to remove the veneer of objectivity in the trial and to simply end the case in the Senate almost as soon as it starts. My sense, of course, is that Republicans are eager to just get this process over and done with, and they are less concerned by the optics of a trial that's perceived as less comprehensive.

Donald Trump at the outset did seem to suggest that he wanted something that was more exhaustive, but I think that Mitch McConnell understands that there is big political risk.

ALLEN: Right. Despite the fact that senators took an oath, that with an impeachment trial, they would be impartial. It doesn't sound like that is the course that they are taking. Years ago when Bill Clinton faced impeachment, he was impeached.

Both the minority leader and the majority leader in the Senate came together and worked out the details. What does it reflect that we are not seeing any partisan coming together over what's happening this week, Thomas?

GIFT: You're right. Back in the impeachment inquiry for Clinton, Tom Daschle said that he had no coordination with the White House. Of course, he did say that his staff had some coordination at the same time. I do think that this is so problematic, that it does seem that there is very little objectivity here. You saw Lindsey Graham statements earlier, saying that he is not only -- he is not going to pretend to be in partial juror in this process.

Imagine a court of law in which you have the foreman at the jury communicating directly with the defendant. No one would say that that is fair. No one would say that that is impartial. But that is essentially what we have here going on or looks like what's going to go on in the Senate.

ALLEN: All right. In the meantime, Fox News put out a new impeachment poll. They released it Sunday. It shows that half of American voters want Donald Trump impeached and removed from office. Forty-one percent oppose that and four percent say he should be impeached but not removed from office.

Of course, that poll is from Fox, who the president depends on for support and they've been very much in line with him since he became president. What do you make though of these numbers?

GIFT: I do think those numbers suggest that there are still political risks for both sides, for Democrats on Capitol Hill particularly who represent moderate districts. Nationally, about half of Americans support impeachment, but that means that half do not support. And support for impeachment is likely even lower when you desegregate and look at districts won by Democrats but where there is still significant support for Trump.

From the outset, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and others have argued that regardless of the political ramifications of this, they can't overlook now (INAUDIBLE) by the president. According to them, Trump committed sweeping abuse of power, refused to cooperate with Congress and investigations. And to ignore that conduct, the Democrats say, will be a dereliction of their constitutional duties and also set a precedent, that executives or somehow above the law.

ALLEN: And there are indications that he is not enjoying this process. Everyone could understand that. Last week, the president tweeted over 100 times in one day. He is now bullying Nancy Pelosi again in a tweet, making fun of her teeth for whatever reason.

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ALLEN: He works to delegitimize anyone who attacks him or says something he doesn't like from the news media up to the FBI. What are your thoughts on how this president may respond from what we've seen so far as this huge week unfolds?

GIFT: I think we can expect to see more of the same name calling, imputing this process as a witch hunt, a hoax, and presidential harassment. It is basically all the same language that that he's used since this process began. He's going to double down on that strategy. He thinks that it's working for him because it appeals to his base.

And ultimately, what he's most concerned about is shoring up that base because if he thinks that the 40 or so percent of Americans who support him continue to support him, it means there is essentially no chance that Republicans in the Senate are going to turn on him. I think that's probably a good bet.

ALLEN: Thomas Gift, we appreciate your insights. Thanks for your time.

GIFT: It is always great to talk with you, Natalie. Thanks.

ALLEN: Thank you. All right, now, to North Korea. The U.S. envoy to North Korea has a message for Pyongyang: It is time for us to do our jobs and return to nuclear talks.

Stephen Biegun met with South Korean officials in Seoul Monday just days after North Korea says it carried out another crucial test at a rocket launch site. North Korea's U.N. ambassador said last week that denuclearization is off the table in any negotiations with the U.S.

Let's talk about it with our Paula Hancocks, who is covering these developments in Seoul, South Korea. Hello to you, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Natalie. Stephen Biegun also met with the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, this morning to talk about North Korea. He did make some comments earlier on this morning. He was talking about how if the North Koreans want to talk, they know how to reach him, saying publicly to his counterparts in North Korea that it's time to get the job done, it is time to do our jobs and time to talk about this.

He also pointed out that the U.S. doesn't have a deadline. This is in direct response to the fact that North Korea has imposed a deadline on these negotiations, saying that the U.S. has until the end of the year to change its attitude, to come up with something better in the negotiations as far as North Korea is concerned. Otherwise, Pyongyang will choose a new path. Let's listen to more of what Stephen Biegun said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN BIEGUN, UNITED STATES SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR NORTH KOREA: It is regrettable that the tone of these statements towards the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and our friends in Europe have been so hostile and negative and so unnecessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: He also said it doesn't have to be this way. But what we have seen in the past two weekends is to what North Korea calls very significant, crucial, successful tests, believed to be (INAUDIBLE) the first one by experts to be some kind of a rocket engine test.

Now, we did also hear from state-run media today, this Monday, from the head of the military, saying that they gained priceless data experience, a new technologies from these two tests, also pointing out that they could be used to develop a new another strategic weapon to restrain and overpower a hostile nuclear threat of the United States.

So they're being very clear in showing that these two tests over the last two weekends are really a precursor potentially to this Christmas gift that they have threatened for the United States. Still unclear what exactly they are threatening with this Christmas gift at the end of year deadline, but certainly it does have officials on edge. Natalie?

ALLEN: All right. We understand that. Paula Hancocks is following developments for us there in Seoul. Thank you, Paula.

Now, we turn to China. The state TV lashed out after an English Premier League player publicly blasted Beijing's treatment of Muslim Uighurs. It pulled coverage of Sunday's match between Arsenal and Manchester City after Arsenal's midfielder, Mesut Ozil, posted social media messages criticizing China's persecution of the ethnic minority group. The club has already begun distancing itself from the player's comments.

CNN's David Culver joins me now from Beijing with more about China's actions and what was behind it. Hello, David.

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Natalie. This is yet another example of sports perhaps widening the divide, the ideological and geopolitical divide, between China and the west. As you point out, this also started with a tweet that has really hit at the core one of the most sensitive issues here in China that has to do with the detention of Uighurs.

[03:15:04]

CULVER: They're predominately Muslim ethnic minority in the far western part of China, in Xinjiang region, and this is something that the Chinese have felt has been mischaracterized by the west. They consider this to be the radicalization, counterterrorism, and quite frankly their business, no one else is.

And so when outside forces namely the U.S. has made mention of this mass detention, they have been very, very quick to respond. The same in this case, when this tweet went out over the weekend, it was Chinese state media that initially said they're pulling it off the air, the online website that often stream this likewise halting the streaming of this game.

The question is where does it go from here? Because what we saw in October with the NBA was it escalated to what some considered to be an unnecessarily extreme level, the point where the ties between the NBA and China were nearly severed. They're still in the process of being repaired two months later.

In this case, it will depend on how Chinese officials responded. We are in the midst of monitoring a press conference in which they will likely be asked about this and have to address it in some way. Will this continue to escalate and perhaps further divide between the two countries or will they try to defuse it, Natalie? That is something we're going to be watching closely.

ALLEN: All right. Thank you very much, David Culver. We will wait and see what they have to say. Next year, more than 100 Jewish grades were recently desecrated in France, and CNN has learned certain websites maybe fueling the hate. More about it, coming next.

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ALLEN: Thousands of anti-government protesters defied a fierce crackdown return to the streets in Beirut on Sunday. Police used teargas and water cannon to try to disperse those who threw rocks and firecrackers. The demonstrators are blaming the political elite there in Lebanon for decades of corruption and the worst economic crisis since the country's civil war.

Their protests forced the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri in October, but he is expected to be named to the post again in the coming hours.

Nearly 75 years after the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, anti-Semitism is once again on the rise in Europe. A source close to an investigation along the French-German border tells CNN locals are believed to be responsible for an upsurge in anti-Semitic vandalism in Auschwitz this year. But they may have been inside it by global websites.

CNN's Melissa Bell went to the region for a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tombstones marked by hate, but also cultural centers, town halls, schools. In all, there are 42 anti-Semitic attacks in the Bas-Rhin region of Alsace in just 18 months.

(On camera): This cemetery in the village of Westhoffen is just the latest to be desecrated. One hundred and seven of its tombs were found marked with swastikas earlier this month. And although the cleanup operation is now underway for a region as troubled as this one by anti-Semitic attacks, the stain will be harder to remove.

YOAV ROSSANO, HEAD OF HERITAGE, ISRAELITE CONSISTORY, BAS-RHIN REGION: This kind of symbol touches more than you think. It is awakening the history. Part of the family line died in Auschwitz and in the Holocaust. So to see it here, where I live, there is a disease in the society and everybody would like to stop it.

BELL (voice-over): Not least, the French government. France's interior minister visited Westhoffen, announcing the creation of a national task force. When a graveyard at Quatzenheim was attacked, it was the French president who came, another case that remains unsolved. A source close to the investigation says that locals are believed to be responsible, locals who may have been incited by the global websites.

While the hunt for the culprits continues, we wanted to find out where they are finding encouragement. Two French-language sites registered in Panama and the Bahamas and enabled to stay online by an American company, White Europe and Participatory Democracy, both shared pictures of the attacks in Alsace.

White Europe celebrating these exemplary actions by the proud people of Alsace that show us the way. Reached for comment, White Europe told us they stand behind their posts. Participatory Democracy told CNN that while they don't condone the attacks, they do believe that it's all a Jewish conspiracy.

Both sites celebrating the number 14, a reference to a slogan coined by the late American white supremacist David Lane and which was also found graffitied on one of the Westhoffen tombs.

(On camera): Both of these sites use the American Internet infrastructure company, Cloudfare, which provides protection from cyberattacks. Both sites openly celebrate anti-Semitism and that, here in France, is a crime.

Now, in the past, Cloudfare has discontinued its services to 8chan in the wake of the El Paso mass shooting and to the American neo-Nazi blog, Daily Stormer. So, why the different treatment when it comes to hate speech that is in French? Cloudfare has not responded to CNN's questions.

(Voice-over): CNN also found that Facebook, which does not allow Daily Stormer posts to be shared, did allow posts from both the French sites until CNN reached out for comment after which it blocked them. Twitter allowed sharing from all three sites but told CNN that it is taking action to prevent linking to such content.

We asked France's interior minister in an exclusive interview if the United States was doing enough to help tackle the problem.

CHRISTOPHE CASTANER, MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR OF FRANCE (through translator): No, because there is a clear difference of culture. It is not about opposing French or European culture to American culture, but clearly on these subjects, there is a belief in the freedom to say anything and everything.

[03:25:03]

CASTANER: I believe that there is no freedom when it is us and our fundamental values that are being attacked.

BELL (voice-over): One victim of the latest attacks says that global action is required in the face of a global problem.

GUILLAUME DEBRE, GRANDPARENTS' GRAVES WERE DESECRATED: If we don't have that, you're going to have others, you know, (INAUDIBLE) or others, and not just in France. So you see it in New Zealand, you see it in America, you see it in France.

BELL (voice-over): The tomb of Guillaume Debre's family was among those desecrated in Westhoffen. He has yet to show a picture of it to his young daughters. DEBRE: It's a few marking on sacred stone. It's a few marking that spell out hate. And in this country, not me, but my family and generations, have understood what hates mean and what it could lead to.

BELL (voice-over): In heavily-guarded synagogue in Strasbourg, the city where much of the region's Jewish population now lives, the chief rabbi says that he is not surprised, but that he fears for more than just his community.

HAROLD WEILL, STRASBOURG RABBI: The hate that begins with the Jews never ends with Jews.

BELL (voice-over): Last year, Rabbi Weill buried the last two in Westhoffen. Roger Khan (ph) hindering (ph) the Nazi occupation, escaping the camps and died peacefully in his sleep at 88. But with website celebrating attacks on tombs like his, the question is whether it is in peace that he will now be allowed to rest.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Alsace.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: If you are watching internationally, thank you for being with. "Quest's World of Wonder" is next for our viewers around the world. If you're joining us here in the U.S., I'll be right back with 30 more minutes of news. Please stay with us.

[03:30:00]

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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Natalie Allen. Top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, wants at least four witnesses to testify in an impeachment trial for U.S. President Donald Trump. They include Acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, and former National Security Adviser, John Bolton. The Democrat-controlled House is expected to vote on impeachment Wednesday.

In the more than 200-year history of this nation, only two U.S. presidents have ever been impeached, the last, Bill Clinton in 1998. CNN's Tom Foreman has this look back at the Clinton impeachment and how it stacks up to the scandal facing Donald Trump.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Start with the evidence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something very, very serious.

FOREMAN: The impeachment of Bill Clinton began with the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. It turned into a wide- ranging, four-year probe by independent counsel, Ken Starr.

KEN STARR, THEN-INDEPENDENT COUNSEL: The president, in the course of those efforts, misused his authority and his power as president.

FOREMAN: Starr's massive report laid out the complete allegations against Clinton for Congress to consider. With Donald Trump, the Ukraine scandal has been unfolding in real-time with new witnesses and testimony day by day. Compared to the Clinton case, it is moving at lightning speed. Next, the charges, when asked about his relationship with a White House intern, Bill Clinton, under oath, misled investigators just as he had the public.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I did not have sexual relations with that woman.

JIM SENSENBRENNER, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: The important thing is that Bill Clinton lied to a grand jury. That is a crime.

FOREMAN: But Trump --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This president isn't even accused of committing a crime.

FOREMAN: Still, Democrats say Clinton lied about a personal matter, while Trump used taxpayer dollars to strong-arm a foreign ally to investigate a rival to help his own political ambitions.

DEBBIE MUCARSEL-POWELL, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: There is no higher crime than for the president to use the power of his office to corrupt our elections.

FOREMAN: And then there is Congress. Clinton and Trump each faced a House of Representatives controlled by the opposition party, both arguing the investigations were partisan hit jobs, both resisting participation, Clinton by insisting on specific terms for his testimony. Trump by going much further, instructing his team to ignore subpoenas, claiming absolute immunity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This president has achieved a new low.

FOREMAN: And belittling his accusers.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These people are stone- cold crooked.

FOREMAN: And as for the likely next step, a Senate trial. Even the Republicans held a solid majority during Clinton's impeachment. Several GOP senators crossed over to help Democrats defeat the charges. For Trump, the Republicans are in charge again, but this time while Democratic leaders say their members should vote as they wish, Republicans --

MITCH MCCONNELL, U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: My hope is that there won't be a single Republican who votes for either of these articles of impeachment.

FOREMAN: And here is one more stark difference. At the height of impeachment, 60 percent of Americans thought Bill Clinton was doing a good job as president, and they wanted him to stay. Donald Trump has never enjoyed that kind of approval, and about half of the American public wants him to go. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Well, much of the focus this week will be on the current president. But don't forget those who want to be the next president in the coming days, as the House votes on articles of impeachment. Seven Democratic presidential hopefuls will battle it out at the last debate of the year. CNN's Jeff Zeleny takes a look at what voters can expect to see from the candidates.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: A big week ahead for the Democratic presidential campaign. All seven candidates are heading to Los Angeles this week for a debate that is scheduled to take place on Thursday. This is going to be the first opportunity for these candidates to come together after really sparring more than they have been throughout the entire campaign season.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has been taking aim at Joe Biden, at Pete Buttigieg, urging liberal voters in her party, progressive voters to really examine their policies. You know, she is saying they are just too moderate for this moment. Bernie Sanders also getting in, in that argument. So it is going to be a key moment here for these seven Democratic presidential candidates, really their final say of the year here before the holidays.

[03:34:58]

One person not onstage, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, he did not meet the requirement by the DNC in terms of polling strength or donors. He is urging a rules change, so when there is a debate in January, that he could get back on that stage. We'll see if that changes or not. But for this week, a big debate, a big final moment here.

The fifth debate, the last one of the year in Los Angeles. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Ahead here, the U.S. is planning to bring thousands of troops home from Afghanistan. And it comes on the heels of a damning report that Americans have been misled about the war from the very beginning.

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ALLEN: The Trump administration is preparing to announce the drawdown of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan. A senior administration official says the timing is still being discussed. There are 12 to 13,000 U.S. troops currently serving there. This comes on the heels of an explosive report by the Washington Post about what top U.S. officials have been telling Americans about the war. Our Jim Sciutto has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: A massive new

trove of confidential documents obtained by the Washington Post reveals U.S. officials systematically lied to the American public about the Afghan war, virtually since the beginning 18 years ago. The objective, to conceal widespread fears that America was losing.

The Post says it has obtained more than 2,000 pages of documents, some part of a lengthy government report called lessons learned and that, quote, "several of those interviewed described explicit and sustained efforts by the U.S. government to deliberately mislead the public." They said it was common at military headquarters in Kabul and at the White House to distort statistics, to make it appear the United States was winning the war when that was not the case.

[03:40:06]

The report includes interviews with more than 600 people with firsthand war experience, and includes memos from former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, who once wrote in April 2002, six months after the war began. I know I'm a bit impatient, but the fact that Iran and Russia have plans for Afghanistan, and we don't concerns me.

He ends the note with, help, exclamation point. General Douglas Lute, who served as the White House Afghan War Czar for president's Bush and Security Adviser to Obama, is quoted in the report, saying in 2015, we were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan. We didn't know what we were doing.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What we're looking at here is something that calls into question, not only our military operations, but also is a dishonor to the sacrifices that have been made by the servicemen and women in Afghanistan over these years. This is an inexcusable way to run things.

SCIUTTO: The revelations are reminiscent of the Pentagon papers, a top-secret Defense Department study of the Vietnam War, which were first made public in 1971 when they were published by the New York Times.

LEIGHTON: It's very similar to what happened with the Pentagon papers, because again, a strategy is being called into question. The rosy picture that's been painted by our political and military leadership is not the real picture on the ground.

SCIUTTO: To date, the U.S. has not carried out a comprehensive accounting of how much it has spent on the war in Afghanistan. Since 2001, the government has spent or appropriated between $934 billion and $978 billion, according to an inflation adjusted estimate cited in the Post. In the report, one unnamed executive with USAID estimated that 90 percent of what the U.S. spent was overkill.

The Post says it obtained the documents through the Freedom of Information Act after a three-year quest. In response to the piece, Defense Department Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Campbell said Monday, quote, "There has been no intent by DOD to mislead Congress or the public. Most of the individuals interviewed spoke with the benefit of hindsight."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Our Jim Sciutto there with that report. Next here, after five decades, yes, five decades, the main Star Wars saga is coming to a close. We will show you the lengths some fans are going to, to ensure their spot for the opening of the Rise of Skywalker. That's next.

[03:45:00]

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ALLEN: It had all the promise of creating real change to combat the current climate crisis. COP25, a summit of climate negotiators from almost 200 countries, was tasked with solidifying the rules of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. But in the end, all that was accomplished was a compromise. Well, let's talk about why there were no breakthroughs here with Shyla Raghav.

She's Vice President of Climate Change for the global strategy group Conservation International. She was at the summit and joins me live from Madrid. Shyla, thanks for being here. The big holdout to getting results are the big polluters, Brazil, Australia, the U.S., China, Russia, other major emitters. Why won't they do something?

SHYLA RAGHAV, VP OF CLIMATE CHANGE CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL: Thank you, Natalie, for having me. I think it's really important to understand the context of why this COP is so important. We've heard a lot of superlatives. This is a COP that's extended the longest of any one. It was -- a final agreement wasn't reached until Sunday when it was supposed to end on Friday.

It's the last year before the rule book for the Paris agreement is meant to be finalized. We know the science also demands clear action by 2020. And this is really our deadline by which emissions need to peak. And so this was really a critical COP to reach key decisions on elements like creating rules between countries.

And what we saw is that this COP really failed to amplify the indispensable role of government to provide predictable signals to the market and to innovators to go beyond voluntary action, but rather demand specific provisions on ambition, requiring countries or encouraging countries to increase their commitments, to support developing countries that are on the front lines of climate change, and ultimately agree to the rules that will allow countries to cooperate.

I think there was a lot of difficulty in reaching agreement because of some particularly contentious issues around finance, around double counting of emissions rules, and ultimately it led to a race to the bottom.

ALLEN: It certainly did. And the issue here is, Shyla, that there are solutions. We could change it. And they just don't seem to, as you heard the young people say, they don't seem to listen, the biggest countries that have the money to make changes. And the changes that we could make are right there.

RAGHAV: Yeah, and I think -- I'm from California, and one of the things I realize is that a failure is really only a failure is really only a failure if it doesn't compel learning. And I think in this case, even though we've seen a series of failures in international processes to deliver the scale of ambition and action that's needed.

I think that this experience really can and should spur learning, innovation, bringing together a multitude of ecosystem of actors from the finance sector, from innovation, and from government to really create that holistic solution that's going to be needed. And the issue that I work on is nature. It's on bringing the indispensable role of nature and natural capital to the climate solution, which is readily available but requires political will and financing to really be able to be scaled.

[03:50:13]

ALLEN: Yeah. So I want to talk about pointing the finger at the United States. We have a president that makes fun of Greta Thunberg that denies climate change. In an opinion police by Paul Krugman in the New York Times this week, it was titled the Party That Ruined the Planet, pointing to Republicans. You probably don't want to get in a political debate here.

But there is huge denial still in the United States where you don't see it so much in other places. Is that because of partisan politics?

RAGHAV: I think it's unfortunate that we have to start every conversation reiterating and reconfirming that climate change is real. I think the science and the conversation is way beyond that point. And we really need to be dedicating and focusing our attention on the solutions that we know that are there, on bringing more voices to the table.

I think that the youth climate movement has really demonstrated the energy and the vitality and the potential of youth to lead. I think that we need to be with there with them, providing them with the support, the leverage, and the coverage that they need to lead the way, to lead the path forward. And I also see -- saw so much inspiration and the hope from the innovations and the solutions that I've seen.

I was just in Silicon Valley and was -- saw firsthand how innovations in agriculture, in supply chains, and big data analytics are already starting to transform the way that we respond to climate, the way that we direct our financial capital. So I think that there's really a key need and a role and an opportunity for non-state actors as it's called.

Which is really private sector investors for communities, cities, states, to really rise up and bring those solutions from the bottom up as we look to the governments to provide that predictability and rules set from the top down.

ALLEN: Right. California certainly a leader there and they're just going their way with solutions. Hopefully, others will follow because it just makes sense. Shyla Raghav with Conservation International, thanks so much for your input.

RAGHAV: Thank you for having me.

ALLEN: I want to tag that interview with a quick poll from the Washington Post in September, which shows a growing number of Americans describe climate change as a crisis, and two-thirds say President Trump is doing too little to tackle it. Well, Mother Nature is showing little mercy in Australia as intense dry heat continues to fuel bush fires from coast to coast.

Fire-fighters across New South Wales are battling more than 100 active fires. To the west for the first time, Perth is seeing three consecutive days in December of temperatures topping 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the fires began, six people have died and millions of acres have been burned. Let's talk about it with our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri.

Hello to you, Pedram. It just seems like every week, it gets worse and worse for Australia.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. And if you have to keep in mind of course the summer, the beginning of summer, the official start of it on the 21st of December for the southern hemisphere is still a couple of days away, so really an incredible story progressing here at the beginning of the fire season across Australia from the west all the way towards the east.

It is a broad problem here when it comes a massive continent dealing with extensive heat. And in Perth in particular, Natalie noted three days above 104 Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celsius. That's never happened in the month of December. It's happening right now. And of course, you take the land area consumed so far by the wildfires across this particular region.

We're talking 27,000 square kilometers of land. So you take the three largest cities by footprint and their land area in the world. That's Tokyo, New York City, and Chicago. Put their land areas together. It is a lesser amount than how much land has been consumed in Australia. Of course, you shift the attention towards the more densely populated eastern corner of the continent here.

And you notice in New South Wales, 110 active fires, two of which are still considered an emergency warning, and over 20 that are uncontained as well. So the concern is the heat expands a little farther toward the east in the next couple of days. The fire threat in areas that have already been very hard hit increases across this region.

The average temperature on Wednesday across the continent, 41 Celsius or 106 Fahrenheit, so it really speaks to the significant heat taking place across that region. Now, in the U.S., a much different story when it comes to weather, of course, not much in the way of heat right now but quite a bit of severe weather along the gulf host.

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In fact, a level three, which is an enhanced risk on a scale of one to five has been issued right there. Level three across portions of Mississippi into Louisiana. This would be enough to potentially spawn a few tornadoes into Monday afternoon across the region, some strong winds as well. And then to the north, about a 1,700 mile stretch, Natalie, from eastern Colorado into New England where wintry weather is expected as well.

So weather all over the place in the U.S., it is extreme to say the least across parts of the country at least.

ALLEN: Absolutely. All right, we'll be watching that one, Pedram, thanks so much.

JAVAHERI: Thanks.

ALLEN: It is a monumental week for Star Wars fans. In a few days, five decades of cinematic history will wrap up with the release of The Rise of Skywalker.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an instinct, a feeling. The Force brought us together.

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ALLEN: It's looking good there. Earlier, our Michael Holmes spoke with one fan who has been camping out for days to see the film and asked why he and others still wait in line instead of simply purchasing tickets in advance.

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PETER GENOVESE, CO-FOUNDER AND FAN, LININGUP.NET: None of us need to be out here in this day and age of reserved seating. But we love coming out here and helping support our charity, which is Starlight Children's Foundation. And, you know, we come out here as a group. We're able to get a big bulk of tickets early. And we're able to dictate how people get those tickets, which is waiting in line, which is almost a lost art these days.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, How did the tradition start because it's a pretty cool one?

GENOVESE: Yeah. So back in 99, when Episode One came out, there was a group of us that decided to line up for six weeks actually for Episode One outside the Chinese Theater. And I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I just decided to check it out. I wanted to come for about an hour or two and ended up staying the very first night, entire night, and just basically got sucked into this whole thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: It is quite a time for Star Wars devout fans, which are many. All right, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen. Early Start is up next.

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