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U.S. and China Agree to Work on Cutting Emissions; World Leaders Finishing COP26 Draft Agreement; Migrants Amassed Polish- Belarusian Border; Europe Breaking New Record in COVID Cases; Female Midfielder Arrested Over Teammate's Attack. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 11, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): The U.S. and China make a surprise announcement at COP26. We have the latest on the climate agreement.

And the migrant crisis at the border between Poland and Belarus, why it's drying in Russia, the United States, and the E.U.

Plus, a female footballer attacked and beaten, now one of her teammates is under arrest.

Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: When it comes to fighting climate change China says cooperation with the U.S. is the only choice. The world's top two polluters surprise the COP26 Summit in Glasgow, Scotland with a new pledge to work together to cut emissions and keep rising temperatures in check.

The announcement comes ahead of a virtual summit between the U.S. and Chinese presidents. The pledge is light on specifics and lacks any commitment from China on major international agreements. But still, a U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry says he's pleased.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: The United States and China have no shortage of differences, but on climate, on climate cooperation is the only way to get this job done. This is not a discretionary thing frankly, this is science, it's math and physics that dictate the road that we have to travel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: We'll have more on that agreement from Beijing in a moment. Delegates to the COP26 Climate Summit have just two days left to firm up an agreement to keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius, but their draft deal is facing stiff opposition from leading fossil fuel producers including Saudi Arabia and Russia.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returns to Glasgow Wednesday in hopes of sealing the deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We have to bridge the gap between where we are and where we need to be if we are going to cut emissions in half by 2030. And we need to pull out all the stops if we are going to do what we came here to do, and that's keep 1.5 alive and make Paris the success that the world needed to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: We get more from CNN's Phil Black reporting from Glasgow.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Twenty fifteen's Paris Agreement set a goal for limiting global average temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably closer to 1.5. The draft documents here in Glasgow don't rewrite that language, but they do build upon making an argument for why 1.5 must be considered the reasonable threshold.

Refers to the best available science which says beyond 1.5 the impacts become much worse very quickly. It also talks about why this is a critical decade, again based on the science, which says in order to keep 1.5 achievable, countries much cut emissions by about 45 percent by 2030.

It also says, it makes the point that we already know, we are nowhere near on track towards achieving that. Instead, we're looking at a 30 percent increase in emissions by 2030.

Crucially, these draft documents provide a potential way forward. Suggesting countries revisit their emissions targets by the end of next year in order to ensure they are reliant with that goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

It says that ministers should get together next year as well, and the year after that world leaders should come together to address the ambition that is on the table in the lead up to 2030.

Crucially, this is just a draft. And there will be pressure on a lot of this language over the coming days, it is expected that some countries that do not want to revisit their targets, and do not want to cut deeply this decade will push back.

But there is a view among activists and analysts, watching these negotiations unfold, that if those steps forward are stripped out of the final language, then it will be very difficult to describe COP26 in Glasgow as anything other than a failure.

Phil Black, CNN, Glasgow, Scotland.

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now from Glasgow, is Mark Maslin, who is a professor of earth science at University College London. Thanks so much for being here with us.

[03:04:56]

I want to start with that surprise announcement of a joint pledge to slow climate change between the world's two biggest polluters, it's being held by some experts as an important step, criticized by others for being too vague. How significant do you think it is?

MARK MASLIN, PROFESSOR OF EARTH SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: I think it's really important, because what it means is that the two biggest polluters in the world are talking to each other. And this is really important. This is what COP26 is all about, getting countries to cooperate, to actually work together, and actually have a dialogue.

So actually, the U.S. and China talking and then can work out ways to decarbonize. The U.S. has already announced they are going to half the amount of emissions by 2030. So, they can then persuade China to come on that pathway with them, then again, we are going to really make a huge difference to the amounts of emissions of carbon into the atmosphere.

BRUNHUBER: But how likely is it that they can drag China long given that they have been a bit reticent to make those concrete commitments especially around things like coal?

MASLIN: So, China has made some really interesting commitments. So, firstly, they've committed to getting to net zero by 2060. They have also put in the largest internal carbon trading system in the world. It's the same size, if not bigger than the European carbon trading system.

So, they have already geared up to actually to work out how to start the internal systems of driving carbon down. They've also announced that they will not fund coal fired power stations outside of China.

So, this is a really good step. But they are all small steps, and this is the practical nature of COP, which is that the U.S. can show good willing and drop their emissions, then China will see that this is great and therefore they can follow that lead.

So again, it's the U.S. that has a lead to show good willing, drop emissions, and China will say well, look, if they can do it, we can do better.

BRUNHUBER: So, you sound pretty positive on that development, but the draft of the COP26 proposal, I saw your reaction to that online, explain why you said it left you, quote, "deeply depressed" as you put it?

MASLIN Well, because after Paris, and we've had six years of negotiations after that, I was expecting there to be stronger language, more ambition. We've had some great announcements here at COP, but actually putting them all together we need something overarching. And we know why.

There are certain countries that are agitating to try to weaken the natural final statement, and that's of course Saudi Arabia, that's Australia and Russia. All whom are wedded to their fossil fuels and can't see a carbon free future, unlike the U.S. and China who can easily see their economy growing and blossoming without fossil fuels.

So, we need to remove those roadblocks, and we just need to strengthen those terms there, because what we need is all countries to be ambitious. We need everybody. Because of course the atmosphere does not care where the actual carbon is emitted from.

So, if China and America do brilliant stuff but you still have other countries emitting huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, we're not going to hit that one-and-a-half-degree target.

BRUNHUBER: So, I just want to get your sense, you're there at COP26. So, putting aside all the upbeat talk from the bureaucrats, what's the mood there? And is there a hope that even if the final declaration is lacking the energy, the awareness of all these issues will spur change back home?

MASLIN: So, I see lots of energy. I mean, it's really difficult, I've been trying to do little blogs to show people the number of people here. Just the amount of noise. I mean, this is fantastic, early in the morning it's quiet, in about half an hour's time there will be something like 20,000 people in this arena all trying to negotiate different deals.

And that's really exciting, because it's not just the top line, it's country to country deals, its regional deals, it's adaptation money is produced for African farmers. So, there's lots of stuff that is going underneath which is really exciting.

And I think the energy is there, and they're going to be working through tonight, and I predict Friday night, I doubt that will get an announcement on Friday, it will be Saturday as always. And there will be an announcement, and I'm sure the language in the final communique will be much tighter than it is now. Just because people want change. They want a much better and tougher sort of negotiations and agreement.

BRUNHUBER: Finally, looking forward after this. You know, the activists are warning us about the extent of the greenwashing that's going on. The number of fossil fuel representatives who are there at COP26 is get staggering.

So going forward, how do we make sure that we're not being, you know, taken for a ride here, that all these politicians and companies aren't fooling us into thinking that they're making progress. How do we have citizens sort of hold them accountable after COP ends?

[03:09:55]

MASLIN: Well, this is a strange thing, I heard somebody announce last week that the new climate heroes the people that are going to save the planet are the accountants. And that's really true. Because what we need is we need checks and balances, we need to keep an eye on those countries to make sure they're doing what they say. And again, it's going to be much easier because the global economy is

helping us. Renewables are much cheaper than fossil fuels, they are much safer, and actually they're much more reliable. So, the whole economy is moving.

I mean, yesterday was transport day, we had announcements from major car producers that said in 10 years' time we are not going to produce a fossil fuel vehicle anymore. So, the whole economy of the world is starting to move into these decarbonization pathway.

So, we just have to push, but yes, we all need to, and CNN and everybody else need to keep an eye on our politicians and our companies to make sure they're really doing what they say.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and we will do just that for sure. Mark Maslin Glasgow, thank you so much for your perspective. I really appreciate it.

MASLIN: Pleasure.

BRUNHUBER: All right. I want to get more now on that agreement between the U.S. and China, so let's bring in CNN's Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang. Steven, so the surprise announcement, take us through how this came about.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Kim, you know, this is gaining so much attention, I think it really reflects the general low expectations in Glasgow from the world's top emitters led by China and the U.S. And you know, your guest just now sounded very optimistic, but many others say disagreement really was largely a reiteration of what they had previous agreed in the 2016 Paris Agreement.

You know, obviously, they did say they were strengthening communications by reviving this working group on this issue, and also make some vague pledges in terms of accelerating -- accelerating their pace of admissions reduction with China alluding to, you know, doing that on their reliance on coal in the coming years as well.

But all of this, of course, came on the heels of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping really describing his perspective on this issue in unsurprisingly very lofty terms. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XI JINPING, PRESIDENT OF CHINA (through translator): I felt discrimination and exclusion of others. To me, that harms done to nature will eventually harm ourselves. China's carbon reduction action is a profound economic and social transformation.

However, formidable the task may be, we will work tirelessly to make our contribution to promoting global green transition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIANG (on camera): So, I think this development really came as a surprise mostly because of the current state of the overall relationship between the two sides, which really has been in a deep freeze. Now this of course is also all about timing.

I think this is happening because of this virtual summit between Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart President Joe Biden you mentioned earlier. And both sides in the past few days and even weeks have been trying to create a more positive atmosphere, providing some momentum, if you will, going into this very important virtual summit, which would be the two leaders first meeting since Joe Biden took office.

I think this is really, you know, a sense of why this is happening and why now. But still, you know, there are lot of structural contradictions between the two sides. Not only very much in place, but also deepening issues ranging from Taiwan to human rights.

So, despite this relatively positive development in Glasgow, Kim, I think there's so much more to watch out for when Xi Jinping and Joe Biden meet virtually next week. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, we'll be covering that extensively. Thanks so much, CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing.

And for all the latest climate news and COP26 coverage you can go to cnn.com/climate.

The U.S. and E.U. are expected to impose a new round of sanctions against the Belarusian regime as thousands of helpless migrants huddled in freezing weather at the Polish-Belarusian border.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling on Moscow to use its influence on Belarus to de-escalate the situation, but there's no indication it will.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us from London. Salma, what is the latest on that volatile situation at the border?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Kim, thousands of migrants will be walking along that border. They survived freezing temperatures last night, little access to food or sanitation. I have to point out there are very, very young children along that border trying to keep warm, trying to keep safe.

And it's overnight of course that these very dangerous attempts are made to cross that border. And we do have a new update for you this hour from the Polish authorities saying that 468 attempts were made overnight to cross that border from Belarus into Poland, and 42 foreigners, again according to Polish authorities, were sent back into Belarus.

[03:14:55]

Now, those migrants again, those thousands of people huddled along that border, they are facing if they are able to make that crossing, 15,000 Polish troops on the other side. Sat there to seal that border off and prevent anyone from crouching.

Of course, Poland says that this is not a migrant crisis, and it blames Belarus of course, and President Putin of Russia of orchestrating this crisis right now along the border. I want you to take a listen to what the Polish prime minister said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI, POLISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Now, from distance, those events on the Polish-Belarusian border may look like a migration crisis, but this is not a migration crisis. It's a political crisis. And caused for specific purpose, for the purpose of destabilization the situation in the E.U. So, what we are facing here, and we have stated clearly, is a manifestation of state terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ (on camera): Now, the European Union and President Biden, of course of the United States, agree with Poland's assessment, they back Poland of course in this controversy.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president was at the White House yesterday meeting with President Biden, and both sides now are cor -- are coordinating, rather, new sanctions against Belarus.

Ursula von der Leyen saying that she considers as a hybrid attack from Belarus, meant to destabilize the democracies of the European Union. And she says that it has to be, there has to be a reaction from the United States, a coordinated act from the United States and the E.U.

Possible sanctions could be against airliners, which the European Union is blaming for potentially shuffling some of these migrants onto that border. But while this geopolitical crisis worsens, of course, Kim, you still have those thousands of migrants, those thousands of desperate people sitting along that border, with again, very little access to health.

We could see the sanctions going to place as early as the end of this week from the E.U. side against officials and Belarusians. And again, against potentially some airliners. We could potentially see actions from the United States as early as December.

It's important to remember there's already been sanctions in place against Belarus. So, the question is how will this solve the crisis? And more importantly, what does that mean for the people struggling to survive on that border right now? Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's the essential question. Salma Abdelaziz in London, thank you so much.

And tensions are also growing on the border between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. says it's concerned by reports of Russian military activity in the region, and the possibility that Moscow may be trying to rehash the invasion it carried out in 2014.

One official told CNN the number of Russian units has grown by two thirds in recent weeks. The U.S. and the Ukraine renew their strategic partnership in Washington on Wednesday. That's where Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced his concerns about Russia's intentions. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We don't have clarity into Moscow's intentions. But we do know its playbook and our concern is that Russia may make a serious mistake of attempting to rehash what it undertook in 2014, when it amassed forces along the border, crossed into sovereign Ukrainian territory, and did so claiming falsely that it was provokes.

So, the playbook that we've seen in the past is to claim some provocation as a rationale for doing what it's intended and plan to do all along. Which is why we are looking at this very carefully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later thanked Washington for its support and intelligence sharing.

Conditions in Ethiopia are growing worse despite diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict between government forces and the rebel alliance. An Amnesty International report said survivors describing raped at gunpoint, robbed, and subjected to physical and verbal assaults by TPLF fighters who destroyed and looted medical facilities in the town.

A TPLF spokesman denies the charges and is calling for an independent investigation. Meanwhile, the U.N. says nine of its staffers and 78 truck drivers are being detained by the government without explanation.

Ahead, setbacks in Europe's battle against the coronavirus, the wrong kind of records are being broken. We'll talk about the hotspots.

Plus, a soccer player in France is in custody over an attack on her teammate. We'll have details on the alleged plot ahead. Stay with us.

[03:20:00]

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BRUNHUBER (on camera): Germany has shattered another COVID record. For the fourth day in a row, daily infections hit a pandemic high, more than 50,000 new cases were reported today. Much of Europe is seeing a similar spike.

The World Health Organization says new infections are up 7 percent compared to last week. And the region's death toll increased 10 percent during that same stretch.

CNN's Scott McLean is tracking this live from London. Scott, Germany setting new records. The news seems to be getting grimmer by the day.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is certainly not good, Kim. Most of the world regions according to this WHO report say that the virus is going flat or it is even declining, whereas in Europe it is going in the opposite direction.

And there is a notable east west divide though in Europe when it comes to infection rates, though even some Western European countries like Germany and U.K. have very high infection rates as well. Though, comparatively, France has quite a low one, and yet their rate has doubled in just the past four weeks.

As you said, in Germany they're setting yet another record. Fifty thousand infections reported today, that is almost 50 percent higher than the daily case counts that they were seeing just one week ago.

And the German Chancellor Angela Merkel says this is all quite easy to explain, it is all quite simple, there are not enough Germans to prevent this virus from spreading quickly throughout the population, especially quickly through the 33 percent of the German population that have no immunity, at least no immunity from vaccines at all.

Per capita though, many eastern European countries are in a much worse position. We're talking about Slovakia, Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria, the list goes on. They have an infection rate that are more than twice as high as Germany's. And per capita death tolls that are many times higher than Germany's.

And that is because many of these countries are really struggling to convince their populations to actually take the vaccine. Romania, in particular, has a huge problem with vaccine hesitancy.

Meanwhile, many western countries -- western European countries are already moving on to get the booster shot. The third booster shot into the arms of older people, and when it comes to younger people, this week they have announced that they are changing the game slightly.

This week, both health officials in both France and Germany announced that for people under 30, they should be given only the Pfizer/BioNTech shot rather than the Moderna shot because of the risk of some rare heart inflammation.

That risk is five times a higher in the Moderna shot compared to the Pfizer shot. So, it's about one in every 37,000 cases, with Moderna, and one in every 8,000 with Pfizer. And so, you can see why they may have made this decision.

Now this inflammation is rare, and it is mild and very treatable in most cases, but better safe than sorry is sort of message. And this applies to both the first and the second shots of the vaccine regardless of what you are given for the first one.

So, this might result in some mixing and matching though, in Germany likely not. That's because the Moderna vaccine has only been given in fewer than 10 percent of all of the shots given in that country.

[03:25:01]

And remember, Kim, that most European countries are already not giving out the AstraZeneca shot to younger people because of the very, very rare risk of blood clots there.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. We should emphasize exactly that, that it is extremely rare. Scott McLean, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

In just over an hour the U.S. vice president will attend an Armistice Day event with the French president. Kamala Harris is on a five-day visit to France, and has been holding talks with Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.

That's just part of the push by the Biden administration to repair relations with America's long-term ally, that's after the diplomatic storm caused by a surprise U.S., Britain, Australia security deal that caused France a multibillion-dollar submarine contract.

Paris said this is the beginning of a new era with new challenges and opportunities. President Macron thank her for coming to Paris, and said the French people are proud to have her.

Women's professional soccer in France is reeling from a massive scandal. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Aminata Diallo has been arrested in connection with an attack on a teammate. Multiple reports identify her victim as Kheira Hamraoui who is competing for the same position on the squad.

CNN's Cyril Vanier joins us from Paris. Just really an unbelievable story, take us through this.

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kim, very mysterious at this stage and a deeply, deeply troubling story. We don't have the final answers, but certainly it raises very, very serious questions about what role the PSG women's soccer team midfielder Aminata Diallo may -- may have played in the violent assault on her teammate, also a midfielder, they play the same position as you pointed out, Kheira Hamraoui just last week.

So, the timeline of events according to the French Sports Daily L'Equipe goes like this. Last Thursday returning from a team dinner Aminata Diallo, according to L'Equipe was driving Kheira Hamraoui back to her house just in the suburbs of Paris, as they pulled up near the house masked assailants pulled Hamraoui out of the car and beat her.

Now they are several troubling things here, outside of the violence, they beat her with an iron bar and they targeted her legs, that's number one. Number two, they did not steal anything, number three, Diallo, who is in the car, was not attacked and was not beaten.

Hamraoui went to the hospital and got stages, missed the next game which was this Tuesday, the next PSG game. And just yesterday, first thing early morning Aminata Diallo was arrested by police at her house, and she has been undergoing questioning at the hands of the police in Versailles over her possible connection to this.

Now L'Equipe also reporting that she has told the police she has denied with the police, allegedly, any involvement with this. PSG the team are shell shocked they don't know anything about this according to what they're telling us and the public statement put out, they say they have increased security around their players and are waiting for the outcome of the investigation, Kim. BRUNHUBER: So, but take us through why she might want to do this,

again this is alleged, but you know, take us through the motive here.

VANIER: Sure. Yes, and that's a -- that's a great question, and it's key part of the story. At this moment it's all anecdotal evidence, but it's impossible not to notice that when Hamraoui is sidelined for whatever reason, then there is more opportunity for the younger Diallo.

So, from a sports perspective, the story is this. That 31-year- old Hamraoui is currently at the peak of her football powers, right? She just won the Champions League with her former club, she is a veteran on the French team, and she is the starting midfielder on this PSG team. But she plays the same position for both club and country as Aminata Diallo.

And the recent sporting history has shown us that when Hamraoui can't play there's more playing time or at least more opportunity for Diallo. Example one, last -- just last month, Hamraoui was called up to the national squad, she was sidelined due to injury, nothing to do with this story.

And Aminata Diallo who had originally not been called to the team then got called up to help fill that position. Same thing, earlier this week, on Tuesday Aminata Diallo a significant part of PSG's win in the Champions League with Hamraoui sidelined.

So there -- that is what is fueling, at least anecdotally, suspicions that if Diallo had wanted to secure more opportunity, to more playing time then certainly taking Hamraoui out of the picture would have been a way to do it.

What is even more troubling, these two players are friends. French press reporting this morning that they are friends. Diallo posting on her Instagram page pictures of her traveling on holiday with Hamraoui. So, again, very mysterious, deeply disturbing at this stage. We don't the final answers, Kim.

[03:30:03]

BRUNHUBER: We'll see what the investigation unearths. Of course, for all of us, especially here in the U.S., it evokes memories of the attack on Nancy Kerrigan instigated by Tonya Harding. Incredible story. Really appreciate your reporting there. Cyril Vanier in Paris.

Coming up, in India, some Hindus have been dipping into the sacred river covered by toxic foam. We will the details of the health hazard that is posing ahead. Plus, the world's two largest emitters of carbon dioxide re-ramp-up cooperation. We will tackle climate crisis. We will take a look at the pledge between the U.S. and China next. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

The deep freeze in relations between the U.S. and China may be thawing with a new pledge to cooperate in the fight against climate change. The world's biggest carbon emitters announced the agreement at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

It is light on specifics and lacks any commitments from China on any international agreements. Still, U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry says he's pleased with the deal. The pledge comes ahead of a virtual meeting between the U.S. and Chinese presidents expected next week.

One of India's holiest rivers is now coated with a toxic foam as Hindus gather to celebrate a religious festival. Despite the possible health risks, a number of devotees have been seen wading through the polluted waters of the Yamuna River to bathe and pray.

CNN's Vedika Sud is near the river with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: What you see behind me is foam, a thick layer of toxic foam that covers parts of one of India's sacred rivers, the Yamuna, that crosses through the national capital region.

In the final report published in 2020 by the Yamuna Monitoring Committee, the cause for this toxic snow-like foam is sewage, industrial waste, and the lack of fresh water.

In the last two days, hundreds of devotees have been thronging the banks of the Yamuna River to celebrate a Hindu festival. A part of the ritual is to take a dip in the waters, which according to medical experts is hazardous because it could cause skin problems.

Well, this is not the first time you're seeing thick layer of foam over the Yamuna. It's happening over the years but it worsens in the winter seasons. In the last few days, the air quality index in parts of Delhi have been in the severe to very severe category.

[03:35:00]

SUD: According to the central government, at least 24 projects have been commissioned to reduce the pollution levels in the water. Only five have been completed till now.

The Delhi government has been facing extreme criticism over the levels of pollution in the water. New Delhi's water board has deployed workers to clean this foam using ropes and water sprinklers. A temporary and belated action to a problem that has been persisting over the years in this region.

Vedika Sud, Noida in Uttar Pradesh, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): The Biden administration is pushing to reopen a consulate in Jerusalem to serve the Palestinians, but Israel says that's not going to happen.

CNN's Hadas Gold has details on this diplomatic dilemma.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA AND GLOBAL BUSINESS REPORTER (voice-over): When then-President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2018, what had been the consulate serving Palestinians was shut down.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We took Jerusalem off the table, so we don't have to talk about it anymore. They never got past Jerusalem. We took it off the table. We don't have to talk about it anymore.

GOLD (voice-over): But with President Joe Biden, Jerusalem is very much back on the table as the administration seeks to reopen the consulate. As Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in May --

ANTONY BLINKEN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States will be moving forward with the process to reopen our consulate in Jerusalem.

GOLD (voice-over): And repeated in October.

BLINKEN: We will be moving forward with the process of opening our consulate as part of deepening those ties with the Palestinians.

GOLD (voice-over): New Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has worked to create a smooth and drama-free relationship with the Americans. But he was blunt when asked by CNN whether he was heading toward a conflict over the consulate and other issues.

NAFTALI BENNETT, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Know our position is and it was presented very clearly and openly to our American friends that there is no room for another American consulate in Jerusalem.

GOLD (voice-over): The historic building that housed the consulate was folded into the broader American embassy when it officially moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

(On camera): Many Palestinians want to see the sign on this building switched back because an American consulate in Jerusalem is seen as a precursor to what they hope will one day be an American embassy in East Jerusalem, capital of a potential future state of Palestine.

(Voice-over): The Israeli intransigence on the issue even suggesting the Americans open the consulate instead in Ramallah, seen as a direct challenge to the Americans.

MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, PRIME MINISTER, PALESTINIAN NATIONAL AUTHORITY: By all means, Ramallah is not Jerusalem and Ramallah is not the capital of Palestine in the same way that Abu Dis is not. And therefore, for us, the consulate to East Jerusalem, it has a lot of political significance. We want this consulate in Jerusalem to be the future American embassy to the state of Palestine. And therefore, when we say that we want it to be there, of course, we want it to be there.

GOLD (voice-over): A choice then for President Biden. Pick a fight with Israel's new government or quietly and in not so many words, accept what Trump said, that for the U.S. at least, Jerusalem is most definitely off the table.

Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: During an exclusive interview with CNN, NBA star Enes Kanter explains why he is taking a stand against China. The Boston Celtics star says he was encouraged to speak out after seeing the NBA support players finding other injustices and human rights issues. Kanter opposes China's policies on Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as its treatment of Uyghur communities.

China has repeatedly denied all allegations of abuse. Kanter's posts and comments have angered many in China with streaming site Tencent refusing to air Celtics games. Kanter explains his motivation to CNN.

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ENES KANTER, NBA STAR: Someone had to do it. You see, there are so many athletes, so many actors, so many singers, so many people who has a platform speaking out many of issues out there in the world. But when it comes to China, when it comes to China's Communist Party, they're scared because they care too much about money, they care too much about business, and they care too much about endorsement deals.

You know, to me, the human rights and saving people's lives, it comes first. So, that is why I wanted to do this project.

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BRUNHUBER: Kanter who is from Turkey has also criticized the Turkish president, and as a result, faced death threats and the cancellation of his Turkish passport. You can hear more of that Enes Kanter interview online at cnn.com.

All right. Tired of your boss contacting you in your off hours?

[03:39:59]

BRUNHUBER: Well, coming up, a law that shield workers' personal time from overbearing employers. Stay with us.

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): Three, two, one, zero. Ignition. And lift off.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Another four-member crew is on its way to the International Space Station after blasting off Wednesday night aboard a SpaceX rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Docking with the space station is scheduled for Thursday evening. The three U.S. and one European astronaut will spend six months conducting experiments. This is the fourth time NASA is using SpaceX, a private company, to send astronauts to the space station.

Portugal is drawing the line between professional and personal at a time when many people are working from home. The nation just passed a law that bans employers from contacting employees outside their working hours. It says employers must respect workers' privacy and family time. The new rules also require companies to compensate workers for any extra expenses associated with working from home like higher electricity and gas fills.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more of "CNN Newsroom." "African Voices Changemakers" is next. Please do stay with us.

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"African Voices Changemakers"

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"African Voices Changemakers"

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"African Voices Changemakers"

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