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Ukrainians Preparing for Possible Invasion by Russia; Europe's Energy Security Could be at Risk Amid Conflict; North Korea Tests Most Powerful Missile Since 2017; China Reports 37 New Cases Among Olympic Personnel; Australia Commits $35 Million to Boost Protections of Koalas; Biden to Name His Nominee to Replace Breyer in February; Cuban Protestors Facing Up to 30 Years in Prison. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired January 31, 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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MICHEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.
Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, on edge as Russian troops massed near the border with Ukraine. A big push for diplomacy in the coming hours. New COVID cases in Beijing with just days to go before the Olympics. And Australia promising tens of millions of dollars to protect one of its most beloved icons. We'll take a closer look.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: Welcome, everyone. In just a matter of hours, the U.N. Security Council gather for an urgent meeting as tensions along the border between Ukraine and Russia show little sign of easing.
The meeting, the latest push for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, amid fears Russia is planning to invade Ukraine. The American ambassador to the U.N. says the U.S. is ready to listen but will not be distracted by what she calls Russian propaganda.
And while efforts to stop further escalation and push on, the British foreign secretary offered this stark assessment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: We think it's highly likely that he is looking to invade Ukraine. That is why we're doing what we can through deterrence on diplomacy, to urge him to to desist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Ukraine's foreign minister also pushing diplomacy, saying it's the only responsible way. In a tweet, he says, "If Russia is serious about not wanting a new war, it must continue with diplomatic talks and pull back its troops." More than 100,000 Russian forces are amassed near Ukraine. Russia has
been demanding Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO. And now, Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, is questioning the framing of NATO as a defensive alliance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Each time it turns out that the line they have to defend is shifting to the east. Now, it has come close to Ukraine. They also want to drag this country there, although it is clear to everyone that Ukraine is not ready and will not make any contribution to strengthening NATO security. This will really undermine relations with the Russian federation, since it will be a flagrant violation of the official political commitment made by the presidents of the United States and other member countries of the alliance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, with the threat of a possible invasion looming, even Ukrainians outside the military are preparing to fight. CNN's Sam Kiley with more from Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAM KILEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An abandoned asphalt factory near Kyiv is now a training ground for civilians who volunteered to fight off the possible Russian invasion. They're outnumbered here by journalists and armed, at best, with pellet guns. They know they'll be outmatched by Moscow's military machine. But they are keen.
SERGIY CHURNIK, CLINICAL RESEARCHER AND VOLUNTEER: We have a crucial moment for our country. We have a really big risk that Russian invasion might occur really soon. So it's why even civilian have to be ready.
KILEY: These men believe that it's their country's democracy that Vladimir Putin fears more than a threat posed by European Union and NATO membership.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Putin's Russia, all Russian citizens are completely slaves. He feels it's a threat because Ukrainians gave to Russians and Belarussians a bad example.
MIKHAILO GERALDO RAMIREZ, LAWYER AND VOLUNTEER: We show to our neighbors how each citizen of freewill must defend his social and national rights.
KILEY: You wouldn't know that Ukraine's government says that Russia has at least 127,000 troops massed on three sides of the country here in the capital, where there are no signs of impending war.
And in the poorer districts, where people hold whatever they can to get by, the mood is similar. SVIETA, STYLIST (through translator): people are relaxed, although for
some I would say not. It depends on the circles you communicate in. If someone in your family is from the military or the police, it's a completely different mood.
KILEY: But aged air-raid shelters are being opened, just in case.
(on camera): The Ukrainian government is appealing to its population for calm. But at the same time, dusting off these Soviet-era bunkers. Because there is a threat to a young country's democracy.
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(voice-over): This shelter can house about 300 people. It even has a hand-cranked air filtration system. Kyiv has the capacity to shelter 2.8 million of the estimated 3 million residents, in 5,000 bunkers and in the metro system.
It's an irony lost on no one here that this shelter was built in 1956 to protect against NATO striking Russia and the Soviet Union. Now, it's offering shelter against a possible attack by Russia.
Sam Kiley, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: In Washington, U.S. senators say they're close to reaching a bipartisan deal on Russian sanctions.
Senator Bob Menendez, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, tells CNN some sanctions could happen upfront, while harsher measures would take effect if Russia invades Ukraine. But he says lawmakers are united on sending a clear message to Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): We are committed, jointly, in a bipartisan way, to defend Ukraine and to send Putin a message. It will be bloody and consequential.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Menendez says he's hopeful the Senate can reach a deal later this week. Well, as U.S. lawmakers get closer to a deal on sanctions, there are mounting concerns Moscow could hit back by slashing fuel supplies for the west.
In particular, Europe, especially worrisome for E.U. countries. They get about 40 percent of their natural gas from Russia.
Also, key pipelines run through Ukraine. A Russian invasion would threaten the country's energy infrastructure. While Europe would be hardest hit, experts say disruptions would ripple around the world, sending prices higher globally.
Meghan O'Sullivan joins me now from Harvard Kennedy School, where she is a professor of international affairs and director of the Geopolitics Energy Project.
Professor, great to have you on. Let's start with this. When we look at the independence of European nations on Russian energy, I want to just pull up a graphic and show people. Germany, which has, of course, pushed through the pipeline, it gets 32 percent of its pipeline gas from Russia. Thirty-four percent of crude oil, 53 percent of hard coal.
How reliant is Europe on Russian energy?
MEGHAN O'SULLIVAN, PROFESSOR, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS/DIRECTOR OF GEOPOLITICS ENERGY PROJECT: Well, the numbers that you use for Germany are, at a very broad scale, indicative of the overall continent. I'd say if we look at natural gas, as a whole, the continent, or the E.U., is dependent on 40 percent of its natural gas coming from Russia. And about 30 percent, on the whole, when we look at it for oil.
But there's some very important distinctions. Whale is much more easily substitutable. So if Russia were to stop sending oil to Europe, that's not a big deal. Oil is easy to transport. You put it in a barrel, you put it on a ship, it can come from anywhere.
It's the natural gas that really gives Russia leverage, because it's that pipeline that -- those pipelines, that infrastructure, they can't be easily replicated overnight. So all that -- not all but almost all of that gas from Russia is coming by pipeline, and if Russia were to curtail that, that is the real short term, or immediate term, vulnerability of Europe to Russian energy.
HOLMES: And of course, Russia using its energy supplies as a weapon. It's a weapon that can backfire. Because selling that stuff is central to its own economy.
O'SULLIVAN: That's very true. That, of course, and this has been the mutually-assured destruction, that Europeans have really relied on for decades.
Up until very recently, most Europeans, especially Germans and West Europeans, would say Russia has been a reliable supplier. For decades, it's supplied us these energy sources, and if it were to curtail it, this would have a devastating effect on the Russian economy.
And this has been true. The question just now becomes one of which, to what extent is Putin willing to make calculations that may not make economic sense, but do make strategic sense from his perspective?
HOLMES: Yes, yes. Something else you've written about, which is fascinating. How important is it for countries like Germany and others to reduce that dependence? And the renewable -- solar, wind, wave power -- clearly good for the planet. But the current tensions clearly illustrate that not moving towards them has national security implications.
O'SULLIVAN: It's a very good point, Michael. And I would say, to answer your question, how important is it? It's very important in the context of European priorities, and really global priorities, in the sense of the world needs to move to have net zero emissions by 2050. And Europe is the most forward-leaning region of the world.
However, what we're seeing today is that, you know, you can't plan for a few decades out without keeping at least one eye on the ball of the immediate term.
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Because in the short term, and even in the medium term, meaning another decade or two, these reliant -- these dependencies on fossil- fuel producers are going to remain in the interim.
So really, what has happened here is that much of Europe has really tried to live in the future, where its reality is actually still very much granted in fossil fuels. And that reality can't be ignored unless Europe wants to open itself up to these national security problems.
Potentially, over and over again during this actual transition to net zero.
HOLMES: Absolutely. And more broadly, outside of the current tensions, in a political sense, how much power do major national suppliers of so-called petrol states, have over their customers?
O'SULLIVAN: Well, I think this really depends on whether we're talking about natural gas, or we're talking about oil. And it depends on the state of the market.
I mean, if we look at the oil market, as you know, for decades, consumers have been concerned about an over-reliance on OPEC. And those are those oil, big oil-producing countries that work together in a cartel that has Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Iran, and now Russia has been working very closely with this cartel.
Now, if we look at different points over the last decade, sometimes this group of countries has had enormous power to set prices. And at other times, it's had very little power. And that just depends on how many other producers are in the market.
The U.S. has become a huge producer of oil over the last few years. And it also depends on, you know, what the demand is. And the real vulnerability here for the world, going forward, is that over the next couple of decades, what we don't want to see is supply be reduced before demand is reduced.
And it is this tension that we're -- have to prepare ourselves for. That demand for these -- these energy sources, of oil and natural gas, may not go down as quickly as supply. And it's in that kind of market that these traditional, big, largely state-owned companies will have the most influence.
HOLMES: And even at net zero, there's still going to be a need for oil and gas, even in that scenario. It's a fascinating aspect of all of this. And great analysis. Meghan, thanks so much.
O'SULLIVAN: Thank you, Michael. Pleasure to be with you. HOLMES: North Korea test-fired its most powerful ballistic missile in
years on Sunday, the seventh missile test this month alone. It is, of course, raising anxieties in South Korea and also in Washington.
The Biden administration says it would like to return to diplomatic talks with Pyongyang. But they're still waiting for an official response. One senior Biden official says North Korea could be using the test to force the U.S. into a weekend negotiating position.
For more on all of this, let's bring in Ivan Watson in Hong Kong.
Good to see you, Ivan. First of all, tell us what more we're learning about that missile launch and what North Korea says it was.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's described as an intermediate-range ballistic missile that flew a distance of about 800 kilometers at an altitude of about 2,000 kilometers.
It was launched Sunday morning. And it's part of this missile- launching blitz that the North Koreans have been on for the last month.
This is the second round of missile launches, missile tests, in just one month. And the most activity that we've really seen from North Korea on this front in years.
It was detected by South Korea, by the U.S. military, by Japan. All of these governments have come out, effectively condemning the launch. Take a listen to what a top official in Japan had to say about this. I believe we have sound of him speaking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HIROKAZU MATSUNO, CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY OF JAPAN (through translator): The series of actions by North Korea, including the repeated launches of ballistic missiles, threaten the peace and security of our country, the region, and the international community. Such intense ballistic missile launches are in violation of relevant Security Council resolutions. And our country has made a strong protest in North Korea through the embassy route in Beijing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: The North Koreans, according to state media, say they were testing the accuracy, safety, and operational effectiveness of this Hwasong-12 missile. One that we don't believe has been launched, really, since 2017 -- Michael.
HOLMES: All right. Ivan Watson, we'll leave it there in Hong Kong. Appreciate it.
All right, now to the Middle East, where the United Arab Emirates says it has destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile launch site in Yemen.
The UAE released this video which they claim shows the damage. They say the launch site was destroyed after their forces intercepted and destroyed another ballistic missile targeting the UAE.
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All this happening while Israel's president was visiting the country. And this comes after a series of attacks initiated by the Iran-backed Houthis against the UAE this month.
Tennis star Rafael Nadal now the all-time leader in men's Grand Slam titles. How the Spaniard battled back to win in epic fashion at the Australian Open.
Also still to come, will Beijing's closed-loop system keep athletes safe from COVID as infections continue to rise in the city? We'll have a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: It was an Australian Open final for the ages. Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal rallied back from two sets down to win the men's singles title. That never happens.
The wind put Nadal's name in the record books with his 21st Grand Slam title, the most ever by a men's tennis player. The 35-year-old beat Russia's Daniel Medvedev in five sets at the Rod Laver Arena.
For our international viewers, we'll have much more in WORLD SPORT, in about 25 minutes.
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There's yet another new mutation of the coronavirus. It's actually a version of the Omicron variant called BA.2. It was first identified back in early December, and it's already infecting people in at least 49 countries, including the U.S.
Here's what the former commissioner of America's Food and Drug Administration had to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER U.S. FDA COMMISSIONER: It appears to be more contagious. Data out of Denmark and the Serum Institute suggests that it's about 1.5 times more contagious than the strain of Omicron that has made it around the U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which is already so transmissible.
GOTTLIEB: Exactly. Does it evade our immune system? Does it evade the immunity we require from Omicron infection or the vaccines? Most of the evidence so far is preliminary, suggests it doesn't.
In fact, there's data out of the U.K. that suggests that a fully- boosted person may be more protected against this new variant than they were against the original strain of Omicron.
And then the final question is, is it more virulent? Is it more dangerous? And so far, based on what we've seen out of Denmark and the U.K., which are collecting very good data on this, it doesn't appear to be a more virulent strain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: COVID infections are surging around the world. New daily cases in Iran nearly doubled over 24 hours, while Russia registered 121,000 new cases on Sunday alone.
Have a look at this chart, which shows a massive spike in the seven- day average of new cases. Over the weekend, Russia surpassing more than 100,000 daily infections for the first time.
And thousands turned out in the Czech Republic to protest COVID restrictions, as cases there hover around record highs, as well.
All eyes are on China this week as the country gears up for two big events in the midst of the pandemic. The lunar new year, and of course, the Winter Olympics.
With just over four days to go before the opening ceremony in Beijing, the chair of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes Commission has now tested positive for COVID-19.
This as China just reported 37 more infections among Olympic personnel.
CNN's Steven Jiang joins me now, live from Beijing with more.
And I guess, Steven, if the Olympic bubble isn't bursting, is at least under strain? Or was this kind of expected in some way, there was always going to be some infections on the inside?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, Michael. That's the assumption most people have had for quite some time.
And now even Chinese officials have acknowledged this inevitable reality, publicly. Now they, of course, have been stressing that the number of positive cases inside of this closed loop is only a tiny minority of all the number of personnel.
And also, state media reporting that so far, there has been no community spread of the COVID virus within those bubbles. So, obviously, they are saying this is a testament to how well and effective their system has been working.
And they're determined to keep it that way. And obviously, as time goes on, and with more events kicking off, this is an increasingly daunting task, especially given how contagious the Omicron variant is.
Now, Michael, most of our CNN colleagues covering these games from within this closed loop have now arrived here in Beijing, with some of them telling me their first impression was, of course, the greeting by personnel and officials in full hazmat suits at the airport, as well as the high walls and fences around their hotel. And those walls and fences, in a way, are really a metaphor of this
sense of disconnect many ordinary Chinese people seem to feel about the Winter Olympics this time around.
Because not only -- there's not a single ticket available for sale to the general population because of the pandemic. A lot of the people have seen their travel plans ruined or disrupted because of the increasingly tightened travel restrictions, especially in and out of Beijing.
As you've mentioned, this is really the lunar new year period, the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar. So instead of being able to go home to see their loved ones, during their only time off of the year. Many of them are now, unfortunately, stuck.
So I think, for those of us who have covered the 2008 Summer Games, that difference is quite stark. You know, back then, that sense of excitement, anticipation, very much palpable in the air, not only throughout Beijing, but across the country.
But now, this time around, by talking to people here, and reading social media feeds, you have that feeling of frustration and annoyance. And also sometimes, growing tensions and even hostility towards the west, especially the United States, because of geopolitical tensions.
As you know, there is that U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of these games because of China's human rights record. There is the whole saga surrounding Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, not to mention that potential war between Russia and Ukraine, with the Russian president obviously coming here in a few days to meet Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.
So Michael, a lot to watch out for and digest, even outside the competition venues -- Michael.
HOLMES: Nothing complex about that situation. Steven, thanks.
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Steven Jiang there in Beijing.
Well, Portugal's center left socialists have pulled off a stunner, winning an outright parliamentary majority in Sunday's snap election. The socialists took more than 41 percent of the vote and will have at least 117 of the 230 seats in Parliament.
The incumbent prime minister, Antonio Costa, called the result a vote of confidence in his government and his party. He says an outright majority is not an absolute power, and he vowed not to govern alone.
Well, they are an iconic symbol of Australia, but koalas' numbers are dropping off for a number of reasons. Coming up, what the government is doing to try to protect them. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: And welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Now Australia's government is making a multi-million-dollar investment to protect its beloved koalas.
The animals face challenges on two major fronts: the destruction of habitat and disease. But some conservationists warn the infusion of money might not be enough.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice-over): They're cute, cuddly, and could one day be extinct. But the koala, one of Australia's iconic animals, may have just been thrown a lifeline by the Australian government.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, pledging $35 million in the next four years to protect the species, after the number of koalas plummeted in the last few years.
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: We're investing in the world-leading science in looking after our koala populations. We are also investing heavily in education to ensure not only the public can understand how they can contribute, but also importantly, veterinarians right across the country.
HOLMES: One of the biggest threats to koalas, bush fires. In 2019 and 2020, the World Wildlife Fund estimates more than 60,000 koalas were impacted in one of the country's worst fire seasons. That's a dramatic loss, since estimates of their total numbers ranged from nearly half a million to fewer than 100,000 in the wild.
During that time, the world watched in horror as unforgettable images emerged from the fires, like this woman using her shirt to try to save a badly-burned koala.
All the apocalyptic-looking terrain of Australia's Kangaroo Island, a habitat for koalas and many other animals, where little was left unscathed.
Disease is also taking a toll on the species. In some areas, chlamydia has affected half the koala population. Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin says the funds are coming at a critical time for koalas.
ROBERT IRWIN, WILDLIFE CONSERVATIONIST: They're on the -- on the thin edge of the wedge. And so any kind of support that we can get is greatly, greatly appreciated and very, very needed.
Our environment is suffering at the moment, and so any steps that we can make toward a brighter future, to make positive change.
HOLMES: Some conservationists say money isn't enough. Some environmental groups say the government needs to pass stronger laws about deforestation and climate change to protect koalas' habitats from being bulldozed, logged, or burned. The Australian Koala Foundation says their conservation status should
be upgraded from vulnerable to critically endangered.
Many agree the money, for now, is helpful. But without addressing the larger issues, Australia could one day lose with many people say is a national treasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Josey Sharrad is the wildlife campaign manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. She joins me now from Sydney, Australia.
Thanks for doing so. And before we get to what's being done and what's being planned, and whether it's enough. Just quickly set the scene for people when it comes to Australia's koala population. How perilous is it?
JOSEY SHARRAD, WILDLIFE CAMPAIGN MANAGER, INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE: Well, thank you for having me. I'm afraid to say that koalas are in real peril. As you said, they're one of the best-known and much-loved species in the world.
And it's hard to believe they are actually in crisis and we're at real risk of losing them.
There used to be millions of koalas in Australia, and now really, you're lucky to see one in the wild. And they've been through a lot, 100 years ago they were hunted to near extinction for their fur. It's so soft and waterproof.
We used to make gloves and hats out of them. And millions of koalas slaughtered in their pelts being exported to the U.S. and Europe. That impacted the import of koala fur. They stopped that, literally saving their skins.
But now we see koalas' numbers slowly starting to recover, and that's been replaced by a new threat, which is habitat loss, I'm afraid.
HOLMES: So the government is going to spend 50 million over four years to try to help the population recover. I mean, for a start, is that nearly enough of an investment? And as you were talking about there, how effective are these plans going to be? There's some fundamental things that need to change.
SHARRAD: Yes. The International Fund for Animal Welfare welcomes any funding support to protect the species. But I'm afraid that all the money in the world won't save koalas unless we address the root cause of that decline. And that's habitat loss and climate change.
Basically, we need to stop cutting down their trees and start protecting the places they call home. But anything else is just an expensive Band-Aid, I'm afraid.
HOLMES: And to that point, as you say, one of the biggest issues for koalas. I mean, there's drought, there's been the fires, and so on. But it's this loss of habitat from human development. Humans taking habitat for their own use, cutting off corridors that koalas need.
Is there a compromise that would work when it comes to that human aspect?
SHARRAD: I think there's always a solution. I think that humans can coexist with koalas and wildlife. Koalas can survive and thrive alongside humans. They just need trees, safe spaces, and corridors, as you say, to move freely, just like we do.
So there is such a thing as koala-friendly development. We just need to consider them in our planning. And really translate the trees that they need to survive.
HOLMES: And the other important issue, too. Climate change.
I did want to say -- I asked you about this, too. Because it is an important thing. Koalas faced that health challenge we mentioned, too, in recent years. Tell us about the impact of chlamydia.
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SHARRAD: Well, chlamydia is a really serious issue for koalas. It's a painful, kind of often fatal disease. It's leading to population declines.
But like so many diseases, it's linked to stress. And we know from research the IFund's commissioned, that land clearing is the No. 1 cause of stress in koalas.
So again, it all really leads back to that root cause, which is habitat loss.
HOLMES: Yes. And real quickly, opposition leader Anthony Albanese said that if the federal government actually wanted to protect koalas, it would take greater action on climate change.
You know, climate change also can't be forgotten in this. You can give money, but if you don't change the fundamentals of how the planet is changing, then they could be doomed.
SHARRAD: Absolutely. And sadly, koalas were one of the most vulnerable species to climate change. They don't do quite well with heat. We're seeing an increase in drought, heat waves, and bush fires. And we all know that koalas are particularly vulnerable to bush fires. They're slow moving. They live in highly-vulnerable eucalyptus trees, and these fires, we've had an increasing in intensity and frequency.
Often, koalas can often survive fires, but these are unprecedented. They've been what we call crown fires. They go right up to the top of the trees, and koalas don't really stand a chance of escaping.
So when koalas get in trouble, it's a sign that other species are in trouble. They're almost like the canary in the coal mine, so to speak. There're a flagship species. So, in protecting them, we're protecting thousands of other species and plants, as well.
HOLMES: Yes, such an important issue. And thanks for taking the time, Josey Sharrad. Really appreciate it. Thank you.
SHARRAD: Pleasure, thank you.
HOLMES: All right. Still to come here on the program, a massive black diamond shrouded in mystery is about to go up for sale. Details on the stone that's been dubbed, the Enigma. That's when we come back.
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HOLMES: A mysterious black diamond, weighing -- weighing more than 555 carats, is going up for auction at Sotheby's this week. Nicknamed the Enigma, the origin of the diamond has puzzled scientists. Some believe it could have come from outer space. Others say it's from deep in the earth.
This kind of black diamond, called a carbonado, can be about three billion years old. They've mainly been found in Brazil and the Central African Republic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON CELESTIAN, CURATOR OF MINERAL SCIENCES, NHM: Carbonado diamonds are quite rare to begin with. They are shrouded in mystery as the origin of formation, because there are not that many of them found on earth. And this is a particularly great and beautiful example of one of these types of diamonds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The diamond's current owner has had it for two decades, but its history before that is unclear.
The bidding begins on Thursday. It's expected to suffer as much as $7 million.
Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. For our international viewers, WORLD SPORT is up next. For everyone else, the news continues after a quick break.
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HOLMES: Welcome back. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is praising one of U.S. President Joe Biden's picks to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
On Sunday, Graham called U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs, quote, "a highly gifted jurist" and said he could not think of a better person for the job.
Suzanne Malveaux has more on the selection process from Washington. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Democrats would love to see bipartisan support of whomever President Biden picks as his Supreme Court nominee, but quite frankly, they say they don't need it. They are confident that they have the support, the 48 Democrats, the two independents that caucus with them, to make up a simple majority to push this through for the president.
We heard from the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, over the weekend, saying that they are ready to go as soon as that pick is known, that they have the paperwork, the staff, the records. They'll hold hearings in March, April, and move this along very quickly.
Having said that, they would love to see some Republicans join them, those who have previously approved of Obama's nominees, those being Senator Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and yes, Senator Lindsey Graham.
Senator Graham, Republican, making news over the weekend because of his departure from some of his colleagues, Republican colleagues like Senator Roger Wicker, who have made the rather offensive suggestion here that any of these candidates would be beneficiaries of affirmative action policy. The not-so-veiled implication or suggestion here that these black female candidates would not be qualified for the Supreme Court position.
Well, Lindsey Graham saying that, in fact, he supports U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs. She is also of his home state, South Carolina, and he says that she is eminently qualified.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I can't think of a better person for President Biden to consider for the Supreme Court than Michelle Childs. She has wide support in our state. She's considered to be a fair-minded highly-gifted jurist. She's one of the most decent people I've ever met. It would be good for the court to have somebody who's not at Harvard or Yale.
MALVEAUX: House Majority Whip James Clyburn, who is also the highest ranking African-American in Congress also backs Childs. He is also from South Carolina. He has made it very clear to Biden, save Biden's campaign, essentially, that he wanted a black female nominee for this particular position, and that Childs is the person that he is backing, who he is rooting for.
He makes a case she's diverse within this diverse group, that she is from the South, that she doesn't have an Ivy League background.
But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves here. There are still a number of nominees that the president is considering. On the short list, reportedly, U.S. Appeals Court Judge Ketanji brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Judge Leondra Kruger, and U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner. This will all play out in the months ahead.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, at the U.S. Capitol. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Hundreds of Cubans could face up to 30 years in prison following mass trials by the communist government. It all stems from anti-government protests held last July.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann has the story of one woman who doesn't know when or even if she'll see her husband again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After anti-government protests swept across Cuba in July, police arrested hundreds of the people who had taken to the streets denouncing chronic shortages and lack of basic freedoms.
Teams of special forces units went house by house, searching for the protesters. Two days after the disturbances first broke out, police and special forces troops raided the home of protester Daniel Yuel (ph) Cardenas Diaz.
His wife Marbelis, who managed to film some of the violent altercation, says police fired multiple shots, one that she says grazed her husband's head, and beat him, leaving a pool of blood on the living room floor.
Six months after the police came for her husband, Marbelis shows me a cartridge from one of the bullets she says police fired, and her husband's blood-stained shirt.
(on camera): (SPEAKING SPANISH)
MARBELIS VAZQUEZ HERNANDEZ, HUSBAND ARRESTED FOR PROTESTING: (SPEAKING SPANISH)
[00:50:01]
OPPMANN (voice-over): She says she shielded their two young children as police took her husband away.
HERNANDEZ (through translator): When I saw him on the floor, and they were hitting him with a baton, he was on the floor covered in blood, in a huge pool of blood. I thought he was dead.
OPPMANN: Following Cardenas' arrest in July, Cuban state TV released video of his police interrogation to dispute accounts that he was gravely injured.
According to to his wife, Cardenas was convicted of sabotage and public disorder for damage the government says he caused this gas station during the protests, and he now faces up to a 15-year sentence in jail.
From her cinder-block home on a dirt street, Marbelis says many Cubans are fed up with the never-ending economic hardships. HERNANDEZ (through translator): There has been no medicine. Nothing.
And on top of that, they sell everything in a currency that most Cubans don't have. I lived next to a store where they sell things in that hard currency, and I can't even buy a lollipop for my kids.
OPPMANN: Despite widespread calls for amnesty for the protestors, the government is holding mass trials and handing down lengthy prison sentences.
(on camera): According to Cuban prosecutors, nearly 800 people have been charged with allegedly taking part in the protests. More than 170 have already been convicted of crimes like sedition, vandalism, and disruption of public order in what are shaping up to be the largest mass trials in Cuba in decades.
(voice-over): Marbelis says she lies to her two-year-old twins when they ask where their father is. And she knows he might not be with them again for years.
HERNANDEZ (through translator): And these people didn't kill anyone. They didn't put bombs. They threw rocks and asked for liberty. That was all. And they're being sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
OPPMANN: Marbelis says she plans to appeal her husband's conviction. And despite whatever obstacles she faces, she is not backing down.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Cardenas, Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: This weekend's powerful winter storm on the U.S. East Coast has left behind bone-chilling temperatures of record snowfall in some areas.
How about this view from space, showing extensive snow from North Carolina all the way up to Maine.
Thousands still without power, due to strong winds from this bomb cyclone. The bitter cold stretches all the way down to Florida, where millions are under a freeze alert.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins me now.
Yes, it was quite a -- it was cold enough here in Atlanta, thank you very much.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It was plenty cold. Absolutely. And you know, pretty impressive storm system. When you consider the height of it, Michael, we had about 5,000 flights cancelled around the U.S. The vast majority, of course, around the northeastern U.S.
You noted the satellite imagery from space. Kind of further elaborating on this, we're looking at 22,000 miles from space right down towards the northeastern U.S.
And typically, what you'd find, of course, is kind of a greenish or brownish landscape here with the foliage, as depicted on satellite imagery.
Almost the entirety of the Northeastern U.S. covered by snow. You see the cloud cover offshore as the storm departs and behind it clear skies. So of course, you look down and see the snow at the surface from the satellite imagery.
But look at the snowfall amounts. These are state maximum. Stoughton comes in with almost 31 inches from going into Saturday and Sunday. And then Islip in New York -- across New York picking up almost -- a little over two feet across that region.
Boston picking up nearly two feet, as well. That's Connecticut, state maximum at 22 inches.
So no matter how you look at this, as impressive as a snow event gets. And some of the larger locations -- Atlantic City. Central park. Philadelphia. All the areas shattering the daily records by almost factor of ten in some cases. So really an incredible run of winter weather.
And if you think it's been snowing here around Atlantic City, well, 33 inches so far in the month of January. Previous record, back in 1987 when 20 inches fell in the month.
Right now, its heading down back behind it, Michael, where it gets very interesting over the next several days. Another winter weather system develops across the portions of the central United States. And notice it right up here with snowfall. But also a potential for significant amounts of ice so accumulate Tuesday into Thursday. Certainly a story worth following over the coming days, Michael.
Great. All right. All right. Pedram, thank you. Pedram Javaheri there with the latest.
But this weekend storm didn't stop one Rhode Island couple from tying the knot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Sally and Adam Irujo.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The happy couple said they'd had their wedding date set for a year. So despite the warnings of a historic blizzard, they said their "I do's" on Saturday outside the Province Public Library, surrounded by family and friends.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[00:35:
SALLY IRUJO, NEWLYWED: It feels amazing to have all these people we love around us here to share this day with us, and celebrate, and have a snowball fight, hopefully, once I get some gloves on these fingers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: For the record, Providence got about half a meter, or nearly two feet of snow.
And if you have ever wondered what would happen if a plane taxied too close to a baggage cart, well, you're in luck.
A China Railways plane crashed into a baggage cart at Chicago O'Hare. It happened Friday while the city was being pummeled, of course, by blizzard conditions. No surprise, the engine badly damaged. And we're just going to assume that the luggage, well, good luck with that.
Still waiting.
A SpaceX launch is being delayed after a cruise ship ventured too close to the no-go zone. SpaceX was supposed to send an Italian satellite system into orbit on Sunday. But the company says the cruise ship couldn't get clear of the flight path in time to make the launch happen.
Bad weather around Florida's Cape Canaveral have already delayed the launch three times. SpaceX says they will try again in the coming hours.
And Spotify says it will now add a content advisory to all podcasts that mention COVID-19. The new advisory will lead listeners to a central hub for information on the virus from reliable sources. Spotify's CEO said the company has an obligation to do more.
The move comes after several artists said they will leave the platform as it continues to host Joe Rogen, who has spread misleading and false claims about COVID-19.
Guitarist Nils Lofgren is the latest to join artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in exiting Spotify.
Nickelback says they will upload more music if nothing is done.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @HolmesCNN. Do stick around. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
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