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U.S. House Managers Deliver Impeachment Articles to Senate; New Documents Shed Light on Giuliani's Shadow Efforts in Ukraine; U.S. and China Sign Phase One Trade Deal; Entire Russian Government Resigns amid Putin's Reforms; Forecast Brings Hope to Part of Fire-Ravaged Australia; Impeachment Managers Named, Articles Sent To Senate; Evacuees Returning Home Despite Risk Of Violent Eruption; U.S. To Lift Hold On $8.2 Billion For Puerto Rico. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired January 16, 2020 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
Just ahead, impeachment articles against the U.S. president go to the Senate amid new allegations that Donald Trump had a bigger role in the Ukraine scandal.
Easing tensions between the world two largest economies, the U.S. and China signed the first phase of a trade deal.
Plus the big political shakeup in Russia. It looks like Vladimir Putin is consolidating his power.
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CHURCH: Good to have you with us. The impeachment charges against president Donald J. Trump now in the Senate paving the way for the trial to begin next week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi withheld the articles for four weeks to try to pressure the Republican led Senate to outline the trial guidelines.
She signed the articles Wednesday and named seven managers, who will prosecute the case. They included the Democratic chairmen of the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), CHAIR, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: The president and his man plot on. The danger persists. The risk is real. Our democracy is at peril.
REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: He has shown that he will continue to put his selfish interests above the good of the country. We must act without delay. REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-N.Y.), MEMBER, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: We will
hold this president accountable for corrupting our democracy. We will impeach Donald John Trump.
REP. DOUG COLLINS (R-GA): This has nothing to do with the facts. We've shown that there was nothing done wrong but that does not matter when the train is on the tracks. The whistle is blowing. Impeachment matters and the only thing that matters on a timeline. The only real emergency here is that there is a 2020 election and the Democrats can't stand to see the fact this president is going to win again. They can't stand the fact who they got running.
So what do we do?
We impeach him as they said for life.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R), MINORITY LEADER: I hoped this day would not come. I would hope those who uphold the Constitution would believe in the rule of law instead of the spite of the dislike of an individual.
Even as early as just last Sunday in an interview Speaker Pelosi made that point very clear to all of us. Asked what a Senate acquittal would mean, she said it did not matter. The president is impeached forever. Is that what this is all about?
Just a personality. Just an abuse of power that you have within the House that we all feared this country would never do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: In a solemn ceremony the impeachment managers walked the articles across the Capitol to the Senate where will read the charges Thursday. President Trump is accused of abuse of power for allegedly pressuring Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and obstruction of Congress for blocking testimony and the release of documents.
In the meantime, the House Intelligence Committee released more documents from Lev Parnas an indicted associate of the president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. They detail the campaign to oust the U.S. ambassador suggesting she was being watched and in one letter seeking to meet with the Ukrainian president Giuliani wrote he was acting with Mr. Trump's knowledge and consent.
Political analyst Michael Genovese joins me now from Los Angeles.
Good to have you with us.
MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you.
CHURCH: The impeachment articles now with the Senate and the trial is expected to start early next week. The big question now is whether we will hear from new witnesses and whether the newly released evidence from indicted Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas will be heard. This is what Parnas told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEV PARNAS, INDICTED ASSOCIATE OF RUDY GIULIANI: President Trump knew exactly what was going on. He was aware of all of my movements.
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PARNAS: He -- I wouldn't do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president. Why would President Zelensky's inner circle or minister or all these people or president Poroshenko meet with me?
All money (ph). They were told to meet with me and that is the secret they're trying to keep. I was on the ground doing their work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Michael Genovese, that is an extraordinary revelation.
What impact will this likely have on the impeachment trial and how relevant is the credibility in the context that it is considering he is likely looking for a plea deal of some sort?
GENOVESE: Well, Parnas is not the ideal witness if you're a Democrat and he is questionable enough that the Republicans might be able to say this is just some wild guy making up stories. Trying to get a better deal.
So I think while the revelations about Parnas are worrisome and frightening in many respects, you're talking about the U.S. ambassador being hounded maybe hassled by a representative the American government, who was following, her stalking her, knows when she is not and on the phone. This is very worrisome.
It's kind of like, in this case, the Sopranos meet the Keystone Kops. You have a bunch of people who are really third rate at what they're doing who are getting caught, who are getting found out. It would be comic if it wasn't so tragic.
Will this matter to the Republicans who now control the process?
Probably not. If they have their way, they won't let this enter the process.
CHURCH: You mentioned the disturbing surveillance. Parnas provided impeachment investigators with his text messages exchanged between himself and the Republican congressional candidate Robert Hyde in reference to former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
And Hyde writes on March 23, 2019, he has knowledge of Yovanovitch's whereabouts and her level of security, saying, "She's under heavy protection outside Kiev."
Parnas replied, "I know. Crazy S-H-I-T.
Two days later, Hyde sent Parnas a series of text messages.
"They're moving her tomorrow. The guys over there asked me what I would like to do and what is in it for them." Hyde wrote Parnas, "Wake up, Yankees man, she's talked to three people. Her phone is off. Computer is off. She is next to the embassy. Not in the embassy. Private security. Been there since Thursday."
After Parnas responded, saying, "Interesting," Hyde continued, "They will let me know when she is on the move."
Parnas replied, "Perfect."
Hyde wrote, "They are willing to help if we, you would like a price."
Hyde then made the quip to Parnas that, "You can do anything in the Ukraine with money," to which Parnas replied, "Lol."
What do you make of this clear effort to actively stalk an American diplomat and what impact would you expect these text messages and related material to have on the Senate impeachment trial, particularly given Parnas has said he didn't do anything without the consent of President Trump or Rudy Giuliani?
GENOVESE: If Parnas weren't strange enough you have Hyde into the picture. All these unbelievable characters out of central casting as if it were made into a comedy.
It's not a comedy because what they were talking about can be very serious. It may have been they were talking about doing some kind of violence to the ambassador from the United States. That was the implication of what they said.
And the question is how can Republicans ignore this?
Will they enter it into the process?
The answer is they don't want to and I think more than anything else since Mitch McConnell runs the process, he's going to try to steer things away from that. And the threat being that, number one, you had your chance. You investigated and you may have done it prematurely and it ended quickly. We don't need to do an investigation.
Second thing they might say is, if you want to bring in witnesses and bring the stuff up we will bring some things into the process like the Bidens and we will bring them as witnesses.
So it's kind of an escalating game that Republicans are playing. This is something that should matter to all Americans. The fact that for most Republicans they're saying we don't want to deal with it, is quite alarming because it is so serious. It should be taken seriously but there is kind of these Stepford Republicans, saying no matter what the president does or what the president's ordered, we're on his side.
CHURCH: The thing is we are all watching and it has to be said that if Republican senators vote against investigating this new evidence and against hearing from new witnesses for the impeachment trial, how should the people of America view this?
And how will history look upon these lawmakers and their motives, essentially ignoring their constitutional duty?
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GENOVESE: Think of it this way. Every week it seems like some new revelation and some new bizarre story. Some new tidbit comes out that matters.
Can you imagine if Trump gets to process at this point and the 12 months from now we find to find out so much more and it is so much worse. Those people will have to go back to their constituencies. Many of them are up for reelection and they'll have to defend the position that said we knew there were some serious things. We just didn't want to look into them.
That will be devastating for them politically in the short run and the verdict of history will look very harshly upon those people who knew that there was fire beneath the smoke but tried to ignore it.
CHURCH: They will have to explain themselves no doubt about that Michael Genovese many thanks to you for joining us.
GENOVESE: Thank you.
CHURCH: And while all the impeachment drama was playing out on Wednesday, President Trump was at the White House, meeting with Chinese officials to sign the first phase of a long-awaited trade deal.
The move effectively pauses a nearly two-year trade war between the two nations. Both sides have agreed to make concessions. But as CNN's Clare Sebastian reports, the deal still leaves many issues unresolved.
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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it took more than 18 months tariffs on more than $360 billion worth of Chinese imports and a $28 billion taxpayer bailout of U.S. farmers. But the U.S. and China have now reached a truce in their trade war. President Trump is speaking just as impeachment proceedings continued on Capitol Hill, was it pays to present this as a watershed moment?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I actually think I more than kept my promise. Now our efforts have yielded a transformative deal that will bring tremendous benefits to both countries.
SEBASTIAN: Well, this doesn't actually end the trade war. Tariffs remain in place on hundreds of billions dollars' worth of goods on both sides. And that isn't set to change anytime soon. The U.S. has though cut in half the tariff rate on the latest round from September and it's holding off on any more tariffs for now.
Now in return, there are some concrete steps from China. Beijing has agreed to buy $200 billion worth of additional U.S. goods over the next two years, including more than $30 billion worth of agricultural goods, something the president of the U.S. Farm Bureau called an important step.
It also agreed to step up legal protection of intellectual property rights and stop forcing U.S. companies to transfer their technology to Chinese companies. That has been a big concern to U.S. tech companies. And there's a commitment from China to open Its market to U.S. financial services companies.
Now, none of this matters, of course, if the agreements can't be enforced. As part of this deal, they will set up a bilateral dispute resolution system. And experts have pointed out that could raise questions, because it means the two sides will adjudicate disputes with no neutral third party.
And then, of course, what's missing from here, any substantive discussion of China's industrial policy, specifically its subsidies for state-owned companies which prevent a level playing field for foreign companies. That, of course, is at the heart of this trade dispute. Now, this is phase one, the big question is what comes next?
TRUMP: We're going to be starting phase two. As soon as this kicks in, we'll be starting phase two. We're leaving tariffs on which people are shocked but this is great, but I will agree to take those tariffs off if we are able to do phase two.
SEBASTIAN: Well, there's no timeline to phase two, but this does at least for the moment, lift some of the uncertainty for U.S. businesses -- Clare Sebastian, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: For more on this CNN's David Culver joins us now live from Beijing.
Good to see you, David.
How is Beijing portraying this first phase of the trade?
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Interesting to see, Rosemary, where we were, you and I talking 24 hours ago and how Beijing had kind of a muted reaction to anything that was supposed to come in with this phase 1 trade and where we are today because it seems that they are much more comfortable and coming out more information on it.
They've published the 86 pages and then some what is now translated into Chinese of this phase one deal and they made it public. Also worth noting that Beijing aired the signing live and it was broadcast on state media across all of the People's Republic.
It seems that they're using this as a proud moment as well. But they're also careful not to allow this to be a U.S. win. Strategically within state media you do see op-eds that are showing that this is a really mutual agreement. That this is something both sides get something out of.
In fact when the vice premier, representing the Chinese at the White House, he brought with him a letter from President Xi Jinping, in that he said this is a win for the U.S., for China and for the world, once again showing this will bring global stability.
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CULVER: It was also worth noting that in that same letter the Chinese president stressed that China would aim to open its doors wider going forward but also called on the U.S. to treat Chinese businesses fairly and ask that there be more exchanges between U.S. institutions of research as well as higher education institutions.
Education being something that he wants for Chinese nationals to partake in, especially with the U.S. It seems now the focus goes on to phase two. But the question will be how exactly is phase one implemented going forward.
That will be something the U.S. says will be fully enforceable, will have these dispute resolutions in place to be able to handle it at lower levels so it doesn't rise to the minister level and cause a stall a thaw or a pause in this phase one deal going forward.
Ultimately Beijing characterizing this as a positive. One of the op- eds saying that China did not give up on their core values here. They held strong and that the demands they had, that these tariffs be rolled back in part, were met here.
CHURCH: All right. David bringing us the very latest from Beijing. Many thanks.
A massive shake up at the Kremlin has everyone guessing. Vladimir Putin could be engineering a major power grab in a bid to control Russia after his presidency ends.
Plus it is finally raining in Australia, improving the air quality in Melbourne, with the Australian Open qualifying matches underway and tennis greats serve up a rally for relief. We'll have a live report on that when we come back.
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.
Well, 35 people are in hospital following clashes between protesters and police in Beirut. That's according to the Lebanese Red Cross.
This comes in the midst of a week of anger by anti government demonstrators. The protest began in October, fueled by a desire for a new government to fix the crumbling economy. The prime minister designate has condemned the protesters, many of whom march to his home earlier this week. He denies responsibility for the chaos.
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CHURCH: Vladimir Putin still has four years left in office but the Russian leader appears to be maneuvering to hold onto power far beyond the end of his term. Soon after Mr. Putin proposed major changes to the constitution on Wednesday, his entire government resigned, including the prime minister Dmitry Medvedev.
The Russian parliament is expected to vote on a new prime minister in the coming hours. CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us now from Moscow to help explain why this is happening.
Fred, what is going and why is it happening now?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People think it is happening now because Vladimir Putin has four years left in this term. It's a six year term and at the end of that term he would have to step down as president of the Russian Federation. It's the second time he's been president and it's his fourth term in office.
A lot of people here think he is trying to set the stage for the time when he's not president anymore. Possibly making a move towards being prime minister or some other role that would leave him in power as well. Possibly trying to get some insurance his successor won't be as powerful as he is right now.
And that's the thing. If you look at the moves he's making right now the thing that is becoming clear is that the next president of the Russian Federation will have a lot less power, according to the Russian constitution, if all these amendments go through, that the current president has.
Putin went on stage during the state of the union address, seeing on your screen right now, and at the end of that address he said he wanted several amendments to the constitution. One of those amendments being that the parliament would get more power and the president would get less power, which also means the prime minister of the country would get more power as well.
The parliament would elect the prime minister and he would then elect his cabinet and have that cabinet be confirmed by the parliament of this country rather than having all of that done by the president as is the case right now.
It looks as though Vladimir Putin is setting the stage for the future and the interesting thing is that the Dmitry Medvedev then, when he announced he was resigning, said the balance of power is shifting to such a great degree that he feels he needs to give Vladimir Putin a clean slate to be able to form a new government, to see that process through.
It's unclear whether there will be some sort of vote by the people on all of this. And it would be a vote that would be nonbinding but Vladimir Putin clearly setting the stage for some major constitutional reforms, which have the potential to ensure he has a very prominent role in this country going forward, even past 2024.
CHURCH: Very strategic. Prime minister Medvedev, we are seeing him getting pushed out. HAs he displeased his president in any way?
PLEITGEN: It's a big item also up for debate, whether he is being moved aside for good, whether or not he is being parked somewhat to have a bigger role in the future. The interesting is that Vladimir Putin announced he was giving him a new role, deputy of Russia's national security council, which is a powerful body, with which Vladimir Putin is the head but it also has a secretary who is the person who runs the day-to-day operations of that security council.
Dmitry Medvedev will have a role but it's also no secret that these men have been close in the past and have interchanged positions. Dmitry Medvedev was president for a while and became prime minister and Vladimir Putin switched that position out over the past 10 years.
There was some friction between those two men. If you look at 2011 at the time of the Libyan civil war, when Putin felt that Dmitry Medvedev needed to veto a resolution by the U.N. Security Council and he did not do that, standing up to Vladimir Putin and that is something that many people believe displeased Putin.
And if you look at Russia today, Dmitry Medvedev is often the fall guy for a lot of policies that anger people. You have anti corruption protests here and in other places. Dmitry Medvedev is often the target of that. Many people see him as a weak prime minister.
That could be the reason why he is being moved aside as well but again he is not leaving public life and he will remain on Russia's national security council. It's unclear whether or not Vladimir Putin is planning for some sort of new role for the Medvedev in the future.
As you mentioned he has named a possible successor who will be going through a parliamentary process today, the head of Russia's federal tax service and someone who not many Russians have heard of before.
So it seems as though Vladimir Putin, at least the next four years, seems to be moving towards a technocratic government than maybe he's had in the past -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: Fascinating maneuvering Ross before our very eyes.
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CHURCH: Fred Pleitgen, thank you for bringing us up to date from Moscow.
We turn to Australia now and thunderstorms are sweeping across the bush fire-ravaged east coast. It is bringing hope that some of the fires will be put out or at least slowed. Officials warn that lightning could start new fires. The wet weather has improved air quality in Melbourne where qualifying matches for the Australia Open are underway.
Let's turn to CNN's Will Ripley, who joins us now from Melbourne.
Good to see you, Will. This is great news to hear the air quality has improved in Melbourne but elsewhere there are fears of flash flooding and mudslides.
What do we know about that?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Compared to when we checked in with you yesterday, to see the blue skies and to feel this breeze that is for the moment blowing the smoke far away from the city and its tennis center, that's all great news.
However I think the question is how long will this last?
Even if the forecast is great over the next few days, this is two weeks of tennis we're talking about here. This is deep summer here in Australia. We know the temperatures will rise. We know there are still more than 100 fires burning in this country, many of them out of control and all it will take is for the winds to shift, temperatures to go up and the smoke comes back into town.
A couple of days ago it was the worst air quality in the world here. It's much better now but that is little consolation for those who have may have to play in what were hazardous conditions just a short time ago. That is the big concern at this point.
How is this going to impact the tournament?
And as you mentioned, the storms themselves, the lightning strikes triggered more fires. It's also making conditions difficult for firefighters on the ground because, when you have flash flooding in these areas burned out, it can be difficult to get through those areas.
We do have a piece of video. I think you have it. There was a secret mission to try to save some of the treasures in Australia that are actually replaceable. These ancient trees.
I have to say I have gotten quite a road trip tour of this beautiful country driving through some of the hardest hit areas. And you see these trees are just stunning and their size and hundreds of years old. And you think about if these were to burn, it truly would be a catastrophe on top of the catastrophic effects already with thousands of people who have lost their homes and 28 who have been killed.
What firefighters are doing is they are prioritizing areas they want to make sure they can protect by building these containment lines around the existing fires. But when you have major storms like the ones that rolled through here last night, that can topple trees, trees can fall over those lines.
And a lightning strike triggers a spark, you know what can happen. A fire can cross the line, move into a new area and we could be right back where we were in this months long crisis with fires burning out of control. For the moment there is good news but this is a marathon, not a sprint.
CHURCH: You're absolutely right. Many thanks to our Will Ripley joining us live from Melbourne. I do appreciate your understanding of Australia. Now that the U.S. Impeachment trial is set to begin, a closer look at
how it differs from a courtroom proceeding.
Plus thick layers of volcanic ash have blanketed houses and farms in the Philippines. Residents who were forced to flee are returning home to save whatever they can. We'll have that in just a moment.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. We want to check the headlines for you this hour. The U.S. and China have signed the first phase of a trade deal and move to deescalate a nearly two-year-long trade war. China pledged to buy more goods from American farmers while the U.S. agreed to reduce some tariff rates. But other tariffs that countries imposed on each other will remain in place for now.
The entire Russian government is resigning including the prime minister and President Vladimir Putin is now promising big constitutional changes. He wants to shift power away from the presidency to make Parliament and the Prime Minister stronger. But critics fear he's doing this as a power grab to somehow extend his rule long after his term ends in 2024.
The U.S. impeachment process took a major step forward Wednesday as House lawmakers deliver the articles to the Senate. The House Speaker named the seven managers who will prosecute the trial, which is set to begin Tuesday. President Trump is charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The Chief Justice of the United States will preside over the Senate impeachment trial and senators will act as jurors. But as CNN Legal Analysts, Elie Honig and Samantha Vinograd explain, this will not be like a normal criminal trial.
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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Article one is adopted.
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYSTS: In our nation's history, there have been only two impeachment trials of a sitting president. But no president has ever been convicted and removed from office. In 1868, President Andrew Johnson was tried in the Senate on articles of impeachment relating to his firing of War Secretary Edwin Stanton. The Senate quitted Johnson, found him not guilty, falling just a single vote shy of the required two-thirds majority to convict and remove him.
Over a century later in 1999, the Senate tried President Bill Clinton on articles of impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice relating to his affair with Monica Lewinsky.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did not have sexual relations with that woman. HONIG: The Senate acquitted Clinton on both counts.
SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So how does this work? The U.S. Constitution lays out the impeachment process.
HONIG: The House of Representatives holds hearings to decide whether or not to impeach.
VINOGRAD: If a simple majority of the House votes to impeach, the case goes to the Senate for full impeachment trial. While we call the Senate proceedings trials, they actually are very different from the typical criminal trial in five key ways.
First, the jury. In the Senate impeachment trial, all 100 U.S. senators serve as jurors. And unlike a criminal case, they don't need a unanimous decision. A supermajority of at least two-thirds is required to remove a president from office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: William Jefferson Clinton, President of United States now pending.
VINOGRAD: Senators must take an oath to be impartial, but there's no way to enforce that, while on a criminal trial, any impartial jury can be removed.
HONIG: Second, the burden of proof. In a criminal trial, the prosecutor must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. That is the highest burden of proof known to our legal system. But in a Senate impeachment trial, there is no such requirement. It's up to each individual Senator to determine how much evidence is enough to convict.
VINOGRAD: Third, the rules. In a criminal trial, there are detailed rules about certain kinds of secondhand information that aren't allowed. And trials follow procedure from opening statements, to questioning witnesses and closing arguments. But in the Senate, it will be up to the senators to decide on those procedures. And there's no prosecutor. House managers, usually members of the House of Representatives are appointed by the House and serve the role of the prosecutor.
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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We need witnesses, ladies and gentlemen.
HONIG: Forth, the judge. The Constitution requires that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court preside over a senate impeachment trial of the President. In the current Supreme Court, that would mean Chief Justice John Roberts would preside.
VINOGRAD: Fifth, the punishment. Usually defendant in a criminal case basis imprisonment. But if convicted, the punishment the president faces is removal from office and being banned from ever holding office again.
HONIG: With only two models in U.S. history of how a Senate impeachment trial might unfold, there's a lot we don't know about what could happen. But one thing is for certain, it will not look like a typical criminal trial.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And you can find more useful videos just like that and daily reporting on the impeachment processs at cnn.com/politics. Do take a look. Well, we have been talking about the much-needed rain that's finally getting to parts of Australia. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us from the international weather center with more on this. And Derek, while the rain is great for Melbourne, in other parts of Australia, it is problematic.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Yes. OK, let's talk about the good parts. Yes, we need the rain, Rosie, but of course, some of these thunderstorms considered supercells can actually trigger additional bushfires because of the lightning going over very parched land. But this is good news overall because look at the radar, it is really just lit up over the past 12 hours or so. And you can see the projected rainfall for the next seven days is significant.
Anywhere between 50 to 150 millimeters of rain along the coastal regions of Queensland, even working towards the rural areas of Victoria, you can see that rainfall stretches across much of the eastern coastline of Australia. By the way, about 50 millimeters of rain, steady rainfall is needed to help extinguish flame.
So I believe we will be seeing those rains accumulate to at least that going forward over the next few days. So you can see the setup, lots of precipitation again expected for the areas that have been hit hardest by the bushfires. But let's talk about the other angle.
And we also know that Will Ripley touched on this a moment ago that the athletes have been suffering from a poor quality of air at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Currently, right now, it's at 21, which is good actually in terms of air quality. But we know that a couple of days ago when some of the athletes were pulling out of the event because the air quality was actually worse than New Delhi's. It was the worst in the world at that particular time in that particular moment. So let's talk about what actually happens.
Pollutants decrease your ability for your lungs to function properly. It also reduces blood flow which of course, we need to absorb the oxygen from the air. So think about a spectator or somebody who's resting watching the Australian Open. They're inhaling about 12 liters of O2 per minute. But if you are exercising, this is the concern for some of the athletes there.
They inhale about eight times more air just in minutes compared to someone who's actually resting. So try to absorb that oxygen, if you're not able to get that blood flow in your decreased lung capacity, you can imagine why athletes are pulling out of the Australian Open.
Here's the forecast for Sydney. Rainfall through the weekend but you can see temperatures and sunshine and dry weather comes back by the second half of next week, Rosie?
CHURCH: Wow. OK, thank you so much for keeping a close eye on that, Derek. I appreciate it.
VAN DAM: Yes, sure.
CHURCH: Well, officials in the Philippines say activity from the rumbling Taal Volcano has eased but the risk of a violent eruption is still high. Plumes of ash and steam have been billowing out since Sunday, covering nearby towns with thick layers of haze with almost zero visibility.
Tens of thousands of people in the area have been moved to temporary shelters but some are returning home to collect their belongings and salvage whatever they can despite warnings from officials. CNN's Blake Essig has more.
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BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You can hear the fear in his voice. Frantic moments racing across a moonlike landscape, risking everything to see what's left of the life he left behind. After several days of continuous eruptions, this is the scene from Taal volcano Island. What this man found, homes destroyed, decimated plant life, and to his surprise, several horses covered in ash. In the end, forced to leave them behind.
On the other side of the lake, the cleanup effort is underway. Despite the effort by police to keep people from returning, and the government issuing a mandatory total evacuation of nearly half a million people. That includes everyone living within a 14-kilometer radius of the volcano, which scientists believe could blow at any moment.
[02:40:09]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We cannot fault these people going back to check on their homes. First, they want to check their homes, their livelihoods.
ESSIG: Defiantly, many people including 20-year-old Rence Mateo sneak past authorities daily in an effort to salvage what's left of his home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our house was destroyed. We have nothing. No more house to go back to.
ESSIG: And he's not alone. 52-year-old Vangie Sarmiento says she's also lost everything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It was totally destroyed. I only saw it yesterday. I saw a barren game. I can't help but cry. I asked myself, how can we rebuild our lives? How can we start again?
ESSIG: Storming into along with more than 53,000 people are now living in temporary evacuation shelters which some say lack food, water, and clothing, confined to cardboard mattresses on the floor until Taal goes back to sleep. Blake Essig, CNN Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: We'll take a short break. Still to come, Puerto Rico is still reeling from last week's devastating earthquakes. We speak with some residents who are struggling to get back on their feet. And the Duchess of Sussex has a problem on her hands. No, not just her and her husband's decision to step back as senior Royals, it's the legal battle some are calling the trial of the century. We'll take a look.
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CHURCH: After a long delay, the U.S. says it will allow Puerto Rico to access $8 billion in relief aid. The money had been put on hold because the Trump administration said it wanted to make sure the funds was spent properly. Protesters and lawmakers who approved the aid condemned the hold and urging the U.S. to release other funds that haven't been dispersed.
The aid is meant to help Puerto Rico recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria, which hammered the island in 2017. Well, Puerto Rico is also recovering from a series of earthquakes that damaged thousands of homes and buildings last week. The governor says thousands of people are currently staying in shelters worried that another quake could strike soon. CNN's Rafael Romo has more now on the recovery efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[02:45:03]
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico is much more than just a religious temple for many in this town located on the island's southern coast.
Rafael Ortiz Rodriguez says, it's like a second home to him. His eyes swell up as he talks about the church where he started attending mass as an eight-year-old boy. The building that holds eight decades of memories for Ortiz is now in ruins. Almost half of the church built in the mid-19th century collapse last week during a particularly strong earthquake. A preliminary inspection concluded what many in this community feared.
An engineer told us it will have to be demolished, this church employee says. There's really nothing that can be saved. Guayanilla is one of the hardest-hit areas by a series of earthquakes and aftershocks that began on December 28th causing widespread damage on Puerto Rico's southern coast.
Most of this commercial building collapsed into the street during one of the most powerful earthquakes so far here in the town of Guayanilla. As you can see, the street is completely blocked by the debris, and the earthquake also brought down utility poles. Part of the reason why some people here in this island are still in the dark.
This woman says she witnessed the collapse of utility poles. During one of the stronger earthquakes, she says, windows that nearby businesses shattered as if there had been an explosion. Electrical workers are now working around the clock to restore power to the last remaining pockets around the town with no service.
Carlos (INAUDIBLE) describes last week's 6.4 magnitude earthquake. That's the loudest and scariest commotion he's ever heard not only because of the tremor, but also because multiple buildings came crashing down in this neighborhood.
Back at Immaculate Conception Church, Rafael Ortiz wonders if he will ever be able to serve and attend mass again after church where he spent a lifetime. For now, a more pressing concern. The ground hasn't stop shaking for more than two weeks. And old parishioners can do now is pray and wonder when all this will stop. Rafael Romo, CNN, Guayanilla, Puerto Rico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And to find out how you can help those affected in Puerto Rico, just go to cnn.com/impact. In the United Kingdom, members of the Royal Family are stepping out in public for the first time since Prince Harry and his wife Meghan announced they want to step down as senior Royals. But as CNN's Max Foster tells us, the focus is shifting to the Duchess' lawsuit against a British newspaper and a potential confrontation in court with her father.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: The Royal Family keeping calm and carrying on, as is their style. All smiles from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge here in Bradford for their first public engagements since the family crisis meeting, a (INAUDIBLE) earlier in the week.
The Duchess of Sussex out too in Canada carrying out her own visit to a women's shelter in Vancouver. The British press still hot on her heels. Paparazzi shots of her boarding a seaplane with a big smile on her face.
Meanwhile, here in London, court papers were released relating to a case the Duchess of Sussex brought against the Mail on Sunday over a letter they published from her to her father in 2018. Raising the question, will he appear as a defense witness in court.
Meghan filed a suit against the paper last year for allegedly publishing the letter unlawfully. She claims misuse of private information and breach of data protection rights. New court documents outlined the defense case that there was huge and legitimate public interest in members of the Royal Family on their personal and family relationships.
The publisher adds, the Duchess knew that it was possible and even likely that Thomas Markle would share the letter with the media. No date has been set for this trial and the Duchess hasn't revealed whether she plans to appear in court. Royal Watch is already touting this as the trial of the century, which could reveal what really went on in the run-up to Meghan and Harry's high-profile wedding, something that coachers would prefer to keep firmly behind palace walls. Max Foster, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Remember that awkward moment when Bernie Sanders tried to shake Elizabeth Warren's hand after the CNN Democratic Debate? We actually talked about it extensively 24 hours ago, but now we have the audio to go with it. And we will reveal what the two Democratic presidential candidates had to say. That's next.
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[02:50:00]
CHURCH: So you may have noticed a tense moment on stage after the CNN Democratic Debate Tuesday. We now have audio of the exchange between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. During the debate, the two Democratic presidential candidates sparred over whether or not Sanders had told Warren in 2018 that a woman could not win the presidency. CNN, Jeff Zeleny tells us what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: With applause still ringing at the end of the Democratic Debate in Iowa last night, the simmering feud between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders suddenly boiled over.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think you called me a liar on national T.V.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What?
WARREN: I think you called me a liar on national T.V.
SANDERS: Let's not do it right now. You want to have that discussion, we'll have that discussion. You called me -- you called me -- all right, let's not do it now.
TOM STEYER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want to get in your way. I just want to say hi, Bernie.
SANDERS: Yes, good. OK.
ZELENY: She walked away without a handshake after intentionally trying to de-escalate the fight earlier in the debate.
WARREN: Bernie is my friend and I am not here to try to fight with Bernie.
ZELENY: But Warren wanted to make a point that a woman can win the presidency. It was one of the most memorable lines of the night.
WARREN: Look at the men on this stage. Collectively, they have lost 10 elections. The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they've been in are the women. They were sparring over a comment Warren says Sanders made during a private meeting in 2018 that a woman couldn't win the White House. Sanders strongly denied ever making such an assertion.
SANDERS: As a matter of fact, I didn't say it. And I don't want to waste a whole lot of time on this because this is what Donald Trump and maybe some of the media want. Anybody knows me, knows that it's incomprehensible that I would think that a woman cannot be president to the United States.
ZELENY: In the moment, Warren disagreed, but waited more than an hour later until after the debate to accuse Sanders of calling her a liar.
So neither campaign had any comment about the contents of that extraordinary exchange. Senator Bernie Sanders was on Capitol Hill. He would not discuss that as we caught up with him. But it's clear both sides were trying to de-escalate the feud, at least on the debate stage. Clearly, it's anything but now, neither senator has spoken to one another, but they will be spending quite a bit of quality time together during that Senate impeachment trial underway in full next week. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And we just saw Tom Steyer get caught in the middle of that Warren-Sanders face off. Here it is again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEYER: I don't want to get in your way. I just want to say hi, Bernie.
SANDERS: Yes, good. OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: OK, let's play that one more time, just in case you missed it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEYER: I don't want to get in your way. I just want to say hi, Bernie.
SANDERS: Yes, good. OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But Steyer took it in stride, even poking fun at himself. He tweeted, just want to say hi, America, in reference to his unfortunate timing as he tried to chat with Bernie Sanders. Steyer told CNN after the debate, "It was one of those awkward moments where I felt like, you know, I need to move on as fast as possible." Very uncomfortable for him and for all of us watching.
Was making of awkward Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is getting his face all over the internet and for all the wrong reasons. CNN's Jeanne Moos checks it out.
[02:55:16] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is one question you didn't hear at the Democratic debate.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Which of you is best prepared --
MOOS: To be on a meatball? The answer is Mike Bloomberg. This is the story of how he couldn't be up on the stage waving but he did get a wave of publicity for being on a meatball. It started when team Bloomberg began putting out some wacky tweets on debate night, which eagle looks more disgusted with Donald Trump, which novelty veto stamps should Mike use as president? No way Jose or OMG, no?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was so strange, there were questions about whether or not he had been hacked.
MOOS: No hacking. Tweets range from Mike can telepathically communicate dolphins to in lieu of an inaugural address, Mike plans on singing shallow with Lady Gaga. But the shallowest and funniest tweets said test your political knowledge, spot the meatball that looks like Mike.
It triggered a spaghetti tornado of brutal replies. Stick a fork in him, he's overdone. Hey at Mike Bloomberg, direct messaged me. I could do Twitter content half this stupid for quarter the cost. This will be on a game show one day, which 2020 presidential candidate campaign by putting their face on a meatball. Mayor Bloomberg responded awkwardly on The View.
MIKE BLOOMBERG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know. I like meatballs. Young people that run a social media part of the campaign having some fun.
MOOS: The campaign stab at absurdist humor could upstage President Trump's nicknames.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Little Michael.
MOOS: Who needs mini Mike Bloomberg when you've got Meatball Mike. Now he's on a roll.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mamma Mia, that's a spicy meatball.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --
BLOOMBERG: I'm Mike Bloomberg and I approve this message.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: OK. That is a tough world out there, right? Thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter and I'll be back with more us in just a moment. You're watching CNN. Stick around. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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