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Ukraine Report Confirms It Was Behind Explosions In Crimea; At Least 7 Reported Killed By Russians Strike In Kharkiv; Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers Refuse To Give Up; China Experiencing Worst Heat Wave In 60 Years; Researchers Find Forest Fires Worldwide Are Getting Worse; Serbian, Kosovo Leaders To Hold Talks With E.U.; U.K. Inflation Rises To 10.1 Percent In July, Highest In 40 Years; At least Three Dead after Blast in Kabul Mosque; Giuliani Meets with Grand Jury Behind Closed Doors; Trump Scrambling to Hire Attorneys; Surge in Chinese Asylum Seekers under Xi's Rule. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired August 18, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:01:18]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: We now have unofficial confirmation that Ukraine that was -- the forces were behind a series of devastating blasts in Russian held Crimea. A government report obtained by CNN and volunteers for the first time Ukraine to roll the attacks on Russian airfields and ammunition depots. The first attack came a week ago that led to bumper-to-bumper traffic out of Crimea and heading back to Russia.
Russian officials say this was no exodus from Crimea, claiming tightened security on the main bridge to Russia was causing delays. Whatever the reason, Ukraine's President says they were wise to leave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): The cue to leave Crimea for Russia through the bridge in recent days proves that the absolute majority of citizens of the terrorist state are beginning to comprehend or at least feel that Crimea is no place for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukraine's defense ministry says a long-awaited counter offensive in the south could begin in a matter of days. Government officials have hinted it could be on next Wednesday to coincide with Ukraine's Independence Day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRII YUSOV, UKRAINE DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translation): Ukraine will liberate all of its territories that have been occupied by the enemy. In the near future, there will be fierce events all along the front. We aren't going to mention any specific dates. There's a lot of talk about Independence Day. And that's a factor that should be considered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In the East, Ukraine confirms that Russian forces have made some modest gains. And to the north, a three-storey residential building in Kharkiv was hit late Wednesday by a Russian strike. At least seven people were reported killed. Officials say took about two hours to bring the resulting fire under control.
Repeated shelling around the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia has officials across Europe on edge. Nearby first responders have been holding drills in preparation for a nuclear disaster. But while Russia controls the sprawling facility, Russia controls what happens next. Here's Ukraine's energy minister on the crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN HALUSHCHENKO, UKRAINIAN ENERGY MINISTER: Of course, we are concerned that's for sure. And that's why we are here. That's why we created this group. That's why we are involved in everyday communication with this. And we speak to our international partners also that of course we can serve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukrainian President is demanding the Russian military withdrawal from the facility immediately with Moscow and Kyiv say they want the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the plant. But so far, that hasn't happened.
Since the very beginning of the Russian invasion, there's been no shortage of Ukrainian men and women eager to fight to defend their country. But now almost six months on, and many of those who signed up to fight come home. Some of that limbs or eyesight many have been badly disfigured. And almost all of the wounded are likely to be suffering from trauma. The real cost of war could often be counted in the number of shattered lives. And Ukraine is already paid daily.
Here's CNN's David McKenzie.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A coffee and a cigarette, that's all Andrey asked for. After field surgeons, amputated both of his legs.
OK, you're a fighter. You'll be OK, they told them. I tried to stay positive. And that helps me to survive. A veteran of Ukraine's war, just nine days into this conflict, Andrey was clearing cluster munitions when they exploded.
It left him bowed, but not broken.
It's hard but this is my task to stay upright, he says and I'm doing it. Maybe I'll even return to duty. [01:05:00]
At a rehabilitation center in Vinnytsia, the soldiers often choose camo prosthetics. The artisans have been doing this for nine decades, putting soldiers back together. And the prosthetics, the physical rehabilitation isn't enough.
(on-camera): How is the attitude or the hope for a patient important in this process?
VOLODYMYR DANILYUK, ORTHOPEDIST, VINNYTSIA REHABILITATION CENTER (through translation): It's 50-50, 50 percent depends on our doctors and 50 percent depends on the soldier and his mental health. If he doesn't want it, doctors can help him.
MCKENZIE (on-camera): How do you feel about this war now? It's been many months.
I'm very sorry for the younger men who are dying in this war, says Andrey. For permanent soldiers who've been going to the front since 2014, I understand. But for the younger guys, I feel sorry for them.
Russia's invasion sent 23-year-old Serhi far from home to the northeastern front. He felt proud to defend his homeland.
Our orders were to push the enemy from the front line, he says. We were too close to the enemy.
Russians attack their position with overwhelming force, with tanks and mortars.
Yes, I'm very angry, said Serhi. But first of all, I'm angry because they attacked Ukraine. And I'm angry about my leg.
Of course, it's much better when you have your own legs, says Andrey. But now I understand that the wheelchair and the prosthetics are part of my body. It's physically very, very hard. It's very hard.
David McKenzie, CNN, Vinnytsia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: China's worst heatwave in more than 60 years is showing no signs of letting up. The extreme heat has prompted red alerts in 138 cities and counties across a number of provinces.
CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is at the CNN Weather Center. He's following this for us. Also, we have Kristie Lu Stout live from Hong Kong. I will begin with you, Kristie. This heatwave is seeing a huge increase in energy demand, factory output is falling. So what's Beijing doing to try and alleviate the impact of the heat?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you have officials in Beijing but also across the country just scrambling to find ways to mitigate the impact of this intense and prolonged heat wave. We've learned that in Chongqing city, officials there made the call to suspend factory production for a week.
Meanwhile, in the city of Chengdu, the metro line is now running on power saving mode, and there have been pictures going viral showing people taking the metro in the dark. In addition to that, in the province of Hubei, they are now resorting to cloud seeding, which is the practice of shooting these silver iodide pellets into the clouds in a desperate attempt to induce rain, a practice that China has done since the 1940s and of course during the Beijing Olympic Games.
Look, for over two months now, China has been in the grips of this devastating heatwave. It has issued this red alert warning to over 130 cities and counties across the country and that indicates expected temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. We've also just learned that the country has also issued an orange drought alert to at least 75 cities and counties across the nation.
And on Wednesday, Chinese authorities, they issued a statement saying that this was the worst heatwave on record in China since 1961. Let's bring up the statement for you, and this came from China's National Climate Center saying this, quote, "The heatwave this time is prolonged, its wide in scope, it's strong and extremity. Taken all signs together. The heat wave in China will continue and its intensity will increase." John, back to you.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you for that. Let's go to Derek now. Derek Van Dam at the CNN Weather Center with more on the outlook for China and the heat wave there. What have you got that, Derek?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, look, John, we could look at these two different ways, it could be considered the worst heatwave and over six decades for China or we could call it the longest heatwave as well. They've had 66 days of heatwave conditions that's registering 40 degrees Celsius or above. And it's not just the daytime highs that are extreme that many locations across central and eastern China are experiencing.
It's also the overnight lows that are not dropping below 28 degrees Celsius. That's not allowing the homes to cool themselves. It's not allowing our bodies to probably cool ourselves. So it can be very dangerous heat as well.
Just check out some of these temperatures. Incredible. We're talking 7 to 10 degrees above average for this time of year. Chongqing just given that as an example, we've actually had 10 consecutive days above 40 degrees. In fact, the heatwave has registered the largest number of cities and counties across China with temperatures in those cities exceeding 40 degrees in Chongqing is just one example of that.
[01:10:10]
You can see how the temperatures stay well above average, right through the middle of next week. We don't really see any relief until about eight, nine or 10 days into the weather forecasts where we start to see some changes in the weather patterns that will cool us down from the north. But you can see forecast not only for Chongqing but Wuhan expecting temperatures above 40 degrees on Friday, more of the same for Eastern sections of China as well.
And we know clearly that the planet continues to warm post-industrial revolution. We're already at 1.16 degrees Celsius. And we do know, according to some studies, climate data here in China shows that the country of China as a whole is actually warming significantly faster than what the world is. And even if we reach that 2-degree Paris Agreement, it looks like China could warm by 3 degrees by that time. John?
VAUSE: Wow. OK, well, Derek, thank you for that. Derek Van Dam at the CNN Weather Center and Kristie Lu Stout there in Hong Kong. Thanks to you both.
DAM: OK.
VAUSE: Firefighters in eastern Spain trying to save a number of homes who said running to escape the flames. Two firefighters were hurt. This wildfire began Monday has led to hundreds of evacuations and dozens of injuries, including 11 passengers on a commuter train, which was caught in the fire.
Authorities say the passengers panic when the train stopped. They tried to leave the carriage and that's when they sustained burns. At least three passengers were seriously hurt.
New research confirms what most of long suspected, wildfires are only getting worse. Researchers at the Global Forest Watch looked at data and found forest fires are more widespread and are burning twice as much tree cover now as they did 20 years ago. In fact, data shows that last year, tropical rainforest alone lost nearly 4 million hectares. That's equivalent to a rate of 10 football fields every minute.
And the lead author of that report from Global Forest Watch, James MacCarthy, joins us now. Welcome to the program.
JAMES MACCARTHY, RESEARCH ANALYST, GLOBAL FOREST WATCH: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: OK, so to be fair, we didn't really need a study to know wildfires are getting worse, but we did need a study to know just how much devastation has been caused by these more frequent, more intense fires. The numbers are really staggering. Was the amount of tree loss surprising to you, at least initially?
MACCARTHY: Yes, that's certainly surprising to me. I mean, just the kind of sheer amount that things have changed over the last 20 years was really striking. And then also the fact that we've been seeing increases in trigger velocity and fires across all the main climate domains, not just in boreal areas, but also across the tropics and temperate forests as well.
VAUSE: And in your report, you talked about this feedback loop caused by climate change. Here's part of it, "Warmer temperatures dry out the landscape and helped create the perfect environment for larger, more frequent forest fires. This in turn leads to higher emissions from forest fires, further exacerbating climate change and contributing to more fires as part of a fire climate feedback loop."
And this is what climate experts had warned about years ago, when personally, the environment which had a positive impact on taking carbon out of the atmosphere, then suddenly released carbon back into the atmosphere. And this is forests, and has it all been factored into projections for global temperature increases?
MACCARTHY: You know, it is really difficult to quantify kind of how exactly the emissions from fires do feed into the climate projections that we see. I think that it is factored into some degree. But you're seeing actually that already, some of the forests are already net, carbon emitters. There are some forests in the southwestern United States that have been emitting carbon for the past several years now.
So it's definitely a concerning thing to see. And as the planet gets warmer, you're going to see more and more places kind of tipping from carbon sinks into carbon sources.
And with regards to forests, which are now net emitters, a few days ago came word from the E.U.'s Copernicus environment observation, tweeted this out, "France has recorded its highest wildfire carbon emissions from June to August since 2003. After a large fire ignited near Bordeaux during the current heatwave."
The solution would be, obviously, reduce the number and the size of the intensity of wildfires. But that's a lot easier said than done. It's pretty complicated, right?
MACCARTHY: No, definitely. And it is important to note that even though the emissions from forest fires are quite significant and substantial, they still dwarfed in comparison to the emissions from fossil fuels. And so, if you really want to do our best to both knock out climate change and reduce the number of fires that we're seeing, we really need to tackle it kind of across all sectors of the society and really reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
VAUSE: Yes, it's -- the fossil fuel industry and the carbon emitters of the giant carbon emitters, but everything here seems to be adding on to the problems rather than helping to solve it. Here's a couple of headlines just from the past day. Voice of America reporting forest fires in northern Algeria leave at least 26 dead. From The Guardian, Spain wildfires up to 20 injured after passengers break out of training Gulf by flames.
[01:15:08]
Well Reuters has this, Portuguese wildfire envelops Madrid skyscrapers in Smoke 400 kilometers away. You know, this crisis is here. And is it safe to assume that as temperatures increase, this fire crisis will also get worse. But when temperatures come down, those fires should become less severe. It'll move in tandem.
MACCARTHY: No, that's exactly right. The U.N. actually released a report on wildfires earlier this year that kind of looked at even under the most optimistic climate projections where we keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius and essentially reach peak emissions by 2020. We're still going to see an increase in about 30 to 50 percent in the number of wildfires. So it's definitely crucial that we really do something about it now.
VAUSE: Yes, your report has some staggering numbers. It is depressing reading in many ways, but it is critical reading that we should all be aware of this. So James, thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.
MACCARTHY: Great, thank you so much.
VAUSE: Well, the cost of living story in the U.K., it's soaring around the world. We've got about the causes of the price spikes, and how to get inflation under control.
Also ahead, have you ever heard of such a thing? Lawyers refusing a potentially long running and high-profile case. Apparently when the client is Donald Trump, there's a rush to the exits.
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VAUSE: It began as a dispute over license plates and it's now threatening to escalate into a much bigger conflict and so head that off. The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo will hold talks with the E.U. in the coming hours.
On Wednesday, the two leaders met with NATO Secretary General Young Stoltenberg who called for calm. He also said NATO troops in Kosovo can step up their patrols to make sure all ethnic communities are safe. Kosovo is a former Serbian province that declared independence 14 years ago. But ethics serves you make a small percent of the population don't recognize that.
They're refusing to use Kosovo's license plates and other documents, which are said to become mandatory in the first or next month. The issue is threatening to unsettle a fragile peace in Kosovo. Serbia's president says both sides are not far apart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEKSANDAR VUCIC, SERBIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): We will have difficult talks tomorrow because we do not agree on anything. But Serbia's position is to uphold international law, the U.N. Charter and the Brussels agreement. We have our own history, which is not an easy or simple one. But we want to strengthen further cooperation and relations with K4 and NATO and we want to avoid any kind of possibility of conflict escalation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Dismal inflation data out of the U.K. drove down major European stock markets Wednesday. London's footsie fell more than a quarter percent, and Paris, nearly 1 percent plunge. Dax ended down on 2 percent.
[01:20:02]
Well the reacting to economic data from the U.K. that shows inflation surging to just over 10 percent. The only major Western economy in double digits. The annual rate was higher than most economists had expected, and the outlook is for worse to come. CNN's Anna Stewart has details.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: It's the highest inflation since 1982. And it's the highest inflation of the G7 nations. The U.K.'s cost of living crisis is getting worse, with inflation numbers for July coming in at 10.1 percent exceeding estimates. Increased energy prices continue to play a large role here.
In the last 12 months, gas prices are up over 95 percent. Electricity over 50 percent and fuel for transportation like Petrol not far behind. And now increased input prices like energy are pushing up products in other categories, particularly food.
Overall food and non-alcoholic drink prices are up around 13 percent from a year ago, with key staples hit hard. Just look at the price increases for a pint of milk in the U.K., up 40 percent from last July, or a bag of flour up 30 percent. This will hit the poorest households the hardest given energy and food usually take up a greater proportion of the overall spending.
And that is why the Institute of Fiscal Studies said this week that the poorest quintile of the U.K. could expect an 18 percent inflation rates come October while the wealthiest quintile would experience it at 11 percent. The Bank of England expects overall consumer inflation to top 13 percent in October before coming down. But this latest reading for July overshot their expectations and there are concerns it will need to take an even more aggressive approach with interest rates, despite raising them six times already since December.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
VAUSE: Ryan Patel is a senior fellow with the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, is with us from Ahmedabad in India where the annual wholesale inflation rate is just shy of 14 percent. Good to see you.
RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: Good to see you, John.
VAUSE: OK. So the U.K. gold medalists, highest inflation rate in the G7, which is actually worse than Italy, France, Germany, although these numbers are pretty high as well, and for why it is happening. Well, it's all because of Vladimir Putin. Here's the British finance minister to blame someone else.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NADHIM ZAHAWI, BRITISH FINANCE MINISTER: This is a difficult time, there are no easy options. We see Putin deliberately use energy as a tool to get back at us for the help we're putting into Ukraine. And that is obviously impacting families because of energy costs and impacting families because of the cost of food.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: OK, we get it, Russia's war in Ukraine is without doubt a major factor. But it can't be the only factor, right?
PATEL: Yes, I mean, obviously, that's the, you know, we're talking about gold medalists, the energy prices and gas prices are the ones that are highest numbers that hit to it. But if you think about the transportation costs, you know, with their index that came out 51. -- 15.1 percent in the last 12 months of annual increase, that's more than that exports are increasing, that's around the world where the imports are coming in. That's a big deal.
But I think when you look at electricity prices, you know, it also puts pressure on the, you know, U.K. economy and what they need to do, because tax cuts or if it's freezing, heater bills. I mean, this is an infrastructure issue too that needs to be solved. And so part of this problem, obviously, coming from the Ukraine war, that's why you see the higher numbers, but the numbers were already increasing anyway.
VAUSE: There are some countries so that would kill for a 10 percent inflation rate. Turkey, where it's close to 80 percent, driven by wacky economic theories of President Erdogan, which is prove just how right John Maynard Keynes really was. Moldova 33.6 percent, Estonia, almost 23 percent. I mean, this goes on all in the height of low 20s rather.
Inflation is like kudzu, you know, once it gets a hold, it just grows like wildfire. And the only way to deal with it is to kill it. You got to kill it on all at once. But the trick is not killing everything around it. So when inflation reaches those highs, you know, 20 percent plus, does secure often become worse than the disease?
PATEL: Yes, I mean, you've got to stick to a plan. I mean, like you mentioned, you know, for the major economies having inflation as a double digit is unheard of. For many other third world countries and in between, they deal with inflation year over year, it's something that is the norm. I'm not saying that's the norm for the rest of the world. But when major economies were not used to dealing with this double-digit inflation, it's not a flip of a switch.
You really got to stick to a plan, you've got to be aggressive. And also mind, you know, you've got to be very nimble in your decision making. So if you overly be aggressive on one quarter, you got to course correct. But you got to be actually seeing all the data unfortunately, John. That's the trick behind this is that to really, really understand where the core costs are coming from. Is it food? Is it food? Is it transportation? Is it from rent?
You've got to really -- and then have the remedies to actually do it. So it's not one of those you just sit back and relax and, you know, you're saying you're aggressive, you actually have to be really micro -- you got to create a micro strategy behind it.
[01:25:08]
VAUSE: It's more than just raising interest rates. So with that in mind, the minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve, their meeting last month, were released. The main takeaway, though, is this, "Participants agreed that there was little evidence to date that inflation pressures were subsiding. They judged that inflation would likely say uncomfortably high for some time."
And when we're talking inflation, it means, you know, price increases, obviously, which is one of the reasons for protests in Argentina. They turned out they were running low prices, lower inflation. You know, inflation has been so long -- so low for so long. We seem to come blas about it. But now, it looks like we're about to suffer a lot of economic pain globally for a while yet. So how bad will this get and for how long?
PATEL: So here's a couple of numbers that we should all pay attention to, right? When you think about inflation, as you mentioned, when it goes up, things are more expensive. But when you look at, for example, the U.K., the average pay did increase and majority around the world too and other major economies, the average pay did increase.
So the U.K. is 4.7 percent. But real wages fell by 4.1 percent, which is the largest decline since 2001. So what does that mean? That means you may be making a little bit more money, but inflation is going almost twice as much providing that gap.
And when that gap continues to increase, John, that's where the household gets hurt. The consumers can afford things, the price index -- the consumer prices come, you know, the confidence comes down. And we're starting to see that back to your point to Argentina. When we see that spread, and these other countries have become a lot larger, it's hard to recover. And that provides a lot of, you know, not just distrust, but more importantly, hardship into the lower middle incomes in many of these countries.
VAUSE: Yes, once it takes hold, it's so hard to get it out. But I guess we'll see if they can get it right this time, not like they did in the 70s.
Ryan Patel, thanks so much for being with us. Good to see.
PATEL: Good to see you, John.
VAUSE: Still to come, Donald Trump's former personal attorney spent six hours with the grand jury. What we know about Rudy Giuliani is the man described as a human hand grenade his day in court.
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[01:29:30]
VAUSE: At least three people are dead after a powerful explosive at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan. More than two dozen others were injured, including five children, that's according to a humanitarian healthcare group. The Taliban have condemned Wednesday's blast, which happened during evening prayers and two days after Afghanistan marked the first anniversary of the Taliban's takeover.
For more, we're joined by our journalist Franz Marty in Kabul. Franz, thanks for being with us. Has any claim of responsibility for this blast? Any idea who was behind it?
FRANZ MARTY, FREELANCE JOURNALIST: No. So far there has been no claims of responsibility, given that the mosque was a mosque from the one from a (INAUDIBLE) order.
Some speculated that it might be the self-declared Islamic State Afghan Chapter, ISK. They haven't issued an official claim on their Telegram channels. Some supporters have on social media celebrated the blast, but not claimed it. This could still come, or it could remain unclaimed, as have been other attacks in Kabul.
VAUSE: What more is known about the explosion itself? It seems it was timed to cause maximum harm?
MARTY: Yes, that is unfortunately usually the case in Afghanistan, if public gatherings like in mosques or in other places are targeted, it is a tactic of terror to kill and wound as many people as possible.
It is not exactly clear what exploded. My sources say that it might have been a suicide bomber.
VAUSE: You know, the last time the Taliban was in power, many acknowledged back then that at least with Taliban rule came security and calm. That doesn't seem to be the case this second time around. They seem to be struggling to exert control.
MARTY: Yes, this is not surprising though. Even European police forces or American police forces struggle to prevent terror attacks, it's very hard if you have small independent cells that operate without much communication with other leaders.
Unfortunately, it's much easier to conduct an attack like this especially in a country like Afghanistan, where weapons and explosives are readily available. So the Taliban tried to prevent such things, violence level had also significantly dropped. But it is clear that they struggle and that there is still considerable violence going on, as unfortunately the blast yesterday showed.
VAUSE: Is the situation in Kabul at least better in terms of security than outside the capital and the countryside?
MARTY: In general, the security in Kabul and in the countryside is better than before the Taliban takeover. There is way less violence. This is also no surprise. This is not necessarily the achievement of the Taliban. Basically, the Taliban stopped doing such attacks.
Before the many, many bombers in Kabul were mostly connected by the Taliban, given that they're now in power, this has fallen away. So, we have fewer explosions.
And then it really depends on the region. Some regions are really calm rural areas, others where there is resistance or ISK see more frequent violence but it is overall a fraction of what it was before, just because we don't have this countrywide war between two big parties, because Afghan republics simply cease to exist.
VAUSE: Franz, thank you for the update and the insights into what is happening in Afghanistan. We very much appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Donald Trump's former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, not saying much about a six hour long appearance before a grand jury in Atlanta. Prosecutors advised Giuliani earlier this week, he was a target in their investigation into efforts by Trump and his associates to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election results.
More details now from CNN's Nick Valencia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN asked Giuliani's attorney for details of his testimony but the attorney declined to comment, saying he was going to respect the secrecy of the special grand jury process. We don't know exactly what the line of questioning was, but we do know that Giuliani was inside for roughly six hours.
He spoke before Georgia lawmakers at least three times in the wake of the 2020 election, appearing twice in person and once virtually. And during those appearances, he spread conspiracy theories about the election, and also baseless claims about election, claims that we now know have been proven to be untrue.
What we also don't know is how cooperative Giuliani was. Prior to his testimony, he seemed to indicate that he is willing to play hardball, something he said through his attorney. He also said that any conversation he had with the former president, Donald Trump was protected by attorney client privilege.
But now that Giuliani has been named the target of this criminal investigation, things may not have been that cut and dry.
Nick Valencia, CNN -- Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The man who Trump supporters wanted to hang as they stormed the Capitol say if invited he would testify before the January 6th Committee. Trump's vice president Mike Pence spoke yesterday at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, a common stop for presidential hopefuls.
A source close to Pence though warns against reading too much into those remarks. But the former vice president said he will speak out at some point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[01:34:56]
MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The American people have a right to know what happened that day. And in the months and years ahead, I will be telling my story even more frequently than I have.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: The January 6th Committee has detailed Trump's pressure on Pence to overturn the 2020 results.
Meantime, Donald Trump apparently considering releasing surveillance video of the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago. One source says aides aren't sure if the former president has actually seen the footage. Some want to include it in campaign's style adds to fire up Trump's based. Others say it could backfire. When the public sees the sheer volume of material which it seized.
And so with his legal problems mounting, the former president is having trouble hiring lawyers for his defense team. That's according to "Washington Post". So who is fighting Trump's legal battles? CNN's Tom Foreman has some answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do Waka Laka flame, AFLAC, Cardi B, and Migos have in common with a certain former president? Atlanta lawyer Drew Findling, known for big cases, big clients, and now helping team Trump face a slew of accusations including election meddling -- if Never mind that in 2018 Findling tweeted Trump was racist empathetic. Trump appears to be scrambling to consolidate his legal team, as cases swirl all around.
CHRISTINA BOBO, ATTORNEY FOR Donald Trump: This raid was a shock to everybody because we had been extremely cooperative.
FOREMAN: That team now includes Christina Bob, an election denier who worked for Trump in homeland security and on the far right One American Network.
Lindsey Halligan (ph), a Florida lawyer known in part for handling insurance cases.
LINDSEY HALLIGAN, FLORIDA LAWYER: We still don't now what exact documents they took other than some mementos.
FOREMAN: And Alina Habba (ph), who has long defended almost anything Trump does.
ALINA HABBA, TRUMP LAWYER: Why you would ask for a raid, with a cooperating president. Do I believe this judge is going to reveal it? No, I do not.
FOREMAN: Other team members have more federal legal experience, such as Jim Trusty (ph), who says it's all well for the FBI director to look at January 6th and say nobody is above the law.
JAMES TRUSTY, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: But he doesn't seem to be able to bring himself to use the same phrasing when he's talking about the Biden family.
FOREMAN: And Evan Corcoran, who is on Steve Bannon's team in the former Trump aide was found guilty of contempt of Congress.
EVAN CORCORAN, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: I stand with Trump and the constitution, and I will never back off that.
FOREMAN: There are more, and Trump has always sworn by the power of his legal team. But the relationship is complicated.
JOSEPH DIGENOVA, ATTORNEY FOR Donald Trump: There was a brazen plot to illegally exonerate Hillary Clinton.
FOREMAN: Some who are expected to join the team in the past ultimately did not.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Do you think Trump deserves blame for January 6th.
TY COBB, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ATTORNEY: Yes, I think that the president certainly deserves some blame for what happened.
FOREMAN: And others could soon be busy enough, just defending themselves.
Part of the problem for Trump's legal team is just this. While he can make wild and outlandish claims with no proof whatsoever, that's a riskier endeavor when it is done in court. And the consequences can be different too.
Tom Foreman, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: She went from being the number three Republican in the House, to losing her congressional seat in just a matter of months. But Liz Cheney is not backing down from her battle to keep former president Donald Trump out of the White House.
She conceded her Wyoming House seat on Tuesday, losing in the Republican primary to a candidate who was endorsed by Trump. He gloated about the result, calling it wonderful for America.
As for what's next for Cheney, well, she's not ruling out running for the Oval Office herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS HOST: You didn't say yes or no, and that's fine if you're thinking about it. But are you thinking about it? Are you thinking about running for president?
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): That's a decision that I'm going to make in the coming months, Savannah. I'm not going to make any announcements here this morning. But it is something that I'm thinking about, and I'll make a decision in the coming months.
VAUSE: Cheney is still vice chair of the House Committee investigating Trump's role in the January 6th insurrection. Advisors say she does not want the panel findings to be politicized, which is why any decision about a presidential campaign won't happen until next year.
As they say, you can never go home again. The number of Chinese asylum seekers has surged since Xi Jinping rise to power.
And in a moment, follow one man's journey as he explains why he's fled his homeland.
[01:39:27]
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VAUSE: It's no secret that coral reefs across the globe are under threat, but one Brazilian scientist says much of what we know about them becomes from only shallow waters.
Today on, Call To Earth, Rolex Awards Laureate Luis (INAUDIBLE) or it takes us to depths that few dare, to learn more about these fragile marine ecosystems, and discover new species along the way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the shallow reef that everybody is used to seeing, there are very diverse ecosystem, there are many, many species who are coming together, living together in very close proximity.
The deeper you go, the less energy the ecosystem has so the last sunlight reaches the difference. And because of that, that there's a lot less species.
When you get up close, different kinds of fish. And many of them are unknown.
In the past 10 years. I think I discovered about it's still a very colorful ecosystem, there's many different kinds of fish. And many of them are unknown. In the past ten, years I think I've discovered about 30 new species.
My name is Luis Rocher, bombing (INAUDIBLE). I'm curator of ichthyology and coded I trust the hope for refinishes it as at the California Academy of Sciences.
Ichthyology is the study of fish. I've always been fascinated by fish, always had aquariums in my house growing up, almost everything we know about coral reefs comes from the top 30 meters.
That's the limit of recreational diving the ocean's oceans twilight zone, the portion that I studied 20 I study, it's the Corral quarrel wreath between 200 and 500 feet.
The technical term for it is mesophotic corral ecosystem,
Diving at those depths is very different, and that requires a lot of training. Because very few scientists do it a lot of things about this region are unknown. So every dive we do to those depths is a new discovery.
It's very demanding to dive at those levels for human. It's lots and lots of preparation, concentration. And then going down, the anxiety is really great because everything gets dark, and then everything gets calmer, colder and then when you get there, we know why were there.
When see something that nobody has ever seen before it's absolutely amazing.
Coral reef are under tremendous threat. They're suffering because of overfishing, pollution, fishing pollution, plastic pollution, even at places that nobody has ever seen before. So that was one of our first discoveries that those deeper reefs are really not a refuge for shallow reef organisms.
[01:44:50]
ROCHA: And then at a global level, the biggest threat today is climate change, so the waters are warming, they're warming everywhere on the planet, and the warmer they get the worse it is for coral reefs.
So when coral bleaching happens, the corals they can starve to death. The deeper reef corals, they also bleach. What we're trying to determine now is, what the scale of the bleaching is on the deep reefs.
It's really important to protect them, and to protect them now before they get completely destroyed.
I don't think it's enough just to do the science. It will take many, many photographs, we bring those stories back up to the surface. Then we share it with as many people as possible. I think it's really important to engage local communities about their own reefs.
We're using local names to name the fish, because it keeps ownership to the local people, and we also always engage with policy makers everywhere we go, to try to increase protection on shallow reefs, and deep reefs.
And for the most part, when people realize that those reefs are there, they move towards protecting them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Please, let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag, Call to Earth. That's Call to Earth., please let us know what you're doing.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.
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VAUSE: Strong thunderstorms hit southern France Wednesday. Heavy rain and hail pummeled the entrance to this hospital. Across the region, roads were flooded and trees brought down. City officials ordered all parks and gardens closed.
During the storm more than $500 -- hundred for state 169 calls for help, as of now no reports of any injuries knit.
Big changes are coming to the U.S. Centers for disease control and prevention ahead of its have 75th anniversary.
CDC director 35th Anniversary Michelle Walensky laid out her plans for overhauling how the agency works in an effort to respond faster to a health crisis and restore public trust.
The move comes after a review of the CDC's COVID-19 response. Some of the planned reforms include sharing scientific findings and data faster, translating signs into practical and easy to understand policy, prioritizing public health communication and promoting results based partnership or developing a workforce prepared for future emergencies.
Since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 the number of Chinese nationals seeking asylum abroad has increased by nearly eight times.
In 2012, more than 15,000 Chinese seeking asylum. by 2021 the most recent data that number had jumped almost 120,000. Xi is the country's most powerful and authoritarian leader in decades.
And the pressure in China has only grown during the pandemic under his zero COVID policy. Driving zero COVID policy. More and more Chinese are yearning for freer life, some of them are risking everything to taste that drink.
CNN's Selina Wang spoke to one man who fled his homeland.
[01:49:41]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This wall separates Wong Chin (ph) from his American dream. He's prepared to risk everything to climb over, illegally crossing in to the U.S. from Mexico.
But unlike most of the thousands of illegal crossings a day on the southern border, he's not playing poverty or violence south of the wall.
His journey started on the other side of the world. We've been following him for months during his perilous escape out of China by plane, boat, bus, motorcycle and on foot.
WONG CHIN, MIGRATED TO THE U.S. FROM CHINA: It's worth it no matter how much I suffer.
WANG: He ran a bubble tee shot back in China when COVID hit business tanked from constant mark down. He left his son and daughter behind with his parents, hoping to bring them to America one day.
WONG: I couldn't make ends meet. And I have two kids to raise. I have to get out.
WANG: Throwing authoritarianism under xi % nationalistic education taught in his children's schools, pushed Wang over the edge.
WONG: In the past seven or eight years, everything is going backwards. And Xi Jinping is going to get his third term. I see no hope.
He's just another version of Mao Zedong. There's no difference.
WANG: At a key political meeting this fall Xi Jinping is set to secure an unprecedented third term as a supreme leader of the communist party. He is the strongman atop a surveillance state, one that during the pandemic can control and track the movements of virtually all 1.4 billion people.
Since the start of the pandemic, China has kept its borders sealed, a policy the government says is needed to fight COVID-19. Earlier this year, it for baited citizens from going overseas for nonessential reasons.
With China turning increasingly inward, Wang became desperate to get out. And he was set on one destination, America.
WONG: My impression of America is that it's a free, democratic, open and vibrant count (ph). You can accumulate wealth through your own hard work.
WANG: Through online chat groups, oops he discovered a network of people in China planning to illegally emigrate to America through Quito, Ecuador. He applied for a language school in Quito and made it in April with the schools and mission letter as proof.
He started documenting his whole journey from Ecuador. He rode buses over a thousand miles to Colombia then took a boat to Panama, sharing the ride with other desperate but hopeful migrants.
On the other side, a five-day hike through Panama's rainforest, an endless walk through mud, rivers, and mountains. A journey that long said almost broke him from exhaustion.
A brief respite at a refugee camp and then seven days of busses from Panama to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, then Guatemala. From there, a boat to Mexico's border, where police detained him for five days.
When he was released, he paid an illegal smuggler thousands of dollars to get to Mexico city.
Dozens of people squeezed into the back of the truck, and packed into a van, more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit in side.
The Mexican's, one rode a motorcycle, a 1,600 miles to the U.S. border where we met up with him, determined to make it to the other side.
WONG: The rest of my life will mainly be in the U.S.
So it's a home for me.
WANG: He's just one of droves of Chinese, trying to flee the country. According to the UN Refugee agency, the number of Chinese nationals seeking asylum had been steadily increasing, until it reached a record in 2021, and most of them, 70 percent were trying to get to America. On China's Internet, searches for emigrations started skyrocketing in march, as many struggle to get basic necessities and food during lockdowns across the country.
Discussion forums, with detailed tips on how to leave China, have gone viral on social media. Immigration lawyer say inquiries form Chinese increase is from Chinese wanting to leave have surged since the pandemic.
WONG: The volume in inquiries are of increases of many hundreds of times, over what it previously was.
WANG: But for others like Wong, he says their only path into America's it's the illegal way the illegal way, he ultimately made it to the other side, walked hours in the American desert, over mountains, his sneakers fall apart.
More than a month later, we met Wong in LOS Angeles. In this new world, he found the familiar. Temporarily settling into a community of Chinese immigrants. He's even made a friend, who crossed into America the same way he did.
While he waits for a hearing on his immigration case, he's getting a drivers license, training to be a masseuse and studying English every day.
[01:54:57]
WONG: In America, I can see the Sunshine. I can see the sea. I can see whatever I want. I can work hard for any job I like.
WANG: But he's also anxious, in the best-case, it will be years before he sees his family again.
WONG: My favorite food is my mom's cooking. And I may never taste her cooking again. WANG: How do you feel when you think about your children?
WONG: My heart hurts.
WANG: He's applying for political asylum, but if his application is rejected, he says he might ask his kids when they're older to take the same dangerous path to America that he did.
Have you told your family where you are?
WONG: My parents don't know yet. But my son knows. I told him that there's no way out for me in China. So I came to America to make a fortune for you and fight for a bright future for you.
WANG: That future is uncertain but with China in his past he has hope of living out his American dream.
We reached out to the Chinese government to comment on our story. In response, Beijing defended the country's COVID policies and called China a land full of vitality and hope. Stories like Wong's, they are a smear on Beijing's narrative that
China is getting stronger and more prosperous, while America is in decline.
Now Wong's journey to America, it may be rare and extreme, but we have spoken to others that are taking a similar path, including one man who illegally escaped China by walking across the border into Vietnam. From there, he flew to Ecuador and is now taking that same long path that Wong did to the U.S. Mexico border.
In China right now, there are of course, still people who support the government's zero COVID policy, that has kept the reported death numbers low, but more and more are also feeling hopeless about the future of their country, a place where they see freedoms and opportunities disappearing.
Selina Wang, CNN -- Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: What a story. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
The news continues after very short break, with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church.
Hope to see you right back here tomorrow.
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[01:59:57]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. And I'm Rosemary Church.
