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A Day Away From an Intense Senate Impeachment Trial; Klobuchar and Warren Gets the Nod of "The New York Times"; Prince Harry Speaks About Sudden Decision; Clashes Escalate in Beirut; Dozens Wounded in Iraq Protests; World Leaders Calls for Ceasefire in Libya; Two Police Officers Killed in Hawaii. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 20, 2020 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and of course all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is "CNN Newsroom." Let's get started.

We are just about a day away from the impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump coming up. Each sides strategy and the fight still yet to be settled.

Plus, Prince Harry's great sadness, why he says the decision to not represent the Queen officially was a tough one.

And security concerns over an annual gun rights rally that begins and just hours from now, how law enforcement officials are confronting threats of violence on the very day meant to honor an icon of peace.

We are getting a sense of U.S. President Donald Trump's defense strategy as his legal team prepares for his impeachment trial in the Senate. The House impeachment managers met Sunday to see the seven of them there, led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.

They will walk through the Senate chamber in the coming hours as part of their trial preparation. The White House will file its legal brief by noon on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Mr. Trump's team includes such well known figures as Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz.

In a pre-trial filing, the president's team argues that he should not be impeached because his conduct with Ukraine was not a criminal offense. At a Farm Bureau conference appearance, President Trump got a standing ovation when he attacked the impeachment process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are achieving what no administration has ever achieved before. And what do I get out of it? Tell me? I get impeached. That's what I get out of it. By these radical left lunatics, I get impeached. But that's okay. The farmers are sticking with Trump. They are sticking with Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Sarah Westwood has more on the pre-trial documents and what's ahead.

(BEGIN VIDETAPE)

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: With the trial of President Trump set to begin on Tuesday, both the White House and House Democrat fired opening shots this weekend in the first round of filings ahead of the trial.

On Saturday evening, House Democrats filed their trial briefs and that's essentially the paper version of the case that we will hear House Democrats lay out against Trump on the floor of the Senate when the trial gets underway.

Now, interestingly, House Democrats mentioned they may want to draw from new evidence. Those are documents provided by Lev Parnas, an associate of the president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Republicans have sought to limit the evidence House Democrats can cite at the trial to just what was relied upon for voting on the articles of impeachment in the House weeks ago.

Also on Saturday evening, we saw the White House make its first filing ahead of the Senate trial. And that was a response to the Senate's summons of President Trump. It was a six-page document from the president's legal team that offered a taste of the aggressive tone that Trump's lawyers are likely to strike in the trial.

It laid out extensive arguments against both articles of impeachment, both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Now, of course, there is still a bitter divide in the Senate between Republicans and Democrats over whether lawmakers will hear from witnesses in the course of the Senate trial.

Democrats on Sunday expressed concerns about whether witnesses will be called and other aspects of the case, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), U.S. HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: If the Senate decides, if Senator McConnell prevails and there are no witnesses, it will be the first impeachment trial in history that goes to conclusion without witnesses.

REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY), U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN: There is no question that working with a foreign power, trying to extort a foreign power to interfere in our election is about as bad as you can imagine. The main fear the framers of the Constitution had, why they put the impeachment clause in the Constitution, was they were afraid of foreign interference in our domestic affairs.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WESTWOOD: Now, Monday is set to be a busy day in the trial of President Trump. The White House's legal brief is due by noon and an hour earlier at 11:00 a.m., House managers, the seven Democrats presenting the case against Trump are expected to do a walk through of the Senate floor in preparation of the trial to start in earnest on Tuesday.

[02:05:05]

Democrats are still expressing complaints about the fact that they have not seen the Senate resolution outlining the rules of the trial, but some Senate Republicans have pushed for an aggressive schedule that would see it longer, but fewer days for presenting. That question of witnesses also left open ended heading into the week of the trial. Sarah Westwood, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, the Democratic leader in the Senate said he is prepared to force votes on calling witnesses and presenting new documents. Chuck Schumer needs 51 votes to win approval. So, four Republicans would have to join the Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: We have the right to do it. We are going to do it. And we are going to do it at the beginning, on Tuesday. If Leader McConnell does not call for these witnesses in his proposal, we're allowed to amend it and ask for them. I am allowed to amend it.

And then if they say, well, let's wait and hear the arguments, we'll want to vote after they hear the arguments as well, and we will do everything we can to force votes again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And for more we are joined by Natasha Lindstaedt. She is a professor of government at England's University of Essex. Good to have you with us.

NATASHA, LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSORE, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So the White House has until noon Monday to file a trial brief with the Senate on the charges against the president, but we've already learned for the newest member of the President Trump's legal team, Alan Dershowitz, that he believes no crime was committed. And without a crime, he says, there could be no impeachment.

The only problem with that argument is that he said the complete opposite for the Clinton impeachment. So let's just compare his words now to those back in 1998. We'll bring it up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN DERSHOWITZ, COUNSEL, TRUMP'S LEGAL DEFENSE TEAM: Without a crime there can be no impeachment.

So certainly it doesn't have to be a crime. If you have somebody who completely corrupts the office of the president and who abuses trust and who poses great danger to our liberty, you don't need a technical crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So, which is it? He clearly can't have it both ways. And given Dershowitz's clear double standard on this and his own rather interesting history, could he help or hinder the president's trial?

LINDSTAEDT: That's a good question. You also have Kenneth Starr saying the opposite thing 20 years ago that he's going to have to argue in this trial that you can't have a trial without witnesses.

Dershowitz is a controversial figure, but he is very well-known and what I think Trump likes about him is that he has been on T.V. publicly defending him.

He's already laid out the cards of what the arguments are going to be, that this doesn't to rise to being an impeachable offense because Trump did not commit a crime.

Now, what Dershowitz has said and defending himself, that he is going to be defending Trump, is that he's always defended all of the different types of controversial figures in history. That's what lawyers are supposed to do.

And then he's going to be using the Constitution as a basis to defend, Trump that it has to be a crime, in order to be an impeachable offense. But of course we have all kinds of consistencies, not with Dershowitz, but as I mentioned, in Trump's legal team.

And also with Trump himself. He was highly critical of Starr and then you also have Senator Lindsey Graham on record back when he was a member of the House saying you can't have a trial without witnesses. So, we have a lot of hypocrisy everywhere.

CHURCH: Yes. That's what we're certainly seeing, and House managers, some of whom will serve as prosecutors in the Senate trial are calling for additional witnesses. Can they get the four Republican votes that they will need to do that particularly given this new evidence from indicted Rudy Giuliani associate, Lev Parnas, who says President Trump was aware of everything in relation to the Ukraine scandal?

LINDSTAEDT: And that is a great question. And I think that Mitch McConnell thinks he has control over the Republicans and they're going to be able to determine the issue with witnesses. And this is really key to the Senate trial because the Republicans don't want any witness.

That's what their strategy is. They want to keep this short and sweet as the report already mentioned, longer days but not lasting very long, because if they bring in witnesses, this is not going to be good for Trump. Some of these new revelations that are coming out paint the full

picture about what was going on about this concerted effort to get rid of Marie Yovanovitch, try to put pressure on the Ukrainians. And the more witnesses that come out, the more it will be bad for Trump.

So they're going to do whatever they can, fight tooth and nail to not have witnesses. Of course, this goes against what, as I already mentioned, what Start's strategy was during the Clinton years. Starr was on record saying you have to have witnesses.

[02:10:01]

And he will go to great lengths to have witnesses. And even someone in Trump's own legal team, Alan Dershowitz, who's been very critical of Starr at the time, saying he was willing to leak grand jury testimony in an effort to get witnesses to change their testimony and that his aggressive style in getting witnesses was over the top.

CHURCH: Yes, because as we said, if the Democrats don't get those four Republican votes they need, how can there be a trial without witnesses? How do Republicans explain that to the American public particularly with this additional evidence we've been talking about?

LINDSTAEDT: That's a great question, but I think what Republicans believe is that they don't have to. They already can see from the polling that 90 percent of Republicans do not want Trump to be impeached and removed and that there isn't in a majority of independents that want Trump to be impeached and removed.

So what they're banking on is that Republicans and the independents just don't care. This is not important to them. That they believe that Trump is such a good president doing such a good job, that this impeachment process is a complete waste of time.

And so what we are seeing and just looking at public opinion polls, the meter has not moved on this. Of course it would be improper to have a trial without witnesses, but that's what Republicans are pushing for because they believe that's going to make this trial longer and more unnecessary.

CHURCH: All right. It would certainly be unique, wouldn't it? Natasha Lindstaedt, professor of government in England's University of Essex. Thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

LINDSTAEDT: Thank you for having me,

CHURCH: Well it seems the "New York Times" editorial board can't quite make up its mind about who should be the U.S. Democratic presidential nominee. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar will share the coveted endorsement.

The "Times" describes Warren as a "brilliant architect of regulation" and praised Klobuchar for her bipartisanship and deal making skills that could possibly unite the nation. Now, the paper has kept its endorsement process private for 160 years until now. It made the announcement in a televised special that featured interviews with many of the leading Democratic presidential candidates.

On to another big story we are following, Britain's Prince Harry is speaking out on why he and his wife Meghan are splitting ties with the royal family. At a charity event on Sunday, Harry said he had hoped to continue serving the Queen, but had no other choice but to step back. The Duke of Sussex had this to say to his grandmother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: I will always have the utmost respect for my grandmother, my commander-in-chief, and I am incredibly grateful to her and the rest of my family for the support they have showed Meghan and I over the last few months. I will continue to be the same man who holds this country dear and dedicates his life to supporting the causes, charities and military communities that are so important to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Anna Stewart has been following the story and gives us more insight from outside Buckingham Palace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: The remarks made by Prince Harry at a charity event were highly personal and expressed great sadness about the decision for him and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, to step back as working members of the royal family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY: The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven't always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option.

What I want to make clear is we are not walking away and we certainly aren't walking away from you. Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth and my military associations, but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: Prince Harry spoke about his mother and about the media being a powerful force. Now, that is something we've heard a lot from Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, both are suing several tabloid newspapers.

They hope by having a more independent life they can have a different sort of relationship with the press, being able to speak to the journalists that they want to, not having to adhere to the royal rotor of correspondence.

Of course, they are high profile individuals so tabloid speculation and media interest won't wane no matter where they live. One thing Prince Harry makes clear is that his principles and the issues and causes he cares about, that won't change. You know

He says he will continue to be the same man who holds his country dear and dedicates his life to supporting the causes, charities and military communities that are so important to him. Anna Stewart, CNN, outside Buckingham Palace in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: I want to take a short break here. Still to come, tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, violence ramps up as the week of rage continues in Lebanon.

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Plus, a shooting in Hawaii leads to two deaths and several burned homes. How the chaotic situation unfolded. That's ahead.

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CHURCH: Lebanon is trying to restore calm as a week of rage intensifies and its capital. Plumes of smoke fill its streets as security forces fire tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon at the crowds. Red Cross says hundreds of people have been injured over the weekend.

For months, frustration has been mounting over the growing economic crisis and the government's inability to choose new leaders. The military has been deployed to help restore calm.

Looking at live pictures here from Iraq where protesters are clashing with government forces in Baghdad. Activist and protesters call for massive peaceful demonstrations in an attempt to pressure the Iraqi government to choose a new interim prime minister.

Now, that selection would replace current caretaker, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who resigned last year.

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Again, looking at those live pictures there from the streets of Baghdad.

A threat and a promise over-war torn Libya. World leaders are now calling for sanctions on anyone who violates any ceasefire in the battle scarred country.

They just wrapped up a Libya peace summit in Berlin where they also pledged to respect an arms embargo and promise not to interfere in the country's ongoing civil war.

The United Nations says hundreds of people have died and tens of thousands are now displaced in a conflict between a powerful general and the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli. Well, the big prize though didn't happen. No enduring truth. It wasn't

really expected, and Europe has plenty to say about it. CNN's Nic Robertson explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): As leaders met in Berlin this weekend, one demand for Libya.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. GENERAL SECRETARY: First, we need to have a ceasefire.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The reality, it would have been easier several years ago, the long road to this summit strewn with lost opportunity, a lack of international consensus, and a worsening conflict.

Turkey, the latest regional power to escalate the stakes vowing to send its troops and already helping hundreds of Syrian fighters get to Libya's front lines.

GUTERRES: Until now, we have an escalation of a Libyan conflict with some foreign interference. Now, we are facing the risk of a true regional escalation.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The root of this crisis in the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi 2011. Gaddafi's forces were poised to crush Libya's Arab spring uprising. After disagreements, the U.N. backed NATO to intervene. French jets stopped Gaddafi's advance.

And the following weeks, British and French jets pounded Gaddafi's bold holds and army, but not U.S. forces. President Obama contributed only what the Europeans could not, surveillance and midair refueling. His message, Libya was Europe's problem.

And when Gaddafi was killed, again, no consensus for what next. Europe took his eye off the ball. Tribal divisions opened up, Islamist militias took control of the cities.

U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and a colleague were killed and Benghazi. Diplomats began to draw down. isis and Al Qaeda found a foothold. The U.N. helped created government of national accord, but it had little local buy in (ph).

International airstrikes, the only real point of western consensus routed ISIS. But meaningful help rebuilding the country was in retreat. Waves of migrants began using Libya as a launch pad to reach Europe.

Oil flows fluctuated. Libya was a failing state, fertile ground for regional and global power plays. In the chaos, General Khalifa Haftar, a retired secular commander who had lived in the U.S. for many years took control of Benghazi.

Planning to purge the country of Islamist and install himself as a ruler. He got Russia's backing and Egypt's and Saudis and the UAE's. By now, President Trump was in the White House. He had no clear strategy, neither did the Europeans, except stop the migrant and steady the oil flows.

Deals were struck with the U.N.-backed government and capital's Islamist militias profited. Haftar ramped up his offensive to take the capital Tripoli. Civilian casualties escalated. The offensive stalled, but still no international consensus on how to stop the bloodshed, until this weekend's summit, and even that barely papering over divisions. Nic Robertson, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The governor of Hawaii says that the entire state is in mourning after two police officers were killed in a shooting. Police say a suspect opened fire on these officers Sunday as they responded to a call at a residence.

At some point, the house caught fire and flames engulfed other homes around it, destroying seven of them. One witness described how he pulled an injured woman to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IAN FELIX, WITNESS: We were still at the vicinity of the house when we hear -- I heard gunshots. So, everybody has to move out of that area.

[02:25:02]

So, we picked up the lady, me and one other lady picked up the old lady, brought her across the house inside the garage, closed the garage. The police officer on the ground is telling me to move back and I said, no, because the lady is really bleeding and, you know, lost a lot of blood already.

So, somebody opened the garage door and that's the time that she was scream ing I cannot breathe. So that's the time that we had to carry her to the ambulance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And police have closed off the area as they investigate. Three people including the suspect are unaccounted for.

Well, the FBI is working with local law enforcement in Virginia as the state braces for a contentious gun rights rally in the coming hours. Authorities are working on public safety after threats of violence from hate groups. Nick Valencia has more about the controversial rally.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Today is the day and it goes without saying that there is big concern here that this could turn into a similar situation that we saw in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. The governor of course worries that this could be a magnet for

extremist groups and that similar situation could happen. Of course, police officers here are also worried as well.

In fact, I was talking to some earlier patrolling the area who said it seems as though that there were individuals in the area that we're doing counter surveillance on them. That is their characterization, not ours.

But I did speak to a source in the Virginia State police department who tells me that over the course of the weekend, there was an increase in threats on law enforcement specifically on the social media pages of the Richmond Police Department as well as the Virginia State police.

But there are some individuals, pro gun rights individuals who were expected to attend that are no longer because they fear something bad could happen. Tim Anderson is one of them

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM ANDERSON, ATTORNEY: What worries me most about tomorrow is ther's going to be a bad actor, right. Not a Virginia gun owner, not somebody who is lawfully owning and possessing a firearm. There's going to be a bad actor and there's going to be something that happens in here.

I just hope the people just really understand that Virginia gun owners are peaceful people. We've peacefully demonstrated. This is not -- the (inaudible) start today. It started back in November. We've peacefully demonstrated throughout the Commonwealth.

And what -- if anything bad comes out of tomorrow, I hope that the world understands that it's not Virginia gun owners that are causing this. It is the same kind of terrorist organizations that have caused unrest in other places.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: We want to be clear. What's happening today, happens every year. It's an event hosted by the Virginia Citizen's Defense League officially known as Lobby Day, but it seems as though it's going to be less of a Lobby Day and more of a protests.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And that was CNN's Nick Valencia reporting.

Donald Trump is leaving behind the political battles of the beltway for the snowy slopes of Switzerland, but this is no ski vacation. We are live in Davos with a look at the reception he can expect at the World Economic Forum. Back in a moment.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church one to check the headlines for you this hour. South Korea has confirmed its first case of the Wuhan coronavirus. The virus has been spreading from China where officials have also confirmed 139 new cases of pneumonia linked to the strain. Three of those cases were identified in Chinese cities outside Wuhan for the first time. At least three people have died since the outbreak began last month.

Prince Harry is speaking out in the wake of the Buckingham Palace announcement that he and his wife Meghan will no longer be working members of the Royal family. Harry expressed great sadness over the decision at a charity event on Sunday, but says there really was no other option but to step back.

U.S. President Donald Trump has until noon to file a trial brief within Senate. In a pretrial filing, his defense team argued he cannot be impeached because his actions in Ukraine were not criminal offenses. The reply from the house is due 24 hours later, the impeachment trial begins Tuesday.

The Global Elite right now are gathering in a Swiss resort to discuss the very forces that are going to shape our lives in the months ahead. I'm talking of course about the World Economic Forum, the annual summit that brings together political business and finance leaders from all around the world.

But this year, unlike last year, one among them is likely to steal more than his fair share of the spotlight. Nina dos Santos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. President is a rare sighting at Davos even among the elite crowd the events drawls. But when Donald Trump turns up as he did two years ago, he's impossible to miss.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a tremendous crowd, and a crowd like they've never had before.

DOS SANTOS: The World Economic Forum with its globalist agenda is thousands of miles away from the President's populist base.

TRUMP: We are going to drain the swamp.

DOS SANTOS: Both geographically and politically. But Davos is first and foremost a business gathering and Donald Trump is keen to attract outside investment.

TRUMP: So I'll be going to Davos. I'll be meeting the biggest business leaders in the world getting them to come here.

DOS SANTOS: With the aids now drier and trades truce with China, a victory lap is also the (INAUDIBLE).

GREG SWENSON, REPUBLICANS OVERSEAS: What better place to talk about global trade and global economics than Davos? DOS SANTOS: This year's summit focuses on how to create a sustainable and cohesive world. Among the attendees, Greta Thunberg who has clashed with President Trump on climate change, and Angela Merkel, berated by him for spending too little on defense and too much on Russian gas. After the U.S. killed Tehran's top General, Iran's delegation has decided to pull out.

SWENSON: If everybody else wants to talk about climate change or Iran, that's where he could get into some spats. I think we have to anticipate there -- you know, there could be some cringe worthy moments, but we hope that the President gets all of his tweets done before the doors of Air Force One open on the tarmac.

DOS SANTOS: The trip will be the President's first foreign event on what is set to be a politically charged year on the home front. It coincides with his impeachment trial in the Senate, and it comes two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, kicking off the primary season to determine his likely Democratic opponent.

As such, it's little wonder that a survey commissioned to head of Davos rated U.S. politics as one of the global business community's biggest concerns. Trump first trip to Davos in 2018, only the second sitting president to attend after Bill Clinton.

[02:35:26]

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much.

DOS SANTOS: He may not yet have scored a standing ovation, but this President's actions continue to keep Davos' decision-makers on the edge of their seats. Nina dos Santos, CNN Davos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And for more, we are joined from Davos by our Emerging Markets Editor John Defterios. Always good to see you, John. So what's expected to be achieved at this year's World Economic Forum and how will President Trump likely be received do you think?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, Rosemary, the forum officially starts this evening here in Switzerland. Right now, we just had the sun peeking through the valley and over the Alps. 24 hours from now, the security will pick up in a very big way with helicopters because of Donald Trump coming at noon Central European Time.

I would imagine Donald Trump is going to use this as an opportunity to go into the ring, the center of the ring and counterpunch the narrative of the U.S. impeachment in the United States. And you can see that his strategy is very clear. He'll tout the first round of the U.S. China trade dispute and the settlement there, although many think that is very hollow, the reshaping of NAFTA, the job creation in the United States and the steady growth even though the United States is building up a record debt at this stage.

On the international front, he took a big risk in the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general and many question whether the Middle East is a safer place, but he'll say he took the bold move. And it also gives him an avenue here to tout the expansion as policies that he wants to put forward for NATO and extend that to the Middle East.

Who's going to police the Strait of Hormuz in the future, the President has made it very clear the U.S. cannot be the global policeman going forward. And I also think on the 50th anniversary of the World Economic Forum, it puts the founder, Professor Klaus Schwab in a delicate position, because back in 2018, he praised the president for his strong leadership, but he didn't criticize him for his position on the Paris Climate Agreement. And this year is one of the key issues during this energy transition.

And I would imagine that they're just going to have to change on the part of the World Economic Forum and see if the European leaders have a spine and stand up to President Trump particularly on that issue because of what we've seen at the start of 2020 and the fires raging in Australia.

CHURCH: Absolutely. And, of course, President Trump long denying the existence of climate change despite the scientific evidence that's out there. And teen environmentalist Greta Thunberg, she will be there in Davos. Can we expect the two of them to cross paths in any way? We've seen her scowl at him in the past.

DEFTERIOS: Yes. I'm having flashbacks to the U.N. General Assembly when President Trump kind of smirked at her and had some fairly nasty remarks on Twitter at the same time. But this is a very different venue and I'll explain why, Rosemary. I think the global chief executive community is feeling the heat of climate change and can't talk about it anymore and have to put forward concrete actions.

Coming into the World Economic Forum, we saw a big announcement for Microsoft and going to net-zero for carbon emissions going forward. The U.K. was the first major industrialized country to do so. And in the last week, we saw $1 trillion fund put forward by the European Union to follow the path of the U.K. and say by 2050, we'll have net zero emissions going forward.

This is not a great environment for the President to say I'm in denial about the Paris Agreement, and obviously, the World Economic Forum putting Greta on the center stage on the same day as President Trump. I do expect some fireworks, but I think she's going to get a lot of support from the global community, which has been criticized are being slow to adapt to the public pressure worldwide on this very issue.

CHURCH: All right, we'll be watching to see if they come -- if their paths do cross in any way. It should be interesting. John Defterios, many thanks to you joining us there from Davos. We'll talk again very soon. I appreciate it.

Well, Puerto Rico launches an investigation demanding to know why a warehouse full of emergency food and water never made it to the victims of Hurricane Maria. A closer look next.

[02:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, three government officials in Puerto Rico are now out of a job, accused of mishandling the distribution of disaster supplies meant for victims of Hurricane Maria more than two years ago. The weekend firings came shortly after hundreds of boxes of food and water will found sitting in a warehouse.

Puerto Rico is governor is ordering an investigation. Now, that aid wasn't only needed after Hurricane Maria two years ago. It's needed now. Over the past few weeks, earthquakes and aftershocks have destroyed hundreds of homes and structures. Thousands of people have had to flee from the southern part of Puerto Rico and more than 8,000 are living outdoors or in shelters. Rafael Romo is there right now and shows us how these people are keeping children's spirits up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A science lesson outdoors. It's a school without walls, but the students willingness to learn makes up for the lack of desks and blackboards. These students were left homeless by three weeks of non-stop earthquakes and aftershocks that have rattled Puerto Rico's southern coast.

The families have either lost their homes or are too afraid to stay indoors and face a very real risk of a wall or roof collapse.

They don't quite understand what's going on, Teacher Rocafort says, you can just see the fear in their faces. Rocafort and JoAnne Delgado are volunteer teachers who have been visiting shelters in some of the most affected areas. Every time they show up, they say children can hide their excitement.

JOANNE DELGADO, VOLUNTEER TEACHER (through translator): We see joy, a willingness to learn, willingness to hear the songs I sing for them. They also want to play.

ROMO: What's the most difficult thing that you see here when you deal with these children?

DELGADO (through translator): It makes me very sad that they're not getting a proper education.

ROMO: So are you here because the Department of Education or somebody else sent you?

DELGADO (through translator): No. I came because I wanted to.

ROMO: Some of the children also lost their homes in the quakes. It's obvious that houses like this one behind me will have to be demolished before they can be rebuilt. There are also many other houses here in Puerto Rico's southern coast that have sustained significant damage that is not as evidence but still pose serious risks for residents.

It's also painfully clear no student is coming back to this school in Guanica anytime soon. Education is not the only issue. A volunteer doctor told us, she and her medical team are starting to notice the effects of living in shelters for weeks.

[02:45:27]

KENIRA THOMPSON, PRESIDENT, PONCE MEDICAL SCHOOL FOUNDATION: Gastro- intestinal problems, a lot of infected bites because there's mosquitoes, certainly. We're in the Caribbean. There's a lot of -- you know, the tropics, there's a lot of mosquitoes so people are sleeping outdoors, so a lot of infected bites. We're starting to see more respiratory issues.

ROMO: When will these children be able to go back to school? Puerto Rico's government has ordered an inspection of all 856 public schools on the island with the goal of finding out which ones are safe for regular use. For now, this shelter, their families and the goodwill of volunteer teachers is all the children have.

Even though the ground keeps shaking, being unable to learn and play allows them even if it's for a fleeting moment to forget the harsh reality they have faced for the last three weeks. Rafael Romo, CNN Ponce, Puerto Rico.

CHURCH: Just ahead, in the shadow of an inferno, the world's top tennis players are holding court at the first grand slam event of the decade. We will take you live to Melbourne where the air quality is a big concern at the Australian Open. Back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Well the stage is set for the biggest sporting event in the United States. In two weeks, the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 54. The 49ers has advanced to the NFL Championship Sunday after beating the Green Bay Packers 37 to 20. It's their first trip to the Super Bowl since 2013 when they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens. As for the Chiefs, this will be the first Super Bowl appearance since they won the championship 50 years ago.

Well, I do want to go to Australia now where the first grand slam tennis event of the decade is underway. Some players at the Australian Open have been voicing concern about the level of air pollution there as the country battles it's bushfire crisis, not to mention extreme weather.

Melbourne was hit by hail storms just a short time ago. Recent torrential rains actually have brought some relief from the fires but it is a poignant picture watching a surviving koala in New South Wales trying to drink water from the road side, some heartbreaking scenes there.

Well, for more we are joined by Will Ripley in Melbourne. Good to see you, Will. and let's talk about the impact all this extreme weather is having on fire-ravaged Australia and, of course, the Australian Open. WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it really is, as you mentioned, kind of this split-screen moment for Australia. Here we are, one of this country's most important sporting events is underway. All eyes are on Melbourne, the host city for already day one an exciting day of tennis play and yet you have this ongoing crisis.

You know, you see these videos of all of the animals that have been impacted by the wildfires and that koala video, as you said, it's just really pulls at your heartstrings. But there is some welcome news and we're standing in the middle of it right now. There is extreme weather, these heavy rains, golf ball-sized hail, they are causing a lot of damage across the city but they're also lowering temperatures and the rains are for the moment helping firefighters gain the upper hand on many of the fires. The number of fires continues to drop as temperatures drop and as the rain continues to fall.

But of course, it's not enough to fully contain the situation and we do know that there is a negative impact all of this weather. You know, some of the videos are just incredible. From the massive dust storms that we saw a few days ago, to what we're seeing here in Melbourne today, the hail causing incredible damage not only here but also in the Australian Capital Canberra, for example, where windshields have been smashed and, you know, the branches have been torn off of trees.

This is the kind of extreme weather that Australia is used to dealing with. We are in the middle of summer here. These are below normal temperatures, but Melbourne is one of those cities where they say you can experience all four seasons in a single day. What Australia is not used to is this month-long, raging inferno that for the moment is subsiding, but of course, we know the temperatures will inevitably climb back up. And when the rain stops, the real concern, Rosemary, is that the fires will start burning yet again. And if the wind shifts, it could bring all that bushfires smoke back in here to Melbourne.

And remember, there's two weeks of tennis play. This is day one. So while there is -- outdoor play suspended because of the rain, they are playing inside with the closed roof at the Tennis Center behind me, we don't know what's going to happen in the coming weeks and there certainly is the chance for more hazardous air like the kind that we saw just within the last week.

CHURCH: Yes, such a challenging circumstances. Really, Australia hasn't been able to take a break here. Will Ripley, many thanks to you for bringing us up to date on the situation there. I appreciate it. So let's turn now to our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri who's also been keeping a very close eye on this. The big question, how long will these rains last to give some sort of relief? But with the rain, that brings its own problems with it, doesn't it?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we've had significant flooding. As you heard, Will mention there, Rosie, we're still seeing some hail come down across parts of town. Certainly, some problems to be had but cooler temperatures have arrived. We know the winds will, unfortunately, shift again come to the across portions of Victoria. So, certainly, you could see additional smoke work its way into this direction. But notice the fire account number. The thermal signature across this

northern tier of New South Wales has dropped off significantly. This time last week, we're talking 122 to 130 active fires, that is now below 90, and notice the concentration of it remains across parts of Victoria. But I'm here to tell you, the amount of rainfall that has come down across this region in a nine-hour span here has been remarkable, upwards to 50 to almost 100 millimeters or about four inches in a nine-hour span in an area that has been of course very hard-headed with drought.

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So some flooding to be had but a lot of the rainfall here are putting a pretty significant dent in the fire numbers and helping the firefighting efforts. But of course, the strong thunderstorms, you get these gusts that develop ahead of these thunderstorms, then you get the dust storms as we see across even the say southwestern United States that are happening in New South Wales, Australia. The haboobs as they're known here, producing significant areas of the dust storm that are being kicked up as well.

But I want to kind of take you across the United States because certainly no dust storms to be had. The big story here is the significant glass of colder air into the upper Midwest and also into the Plains region. You know, potentially the coldest air of the season working its way into the area in the next couple of days and eventually shift as far south as central and southern Florida.

In fact, wind chill advisories in place for temps running about 20 to 30 degrees below zero when you would come into the early morning hours of Monday morning there into the northern tier of the U.S. and even in Atlanta, Georgia. Even in Central Florida temperatures dropping off to rather cold readings. I'll leave you with this, Rosie. This is an iguana. An iguana is beginning to fall from trees.

That is what happened a couple of years ago across parts of Florida. Anytime temperatures in South Florida dip below 50 Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius, they essentially becoming immobile. Folks are moving them back into the sunlight. And they're not dead. They come back to life here after temps warm up above the 50 degrees Fahrenheit threshold. But incredible scenes potentially going to be played out here in parts of Florida in the next couple of days.

CHURCH: It's extraordinary. Well, thank you so much for sharing that with us. I appreciate it.

JAVAHERI: Thanks.

CHURCH: All right, talk to you soon. And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. You are watching CNN. Do stay with us.

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