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Vladimir Putin Demands Ukraine Submit To His Will On Peace Talks; Fanfare And Controversy Swirl Around Skier Eileen Gu; Questions Follow U.S. Military Investigation Findings That No One Was Hit By Gunfire After Kabul Airport Attack; Tensions Growing in Demonstrations Over COVID Mandates; U.K. Prime Minister Shakes Up Cabinet in Effort to Stay in Power. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired February 09, 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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[00:00:33]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, reason for hope. French President Emmanuel Macron suggests some progress has been made in the Ukraine crisis. But the Kremlin tells a different story.

Plus, the CNN investigation looks deeper at claims that a lone suicide bomber killed more than 180 people in an attack at the Kabul airport.

And growing anger over anti-vaccine protests in Canada after truckers blocked the busiest international crossing in North America.

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

KINKADE: The latest diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine are either moving full speed ahead or stuck in neutral depending on who you ask. French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Ukrainian counterpart in Kyiv before heading to Berlin on Tuesday, claiming new leads to de-escalate the crisis. But the Kremlin spokesman has a different take, he refused to confirm any tangible steps towards a resolution.

Still, Mr. Macron says he received certain assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: On the discussions on military and security aspects, I have said very clearly yesterday, we have had exchanges with President Putin and he told me that he would not be behind any escalation. I think that is important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: U.S. officials are raising serious concerns about the implications of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sources say it could result in thousands of civilian casualties and create a major refugee crisis in Europe.

Those concerns grow as Russia's military buildup continues. Six warships are headed to the Black Sea South of Ukraine for naval drills.

More now from CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Close to Ukraine, Russian troops, a clear and present threat overshadowing President Emmanuel Macron's high stakes diplomacy.

Following a five-hour meeting, President Vladimir Putin's innuendo- laden language dampening hopes further, demanding Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, submit to his will on the Minsk peace talks, intending to end fighting with pro-Russian separatists.

PRES. VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA (through translator): Like it or don't like it, it's your duty, my beauty.

ROBERTSON: Barely 16 hours later as Macron met Zelensky, the Ukrainian President responded to Putin's apparent insult, parrying with diplomacy.

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINE (through translator): Ukraine is indeed a beauty as far as him saying my Ukraine is a slight overstatement. As far as take it is concerned, I think Ukraine is very patient, because that's wisdom.

ROBERTSON: Even so, Macron claiming small victories on the latest Minsk talks to end tensions in Eastern Ukraine.

MACRON (through translator): I was able to obtain a very clear and explicit commitment from President Putin and Zelensky to the strict basis of the Minsk agreement, and in particular, to strict compliance.

ROBERTSON: And appearing to think Putin agreeing to a military de- escalation, later scotched by the Kremlin. Reality is, Putin is giving up no ground, nor is he making clear what his next move will be, all the while keeping up his demands.

PUTIN (through translator): We are categorically against the expansion of NATO.

ROBERTSON: The Russian leader seemingly waiting while diplomacy plays out to see what Western weaknesses appear.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There will be no longer a Nord Stream 2.

ROBERTSON: President Biden's insistence, Germany in lockstep with U.S. sanctions under scrutiny.

OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: The transatlantic partnership is key for peace in Europe. And this is what Putin also has to understand that he will not be able to split European Union or to split NATO. We will act together.

ROBERTSON: Round three of Macron's diplomacy late Tuesday, meeting Scholz on his return from D.C., along with Poland's President Andrzej Duda, whose NATO nation just received 1,700 troops from the U.S. 82nd Airborne.

[00:05:16]

PRES. ANDRZEJ DUDA, POLAND (through translator): We must find a solution to avoid war. This is our primary task. I believe we will do it. Today, the most important thing is unity and solidarity.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Putin likely watching every move making few of his own, as U.S. officials warn, if there is an invasion, it could cost tens of thousands of civilian lives and create a refugee crisis in Europe.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, joining me now from the Russian capital, Anton Troianovski, the Moscow Bureau Chief for The New York Times. Good to have you with us.

ANTON TROIANOVSKI, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Hello.

KINKADE: So, you've wrote a really interesting piece in The New York Times today, concluding that this dangerous diplomatic standoff could drag on for months, if not all of 2022 given that no one it seems is willing to compromise. And that could be a best-case scenario.

TROIANOVSKI: Absolutely. I mean, certainly the worst-case scenario is that, in fact, all these troops that we are seeing on the border around Ukraine, in fact, are used in a new invasion, which is something that analysts and American officials fear could happen in the next few weeks.

But even if it doesn't, really, there's no way to imagine that Putin would take the pressure off in a significant way. He's showing that what he's demanding right now, a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, in effect for Russia, is something that he will continue to push for, something that he will continue to keep the pressure high for for as long as it takes to get his way.

KINKADE: Yes, I want to ask you more about that. Because if if he did in fact draw down on troops on the border of Ukraine. What other ways could it keep the West on edge?

TROIANOVSKI: Well, of course, even if he draws down troops, you know, he could drive down some of them, but not all of them. The posture that he's maintaining right now with the, you know, all these soldiers way out of garrison camped out in the snow, in the mud here in the winter is -- so that's something that he hadn't really maintained you would think for a long time. But he can keep a lot of those troops there. He can conduct cyber-

attacks, he can conduct exercises of his nuclear forces, and he can mount future troop build ups as well.

So, the way this is seen in Moscow is really a long kind of slog, a long fight. And, and something that the Kremlin is willing to pursue and put its capital on the line for for a long time to come.

KINKADE: Yes. And as you noted in your article, when U.S. President Biden entered office, he wanted to focus on China's growing influence. But Putin has managed to divert much attention to his part of the world.

We saw the French President Macron speaking, obviously, with both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, as saying that Putin promising that there would be no escalation, although Russia has disputed that account. What does that tell you? Can Britain be taken in his word?

TROIANOVSKI: Well, you know, I think Russia disputed that account, because they are publicly saying they're not planning to escalate, and that they are planning to draw down these troops after exercises and in Belarus, for example, on February 20th.

So, this has all been a story in which we've heard a very bit different things out of the Kremlin officially compared to what we're actually seeing on the ground around Ukraine.

But you're absolutely right, what you said about, you know, President Biden, he had different priorities when he came in. And I think that the recognition of that exists here in Moscow as well. And that's part of what's going on here.

The Kremlin knows that President Biden would much rather deal with China. He sees China as America's biggest foreign policy challenge long term. And so, there's a sense here, that that's one of the reasons why President Biden could be prepared to make a deal.

At the end of the day, the Russians will be looking for a deal. And that's another thing to remember, even if we do have a war, even if we have a military escalation, the diplomacy will continue this kind of scramble to find some kind of diplomatic solution will continue really no matter what.

[00:10:12]

KINKADE: Yes, it seems that way. We perhaps maybe talking about this again very soon. Good to get your perspective. Anton Troianovski, the Bureau Chief Moscow for the New York Times, thanks so much.

TROIANOVSKI: Thank you.

KINKADE: Day five of the Winter Olympics is underway in Beijing and we've already seen another stunning disappointment for American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin, who skied out of her first long run after missing an early gate comes just days after she crashed out on the first round of the giant slalom. Both events expected to be Shiffrin's best chances at winning a medal in Beijing.

Meantime, U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim is at the top of the pack going into Thursday's halfpipe final.

And American Shaun White, the so called Flying Tomato is set to begin his quest for one more medal. He says he's retiring from competition after the Beijing Games.

Over many though the spotlight is still on Eileen Gu, the American born skier competing for China who won her first Olympic gold on Tuesday.

Well, for more now, let's bring in CNN's Steven Jiang live in Beijing. Good to see you, Steven.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Lynda, Eileen Gu definitely still the talk of the nation, not only with an avalanche of stay media coverage, and her name actually still remains a top trending topic across Chinese social media with tons of articles and videos and photos of her really making the rounds. Everybody seems to want a piece of her and trying to claim some sort of connections with her.

So, she's definitely conquer the nation. But one thing that she seems unable to overcome is this growing gap between the United States and China not only you know, on a geopolitical level, but even on the people to people level because now she's been attracting some criticisms from the U.S. with some people of course, accusing her of betraying her birth nation, the U.S.

But also, there are criticisms of her remarks on some thorny issues when she addressed reporters after her victory on issues such as Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis star who was actually on the stands watching her compete, and also a screenshot of her Instagram comment when she said it was perfectly legal and easy to download VPN to bypass China's firewall, which, technically is not a case. But she's been pushing back as well. Here's what she said about how she deals with critics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EILEEN GU, WON GOLD FOR CHINA IN FREESTYLE SKIING: And in that sense, I'm not going to waste my time trying to placate people who are, one, uneducated and two, probably are never going to experience the kind of joy and gratitude and just love that I have with great fortune to experience on a daily basis.

So, yes, if people don't believe me, and if people don't like me, then that's their loss. They're never going to win the Olympics, so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIANG: So, obviously, quite a smackdown at her critics, and many here in China, obviously hailing that as a perfect response to not only her critics, but critics of China.

But the irony here is, of course, as somebody who is bilingual and bicultural, that kind of background and talent would really make her being hailed as a hero on both sides of the Pacific in better times, but obviously not right now, a reflection of this fractured world.

And of course, some people also point out that elegance in her answer that we just watched is a result of her American upbringing and education as well. So anyway, it's really a sign of times a somebody like her seems to be enabled to bridge the gap in our increasingly fractured world, Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes, she certainly is a confident young lady. Steven Jiang in Beijing. Thanks so much.

And of course, stay with us. We will have much more from the Beijing Olympics coming up on "WORLD SPORT" airing about half an hour from now.

But first, here on CNN NEWSROOM, the Pentagon says a lone ISIS bomber carried out the August attack at Kabul's airport, which killed more than 180 people, but an exclusive CNN report raises questions about that conclusion.

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KINKADE: Welcome back, last August at the height of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a deadly terror attack at Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and at least 170 Afghan civilians.

A Pentagon investigation into that attack released last Friday said everyone died as a result of the blast, the work of a lone suicide bomber. But a four-month CNN investigation into that horrific airport attack now raises serious questions if it has been fully investigated.

Nick Paton Walsh has our report. And a warning too, it does contain graphic images that may be disturbing to some viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The blast tore into the dense crowd.

MORSAL HAMIDI, SURVIVOR: A very high high blast sound and dead people. I saw a lot of hands, legs without their bodies.

WALSH: At least 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops died after an ISIS suicide bomber struck outside Kabul airport. A Pentagon investigation of the attack released Friday said everyone died in the blast.

GEN. KENNETH MCKENZIE JR., COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: The single explosive device killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. servicemembers by explosively directing ball bearings through a packed crowd and into our men and women at Abbey Gate.

WALSH: The review on (INAUDIBLE) this brief glimpse of bomber. CNN spent four months investigating the incident reviewing medical records and analyzing video photos and audio of the scene. And speaking to over 70 witnesses of families of the dead, doctors, hospital staff and survivors who insist some of the dead and wounded were shot.

The analysis and testimonies raise hard questions as to whether the bomb can explain all the deaths.

NOORULLAH ZAKHEL, SURVIVOR: When the soldier came directly and they started firing. I laid down when they start firing like this.

WALSH: CNN spoke to doctors and medical staff at five hospitals who spoke of seeing or treating what they say were gunshot wounds.

An Italian-run emergency hospital told CNN in a statement about that evening, their doctors assessed "gunshot wounds" on nine victims who arrived dead in the hour after the blast. Seven was shot in the head they said.

But there was no autopsy done for those are rare in Afghanistan so they assessed the appearance of the wounds.

At an Afghan military hospital, a doctor recorded two other victims that were "dead due to gunshot injuries and blast injuries from the airport attack". Then, there are the survivors.

One Afghan survivor was treated in the U.S. military's own Walter Reed Hospital outside Washington. He showed us his medical records asking to be anonymous for his safety. They recorded a gunshot wound to the left chest and blast injuries too.

Another survivor Morsal Hamidi had a bullet injury to the left side of her face, say her records from the Italian hospital in Kabul.

HAMIDI: I realized that the blood is coming from my face, like water out of a tap. I was hit by a bullet in my face in my right jaw, here and the blood extracted from this part of my throat.

[00:20:06]

WALSH: Dead and wounded flooded into hospitals. We spoke to a doctor who treated patients at Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital, one of the biggest in Kabul. He said he pulled bullets out of four injured patients from the airport that night.

He said he found gunshot wounds on many other dead bodies he examined, suggesting the number of people shot may be much higher. He asked we hide his identity for his safety.

DOCTOR, KABUL HOSPITAL: There was two kinds of injuries. People burn from the blast with lots of holes in their bodies. But with a gunshot, you can see just one or two holes, in the mouth, in the head, in the eye, in the chest. I removed bullets from four or five injured.

WALSH: U.S. military investigators insist that was not the case.

BRIG. GEN. LANCE G. CURTIS, U.S. MILITARY INVESTIGATOR: There were absolutely no gunshot wounds. During the course of our investigation, we found no evidence that post blast, U.S. servicemembers killed other U.S. service members or Afghans. WALSH: But investigators admit they did not talk to any Afghan civilians.

CURTIS: During the course of our investigation, we did not have an opportunity to speak with Afghans on the ground.

WALSH: Yet, dozens of Afghans assert there was deadly gunfire after the bomb hit here at Abbey Gate. We've built a 3D model of the scene. Here's the canal outside the gate 45 minutes before the blast.

And then, just before the device detonated, it's packed and the Marines are bunched up.

The U.S. military said the device was sophisticated and send ball bearings flying into a dense crowd surrounding the bomber at the time of ignition and could be reasonably expected to have killed all the people. Here's one of those ball bearings removed from a victim's shoulder.

The U.S. military told CNN that doctors might have mistaken wounds made by these ball bearings for bullet wounds, adding they were too similar to tell apart without study of the internal wounds and the finding of the projectile that caused it, which the Afghan hospitals could not do in a mass casualty event. But a doctor who said he pulled bullets out of four patients disagreed.

DOCTOR: According to my 15 years of surgery in Afghanistan, bomb and bullet injuries are very different. When a ball bearing enters the body, it makes a big hole different from a short bullet. When a bullet enters, it makes a small hole with a specific border. And when it leaves it makes a big hole.

WALSH: Other staff at his hospital told CNN they too had seen bullet wounds. There is no dispute there was some shooting some in this video. Three minutes after the blast, you can hear three gunshots but not see who's shooting. There's chaos and fear.

U.S. Marines are likely tending to injured near the gate. Children are being carried away, some crouch for cover.

U.S. military investigators released drone video they said started just after this. It is patchy but they said their analysis of the footage showed nobody running away and panic from gunfire or any evidence of shooting.

The U.S. and U.K. militaries have said there were three bursts of gunfire both at some point just after the blast. U.S. troops noticed a suspicious military aged male across the canal soon after the blast. U.S. investigators said they fired four warning shots.

A U.K. defense official told CNN their troops on top of a tower fired warning shots at about the same time to prevent a crowd surge. The U.S. investigators said the British fired 25 to 35 rounds over the crowd from two positions.

Another Marine team fight again this time at a male on a roof, armed they said with an AK-47. Investigators couldn't say how many rounds they shot. The U.S. and British military say all the shots were fired over the crowded canal but did not hit anyone.

It's important to remember that none of the dozens of eyewitnesses we've spoken to have recalled seeing any other gun man be it ISIS or Taliban in that scene in the aftermath.

A U.S. official also said no other gunmen fired in the aftermath. But one Marine did talk to CBS News in September, recalling a firefight with an assailant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's blown off his feet and still has his wits about him, shot through the shoulder, immediately recovers his weapon and puts the opposing gunman down.

WALSH: A U.S. official CNN spoke to now asserts the Marine spoke in error, adding no other troops investigators interviewed recalled that incident occurring.

Doubts over the Pentagon story also emerged from Afghan survivors. They also recalled troops opening fire, but say civilians were hit.

[00:25:07]

WALSH: Morsal was there with her sister Shogofa in the trench, three meters from the blast, she said.

HAMIDI: My head from -- was falling into my hands and I just put it on the other dead people.

WALSH: You saw the soldiers on the wall of the trench shooting down into the trench?

HAMIDI: Yes, they shooted on trench.

WALSH: And when the shooting started, did you see it or did you hear it?

SHOGOFA HAMIDI, SURVIVOR (through translator): Yes, I saw the soldiers exactly. Some came to save their own colleagues. Other stood there and fired directly towards people.

WALSH: Noorullah Zakhel said he was also in the trench, hit in the head by the blast and tried to flee with his cousin Suhail (PH).

ZAKHEL: I told to my cousin, Suhail run. We run together, we went -- I tried to go climb out from the canal. I succeeded, but I think my cousin escaped. The soldier came directly and they started firing.

WALSH: When did you find out that Suhail was dead?

ZAKHEL: In the morning time. When I called my family, is Suhail OK? They said he was murdered.

WALSH: And how was his body? What were the injuries on his body?

ZAKHEL: They were just shooted in two bullets. One on head in this side and taken out from this side and another one on shoulder.

WALSH: One survivor didn't want to be identified and said he was also in the trench. He said he saw his cousin shot in front of him. Medical reports we cited earlier confirmed his brother and cousin were declared as having been shot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe five minutes after the blast, I tried to help my brother and cousin out of the canal. But I wasn't able to. They were alive until that point. But when the firing started, a bullet hit one of them in the head.

This is what I saw with my own eyes. He died right there on the spot.

WALSH: A total of 19 survivors CNN has interviewed said they saw people shot or were shot themselves. The U.S. military said the witnesses we spoke to had "jumbled memories from a concussive event and are doing their best to piece together what their brain is unlikely to remember clearly". And that no other facts backed up claims people were shot.

The volume of testimony from Afghan survivors though, does present questions as to how so many witnesses could make such similar claims.

CHRIS COBB SMITH, FORENSIC BLAST ANALYST: I feel like I know the area backwards already having looked at all that footage.

WALSH: CNN hired a forensic blast analyst, former U.N. weapon inspector and a war crimes investigator Chris Cobb Smith, to see what the scene could tell us about the bomb.

SMITH: It does indeed look as though the bomb was filled with ball bearings.

WALSH: And it was quite small, right?

SMITH: It's most certainly a small device. It's virtually nothing of the concrete infrastructure this area that has been damaged significantly by a big blast. I do not believe that bomb was big enough to kill 180 people at all.

WALSH: That remains under contention and there were other experts who believe the bomb could have killed all those people.

The Pentagon's investigation aims to provide answers for the families of Americans lost here. But in Afghanistan, the survivors of the blast and its aftermath dispute the American narrative and suffer with their memories.

HAMIDI: Every night is like a nightmare for me. I cannot sleep, it's very terrible for me, but I just try to remember all my hopes, all my wish.

WALSH: Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: Still ahead, escalating tensions in Canada, truckers blocked the busiest border crossing in North America as protests grow over COVID-19 mandates. We'll explain why Canada's Prime Minister is in no mood to negotiate.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. Well, tensions are growing in Canada, where truckers are defying calls to end nearly two weeks of protests over COVID-19 mandates.

[00:31:32]

On Tuesday, the so-called Freedom Convoy displayed one of their boldest moves yet, by blocking the busiest border crossing in North America when it comes to trade.

CNN's Paula Newton is in Ottawa, where protest organizers say they won't give up until COVID restrictions are lifted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Freedom. It's the mantra here in what has become an eyesore of a parking lot, right in front of Canada's Parliament. It stretches for blocks. It's gone on for days. The message, the same: We're done with COVID, and we're staying until the government is, too.

DORAN, TRUCKER: To the end, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Do problems get solved?

NEWTON: For Dern, behind this week for 17 years, the vaccine is the problem. He says he's vaccinated but feels he was forced into it. He wants the freedom to choose. As a father, he admits he's stressed, losing hundreds of dollars every day he's out here.

DORAN: There's something more important in this, you know, lifetime than the money. If you don't do -- make any changes now, we're going to lose all freedom.

NEWTON: But here's the thing, it's not just truckers. It's not just about the vaccine mandates.

These Canadians drove five hours and are here to have their say, because the truckers tapped into a pandemic fatigue they say they can no longer endure. And they say they're vaccinated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One hundred percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Double dose, got my Q.R. code.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I made and sold masks at the beginning of this, but you know what? When you keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result, that's the definition of insanity. We are insane right now. We keep doing the same things over and over again. Nothing is changing.

NEWTON: To get change, they say, they're staying put. No one has brokered a way out of this.

(on camera) And now political leaders and police have learn the hard way that these kinds of truck blockades can pop up anywhere, right across the country in a moment's notice.

(voice-over) The latest, effectively paralyzing one of the most important supply chains across any border in the world: the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit. Police officials say it may seem easy to resolve, but confrontation and violence is a real risk.

DREW DILKENS, WINDSOR, ONTARIO MAYOR: And so everyone here is trying to deal, at least on our side, is trying to be sensible, fair, and reasonable, recognizing that we live in a democracy, and that protests and demonstration is a natural part of a democracy.

But also recognizing that it doesn't mean you can take your protests to the point of closing down the busiest economic corridor between the United States and Canada.

NEWTON: But what's at stake couldn't be clearer for both Canada and the U.S., a movement of truckers that can stand their ground, it seems anywhere, and sow chaos. It's for that reason that auto industry executives are joining other high-profile Canadians and warning American supporters of this protest to back off.

FLAVIO VOLPE, PRESIDENT, AUTOMOTIVE PARTS MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION: Let's see if Ted Cruz, or the attorney general in Texas, or any other number of American personalities are going to stand up for the manufacturers in Michigan who can't get their products exported, or the petrochemical companies in Texas that rely on parts suppliers turning those petrochemicals into plastic parts and sending them north of the border.

NEWTON (on camera): Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, remains resolute. He says he's not negotiating with those crowds, and that that would set a dangerous precedent.

Having said that, he also points out that living up to those vaccine and mask mandates would actually end a lot of these COVID restrictions much sooner.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, tonight, Pope Benedict is now asking for forgiveness for his handling of child sex abuse cases in the church, but he's denying any wrongdoing.

His comments come after a court found that he had been informed of four cases of abuse but failed to act while serving as archbishop. The retired pontiff pushed back on claims he knew that in 1980 that a priest under his control was an abuser, and denied that he had intentionally concealed his presence in a meeting about that priest.

SNAP, one of the main groups representing survivors of clergy abuse, dismissed the plea for forgiveness, saying, quote, "Benedict's letter is admitting to one thing to cover up 1,000. He's repeating words of apology that have fallen on deaf ears for decades."

Well, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying a new tactic to get past the Party-gate scandal. A mini reshuffle of his cabinet.

It's an effort to appease Conservative lawmakers, some of whom are trying to push him out of office in what's become the most serious challenge yet to his leadership.

Salma Abdelaziz has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Britain's rebel prime minister is in serious trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a business meeting!

ABDELAZIZ: Boris Johnson's administration stands accused of breaking the rules, throwing multiple boozy parties under his roof during lockdown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We police, impartially --

ABDELAZIZ: Police are investigating to determine if crimes were committed at the heart of government.

An earlier civil investigation found a culture of excessive drinking and failures in leadership and judgment at 10 Downing Street.

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I get it, and I will fix it.

ABDELAZIZ: A defiant Johnson has ignored calls for his resignation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the name of God, go.

ABDELAZIZ: And ordered a shake-up of his team. He reportedly saying, I will survive, to his new director of communications, who described his new boss as not a complete clown, but a very likable character.

The prime minister's fate now lies with his own Conservative Party. At least nine Tory M.P.s have taken steps to remove Johnson and submitted letters of no confidence to the 1922 Committee, which oversees the party. Among them, is M.P. Tobias Ellwood.

TOBIAS ELLWOOD, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE M.P.: It's almost like a Trump- esque approach to dealing with some of the challenges, of short-term survival. We should be an exemplar of good democracy, and at the moment, I'm afraid this is not our finest hour.

ABDELAZIZ: If the committee receives 54 letters -- that's 15 percent of Tory M.P.'s, a vote to unseat Johnson would take place. But while there is a will, there is for now no way to depose Johnson.

ELLWOOD: Many of my colleagues in the primary don't believe that this is going to get better. And therefore, this is a -- a miserable guide path to a very, you know, dark place.

ABDELAZIZ: Without a strong alternative to replace the prime minister, the revolt against him remains fractured and disorganized. And if a vote is triggered, at least half of Tory M.P.s -- that's 180 lawmakers -- must vote against Johnson to force him out of office.

If the vote fails, Johnson would be protected from attempts to oust him for a full 12 months.

JOEY JONES, FORMER ADVISER TO FORMER BRITISH P.M. THERESA MAY: If they're going to strike, they have to be confident that they can get it right, and that they can muster the numbers. That, it seems to me, is largely why people are continuing to be hesitant at the moment.

ABDELAZIZ: For now, Johnson clings to power, dragging his party's reputation and credibility down with his own.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still to come, while the Olympic experience has been worth its weight in gold for some, others are feeling the backlash from viewers over their performance. Why American-born Chinese athletes are under the microscope. We'll have that story when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:45]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Well, fans temporarily crashed China's leading social media site on Tuesday after skater Eileen Gu won gold. She's one of multiple athletes in a unique situation: born in the United States but competing for China. And not all have received a warm reception in China.

CNN's Selina Wang reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Winning goal for your country is every Olympian's dream. But when it's not the country you were born and raised in, it's not so straightforward. American-born free skier Eileen Gu became an instant hit in China after choosing to compete for them in the Winter Olympics.

Her love of Chinese culture, fluency in Mandarin, and amazing athleticism launched her to become the unofficial face of China's Olympic ambitions, and nicknamed the Snow Princess.

The 18-year-old is well-known as a model for Louis Vuitton and Tiffany. A talented pianist, and after graduating early from high school with a 1580 on the SAT, will go to college at Stanford in a few months. When she won gold in the big air final, it literally broke the

Internet, crashing China's leading social media site, Weibo, as fans rushed to share their excitement.

"She's so great," he said. "Eileen is very, very good. Such a steady performance, and she challenged a jump that she's never done before. She's so great."

(on camera): China doesn't allow dual nationality, and it's unclear if Gu has given up her American citizenship. It's a question she continues to sidestep here in Beijing.

EILEEN GU, COMPETING FOR CHINA: I'm American when I'm in the U.S., and I'm Chinese when I'm in China.

WANG (voice-over): Nineteen-year-old figure skater Zhu Yi has given up her American citizenship, but her reception in China has been a totally different experience.

After Yi fell twice during her skating routine, the abuse was relentless on social media, as some questioned why she had been chosen to represent China over an athlete born in the country.

Yi was born and raised in California to a Chinese immigrant family, and has changed her name from Beverly Zhu to Zhu Yi. But she has faced criticism for not speaking fluent Chinese like Gu.

(on camera): The decision to compete for China as an American-born athlete has drawn some harsh words in the U.S. Most specifically, over China's human rights record.

(voice-over): Gu insists she wants to be a role model and inspiration to young girls, but so far has dodged any questions about Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who disappeared for several weeks after accusing a powerful Chinese official of sexual assault last year, sparking international concern. She later denied making the allegations.

Peng met with Olympic officials over the weekend and was in the audience for Gu's winning moment, even mentioning Gu by name in an interview with French outlet "L'Equipe," calling her, "our Chinese champion."

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

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VAUSE: That's it for this edition of NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stick around. WORLD SPORT with Patrick Snell starts after the break. Much more news at the top of the hour.

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