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Two New York Police Officers Shot Amid Rising Crime; Assange to Learn if He Can Appeal U.K. High Court Ruling; Siege Tightens After ISIS Prison Break in Syria; Wuhan Two Years On: Start of China's Zero COVID Policy. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired January 24, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

The U.S. and the U.K. are withdrawing some families and staff at the embassies in Ukraine amid growing fears of a Russian invasion. Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels this hour to discuss the tensions in the region. Ukraine says Russia has nearly 127,000 troops standing by. We'll have much more ahead on this in 30 minutes or so on "EARLY START."

And tensions between Taiwan and mainland China are ratcheting up as well. Taiwan says China sent nearly 40 war planes into its air defense zone on Sunday. A day after the U.S. and Japan conducted naval drills east of Taiwan. In a response of show of force from Beijing, Taiwan deployed its air defense missile systems.

Now, in coming hours, opening statements are set to begin in the federal civil rights trial for three former Minnesota police officers indicted in connection with George Floyd's murder. The three men have been charged -- as you can see there -- with violating Floyd's constitutional rights during his arrest in May 2020. Two of the former officers face another charge alleging, they did nothing to stop former officer Derek Chauvin from kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes, leading to his death. Chauvin pleaded guilty to civil rights charges last month and faces up to 25 years in prison.

Now, gun violence has Americans on edge across the country. Crime rates are up in major cities. And in the last few days, police officers have been shot in Texas as well as New York. A 22-year-old New York police officer was shot and killed while responding to a domestic incident in Harlem on Friday night. A second officer is in critical condition. New York's mayor explained what steps he'll take to CNN's Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK MAYOR: We're going to go after the underlying reasons you are seeing crime in our city. This is a sea of crime that's being fed by many rivers, and we have to dam each one of those rivers. We have to go after those laws that are not realistic on understanding what's happening on the ground. We have to stop the flow of guns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, New York's governor plans to hold a multi-state task force meeting on illegal guns and that is happening Wednesday.

And a manhunt is underway in Texas for the man who gunned down a deputy constable. Police say deputy constable Charles Galloway was killed while making a traffic stop on Wednesday. Witnesses say the man got out of his car and just started shooting with an assault type weapon. Authorities say the motive is unknown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIEF TROY FINNER, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: He got out of his vehicle and immediately fired upon the deputy, multiple times, striking him, and then drove off. This is senseless. It makes no sense whatsoever.

TED HEAP, HARRIS COUNTY CONSTABLE: What we are seeing on what appears to be a regular basis on the streets of Harris County has got to stop. It has got to stop. These are not assaults. These are not attacks. These are brutal, brutal murders.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, the 47-year-old deputy constable was a 12-year veteran on the force. He leaves behind a daughter and a sister.

Now, in the coming hour, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will learn whether he can appeal a British high court decision allowing his extradition to the United States. Now the U.S., if you remember, won an appeal against a ruling that he cannot be extradited after agreeing to special conditions to protect Assange's mental health. But his lawyers argue those assurances are vague and meaningless.

For more, let's bring in CNN's Nina dos Santos here in London. And Nina, talk us through the legal steps here. Because it's been a rather long battle for him as he tries to avoid being extradited to the U.S.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, it's going to be an even longer battle if from here. I mean, if anybody is getting their hopes up that this situation is going to be resolved any time soon, they may well be disappointed because it could go either one of two ways.

Essentially what we've got in about 45 minutes' time, is that kind of decision coming out of the one of the senior courts in the U.K. about whether or not Julian Assange's legal team on the grounds they put forward have the right to appeal against that decision that was delivered on the 10th of December. Essentially paving the way for Julian Assange to potentially be extradited to the United States.

[04:35:00]

Because of all the assurances that his -- that the court and legal experts have been given by U.S. diplomats and the Department of Justice that Julian Assange will be treated in different conditions than they said would be a danger to his life. That essentially, U.S. authorities would take into account the fact that he might be at higher risk of suicide and prevent that.

And essentially now what we've got is it can go one of two ways. It could be shutdown at this stage. Julian Assange's team have put forward various arguments, saying that this case is politically motivated. That Assange would not be able to get a fair trial in the United States if he was extradited there to face justice. And also, that it would have a chilling effect on freedom of speech in this country, not just for Julian Assange, but for journalists as well and human rights activists.

So, that is the argument that is being played out right now as we speak in a London courthouse. And depending on which way it could go, it could either be expedited to the home secretary if Julian assigned his legal team are told they do not have the grounds to appeal.

If they do have the grounds to appeal, well then, of course we expect much, much longer legal battle from here. If things go towards the home secretary at this point, there is also the option of potentially of going to the European human rights courts to try and get justice there. But that may be further down the line and, again, will protract things much, much longer. So, again, another chapter in this very long running legal saga -- Isa.

SOARES: Indeed. We expect a decision in about 20 minutes or so. Of course, stay with us, we'll have the latest on that. Nina dos Santos there. Thanks very much, Nina.

Now, the us us-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are tightening their siege of a prison, housing ISIS suspects, after inmate took over the facility. There has been fierce fighting since Thursday. Have a look.

Now, the SDF say at least 27 of their fighters, dozens of ISIS members, and at least 50 inmates have been killed so far. Hundreds of civilians, including women as well as children have fled homes in nearby areas following the ISIS attack.

CNN's Arwa Damon joins us now from Istanbul, Turkey with the latest. And Arwa, talk us through what is happening inside this prison and how much control the SDS has here.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, at this stage they are claiming to have control over the surrounding areas. And they've, in fact, implemented a curfew in the larger towns and villages around the prison itself. But inside the prison that really is another story.

This has been going on since Thursday, and this takeover of the prison by these ISIS fighters did not necessarily start with the inmates. It was very much a well-planned and coordinated attack. That, according to the SDF statement which they are basing on statements that they have gotten from ISIS fighters that they say that they detained. This was around six months in the planning and involved about 200 ISIS fighters initially attacking the front gate of the prison and then being able to storm inside. While at the same time prisoners began to riot as well.

Now, this particular facility holds more than 3,000 ISIS fighters. Worth noting, too, Isa, that a number of these hundreds of them potentially are minors. And they're not just from Iraq and Syria. They have nationalities from dozens of countries around the world. And this exact occurrence is something that the SDF, the Syrian Democratic Forces that predominantly Kurdish fighting force that has been backed by the U.S.-led coalition, has been warning about their plight sometime.

They've been saying that they don't have the capability to be able to continue to hold these thousands of prisoners in facilities across the region. They had been anticipating this sort of an attack, saying that it would be taking place at some point or another. And now most certainly it has demonstrating the sort of threat that ISIS does continues to pose.

ISIS reportedly employing sleeper cells to carry out this particular attack. Other things of grave concerns are for example, these large sprawling, but ram shackle camps that exist in this area that are mostly housing women and children claimed to be afraid with members of ISIS. They have been living under austere conditions for years right now. And again, many of them foreign nationals whose own countries are refusing to take them back.

And so, at this stage, Isa, the SDF is pointing to all of this a clear indication, on the one hand, ISIS has not necessarily been entirely defeated. Analysts will say that this is certainly an organization that knows how to bide its time, take advantage of targets of opportunity, continue to carry out, albeit a smaller scale, of complex attacks. And that this is exactly why the international community should not lose sight of what's happening on the ground in swaths of Syria and it must be noted Iraq as well.

[04:40:00]

SOARES: Important context there from our Arwa Damon there in beautiful snowy Istanbul. Thanks very much, Arwa.

Now, coming up we'll take a look at how the lockdown in Wuhan in 2020 set a precedent for China's COVID policies. We're live for you in China next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Now, with less than two weeks to go before the Winter Olympics and just days before the Chinese New Year, mass testing is underway for more than 2 million people in Beijing. Hundreds are in quarantine and public gatherings are banned in some places. Now, Chinese authorities have also lowered the testing threshold for Olympic participants, essentially making it easier to produce a negative test.

And you may recall it was two years ago that China first ordered a lockdown in Wuhan imposing drastic measures to contain the outbreak. On January 20, 2020, China confirmed person-to-person spread. Three days later China locks down millions of people in Wuhan and within Hubei Province. And it wasn't until April residents were able to leave the city and travel back in. CNN's David Culver -- if you remember -- reported on Wuhan's lockdown throughout the time. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Think of New York's Fifth Avenue ahead of Christmas. Normally packed, right. Well, that would be this area. It's rather sparse. Not a lot of folks out. And the folks that are out, many of them are taking health officials' advice and they're wearing their masks. We are, too.

So, this is where authorities believe the source of the coronavirus is. It's the Wildlife and Seafood Market. And you can perhaps see over there. It's cordoned off, you've got police at all the corners.

CULVER (voice-over): It is so sensitive that within minutes of us arriving and recording, security asked us to stop filming. There is an uneasiness felt throughout Wuhan.

[04:45:00]

CULVER: This gives you an idea of how seriously people are taking this idea to leave Wuhan and get out before public transportation is strictly limited.

Returning here to on you get the feeling that this is a city trying to navigate a new normal, life post lockdown. Trying to figure how exactly they will be able to move forward and yet at the same time find some sense of normality.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Fantastic work from our David Culver. Right from the beginning, CNN. He joins me now live from Beijing. And David, give us a sense of where things stand two years on. Especially with China's zero COVID policy. How effective has it been from your vantage point?

CULVER: You know, Isa, hearing all those previous reports , I mean, it's strange to feel how far we've come from that. But in many ways, we're very much in the same place of where the Wuhan lockdown put us. And that was the zero-COVID strategy. What we're experiencing today, but that same zero-COVID approach. It is a very strict approach. And it's one that certainly on the eve of the Olympics, is something that's going to remain in place and could be in place for several more months. But it's had its impact and people are still really feeling the result of what was ultimately sparked on that January 23, 2020. What's changed since then now? You still have the three pillars. And

those I identify really to be the contact tracing, which is the smartphone tracing, following us throughout on our devices. You also have the mask testing which can be done in the tens of millions, and early on you didn't have that kind of capacity. Now they certainly do. And you have the lockdowns.

So, Wuhan was an extreme example. It was a city of more than 11 million people. The entire city was lockdown. We've seen that recently with, for example, Xi'an. That was an example where they had to likewise seal off the entire city pretty much and confine people to their homes. Certainly not the duration of 76 days that Wuhan was.

But one thing that is worth noting is there has been an evolution, if you will, of some of these techniques. For example, the cell phone tracing, the contact tracing. One thing that's just coming to our attention today, in fact, has been that if you go to a pharmacy and you want to buy maybe a cough drop, maybe some fever medication. Early on they would make note of that, and a physical note and they'd report it to the local community. Now it's all tracked on your phone.

So, I have friends who have been flagged. Their health code, which is really your entry into everything of public life here, from restaurants, to parks, to airports, to train stations will turn a different comer and will prevent you from entering certain places if you have purchased one of those items that could treat a symptom of COVID-19 and you haven't gotten an immediate test. That's what's happening right now in Beijing. It tells you how strict they still are keeping these measures. And it's because the Olympics, there's no question -- Isa.

SOARES: And very quickly, how many COVID tests have you taken, David?

CULVER: 101 as of today and I just got the result. And so, it's 101 negative results, too. So that's thankfully the most important part, right?

SOARES: Wonderful news as always. Great work, David. David Culver for us in Beijing. Thanks very much, great to he see you.

CULVER: Thanks, Isa.

SOARES: Coming up, right here on CNN NEWSROOM. A winter wildfire burns near California's iconic Highway 1. Our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is tracking that and more for you.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: An unusually large fire for the month of January across portions of California. More on that and also very cold weather into south Florida coming up in a few minutes.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Now, French fashion designer Thierry Mugler has died at the age of 73. He was known for his provocative as well as flamboyant designs even creating a metallic one-piece for Lady Gaga's music video Paparazzi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(LADY GAGA MUSIC VIDEO SINGING PAPARAZZI)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Now, Mueller came out over time to bring this wet look -- if you remember -- the look for Met Gala dress to life for Kim Kardashian. He launched his self-named label in 1974 and had made his mark on international fashion by the '80s. Tributes as you can imagine have been pouring in from celebrities and fans alike.

Diana Ross tweeting, I will miss you. This was a wonderful time in our lives.

The creative director of Mugler's fashion label wrote on Instagram, you changed our perception of beauty, of confidence, of representation and self-empowerment.

Now, a wildfire in California is forcing hundreds to evacuate and has shutdown part of a major California highway. Take a look at these images. We're seeing gusty winds really, really helping the fire grow, and so far, the Cal fire says it's only about 35 percent contained. CNN's meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the latest. Good morning, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Yes, Isa, certainly an unusual set up to see fire activity across the state of California. It's the only large active fire in the state and one of only 12 fires in the United States to be in place there when it comes to, again, large active fires.

But 700 acres consumed, 35 percent containment. Good news with this is the winds are dying down. The bad news is the incredible drought scenario that has been in place, of course, for years across the state of California, even with the abundant rainfall we saw in November and December, almost the entirety of the state still dealing with moderate to severe drought. Shows you why January fires are possible.

Of course, they had gusty winds on Saturday across this region. High pressure is in place as well. So, kind of that offshore component of the winds helped fuel a fire that was ignited and the recipe of course in place for the fire to expand.

But for now, the winds are forecast to die down over the next several days. Should give the firefighters the upper hand as we go in toward say Wednesday, Thursday, Friday to maybe put this fire out.

But here we go, high pressure building again across the southwest.

[04:55:00]

Big story is not just the wintry weather across the areas of the Great Lakes region, the cold air, the coldest of the season spilling a little farther toward the south. There was those snow showers. Not and impressive amount, just a couple of inches. Unless you're on those favorite areas on the shores of Lake Michigan and across portions of the eastern Great Lakes.

But the cold air is the talk of town. Central Florida, there's south Georgia even. But even southern Florida with some frost advisories with these temperatures getting near the freezing mark. Look at Ft. Myers, 39 degrees. Should be into the middle 50s. While in Miami dipping down to 43 degrees, where the average temperature this time of year into the morning hours, about 61. And of course, in northern Florida, bone chilling for their standards. Down to 27 degrees.

And a couple of blasts of cold air still in store. Much of it doesn't get as far south this go round. But you'll notice, again, across parts of the Great Lakes, it will be plenty cold over the next few days. Chicago, a high of 30 degrees. Minneapolis about 10. And Atlanta best we can do, around 58 degrees -- Isa.

SOARES: Not bad at all. Thank you, Pedram.

Now, in American football we are getting a clearer picture of who will face off in the Super Bowl. Now, next Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs host the Bengal's in the AFC championship. This after a dramatic game this weekend where the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime. It was thanks to this touchdown catch from Travis Kelce ceiling the Victory there.

And on the NFC side, the Los Angeles Rams proving Tom Brady isn't invincible after all. Brady's Buccaneers tied things up with this touchdown late in the game. But the Rams knocked Tampa Bay out with a deep pass to set up the game winning field goal.

That is the news. Thank you very much. That does it for us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares in London. The coverage, of course, of the tensions with Russia continues on "EARLY START" with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett. Stay in contact, the details are on your screen. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful day, take care. Bye-bye.

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