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Video Appears to Show Missile Hit Ukrainian Plane in Iran; House Votes to Limit Trump's War Powers Against Iran; Trump: Soleimani Planned to Strike U.S. Embassy; Source: Harry Defied Queen Over Statement on Royal Role; Wildfires Continue to Ravage Australia; Australians to Protest Government's Handling of Bush Fires; China is Watching as Taiwan Votes on Saturday. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired January 10, 2020 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Studio 7 at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta.
[00:00:27]
Turns out the obvious explanation is also the most likely one. That Ukraine airline which crashed on take-off from Tehran was most likely brought down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, killing all on board.
In the midst of their worst bushfire season on record, made all the more devastating by climate change, thousands of Australians set to protest the government's lack of action in dealing with climate change.
And self-fulfilling prophecy. Britain's tabloids lashing out at Harry and Meghan and their decision to quit the royal family and move away, because of their treatment from the tabloids.
The United States, Canada, multiple countries have now come forward with evidence suggesting Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran this week. A video sent to CNN appears to show the moment in question. As you can see, a flash of light move towards the sky before it apparently collides with an object. CNN cannot verify the video's authenticity, but the buildings there are similar to those in the area where the plane went down.
According to one U.S. source, Iran shot down the jet using two Russian-made missiles. Multiple U.S. officials tell CNN the U.S. believes it happened by mistake. The U.K., Canada, have all reached similar conclusions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies' and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface- to-air missile. This may well have been unintentional.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Iran, though, is questioning the assessment. It's invited officials from Canada, the United States, the maker of the plane, Boeing, to participate in the investigation, as well as the National Transport Citation [SIC] Board. National Transportation Safety Board, I should say, in the U.S.
An Iranian report says the plane was on fire and tried to return to the airport before it went down. The U.S. president has his own theory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have my suspicions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are those?
TRUMP: It was very -- I don't want to say that, because other people have those suspicions, also. It's a tragic thing when I see that. It's a tragic thing. But somebody could have made a mistake on the other side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: For more now on the crash investigation, our man in Tehran in Fred Pleitgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot of information coming out here in Iran on the investigation into the crash of that Ukrainian airliner just outside of Tehran, and whether or not it may have been shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.
The Iranians now coming out and saying that they have invited both Ukraine and Boeing to take part in the investigation. Of course, Boeing as the manufacturer of that aircraft. There were some issues surrounding that. Originally, the Iranians had said that they would not allow Boeing to see the black box of the plane, also apparently, because it's an American company. The Iranians now also coming out and saying that they invite information from any country that could help them in their investigation.
We were also able to get in touch with the head of the Iranian civil aviation authority. And he did not flat-out deny that the plane may have been shot down accidentally by a surface-to-air missile, but he also says that he has his doubts.
He says the plane took off. It was flying for several minutes and then tried to make a move or turn back to the Imam Khomeini Airport from where it had taken off. He said that he believes that, if the plane had been hit by a missile, that it immediately would have fallen out of the sky and that the pilot would not have been able to maneuver the plane to get it back into the direction of the Imam Khomeini Airport. Another big issue has been the black boxes. The Iranians are now
saying that on Friday, Iranian experts and Ukrainian experts, who are already on the ground here, are going to try and read the data from those black boxes together. However, the Iranians say that at least one of those black boxes was damaged in the crash, and they're not sure whether or not the technical infrastructure that they have here in Iran would be capable of allowing them to read the data that's there, or how much data could have been lost.
The Iranians are saying they might ask the French or the Canadians for help on that issue.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: To our Washington bureau now and CNN aviation analyst Peter Goelz, who served as the managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board here in the U.S.
[00:05:02]
Peter, good to see you.
PETER GOELZ, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Good seeing you.
VAUSE: OK. So apart from the witness accounts of something that appeared to be like a missile hitting the plane before it came down; apart from the reports that U.S. satellites detected two missiles shortly before the plane crashed; there's the images of a guidance section of an SA-15 surface-to-air missile which landed in someone's garden near the crash zone. And then there's that actual video itself of a missile hitting the airliner, and then it crashes moments after that. I guess, you know, for the Iranians, apart from all of that, what, it's just sheer speculation that one of their missiles could have shot down this plane?
GOELZ: Yes, exactly. Where's the evidence? Well, the evidence is -- is all there.
And you know, that part of the world, John, as you know, there's a lot of eyes watching what's going on. There was no question that, had a missile taken it down, which I speculated about two days ago, that we were going to find out about it. And we have. It was a missile.
VAUSE: You know, the head of the Iran civil aviation authority dis actually raise an interesting point. Here's a quote: "If a rocket or missile hits a plane, it will freefall. How can a plane be hit by a rocket or missile and then try to turn back to the airport?"
And the video, which shows the missile hitting the plane and then sort of nothing. And you know, we all know from television and movies that, you know, the plane should burst into flames and explode on impact. So firstly, why did that happen? And is it possible the flight crew was, in fact, trying to turn back? And if they weren't, why was the plane turning it all? GOELZ: Well, it's -- first of all, these kinds of missiles don't
actually strike the aircraft. They explode in proximity to it, and they pepper the aircraft with shrapnel.
Go back to the Malaysia Flight 17. Look at the reconstruction of the nose of that plane, and you'll see the kind of damage these missiles do.
First, when a plane is in contact with this kind of explosion, it can change its heading. It can be blown out of the sky. And I mean, that remark is just uninformed. And I think you'll see that -- that this plane, if it took two hits, was really rocketed by -- by the impact of the shrapnel from these missiles.
VAUSE: What would it have been on like on board that flight for the passengers and crew the minute that, you know, the surface-to-air missile exploded nearby?
GOELZ: Well, I mean, the -- it would have been horrifying, if you weren't taken out in the first seconds after impact.
You know, in the MH-17, the pilots, the co-pilot and the pilot, their bodies were peppered with shrapnel. And in this case, the plane was not very high. I'm afraid it was a horrifying few seconds for many of the passengers.
VAUSE: You know, investigations like this one, they take as long as they take, but there's also an added complication of so many different countries, so many different nationalities among the dead. I want you to listen to Ukraine's deputy foreign minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGIY KYSLYTSYA, UKRAINIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: It is now up to the experts to investigate and to find answers for the questions of what caused the crash. To do so, our experts must receive unconditional support for their investigation into the incident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The leaders of Britain and Canada have made similar calls, when it looked like Iran was taking a sort of non-cooperation approach; they were withholding the flight data and voice cockpit recorders. You know, that's sort of gone away now, it appears, because the Iranians have invited the NTSB to play a role in the investigation. But can that be taken seriously? Is that just lip service? Will the NTSB have a meaningful role here? Will we just have to wait and see how it plays out?
GOELZ: Well, I think it -- it depends on how it plays out.
Certainly, the NTSB has a right to play a role by treaty, as does the Ukrainians, and the Canadians have a right, as well.
And there's a couple of things to understand, John. One is, you cannot cover this up if it was caused by a missile. The physical evidence is going to be there, and if investigators get on the ground, they will see it.
Secondly, when the data recorder and the voice recorder are examined, it will give you some real clear hints of what happened. This was a catastrophic end of a flight. When combined with the wreckage and with an accurate radar track, there will be no debate about what brought this plane down.
VAUSE: Well, just to circle back to where we started the conversation, if the flight was brought down by a surface-to-air missile, and it certainly appears that it was, the working presumption right now is that it was a mistake. So, you know, it was unintentional. But what if it was negligent? Or deliberate?
GOELZ: Well, those are two questions. You know, again, this is an area of the world which is monitored very carefully. I don't -- I don't know whether any of our spy agencies or our military agencies were monitoring the communications between the air defense folks and the air command of Iran.
[00:10:12[
But I think you've got to work under the assumption that no one would intentionally shoot down a non-involved aircraft. No one would do that intentionally.
VAUSE: You'd hope. These days, Peter, you hope. We'll leave it at that. Good to see you. Thank you.
GOELZ: Good seeing you.
VAUSE: For the first time in a generation, the U.S. Congress has moved to reclaim some of its rights and powers from the executive. The Democrat-controlled lower House passed a resolution to limit President Trump's military options in this current conflict with Iran by requiring congressional approval before the use of military force.
By the administrations inconsistent justifications for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, many Democrats have now become concerned about just how much authority the president has.
The final vote in this was mostly on party lines: 224 to 194. Significantly, though, three Republicans sided with Democrats, while eight Democrats crossed the floor to vote against the resolution. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stressed the symbolism of the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Here we are. To protect American lives and values, we are passing a war powers resolution to limit the president's military actions. The administration must de-escalate, and must prevent further violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And Donald Trump says the U.S. air strike that killed Soleimani was justified, claiming the general was plotting to blow up a U.S. embassy. However, some lawmakers are furious, saying the intelligence did not point to any imminent threat.
Administration officials tried to explain the president was referring to protests at the embassy in Baghdad, but they would provide no further details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We did it because they were looking to blow up our embassy. We also did it for other reasons that were very obvious. Somebody died. One of our military people died. People were badly wounded just a week before. And we did it. And we had a shot at him, and we took it. And that shot was pinpoint accurate, and that was the end of a monster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Meantime, Iranian military leaders say they are planning a harsher revenge on the United States for Soleimani's death. The commander of Iran's aerospace force says its missile strikes in Iraq were not meant to kill U.S. troops, but rather, to hit America's military machine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMIR ALI HAJIZADEH, AEROSPACE COMMANDER, ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS (through translator): This actions that the forces of IRC carried out, and the missile strike at one of the most important American bases, this indeed was the beginning of the big operation, an action that, God willing, will continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN correspondent Jomana Karadsheh is live this hour in Baghdad.
So Jomana, just circle back to this claim by the U.S. president that Soleimani was intending to strike at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. He's sort of equating that there was a protest with an attempt to blow up the embassy there. Can you explain what the president might, in fact, we talking about? What have you heard?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, we really don't know if the president was referring to something we don't know about, some sort of an attack, or if he was talking about what was going on at the U.S. embassy prior to the strike.
Certainly, administration officials were trying to explain this, saying that he was referring to the protest outside the U.S. embassy. If you recall, early this month at the beginning of the year, protesters, supporters and members of the Iraqi Iranian-backed Shia paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah were protesting outside the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone. They did attack the embassy premises, the reception area, caused damage there.
That was, of course, in retaliation, they say, for the U.S. strike that killed a number of their members when there was a strike on one of their bases. This followed the -- what the U.S. says was Kataib Hezbollah's attack on a U.S. base that killed an American contractor. And then you saw that escalation taking place.
What's interesting, John, is we had heard from the Iraqi prime minister here, saying that Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, that top paramilitary figure who was killed with Soleimani in that strike, the prime minister described him as instrumental in ending that siege of the U.S. embassy, that protest outside the U.S. embassy. He said that protesters were still showing up outside the embassy, bringing their tents, wanting to continue with this, and that al-Mohandes, who was the head of Kataib Hezbollah, he is the one who managed to convince them to end their protests.
Of course, that all ended, hoping, they say, that the Iraqi political leadership would work -- that promise that they would work on getting U.S. forces out of the country.
So basically, John, we don't really know, yet again, what the president was referring to.
VAUSE: Thanks, Jomana. Jomana Karadsheh, live for us there in Baghdad.
Increasingly hot, windy conditions can create even more problems for crews battling raging bush fires in the southern part of Australia. That's the coming days. And thousands of angry Australians are expected to hit the streets of Sydney, outraged over the government's handling of this deadly crisis, as well as climate change. A live report ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM.
Also, a big shake-up at the House of Windsor. Prince Harry defiant, Meghan Markle ups and leave. We'll explain what this will mean at the end of the day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:18:27]
VAUSE: In terms of surprise plot twists, unexpected character developments, cliff-hanging endings, it does not get much more compelling right now than the real-life drama of the House of Windsor.
Meghan Markle has reportedly left the U.K. for Canada. That's according to the BBC. They're now back there where they spent a long Christmas vacation along with her husband Harry. That's where another reporter apparently says that she's now joining her baby son, Archie, who stayed there, did not return back to the U.K. and apparently stayed with the nanny.
The move came after she and Prince Harry announced that they were stepping back as senior royals. CNN has learned that Queen Elizabeth asked Harry not to issue a statement about pulling back from royal duties, but he did it anyway.
Wednesday's stunning announcement brought fireworks in the British media, especially the tabloid press. In their statement, the couple also say they will no longer take part in the established system of media access following months of negative coverage. And there's been a seismic shift at Madam Tussaud's waxworks museum in
London. The wax figures of Prince Harry and Meghan have been removed from the regular place next to the queen and Prince Phillip. It's over.
Joining us now from what could be the new home for royals in self- imposed exile -- that would be Los Angeles -- James McCourt, royal expert and entertainment correspondent.
James, good to see you. Thank you for coming in.
JAMES MCCOURT, ROYAL EXPERT: No problem at all. Yes, we should be getting quite excited here, shouldn't we, maybe hoping that some royals are going to come and join us in L.A.
VAUSE: Of course, it's
MCCOURT: But of course the brits are sad. The Brits are so sad.
VAUSE: Well, you know, do they have themselves to blame, I guess is the question?
MCCOURT: Well, yes.
VAUSE: Because here's some of the coverage of this surprise announcement came about Harry and Meghan from "The Daily Mail." "Once Prince Harry the life and soul of the life of the party, so how did he go from a fun-loving bloke to Prince of Woke?"
[00:20:06]
"The Daily Express" writes, "Meghan didn't understand that being a Windsor is not like being a celebrity. It wasn't about wearing the latest designer clothes to awards ceremonies. It was about getting on with the job."
And from the man everyone loves to hate or just hate, that's the breakfast DJ Piers Morgan. He went into overdrive on Twitter with stuff like this: "Harry and Meghan, the two most spoiled brats in royal history."
It's almost like the British press couldn't help themselves. You know, the sort of coverage which is a part of the reason why they want to leave.
MCCOURT: Maybe, yes. I mean, Piers Morgan, you know, has had this kind of standoff with Meghan for quite some time, suggesting that basically she's an actress still on the make, you know, wanted to marry into the royal family to claw her way up the celebrity ladder. I don't know whether that's true. None of us really know what's going on inside the marriage and inside the palace walls.
I think Brits are a bit confused, if I'm honest. Meghan married into the royal family, she was considered, you know, somewhat a celebrity, being an actor from Hollywood. We were never sure whether the two worlds were going to collide or whether it would work out. And for the people that thought it probably wouldn't work out, this kind of, you know, really suggests that they were right all along.
And unfortunately, I think the people that don't like Meghan are kind of saying, well, you know, she's in control here. She's calling the shots. She ultimately wants to get back to maybe being even an actor, being a celebrity. And you know, so far her plan is working out. And it's upsetting a lot of the royalists in the U.K.
Other people, of course, in Britain are on Meghan's side and Harry's side and are saying, you know, we agree. The press is vicious over here, and we understand why you're doing this. And you just want, you know, a normal life. Not only for yourselves but also for Archie, as well. So there are really two sides --
VAUSE: Oh, there's not two sides. About 20 sides to this depending on the way you look at it.
MCCOURT: It's definitely an odd story. I don't see the way they've gone about this, you know, is really that great. And I think that's why --
VAUSE: A lot of people said that. Yes.
MCCOURT: Yes, I think that's why there's been so much controversy.
VAUSE: OK, I just want you to listen to part of an interview that Meghan did last October about life as a royal.
MCCOURT: Right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I first met my now husband. My friends were really happy, because I was so happy. But my British friends said to me, I'm sure he's great, but you shouldn't do it, because the British tabloids will destroy your life. And I very naively, we're American. We don't have that there. What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense. I don't need tabloids. I didn't get it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Really? News flash. There's no fairytale ending, princess. She must have known what life would be like. Come on.
MCCOURT: Yes, I also, you know, read right in the beginning, I think a lot of us heard this, that she apparently didn't know who Prince Harry was when she first met him. I found that very difficult to believe.
I think that's one of the stories that were leaked out and made people go hang on a minute. You know, what's going on here? Is she act -- Is this all an act?
And I think the same with the tabloid press. Even if you've never been to the U.K., I think most Americans that watch the news, you know, know that our press is very intrusive and not overly fair to people and does tend to bend the truth somewhat. So for her to say that she had no idea, yes, I think that's a little bit hard to believe. So yes, that's my opinion on it. I probably find that a little tough to believe, to be honest.
VAUSE: It's a little too Pollyanna, in a way.
MCCOURT: Right, exactly.
VAUSE: So Harry and Meghan, this decision which they made, apparently, you know, catching everyone sort of blindsided, if you like. It's not sitting very well with the rest of the members of the royal family. We have a report from "The Sun." "Battle Royale: Queen 'deeply upset' as Harry and Meghan's royal exit sparking 'civil war' with Charles and Wills 'incandescent with rage.'"
OK. Take it all with a grain of salt, but you know, these reports have been circulating for a while about strains and tensions within the royal family. I guess much like there are strains and tensions in every family. Only this one is under an incredibly bright light.
MCCOURT: It is. It is. It's under the microscope. You've got to remember they are a normal family at the end of the day.
I heard that the queen was consulted about a possible shift for Meghan and Harry, you know, that they would step back, as was Prince Charles. But the suggestion was, yes, this might be a possibility. We might be able to do this, but we need some time to work out all the little intricate move that we've got to make so it's all a nice smooth transition. You know, how are they going to be funded? How's the security going to work if they move to another country? How's this kind of part-time royal thing going to work? And is it going to sit well with the public?
A lot of these things were never resolved, because someone hit the share button on Instagram immediately. Apparently, the palace got, like, ten minutes' notice. And they went into meltdown and, of course, released that slightly terse statement, saying that they were right, at the very early stages of this happening. And there was a lot of issues still to work through. I mean, it was a crazy short statement from the palace. But I think they were -- they were completely taken aback and just hadn't expected it.
VAUSE: Yes.
MCCOURT: So a very strange thing to do, a very odd thing to do, I think, if that's true.
[06:25:12]
VAUSE: There's a lot of things about this which are very odd. But we're out of time. But the one thing that I keep coming back to is what happened to Princess Diana.
MCCOURT: Yes.
VAUSE: And obviously, that has the biggest impact on Harry. And we should never forget that. MCCOURT: Yes.
VAUSE: And because that was a depressing moment. So good to see you, James. Thank you very much.
MCCOURT: Yes, you, too. Thanks.
VAUSE: Cheers.
Deadly bush fires have killed dozens and burned millions of hectares of land in Australia, and peak fire season, it's just beginning. Outraged Australians want to know why the government has not done more and if they're now prepared to deal with the brutal reality of climate change. More in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Thanks for staying with us. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
New video appears to show a missile striking a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran. CNN cannot verify its authenticity, but it was recorded in the area where the plane went down this week. Officials from the U.S. and other countries say the jet was most likely shot down by mistake.
Iran has questioned that assessment and invited officials from the United States and the manufacturer of the plane, Boeing, to investigate.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution to limit the president's war powers. It would require congressional approval for military action against Iran unless the use of force is deemed necessary to prevent an imminent attack. The resolution will now go to the Senate.
U.S. President Donald Trump is admitting climate change is actually not a hoax, even as activists are accusing him of making the problem a whole lot worse with a new policy. Mr. Trump announced on Thursday his administration is rolling back decades'-old environmental regulations to try and speed up the approval process, rather, for infrastructure projects. That would make it easier to build highways, open up new mines and gas pipelines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: These endless delays waste money, key projects from breaking ground, and deny jobs to our nation's incredible workers. From day one, my administration has made fixing this regulatory nightmare a top priority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This move by the Trump administration will most likely be challenged in court. The Sierra Club's director tweeted, "Today's action is nothing more than an attempt to write Donald Trump's climate denial into official government policy." Firefighters in Australia are in the midst of another long and
difficult day. More hot and dry winds are fueling monstrous bush fires which have destroyed more than 2,100 homes, and killed at least 27 people.
Authorities in New South Wales have issued extreme fire danger warnings and have imposed a total ban on open fires and campfires. There are at least 134 fires burning across the state, dozens of which remain uncontained.
[00:30:08]
Let's go to Derek Van Dam, who joins us now with more. So Derek, we're looking at the forecast. We had that good week heading into a pretty savage weekend, by the looks of things?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and interesting, too. I was reading, John, the 2,100 homes that have been destroyed this fire season, nearly half of them have occurred within the past ten days. So you can see how it is ramped up.
Now, today, as you said, the firefighters were battling another difficult day, but there is some improvement on the horizon. But in the meantime, the state of disaster within Victoria has been extended. This means that if they are -- if residents are asked to evacuate, they have to leave immediately.
Last tally, 160-plus active fires taking place across New South Wales and Victoria, over 50 of which are out of control as we speak.
Now, this is the promise of better weather that I mentioned a moment ago. It's this cold front that is moving across the coastal regions. Ahead of it, though, we're seeing our temperatures spike into the lower forties, especially across some of the inland rural communities. That cold front will allow for an onshore push from the ocean, bringing cooler temperatures and also allowing for an increase in relative humidity, which will help with the firefighting efforts going forward.
But in the meantime, we're talking about the next six to 12 hours. Conditions will still be very difficult, especially along southeastern New South Wales, where our cold front is currently moving through. It will do a wind shift change for the firefighters on the front grounds, making it very difficult and very sporadic for some of the fire behaviors.
Now, there's the cold front moving through. You can see the chances of showers through the course of the week. The extended outlook -- we're talking about eight to 14 days -- looks cooler and wetter across this region, which is typical. We would start to see, as we had into this time of year.
There's the rainfall totals going forward. We expect anywhere from 15 to 25 millimeters over the next three days.
Here's our temperatures. There's a brief reprieve in our daytime highs from Melbourne into Canberra, but you can see them starting to warm up as we head into the first parts of next week.
This is interesting, too, John. You can see the correlation with the jump in active fires with the spike in temperatures, as well, especially as you look back a week from today.
Back to you.
VAUSE: Wow. Thanks, Derek. We appreciate the update and the forecast. Thanks.
VAN DAM: OK.
VAUSE: Let's head live to Sydney now and CNN's Will Ripley standing by. Thousands of protesters are expected to hit the streets to basically, demonstrate against Australia's prime minister's response to this crisis.
So Will, it's interesting, because Australia seems to be accepting climate change, on the one hand, but not wanting, you know, to accept the responsibility that goes with that. They haven't set goals for carbon emission cuts for the last three years. Effectively, they're out of the Paris climate accords, much like the United States is, in some ways.
And so now it seems that they're waking up. There's this protest movement. People are realizing that not doing anything comes with some consequences.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and they're living with the consequences right now, John, because a number of experts basically have concluded that the wildfires that are ravaging huge portions of Australia right now are directly linked to climate change.
These kind of fires that normally you see once every 350 years, scientists say Australia could see once every eight years, along with incredibly high temperatures. Temperatures here today expected to be 40 degrees or more. It's been a scorching summer. And so that's why you have people starting to gather here in Sydney, also in Melbourne, in Canberra, in Perth. All over Australia, there are these demonstrations expected to take place, organized by student groups who say it's time to make a change.
And of course, they're focusing their anger particularly on Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison who's had a really, you know, hard time, basically, from the beginning of this fire crisis. He was on vacation in Hawaii. He came back and he's, you know, been heckled when he was on the ground. People are -- they say they're fed up.
But what steps Australia's going to take? What policy changes Australia's going to implement? Those are things that are not really necessarily being discussed in detail.
But the protesters do have a list of demands, things that they believe are first steps toward improving the environment, and therefore, trying to reduce the impacts of climate change, including those devastating fires. VAUSE: Will, we'll try and catch up with you soon. Thank you for that.
Appreciate the live report. Will Ripley, live for us in Sydney.
Well, Taiwan will hold its presidential elections on Saturday. Now, the outcome could redefine its relationship with an increasingly bellicose and powerful China. That's next.
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[00:36:29]
VAUSE: Voters in Taiwan head to the polls on Saturday to decide their next president. And just across the Strait of Taiwan, on the mainland China, the communist rulers will be keeping a watchful eye on the self-governing island, which they consider to be little more than a restive province.
During her campaign for a second term, President Tsai Ing-wen has repeatedly warned of China's attempt to influence the vote. Her first term in office has seen Taiwan left increasingly isolated diplomatically, as well as growing belligerence from Beijing, intent on reunification.
Her main opponent, Han Kuo-yu, of the Kuo -- Kuomintang Party, I should say, says he plans to reset ties with Beijing to boost the economy if he is elected.
Taiwan's relationship with China has been contentious, to say the least, throughout the years. Tensions between the two countries began in 1949, when Mao Tse-Tung and the Communist Party won the civil war. The previous government, the Republic of China, fled to Taiwan.
Both sides set up governments and claim to be the leader of the Chinese territory. Decades of hostility followed, with no travel, no trade, no communication between the two. Taiwan became a province in the late 1990s, but China insists it's a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force, if necessary.
Joining me now from Taipei, Michael Cole, senior fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute.
Thanks for being with us, Michael.
MICHAEL COLE, SENIOR FELLOW, GLOBAL TAIWAN INSTITUTE: My pleasure, John.
VAUSE: I want to go to the main opposition candidate for a while, Han Kuo-yu, because he's really carried Beijing's water during this election campaign. He seems to have framed the vote, in some ways, as a choice between investment in cash, if you like, from the mainland, on the one hand, and democratic rights on the other.
And what's interesting is if the polls are right, the people of Taiwan, they want democratic rights.
COLE: Well, absolutely. I mean, Taiwan became a full-fledged democracy in the 1990s. And since then, democracy -- liberal democracy has been very much part of their -- of their identity for the 23 million people here in Taiwan.
And increasingly, we've seen developments in China, and certainly, developments in Hong Kong that reaffirmed the need for Taiwan to defend, to maintain its -- its democracy, and perform the balancing act, because the Taiwanese are also fully aware that they cannot afford to ignore China as a -- as a destination for trade and economics.
VAUSE: Well, when Taiwan look across at Hong Kong, and they see what's happening there, what is it that they actually see? How do those events in Hong Kong are likely impact the results of this vote?
COLE: Right. Well, the events in Hong Kong are, again, a reaffirmation that the formula that Beijing has offered for unification with Taiwan, the so-called one country, two systems plan is simply non-viable.
I mean, Hong Kong never was sovereign. Hong Kong never was democratic. And still, since retrocession in 1997, we have seen that formula, particularly under Xi Jinping, we've seen a rapid erosion of civil and political freedoms, freedom of expression and whatnot.
Now, the Taiwanese being independent, the Taiwanese being democrats, regard what's going on in Hong Kong and realize that this is simply not the kind of future that they want for themselves. And Beijing, as I maintained, has made one offer, and one only. And that is one country, two systems. And people in Taiwan know that they cannot trust the Chinese Communist Party to even keep its promises, should one day, the two sides sit down and sign some sort of agreement.
VAUSE: Yes, the trust issue is a big one, or lack thereof.
I'd like you to listen to both candidates -- the incumbent president and her main rival -- when they're asked about Hong Kong.
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[00:40:04]
TSAI ING-WEN, TAIWANESE PRESIDENT (through translator): The situation in Hong Kong makes it very clear to all of us that democracy and authoritarianism are in conflict. The two systems cannot coexist in one country. Taiwan cannot accept a one country two systems. I am fully aware of it, more than anyone else.
HAN KUO-YU, TAIWANESE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): Hong Kong's people are bleeding from fighting against China. President Tsai, what have you done to help Hong Kong? Hong Kong's people are bleeding, while you are enjoying electoral gains. Your campaign is based on the blood of Hong Kong people. Hong Kong students are protesting, and you are exploiting the values they uphold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: That basically backs up the point you were making. But I'm curious. If you think that, in many ways, that Beijing has helped the incumbent president? Obviously, not intentionally, but by the crackdown on Hong Kong? By demonstrating, you know, what the future could be? Essentially, helped the president into a second term?
COLE: Well, indeed. And even -- I mean, Beijing has been -- has a long tradition of shooting itself in the foot when it becomes to trying to win the hearts and minds of the Taiwanese.
If we go back to January 2nd last year, Xi Jinping in his address to Taiwanese compatriots, already proposed a very hard line that did not really take into consideration the wishes of the Taiwanese. And basically, the outcome of his hardline policy was administrative through the promise in Hong Kong in later months and throughout last year, and that continues, again, today.
Now, Han Kuo-yu certainly likes to make the claim that President Tsai was assisted by developments in Hong Kong. I would say, instead, that developments in Hong Kong reaffirmed why the majority of Taiwanese simply do not want to become part of the People's Republic of China.
VAUSE: They are prepared to wait in China, and I guess they will continue to wait and bide their time, you know, for the moment to arise, I guess, that soon it gets a little more interesting. Michael Cole, thank you so much for being with us from Taipei.
COLE: Thank you.
VAUSE: A new poll shows there is little trust worldwide that Donald Trump will do the right thing when it comes to international affairs. In the Pew Research Center study across 32 countries, 64 percent say they do not have confidence in the U.S. president.
Maybe even more startling is where Mr. Trump ranks among other leaders. Fifty-seven percent say they do not have confidence in Russia's president, Vladimir Putin. Forty-three percent say they don't have confidence in the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. How about that?
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. WORLD SPORT starts after the break.
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VAUSE: Hello again. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, 15 ballistic missiles fired into neighboring Iraq and no one died. Just hours later, an Iranian surface-to-air missile mistakenly shoot down a commercial airliner, killing all on board.
With climate change making a terrible bush fire season the worst on record, thousands of Australians are expected to fill the streets of Sydney to demand government action on climate change.
And royal rogue. Prince Harry apparently defies his grandmother, who's also Her Majesty the Queen, and went public with Meghan's announcement.
END
