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Some Young Demonstrators in Hong Kong Face Jail Time; U.K. Workers Put New Spin on Secret Santa Tradition; Prime Minister Morrison Defends Government Climate Change Policies; Documents Show White House Effort To Freeze Ukraine Aid Began About 90 Minutes After Trump-Zelensky Call; Watching Pyongyang For Threatened Christmas Gift. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 23, 2019 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:00]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes.

And coming up here on CNN Newsroom, as the bushfires rage across Australia, the prime minister doubles down on his government's controversial climate change policy.

At twist in the battle over the upcoming impeachment trial, newly released emails shedding light on exactly when aid to Ukraine was frozen. One top Democrat calling it explosive.

Also, Modi's message to the people, what India's prime minister says about scrapping a new citizenship law that many say is anti-Muslim.

And we begin in Australia where the prime minister is defending his government to respond to the catastrophic bushfires that continue there right now. In fact, nearly 100 fires are burning in the country's most populous state, New South Wales. As the death toll climbs to nine, this has led to growing calls for increased action on climate change.

Speaking on several morning shows in Australia, Scott Morrison, the prime minister, rejecting the calls to change Australia's carbon emission targets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Australia is taking action on climate change. What we won't do is to engage in reckless, and job-destroying and economic crunching targets, which has be seeking to be postured to us at the moment, taking advantage of natural disasters because no Australian would think that the direct policies of any single government in the world directly linked to any fire. Of course, that's not true.

(END VIDEO CLIP) M. HOLMES: Now, cooler temperature on Sunday helped keep the flames from intensifying. But the battle against these deadly fires are obviously far from over. Just look at that image there.

And as these fires rage on, hundreds of people are left without a home this holiday. Mylee Hogan with affiliate, Seven News, is in Blackheath, which is just to the west of Sydney and she shows us the latest efforts to quash these infernos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MYLEE HOGAN, SEVEN NEWS REPORTER: This is what firefighters faced in Blackheath last night, staring down a wall of flames as it explodes from Grose Valley.

Crews forced to retreat as the inferno quickly reaches the house.

In nearby Bilpin, similar scenes, a whirlwind of flames and thick smoke making visibility so poor, a firefighter was hit by a car. He was rushed back to his truck by colleagues. The Gospers Mountain mega blaze showing no mercy, taking Bilpin's Tutti Fruitti Cafe.

By morning, it was a smoldering mess, crews on the ground calling this the black mountains, fears 20 homes are lost.

This is one home that did not stand a chance against yesterday's flames. Recovery crew are now moving through the fire-affected communities but it could still be days before they know the full extent of the damage but, many more are still standing.

RICHARD HALL, RESIDENT: The roars coming over the hill, it is like a freight train. And the flames and the smoke, you just couldn't see a thing, just kind of think enough.

HOGAN: Others defended their own homes.

HELEN ATTARD, RESIDENT: The smoke was horrific. My eyes were burning. My sons were just wetting the house down.

HOGAN: In dark and overnight, rows of homes burnt to the ground. One man, who was feared dead, but this morning, he was found alive in an evacuation center. Experienced crews still shocked by the conditions they faced.

JIM MURPHIE, ACTING INSPECTOR, FIRE AND RESCUE NEW SOUTH WALES: Pretty horrendous, actually. I had 39 years experience of bushfire fighting, and that will probably go down as the worst day that I've ever seen.

HOGAN: Now, communities throughout the mountains face a rebuilding operation from homes to infrastructure. But the threat is far from over as the blaze continue to rage, Blackheath once again in the firing line today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have crown fire behind the houses. The situation is critical, serious concerns for property loss, over. HOGAN: A reality the community will have to deal with for months.

In Blackheath, Mylee Hogan, Seven News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. HOLMES: Just a horrific. Is there any relief in sight? Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins me now. What do you see, Pedram?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Michael. There is absolutely some relief, at least in the immediate forecast. It is really the only piece of good news we've had in quite some time.

[00:05:00]

Now, you take a look at these temperatures, even at this hour, interior portions of Australia, as you'd expect at this time of year, but, of course, even slightly above what you'd expect. We're talking middle 40s. But right on the immediate coast, middle 20s, lower 30s, so certainly some relief already pushing.

We see the images, we've seen plenty of them come in here where so many homes have been threatened. And the officials across Australia had kind of been informing us that they're doing a pretty incredible job considering the circumstances, because, upwards, 1,400 plus buildings have been saved and about 7,300 of them are personal homes, so certainly a lot of effort had been put in to what's been happening here in protecting quite a number of buildings.

But there is a storm system on approach. You see the cloud cover in a advance of it, a few showers have already been reported. And the position of it on Christmas Eve, we expect it to be into northern portions of New South Wales, Southern Queensland. So this is an area we can get some heavy rainfall.

Of course, when you kind of follow where the fires are, where the active flames are, they are generally into portions of, say, Western Sydney, just north of Sydney into northern areas of Queensland, so certainly -- and New South Wales, I should say. So, certainly, some rainfall will come down on top of these fires and that's excellent but the heaviest at which does look like it is going to be pushed in across eastern and northern regions there of Queensland, so rainfall now is going to be really just negligible for parts that we needed most.

You notice, statistically speaking, about 15 millimeters is what it takes to stop the spread of fires. That is possible in portions of Australia. 50 millimeters is what is needed to kind of extinguish the flame but it's certainly not going to be the case across this region. And you notice, Michael, the firefighting efforts, they did a pretty decent run of weather here the next couple of days. But as we go into Saturday and winds pick up, Sunday and Monday, winds and heat return back in the forecast, so at least a brief period here of recovery, a weather in store.

M. HOLMES: Javaheri, thanks so much. We'll check in with you in the next hour. I appreciate that.

All right, meanwhile, we are learning new details about the White House's efforts to freeze that aid to Ukraine. Newly released documents show those efforts actually began about 90 minutes after U.S. President Donald Trump Spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart back in July, that infamous phone call. Well, shortly after that phone call, White House Official Mike Duffey sent an email telling other officials to, quote, hold off sending aid and told them to keep it to themselves as well.

Now, the U.S. Senate's top Democrat is, again, pushing for Duffey and other White House officials to testify in the Senate impeachment trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Until we hear from the witnesses, until we get the documents, the American people will correctly assume that those blocking the testimony were aiding and abetting a cover-up, plain and simple.

So I will close by saying this. President Trump, release the emails. Let the witnesses testify. What are you afraid of?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. HOLMES: While all of this was happening, Mr. Trump was spotted at his Florida resort with conservative talk show host, Rush Limbaugh. The president expected to spend the holidays there, but he will also be focusing his attention, of course, on impeachment.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is in West Palm Beach, Florida. She has more now for us on how the administration is preparing for the Senate trial.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know White House aides have begun their preparation for this Senate impeachment trial, and they're hoping that President Trump will turn his focus to this impending trial while he spends the next two weeks here at Mar-a-Lago.

But when it comes to what exactly is going to happen in the Senate trial, when it comes to those proceedings, they are still in a stalemate. And we know that Democrats really got some energy over the release of those new emails, and here is why. The emails were penned by a man named Michael Duffey, who is a President Trump political appointee, a man who works for the Office of Management and Budget and one of the four witnesses that Democrats asked to testify during this impeachment trial. So both parties here really seemed to have dug in their heels.

Now, neither of them seemed to be moving at all. However, the vice president's chief of staff, Marc Short, today said he is convinced a deal could be reached.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC SHORT, VICE PRESIDENT PENCE'S CHIEF OF STAFF: I'm quite confident that this position untenable and she's going to move it along and that Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell will reach a deal on how to proceed in the Senate.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: So you think that she'll eventually --

SHORT: She will yield. There is no way she can hold this position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

K. HOLMES: Now, how and what that deal would look like is really unknown. And there are a lot of questions as we enter into this uncharted territory, but one thing is certain, Congress is not back in session until early January.

M. HOLMES: Kristen Holmes reporting there.

Now, Afghanistan's main opposition leader is rejecting the preliminary results of the presidential election there. The count by the country's Independent Election Commission puts President Ashraf Ghani on the track to win the second term with almost 51 percent of the vote. Now, that would, of course, be enough for him to avoid a runoff. But his top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, says he will contest the result. He claims widespread and systematic fraud. Officials say the numbers could still change before the final tally.

India's prime minister is trying to convince Muslims they won't face discrimination from a controversial citizenship law. Demonstrators were back on the streets on Sunday protesting that measure. Eleni Giokos has more on what the law says and the anger it's provoking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These were the scenes of chaos and violence all across India after a controversial law was passed recently. Scores are dead and over 200 injured after a law was passed that fast-tracked citizenship for religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan but only if they are not Muslim.

Protesters called the law discriminatory against Muslims.

OSAMA ZAKIR, STUDENT: We say no to exclusion on class, creed and color. No exclusion, no more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But they have changed (ph) the constitution. Tomorrow, they are going to change something else, so this is basically a fight for democracy.

GIOKOS: In a campaign rally on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended the law and slammed opposition parties for inciting protests against it.

NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER: The Muslims who were born on Indian soil or whose ancestors are children of Mother India, brothers and sisters, they have nothing to do with the citizenship law or the National Register of Citizens. GIOKOS: In the state of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, police enforced a law banning public gatherings of four or more people for the next 15 days. But that didn't stop some defiant protesters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a right to protest and I will protest. If I don't agree with something that the government to say, I have a right that I can say anything. This is the government of the people, for the people and by the people. And they have no right to shut us down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has no end. Until the government has taken a step back, we will not stop doing this protest. And we believe in peaceful protests.

GIOKOS: Some are already anticipating more crackdown from the government as demonstrations continue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I think it's going to get much worse before it gets better.

GIOKOS: India's Supreme Court said it will look into the dozens of petitions against the law on January 22nd. But until then, critics of the law continue to call for justice and freedom.

Eleni Giokos, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. HOLMES: It has been a rocky year for U.S.-North Korea relations. New satellite images from North Korea causing more concerns. Could they give clues into this so-called Christmas gift to Washington?

Also when we come back, a scary moments on a Virginia highway, nearly 70 cars involved in a massive chain reaction crash. What police say may have been to blame when we come back.

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JAVAHERI: CNN's Weather Watch. I'm your Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri on a soggy pattern that has shaped up over the past several days into the Southern and Southeastern United States, stays there for one day and a dramatic change for the better here. And you'll notice high pressure that's kind of encompassing a large area of the Central United States begin shifting farther towards the east. And if that happens, and as that happens, we get conditions to improve rather nicely.

But showers are expected across portions of the Carolinas, very slow- moving system here. So much of Monday remains unsettled, especially around the coastal region of the Carolinas there with tremendous rainfall, Charleston in particular, well known for flooding events. And this could be the case again as we approach Christmas at least with some heavy rainfall before the system exits. But beyond that, we do get a rapid warming in store here over the

Southern United States.

To the north, it's also warming up. In New York City, from a high of about eight degrees on Sunday to Monday, we expect to about 11. Boston goes from 7 to 12 degrees. You'll notice all of that is above the freezing mark, so wintry weather, not the case there. But it is the case across portions of higher elevations of Nevada, Utah, Arizona and even California.

Speaking of California, look at this, you're heading towards portions of California, this is the wettest place -- one of the wettest places in the country over the next couple of days here as we get multiple rounds of energy that work their way into the region with temps across Chicago warming up to about 11 degrees.

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M. HOLMES: A dangerous chain reaction, at least 50 people injured in this massive traffic pile in the U.S.'s State of Virginia on Sunday. State police say nearly 70 cars crashed on the interstate, both sides of the highway closed for hours. Just have a look at the mess, some cars so mangled, authorities had to step from car to car on the cars to pull people out.

Police say the cause of the crash is under Investigation, but heavy fog and icy road conditions played a role.

U.S. on alert this holiday season over concerns North Korea might soon conduct a new round of weapons testing to deliver a promised Christmas gift to Washington. This coming as CNN gets satellite image that show new work at buildings associated with the production of long-range missile launchers.

Will Ripley covers North Korea extensively for us. He has been to the country many times in recent years and joins us now from Hong Kong. What are you hearing? You've got new reporting on this.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what I'm hearing, Michael, despite the fact that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un met with military leaders over the weekend and despite this activity that we're seeing at this facility tied to North Korea's missile program. In fact, chances of a missile launch, a long-range launch or a nuclear tests this week, as a Christmas gift, very low, according to my source. Instead, what we can expect to see from Kim Jong-un is a new, far more hard line approach when it comes to dealing with the U.S., an approach that he is expected to lay out for in his New Year address on January 1st.

Now, there have been a lot of speculation about this Christmas gift being some sort of an ICBM launch, and that is not necessarily something the North Koreans have tried to dissuade people from thinking. I mean, they have been testing engines for long-range rockets, this activity at these facilities is certainly very deliberate. But what my source says is that the North Koreans don't want to take it so far, don't want to conduct a launch that could theoretically alienate their allies, like China and Russia. And so this is this game that we are now playing, this dance, this back and forth with the North Koreans as tensions continue to rise. And it makes you stop and think about where we were at the beginning of this year and how much things have changed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: 2019 began with so much promise. U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, brimming with confidence in February their second face-to-face meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, their first summit in Singapore eight months earlier ended with a vaguely worded pledge and zero progress on two key issues, denuclearization and sanctions.

The collapse of working level talks did not seem to faze President Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think we'll have a very tremendous summit.

RIPLEY: Or Chairman Kim.

[00:20:01]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I'm not willing to do that, I would not be here right now.

TRUMP: Wow. That might be the best answer you've ever heard.

RIPLEY: White House even promised a joint agreement. But instead of walking away with a deal, Trump walked out.

TRUMP: This wasn't a walk away, like you get up and walk out. No. This was very friendly.

RIPLEY: North Koreans didn't think it was friendly. A source told CNN Kim was blindsided.

Spring began with a flurry of weapons test. The U.S. and South Korea assessed them to be short-range launches. And as he did throughout the year, President Trump seemed to shrug them off.

Tensions temporary eased in June. Trump and Kim called this historic, they claimed impromptu meeting at the Korean demilitarized zone. Their pledge, to begin working level talks within weeks, yet another broken vow. Nearly six months after that DMZ photo op, another launch, and the return of this infamous insult.

TRUMP: He kind of likes sending rockets up, doesn't he? That's why I call him Rocket Man.

RIPLEY: North Korea returned the rhetorical fire, calling Trump's comments the dotage of a dotard, which means old, senile lunatic. That kicked off a busy December.

North Korea cryptically promised a Christmas gift for the U.S. if the year ended without a diplomatic breakthrough. They published photos of Kim riding a white horse on Mount Paektu, the place he's known to visit before making big decisions. Not one but two apparent engine tests at this known launch site, sparking speculation of a bigger test to come.

On the week before Christmas, this appeal to Pyongyang from President Trump's point man on North Korea.

STEPHEN BIEGUN, U.S. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR NORTH KOREA: Let's get this done. We are here and you know how to reach us.

RIPLEY: Last-ditch diplomacy hitting an all too familiar dead end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: So if North Korea is not going to conduct a big launch this week, if this is posturing, if they're kind of making us think they might and keeping us guessing, then what is the North Korean approach going to be moving in the year if they're saying that they're going to have this hard line stance toward the U.S.?

Well, with President Trump, at least, it seems like Kim Jong-un is going to take a wait-and-see attitude. The North Koreans watch a lot of cable news, Michael. They know that he is, in their view, politically weakened right now by the impeachment, by the fact that there is an election coming up. And so if we don't see a launch right now, of course, that doesn't rule out something happening in 2020, which North Koreans know is a very sensitive time for the president.

But above all of that, they just want to make sure that they're going to have the maximum impact, and they don't want to do something that's going to make their situation worse. I think that's the calculus right now that a launch might make things worse since they already have everybody's attention. Everybody is talking about North Korea. So why do they need to do more, essentially.

M. HOLMES: Yes, good point. It's all about leverage, and Kim probably feels he has some now. Will Ripley, good to see you, thanks so much, I appreciate it.

All right, let's dig a little deeper into this. I'm joined now CNN Global Affairs Analyst Joseph Yun. He is also a former U.S. special representative for North Korea Policy. Always good to see, sir.

I mean, when you do look back and then you go from fire and fury to summits and love letters and now Trump calling Kim Rocket Man, North Korea calling Trump a dotard, what do you make of the dynamic between North Korea and the U.S. at the moment?

JOSEPH YUN, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, it's good to be with you. I think it's always been uncertain, always playing who (ph). Is Trump playing Kim Jong-un or Kim Jong-un playing Trump?

I think happened in February when they met in Hanoi with very (INAUDIBLE) disappointment for Kim Jong-un. Listen, we have to go back to Pyongyang,(INAUDIBLE) train right back and so it must have been (INAUDIBLE) for him, and it was bad.

But given that failure, he really had no choice but tried to push the envelope. And, really, at the moment, I think we are seeing whether he pushed that envelope a but little farther.

I guess I do expect there to be this so-called Christmas gift, whether it's an ICBM or maybe (INAUDIBLE) and remember, that means that everyone worries about it, or we could submarine-launched missile tests. (INAUDIBLE) everything in the last few weeks indicate there will be some kind of missile tests over the next few weeks.

M. HOLMES: And in the big picture, I mean, when you do look back to Singapore far from moving forward, I mean, Kim has just gone ahead as if nothing happened. And then he's moved his nuclear program forward.

[00:25:00]

He's improved his rocket technology. I mean, given Donald Trump's pretty considerable domestic problems at the moment, can we assume that Kim Jong-un -- he sees an advantage that the U.S. president will want a win in the next year or so and might give up some stuff?

YUN: Definitely. I think Kim Jong-un and North Koreans, they are very good at calculating what is going on in Washington (ph). I mean, I personally experienced then, of course, talking with North Koreans. They know exactly the tough spot Donald Trump is in in terms of impeachment. And, really, for Donald Trump, remember, North Korea has been one of the very few successes or who are (INAUDIBLE). And everything else he has done really hasn't turned out all that well.

So when one could continue to engage with North Korea and pretend that not so much has happened, in fact, could save everyone from a war.

But from a North Korean point of view, remember, really, they have not that much. The highest on their list of priority was getting sanctions lifted. And there has not been any sanctions lifted. So I think you will see Trump -- I'm sorry, Kim Jong-un pushing it, pushing it, and I think we'll see the manifestation of that over the next few weeks.

M. HOLMES: Yes, I think it's interesting by some account, since May, North Korea has tested more missiles than it has in virtually any other year in its history, which is incredible when you think about. Maximum pressure, not so much.

Joseph Yun, we're out of time. I really appreciate your expertise, as always. Thank you.

YUN: Thank you. Good to be with you.

M. HOLMES: Good to be with you.

We're going to take a short break here on the program. When we come back, young protesters in Hong Kong face the possibility of years behind bars, but they say it's a sacrifice they are willing to make for a greater cause. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:00]

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Let's update you on our top news this hour.

Australia's firefighters struggling to knock down dozens of devastating bush fires. This as the prime minister pushes back at a growing call for increased action on climate change. He says his government is taking an appropriate response to the fires, saying it would be reckless to lower Australia's targets for carbon emissions.

The U.S. Senate minority leader is again calling for White House official Mike Duffy to testify in the impeachment trial. Democrat Chuck Schumer citing newly-released documents that show efforts to freeze aid to Ukraine began 90 minutes after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart in July. Shortly after that call, Duffy sending an e-mail telling officials to hold off sending aid.

Turkey's president says about 80,000 Syrian refugees escaping violence in Idlib province are heading to the Turkish border. President Erdogan reportedly saying his country just can't handle the fresh wave of migrants. He blames Syrian and Russian attacks in the province for the refugees. He is sending a delegation to Moscow on Monday to discuss the situation.

Protests in Hong Kong have been raging for more than six months now. Ever since the unrest began back in June, more than 6,000 demonstrators have been arrested. Now many are students who have risked everything for democracy, including their freedom and their future.

CNN's Anna Coren looks at how their arrests are impacting the city's overburden judicial system.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a Sunday afternoon back in October, thousands of Hong Kong protesters take to the streets, shouting their demands in the pouring rain.

Among the crowd is Matthew. It's not his real name. He's asked us to hide his identity.

MATTHEW, FRONTLINE PROTESTOR: We are now here to fight for our freedom and most importantly, to fight for our future.

COREN: It's this sense of duty that's driving the protest movement, and for months he's been on the front line, clashing with police.

(on camera): Are you scared about getting arrested?

MATTHEW: Yes, of course. I don't want violence to happen, but the government just don't listen to us. So what are we supposed to do? There is only one single option for us, and that is a revolution.

COREN: But a week later, Matthew's fight comes to an abrupt end. Undercover police, dressed as protestors, arrest him. He's charged with possession of offensive weapons, a crime that carries a three- year prison sentence.

Out on bail, Matthew agrees to talk to us again. We meet at his friend's cramped apartment. Protest posters cover the walls.

The enormity of the situation has sunk in, but he has no regrets about his involvement.

MATTHEW: No, not at all. The only regret I have is not being careful enough.

COREN: For this soft-spoken career professional, he knows the seriousness of his alleged crime means he may end up with a criminal record. But says that's a sacrifice he's willing to make for what he believes is a greater cause.

MATTHEW: I believe Hong Kong will have fundamental change, and my future is becoming insignificant, compared to what will happen in Hong Kong.

COREN (on camera): Over the past six months, more than 6,000 protesters have been arrested, of which more than 40 percent of them are students. And while only a small proportion of them have actually been charged, pro-democracy lawmakers and activists fear that Hong Kong will lose a generation of future leaders.

TED HUI, LEGISLATIVE AND DISTRICT COUNCILOR, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: When people with the heart, with ideals and really values what they believe, these are people with quality. They are the future of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong government's treating them -- damaging them to put them into rooms.

COREN (voice-over): Almost a thousand protesters have been charged with offenses ranging from unlawful assembly to the more serious crimes of rioting, assault and other arson. A third of them are students.

Legal experts believe the court system is not equipped to handle the sheer volume of trials, the first scheduled to start early next year. And if the majority of protesters are convicted, there's concern the prison system will be overloaded.

[00:35:02]

The Hong Kong police tell CNN they want to see further prosecutions and say the only thing holding them up is the slow speed of the courts.

JOHANNES CHAN, CHAIR PROFESSOR AT LAW, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: At the moment, we don't know how many more will be charged and -- or what offenses they will be charged. This is not just the court but even the police and the prosecutions are not ready.

But it just shows this is not only the strains on the judiciary, that the prosecution and the police are not even prepared to handle all this mess.

COREN: We catch up with Matthew just before his court appearance. He's feeling nervous. But while he and hundreds of front-liners like him may end up behind bars, he's confident the fight for Hong Kong will continue in his absence.

MATTHEW: After six months, we have already given so much on the protests. So many people got arrested. So many people got beaten up, and lives have been sacrificed. We just cannot stop right now.

COREN: Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, at this time of year, it can look like just about everyone is feasting and celebrating Christmas, but what about families going hungry this festive season? Well, in Britain, some secret Santas are coming to the rescue. We'll have more when we come back.

Also, Banksy says plenty about divisions in the Middle East without saying a word. The artist takes on the nativity scene. That's when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The U.K. home secretary is considering whether to formally request the extradition of the American diplomat's wife over the traffic accident that killed a British teenager. Just days ago, Anne Sacoolas was charged with dangerous driving in Harry Dunn's death. She left the U.K. shortly after the accident back in August.

Home Secretary Priti Patel met with Dunn's family on Sunday to offer her support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRITI PATEL, U.K. HOME SECRETARY: I'm very grateful to the Dunn family today for making the time to meet with me, and obviously, I've had a private meeting with them. And it's very, very difficult in terms of what they're going through right now. All our sympathies and thoughts are with them. And for me, it was a nice opportunity, really, to hear from them, obviously, about what they've been experiencing, what they've been going through, and to reassure them, as well. Obviously, what has been a very, very difficult and traumatic time for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Sacoolas's lawyer has said she will not voluntarily return to U.K. to, quote, "face a potential jail sentence for what was a terrible but unintentional accident." Now, the British supermarket Tesco says it has suspended production at

a Chinese factory. This follows allegation that prisoners were forced to pack charity Christmas cards.

"The Sunday Times" newspaper reporting that a 6-year-old who lives in South London opened a box of Tesco charity Christmas cards and discovered a desperate message inside one of them. The message said they are prisoners, foreign prisoners in Shanghai, and that they were being forced to work against their will. Extraordinary story.

[00:40:13]

Tesco said in a statement that they're shocked by the allegations and have withdrawn the cards from sale while they investigate. CNN is trying to contact Chinese authorities for comment on the allegations of forced labor at the place, which is called Qingpu, but has not received any comment as of now.

Some workers in Britain putting a new spin on the secret Santa tradition. Instead of giving gifts to colleagues, they're making sure vulnerable families aren't left with nothing on their Christmas table.

CNN's Scott McLean with more from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It all started with a letter to Santa from a seven-year-old girl in England, who wished for a house, a doll, and something to eat. Her heartbreaking message went viral.

ALEX ALDER, LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, GWR: She wasn't asking for much. And, you know, a bit of food on the table.

MCLEAN: Alex Alder reposted the letter on a social media page for his company, Great Western Railway. His Christmas wish: instead of Secret Santa, or giving gifts to colleagues, he asked rail workers to donate to food banks.

ALDER: The response has been amazing, overwhelming. What started off as a small thing in one office has now spread across the network.

MCLEAN: Now, thousands of workers in 30 depots along these tracks have donated to help children facing hunger.

ABBY JITENDRA, POLICY AND RESEARCH MANAGER, TRUSSELL TRUST: We see that around a third of people referred to food banks are children, so it's a huge number of families and children who are having to live in what, you know, we would all consider to be unacceptable destitution and poverty. So it's something which becomes even more clear at Christmas time, because that's really the time that we expect families to be, you know, happy, being they have presents. But often, that's exactly the time when families feel the pinch the most.

MCLEAN: The Trussell Trust, an organization that aims to end hunger in the U.K., says most people who need food bank survive on an income of just 50 pounds, or about $65 a week, after paying for housing.

The need increases in winter, when families struggle to pay higher heating bills and children stop receiving free school lunches over the holidays.

JITENDRA: It's so important to be able to give people more than just food. It's really important to be able to give people hope and support during this time and help get them back on their feet.

MCLEAN: The organization recommends calling your local food bank to, see what items they need most this Christmas season, or donating money to pay for food deliveries and support services.

ALDER: A mince pie, you know, a bag of fancy flavored crisps. Who knows what? It will make a small difference. In a way, you are still secret Santa. You just won't know the person who you're giving the food to.

MCLEAN: Scott McLean, CNN, London.

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HOLMES: And CNN dud ask the U.K. government why thousands of families are relying on food banks this Christmas, and a spokesman for the government said in a statement this. Quote, "The reasons for people using food banks are complex. We spend over 95 billion pounds" -- or $123 billion -- "a year on welfare and have simplified the benefits systems through Universal Credit. People can get paid urgently if they need it, and 95 percent of payments are made in full and on time," unquote.

Now, the artist Banksy is again turning heads with his latest work of art. It is called "The Scar of Bethlehem," not the star of Bethlehem, and it features the nativity with baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. But behind them are concrete barriers with a bullet hole representing the Christmas star.

Those barriers represent the ones separating Israel and the West Bank. The art on display at the Walled Off Hotel -- That's "Walled Off," W- A-L-L-E-D -- in Bethlehem, which itself overlooks the barrier and has become quite the destination. Full of Banksy stuff.

All right. Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. I'll see you in about 15 minutes or so. WORLD SPORT up next.

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