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Ukrainian Official "Shocked" By Joe Biden's Remarks; Russian Official: We Will Not Attack Or Invade Ukraine; White House Tries To Clean Up Joe Biden's Ukraine Comments; British Prime Minister Faces Growing Calls For His Resignation; First Aid Flights Reach Hard-Hit Pacific Nation; Peru: Waves From Massive Eruption Caused Oil Spill. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired January 20, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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[00:00:22]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Ukraine calls it a green light to Vladimir Putin after U.S. President Biden suggests a minor incursion from Russia wouldn't be as serious.

And the pressure grows on Boris Johnson as members of his own party saves time for the British prime minister to go.

And several days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami, aid is finally arriving in Tonga.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: We begin with a major cleanup in the foreign policy aisle for the Biden administration. More than 100,000 Russian troops amass along the border with Ukraine and the government in Kyiv is preparing for a possible invasion.

Well, now Ukrainian officials say they're shocked and stunned by a suggestion by the U.S. president that a minor incursion might elicit a lesser response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Russia will be held accountable if it invades and it depends on what it does. It's one thing if it's a minor incursion, and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do etcetera. But if they actually do what they're capable of doing with the force of mass on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, the White House was quick to clarify, saying any movement of Russian forces into Ukraine would be considered an invasion and met with a swift, severe and unified response. Anything short of a military aggression, including a cyber-attack would bring a reciprocal response.

Still, Mr. Biden says he's preparing for the worst from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: David, I'm not so sure he has -- is certain what he's going to do. My guess is he will move in, he has to do something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in Moscow with the latest on Russia's response. But we begin with reaction from Ukraine, our Matthew Chance is in Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, to say Ukrainian officials were displeased of President Biden's remarks would be an understatement. One official told me he was shocked to hear the U.S. leader distinguished between an incursion and an invasion. And to suggest that a minor incursion by Russia into Ukrainian territory would elicit a lesser response than a full-scale invasion.

That sliding scale may have been discussed privately but in Ukraine, officials say that's the first time they've heard that nuance made usually U.S. officials.

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was actually here in Kyiv as President Biden spoke -- speak of crushing sanctions or serious consequences, if there's any kind of military action against Ukraine.

The main concern according to the Ukrainian official that I spoke with is that the new remarks may be seen by Russia as "A green light for Putin to enter Ukraine at his pleasure." In other words, to stage a limited land grab as they have done in the past with only light U.S. sanctions in response.

But the White House has been quick to issue clarification of President Biden's remarks saying that a minor incursion would include something like a cyber-attack, but that any further seizure of Ukrainian land would be seen as an invasion, and be met with a swift, severe and united response.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): With President Biden threatening massive sanctions against Russia if there was a full-blown invasion of Ukraine. Obviously, all eyes right now are on that area around Ukraine with those Russian troops amassing.

Now, the Russians for their part claim that they are not threatening anyone in that area. However, I was able to ask the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia that if Russia is not threatening anyone, why are so many Russian forces amassing in that area? And what does that mean for the prospect of possible war in Europe? Here's what he had to say.

How likely or unlikely is it that there could be a large-scale military confrontation and possible war in Europe?

SERGEY RYABKOV, RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: I do believe that there is no risk of a larger scale war to start to unfold in Europe or elsewhere. We do not want and will not take any action of aggressive character. We will not attack, strike, invade, "whatever" Ukraine.

[00:05:13]

RYABKOV: It has been said dozens of times in recent weeks and I just reconfirm this. We see the threat of Ukraine becoming ever more integrated in NATO without even acquiring a formal status of a NATO member state. This is something that goes right to the center of Russia's national security interests.

PLEITGEN: Now, the Russians say that they want to stop that dynamic, as they put it, with all means, however, the Deputy Foreign Minister said all diplomatic means at their disposal.

Nevertheless, of course, situation remains very tense there in that border area with Ukraine. We do know that the Russians have also been moving troops into Belarus as well.

And of course, the Southern border of Belarus is also the Northern border of Ukraine. And Ukrainians certainly are feeling increasingly encircled.

One of the things that the Russians also said and this came in the form of the Kremlin, they say that the meeting between Sergey Lavrov the Russian Foreign Minister and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that set to take place in Geneva on Friday is of the utmost importance.

Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Joining us from Washington is Susan Glasser, she's a staff writer for The New Yorker, as well as a CNN Global Affairs Analyst. Good to have you with us, Susan.

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Thank you so much for having me.

KINKADE: So, let's start with U.S. President Biden's press conference where he seemed to suggest that the U.S. and NATO response would be proportional to Russia's next move, that a minor incursion would warrant a lesser response and that they hadn't really figured out what that would be.

What's your assessment of those comments? And what does it signal to President Putin?

GLASSER: Well, clearly, the White House was concerned about those comments because they quickly after his press conference issued a clarifying statement from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki that sought to clarify, although it didn't really. Essentially the message to Vladimir Putin here is one that exactly off message as far as Kyiv is concerned, which is to say that the American response will be proportional in some way to even a Russian actual military incursion into Ukraine.

Now, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says no, no, that's not the case. But I think that, you know, Putin is hearing what we would call a classic Washington gaffe, which is to say that President Biden told the uncomfortable truth in a setting which he was not expected to do so.

Of course, there are differences inside NATO. And those will affect ultimately the kind of response and retaliation that Putin can expect if Russia launches a military attack on Ukraine.

KINKADE: Susan, after well over a week of diplomatic talks, the posturing from various countries is quite significant. The U.S. saying an attack is imminent, that Russia could invade Ukraine on short notice. We heard from Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister saying there's no risk of a large-scale war suggesting that the West is aggressive for sending an arms to Ukraine.

And of course, we've heard from Ukraine's President telling its citizens essentially remain calm. And at the risk of a war since the annexation of Crimea back in 2014 hasn't increased, he doesn't believe that things have changed. What do you make of those stark differences?

GLASSER: Well, first of all, let's be clear that it's Russia that created and manufactured the pretext for this current crisis. And whatever the spin is after the fact, there was no act of aggression or, you know, changing dynamic on the part of Ukraine or the United States or NATO that led to this.

It was Putin who created the crisis, who sent 100,000 troops to the border of his NATO -- sorry, to the border of Ukraine, his neighbor, and then essentially said, like, sure, go ahead and negotiate with me while I have this kind of gun or 100,000 guns to your head. So, I think it's really important to make that point. I am struck by how vociferously and consistently the Biden

administration here in Washington has been warning and saying our assessment is that a military invasion could come at any time.

These are not necessarily an alarmist group of people. And even President Biden himself at the press conference today, reiterated this and said he personally believes that it is likely that Putin is going to go across the border in some renewed way.

KINKADE: So, Susan, the U.S. Secretary of State is set to meet his Russian counterpart on Friday, what needs to happen to come to some sort of diplomatic solution? How should Blinken approach this meeting?

GLASSER: Well, I think the big challenge, of course, for any diplomacy in this moment is that, you know, if there's too big of a mismatch between the demands that Russia is setting forth and any ability to actually solve them at the negotiating table, essentially, it's very hard to see that right now.

They're not negotiating over anything that's specific enough, frankly, right now, these are abstract, almost existential demands that Russia has that really fundamentally boiled down to saying that Ukraine is not a legitimate independent state, that Ukraine shouldn't have the right to dictate its own foreign policy orientation toward the West, that Ukraine must, in fact, remain within some kind of Russian sphere of influence. And those are not the kinds of things that Tony Blinken or any American Secretary of State is empowered to negotiate at the table with Sergey Lavrov.

[00:10:47]

GLASSER: So, it's really hard to see them just sort of getting off the table and saying, OK, everything's solved now. We're good.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. Especially after all the talks that have happened so far, and we'll see how this plays out.

Susan Glasser, CNN Global Affairs Analyst, good to have you with us. Thank you.

GLASSER: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, more members of Boris Johnson's own party are now publicly calling on the British Prime Minister to step down. His continued explanations and apologies about staff parties during lockdowns only seem to antagonize the public and members of his Parliament.

We now get the latest from CNN's Salma Abdelaziz in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He has apologized to the public to Parliament, even to the Queen, but amid jeers, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried sorry again. BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I recognize the enormous sacrifice that people have made. I apologize for misjudgments that may be made in number 10 by me and anybody else.

ABDELAZIZ: Johnson now stands accused of misleading Parliament, his government of violating COVID rules.

JOHNSON: She must contain her impatience, Mr. Speaker, and wait for the inquiry next week.

ABDELAZIZ: But Johnson was on the defensive, he looked agitated, glanced at his watch, duct questions.

Allegations that Downing Street held garden parties, Christmas parties, a bring your own booze party and a few more all during lockdowns have dogged the prime minister for weeks.

Johnson accused not just of lying but of lying badly, taking his countrymen for fools.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: Every week, the Prime Minister offers absurd and frankly unbelievable defenses to the Downing Street parties and each week it unravels. Doesn't the country deserve so much better than this out of touch, out of control, out of ideas, and soon to be out of office prime minister.

ABDELAZIZ: More distressingly for Johnson, some conservative lawmakers, members of his own party fed up with the hypocrisy.

DAVID DAVIS, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE M.P.: I expect my leaders to shoulder the responsibility for the actions they take. Yesterday, he did the opposite of that, in the name of God, go.

ABDELAZIZ: And even a mutiny in the rinks. One Tory M.P. defecting to the other side.

Johnson now fighting on two fronts, if found to have misled Parliament intentionally, custom requires him to resign. And if 15 percent of the Conservative Party's M.P.s submit letters of discontent, it would trigger a no confidence vote.

Outside the House of Commons, one of a handful of rebels Tory M.P.'s Sir Roger Gale tells us he wants Johnson out.

ROGER GALE, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE M.P.: He has been very economical with the truth. And my personal view and it's my personal view, is that he has misled the Parliament, and that is a serious offense.

ABDELAZIZ: Gale is one of several Westminster lawmakers that say they've received hundreds of correspondences from angry voters, the discontent fueling a growing rebellion. For now, Johnson limps on, ignoring public outrage.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: Well, CNN European Affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas joins us now from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Oh, thank you for having me on the show, Lynda.

KINKADE: So, Prime Minister Boris Johnson as we saw there being criticized from every side, we've heard call after call for him to resign even from within his own party. Will he stay? Or will he go?

THOMAS: That's a great question and there's so much at stake here. I mean, clearly, we're going to have to wait to see what the Gray report comes up with.

I mean, obviously, if the report explicitly states that he lied to Parliament, broke the ministerial code and so on, there's going to be very little wiggle room.

But I think that as angry as Conservative Party M.P.s are at the moment, getting rid of Boris Johnson is risky. On the one hand, having him survive a vote of no confidence or keeping in power is a weakened Boris Johnson, one who has a massive majority who can be used to push policies through, while at the same time, conservative M.P.s have the safety net of knowing that he essentially serves at their pleasure, they could potentially vote him out at any time.

[00:15:12]

THOMAS: If they do get rid of him, the problem is they've got to find a replacement. And they've got to find a replacement who could not only heal the damage that's been done to the Conservative Party, but also essentially serve unelected by the British people.

Because this pre -- this person would be appointed by the Conservative Party and the Conservative Party supporters, and then, have to go to a general election in 2024 over two years down the road, knowing that it would be a referendum on their performance, and with the great question as to whether or not selecting somebody at this particular juncture is the best person to lead them into election in 2024. And that may give the Conservatives food for thought, cold feet, and it may somewhat paradoxically be Boris Johnson's greatest chance of surviving this latest crisis.

KINKADE: And he certainly does know how to survive a crisis, doesn't he? Time and time again.

In this case, we did see one M.P. defect Christian Wakeford to the Labour Party saying that the country needs a government that upholds the highest standards of integrity. And he said in his resignation letter from the Conservative Party that the party and the prime minister have shown themselves to be incapable of offering that sort of leadership the country deserves, is it likely that others will follow suit?

THOMAS: I think it is likely. I mean, what he has done essentially is ignored the key fundamental principle of leadership, which is -- which is to lead by example, and people are upset and furious.

And of course, the M.P.s are dealing with their own constituents and so on. And also, you know, that statements that were made humiliating him in Parliament today, and comparing him to Chamberlain, rather than than Churchill, were absolutely humiliating for the Prime Minister.

I just think that the bigger picture here, the bigger question is that as much as they're furious and angry with him, the reality is, what is the alternative? Who would that candidate be?

And it's not as if the Conservative Party stand as a united body, you can see the tensions between the back benches and the cabinet. There is no love loss between Boris Johnson, and many, many, many of the Conservative Party members here.

And so, it's hard to see getting the votes to push a vote of no confidence, the letters, that's the easy part. But getting 181 elected Conservative M.P.s to vote that they have no confidence in him, I think it's going to require something else at this stage. And I think that that's where the Gray report could potentially be really crucial to see whether it provides them with the justification they need to make that decision, which otherwise raises all of these other questions.

KINKADE: Yes, you raised some really, really good questions. We saw in that last piece some of the headlines today in newspapers throughout the country. I want to understand from you what the public feel right now, what are the polls showing, how much support is there for Boris Johnson right now?

THOMAS: Well, that's that's the absolute key question here. And that's really where it pans out, that in the court of public opinion, he would be gone. And that's what the Conservative Party has to -- has to reckon with here is that yes, he serves at the pleasure of Conservative Party and lawmakers, it's up to them to decide whether they write these letters, whether they hold a vote of no confidence and so on.

But this must play out in the greater public arena. You have newspapers that have previously supported Boris Johnson that have completely abandoned him. His polling and unfavorability ratings are at their lowest and that they have ever been. And I think that is the big challenge.

And the big question is, to what extent can this damage be mitigated and to what extent is actually the whole Tory Party brand being damaged by this individual and that may be at the end of the day, the justification that they need to remove him is to cut their losses at this stage and to try and go about rebuilding the Conservative Party up until the 2024 general election.

They have enough time to do that. They've just got to find somebody a leader that they can all get together and back and that's going to be a great challenge.

KINKADE: Yes, and certainly sounds like it. All right, Dominic Thomas, as always, great to get your perspective. Thanks so much for joining us.

THOMAS: Thank you, Lynda.

KINKADE: Well, after a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami, international aid is starting to arrive in hard hit Tonga. We'll have the latest and a live report.

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[00:21:57]

KINKADE: The international aid is set to final arriving Tonga. On Saturday, the Pacific nation was hit by what's believed to be the world's biggest volcanic eruption in three decades. It sends up to 15 meters tsunami waves crashing into beachside communities. The nation was also covered in volcanic ash which shut down its main airport and lead to water shortages. But now that airport is up and running again.

Blake Essig is in Tokyo with the details and Blake, I understand New Zealand's aid flight has now touchdown. Take us through what's on board that Hercules.

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Lynda, it arrived just about an hour or so ago. For several days, the South Pacific island nation of Tonga is essentially cut off from the rest of the world because of ash and fallen ash fall, which damaged communications lines as well as -- these communications won't be repaired, excuse me, for weeks.

But finally, as you mentioned, there is some good news. According to New Zealand's Ministry of Defense, the main runway of Tonga's International Airport has been cleared of volcanic ash. Meaning, planes carrying humanitarian aid and disaster relief were finally able to reach the island both New Zealand. Australia have flown in. Today, Japan is also planning flights.

The first aircraft carrying supplies came from New Zealand, it included water, containers, temporary shelters, generators, hygiene and family kits and communications equipment.

Because Tonga has essentially been COVID free throughout the pandemic, New Zealand's government says that today's delivery of supplies was contactless and that the aircraft was only on the ground for about 90 minutes to avoid creating a COVID-19 outbreak in Tonga.

Now, as a result of the eruption and tsunami, the United Nations says about 84,000 people, that's more than 80 percent of Tonga's population have been impacted by this disaster and information from outer islands still remains scarce.

Take a look at this new video from Reuters released overnight showing fallen trees, homes destroyed and ash covering just about everything on Tonga's main island. While outside support is now starting to arrive, people on the ground say a drinking water is their biggest concern. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIAN KUPU, JOURNALIST: With the food supply, I think we'll be able to survive in the next few weeks. But we're hoping shipments of imported normal importation of (INAUDIBLE) will be -- will be back into normal after this disruption. But so far, food is OK. Water is our most concerned right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ESSIG: To help address the water issue, Lynda, New Zealand has also sent two Royal Navy ships carrying aid and hundreds of thousands of liters water and one of those ships can also produce up to 70,000 liters of water daily through a desalination plant, Lynda.

[00:25:03]

KINKADE: All right. Blake Essig, thanks so much for that update for us from Tokyo.

Well, officials in Peru say the eruption in Tonga is to blame for a massive oil spill near Lima. The Foreign Ministry calls it an ecological disaster. And said the incident harmed animal and plant life in about 18,000 square kilometers around islands and fishing areas.

Stefano Pozzebon has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: An oil spill that is wreaking havoc in Peru was caused by the volcano eruption in Tonga more than 10,000 miles away.

According to preliminary information by the Peruvian Environment Ministry, the spill was caused when an oil tanker was hit by a wave caused by the Tongan eruption, and it was unloading crude oil to a refinery in Ventanilla. Close to Peruvian capital Lima. That caused more than 6,000 barrels of oil to spill off and staining beaches in at least three different districts of Lima's metropolitan area.

Cleanup efforts are underway, with hundreds of workers trying to limit the damage while the blame game has already begun.

An environmental prosecutor announced on Monday that he had opened an investigation into potential environment crimes into the refinery, which is owned by the Spanish oil major Repsol.

The mayor of Lima took to Twitter demanding the Repsol to resolve the situation. While a spokesperson for the company said to Peruvian media that Repsol is committed to restoring the entire coastline to its original status.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: Well, three children have been killed in Syria due to fears winter storms moving through the region. Humanitarian organization cast as these homes have been especially brutal to internally displaced Syrians living in camps. One child died after 10 collapsed under the weight of snow. The other two were caught in a fire caused by a heater in attempt.

Temperatures in some parts of the region are expected to plunge lower than they have in 40 years.

Still to come, Boris Johnson says England is now beginning to roll back COVID restrictions thanks to a successful booster campaign. We'll have those details ahead.

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KINKADE: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Lynda Kinkade, good to have you with us.

Well, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his government got the big things right when it comes to the battle against COVID-19. And on Wednesday, announced --

HERE

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us.

[00:30:02]

Well, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his government got the big things right when it comes to the battle against COVID-19. And on Wednesday announced that, because of the extraordinary vaccine booster campaign announced that the extraordinary vaccine boost to the campaign, that England could now return to more lenient Plan A restrictions.

The health secretary also credited the progress made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAJID JAVID, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: We're more boostered than any large country in Europe. We've created the largest testing program of any country in Europe. And we've procured more antivirals than any country in Europe. That's why we are the most open country in Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Plan A means the government is no longer asking people to work from home. And face coverings will no longer be advised in classrooms.

Well, by next Thursday, all mandatory mask rules will end, but those who test positive for COVID must still self-isolate.

In France, new COVID infections are surging. On Wednesday, the country reported more than 400,000 new cases for a second day straight. France has registered more than one million new COVID cases since Monday. That's according to CNN's calculation of government data.

And Brazil has reported its second straight day of record cases. The number of new daily infections shot up to more than 200,000 on Wednesday. You can see the dramatic spike in the seven-day average.

The virus also claimed another 338 lives in Brazil. Its death toll remains the second highest in the world.

A Czech folk singer has died from COVID-19 after her son says she deliberately caught the virus to obtain a health pass. Fifty-seven- year-old Hannah Horka was part of the band Asonance. She had not been vaccinated, and her son says he's speaking out to warn others against taking this approach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAN REK, SON OF HANNAH HORKA (through translator): My mom wanted to get sick, so she gets the COVID pass.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And she got COVID from you, because you were positive at the time.

RED: She said to me, and even publicly, she wants to get infected, so that she's done with COVID.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, the singer's son believes some prominent personalities on social media who were against vaccines influenced his mother's decision.

Well, China's zero-COVID campaign has kept infections at a minimum, but a handful are still breaking through. Beijing recorded another five cases on Wednesday, just a little more than two weeks before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is covering this live for us from Hong Kong and joins us now.

Good to have you with us, Kristie. So the Beijing Games are very, very close, and Omicron cases now rising in the Chinese capital. Bring us up to speed on that latest outbreak.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Now, the level of infection in Beijing is still very low compared to what you see in many cities in the west, but still the number of COVID-19 cases is rising.

In Beijing, the Olympic host city, just weeks before the start of the Beijing Olympic Games. On Wednesday, Beijing reported five additional cases of COVID-19, three of the Delta variant and four from a cold chain storage or frozen food warehouse in the function district of Beijing. That warehouse has been sealed off, operations of been suspended. Even the residential buildings where the workers have lived, that is under lockdown, as well.

For a long time now going into this pandemic, Chinese officials have insisted that the virus has gotten into China through cold chain storage, or frozen food imports from overseas. This is something that has been downplayed by the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, in terms of the Omicron variant, we know that it exists in China. Will bring up them off for you.

As of today, we know that there are cases detected in at least nine cities across China. The total number of cases still not clear, but locally-transmitted cases of the highly-infectious variant detected in at least nine cities across China, from Shenzhen in the south, Anyang in central Henan province, and in the Olympic host city of Beijing.

Back to you, Lynda.

KINKADE: And so we're also learning, Kristie, that China is warning athletes who might consider engaging in political protests during these games. What are officials saying?

STOUT: Yes. This is interesting. You know, we just have a little over two weeks before the start of the games, and a Chinese Olympic official is warning against any violations of the Olympic spirit.

Now, look, the IOC, the International Olympic Committee, has said that athletes are free to express themselves inside the Beijing Olympic bubble during press conferences or interviews, but not during medal ceremonies moans, and not during competitions.

But on Wednesday, during a virtual briefing, a Chinese Olympic official was asked a Question about safety concerns for athletes who decide to speak out about human rights issues, for example, during the games, and this is what he had to say. Let's bring up the quote for you.

This is from Yang Shu. He is the deputy director general of the Beijing 2022 international relations department.

He said, quote, "Any expression that is in line with the Olympic spirit I'm sure will be protected, and anything and any behavior or speeches that is against the Olympic spirit, especially against Chinese laws and regulations, are also subject to certain punishment," unquote.

Yang Shu said that potential punishment would be the cancellation of accreditation, which is in line with the organizers playbook.

Back to you, Lynda.

KINKADE: All right. Kristie Lu Stout for us in Hong Kong. Good to have you with us. Thanks very much.

STOUT: You bet.

KINKADE: Well, a Roman villa filled with family, drama, and priceless artwork is hitting the auction block, but so far, no one wants to buy it. CNN goes inside the real estate to see the precious mural that makes it famous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH LEV, ART HISTORIAN: There's nothing I would love more than I would want to see it in the hands of the Italian state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Tremendous work from one group to another, you are looking at masterpieces, exciting moments in the history of art.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back.

Well, disruption to air travel to the U.S. over the rollout of 5G services eased on Wednesday. The decision by Verizon and CNN's parent company, AT&T, to delay activating the fifth generation mobile transmission system in key airports came too late to heed off some cancellations.

The airline industry worries the new 5G antennas, with stronger transmission and higher frequencies than in Europe, could interfere with key aircraft technology.

Dubai's Emirates was taken by surprise by the rollout issues. President Tim Clark gave Richard Quest a blunt assessment of how it's been handled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM CLARK, PRESIDENT, EMIRATES: I guess I need to be as candid as I normally am and say, this is one of the most delinquent, utterly irresponsible issues, such as call it what you like. I've seen in the aviation career.

Someone should've told them a long time ago that it would compromise safety of operation of aircraft and metropolitan areas, with catastrophic consequences if this was allowed to continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The U.S. authorities approved more flights. Clark said some 32,000 Emirates passengers will be inconvenienced by cancellations over the next three days.

We are getting an inside look at an historic Italian villa worth hundreds of millions of dollars, which is at the center of an ugly family dispute.

[00:40:06]

The aristocratic estate in Rome features a very special ceiling mural, and now the entire property is up for sale. An American turned Italian princess who calls it home, gave our Ben

Wedeman a tour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RITA BONCOMPAGNI LUDOVISI, PRINCIPESSA DI PIOMBINO XIII: Caesar Augustus. And here's Gwendoline Talbot with Earl Shrewsbury's daughter, who married Marcantonio Borghese, and they had a child named Agnese Borghese, who became my husband's great-great-great-great- grandmother. I think that the --

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Texan-born Rita Carpenter, later known in these parts as her Serene Highness Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi, shows me around Rome's 16th Century Villa Aurora, her home for almost 20 years. But not for much longer.

The villa, valued at around $535 million, has been at the center of a bitter legal dispute between Carpenter, who was the third and final wife of her late husband, Prince Nicolo Boncompagni Ludovisi, and his sons by a previous marriage.

(on camera): What is this, water leakage?

(voice-over): An Italian judge ordered the house to be put up for auction with the starting price of just over $400 million.

In real estate, it's all about location, location, location. But in this case, it's also about the villa's interior, jam-packed with priceless artwork in almost every room.

BONCOMPAGNI LUDOVISI: It is the only ceiling painting ever done by Caravaggio. It was done in 1597, when he was 23.

WEDEMAN: The villa's just a few minutes' walk from Via Veneto, Rome's most exclusive shopping district. It's brimming with art, but it needs about $10 million worth of renovations, starting with the heating.

(on camera): What's it like to live in this house? It's cold.

BONCOMPAGNI LUDOVISI: It's very cold. I'm freezing right now. I didn't think about the pipes bursting or all the other things you have to think about -- don't normally have to think about in a modern house in America. I mean, there's things that go wrong here all the time. And so trees that fall down and hit a car on the street or whatever it might be. You'd be surprised.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Villa Aurora is out of the price range of all but the billionaire class. Carpenter, who spent years documenting the villa's history, looks to a heavenly buyer.

BONCOMPAGNI LUDOVISI: I hope that an angel buys it, and that they understand the depth of history here.

WEDEMAN: By and large, the Italian government can match the winning bid, and take possession of the villa, a stretch, perhaps, in a country where the state is in a perennial financial crisis. For art historian Elizabeth Lev, that would be the ideal solution.

LEV: Well, as an adopted Italian, there's nothing I would love more than to see it in the hands of the Italian state, so that we could continue to enjoy it. There are tremendous works from one room to another. You are looking at masterpieces, exciting moments in the history of art, and then absolutely, absolutely unique exemplars in the history of art.

WEDEMAN: As it turned out, there were no takers in the auction, which closed Tuesday. Villa Aurora goes back on the block in April. Prepare your bids.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rome.

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KINKADE: If you have a spare $10 million. Our thanks to Ben Wedeman.

And thanks to you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stick around. WORLD SPORT starts after the break.

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