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Xi Jinping Irritated by Leaked Conversation with Justin Trudeau; North Korea Always an Attention Seeker Country; Missile Accidentally Landed into Poland; Myanmar Release Hundreds of Prisoners; Former V.P. Pence Not Declaring Early Candidacy; Kevin McCarthy May Not Be House Speaker. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 17, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

And just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, CNN is getting more insight into the missile that struck Polish territory on Tuesday killing two people. We are covering this story from all angles from the Polish Ukrainian border to Brussels, London, and Washington, D.C.

Plus, giving Qatar a red card as the world gets ready for the start of the World Cup. CNN is digging into the scandals on and off the field.

And the first doses of an Ebola trial vaccine will make their way to Uganda next week as the outbreak nears 150 confirmed cases. We'll have a live report from Nairobi.

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for being with us.

U.S. President Joe Biden is disputing a claim by Ukraine's leader that Ukrainian forces are not responsible for their deadly missile strike in Poland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: What's your reaction to President Zelenskyy saying that the missiles that landed in Poland were not Ukrainian?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: That's not the evidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Polish and NATO leaders say they believe Ukraine fired the missile in defense against Russian attacks, and it mistakenly landed in Poland. The missile killed two people and prompted an emergency meeting at the G20 summit in Indonesia about how to respond.

Russia launched a barrage of around 100 projectiles into Ukraine on Tuesday. The top U.S. general says he believes it's the largest wave of attacks since the war began. And western leaders agree Russian aggression is ultimately to blame for what happened in Poland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Let me be clear, this is not Ukraine's fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukrainian officials report a new round of shelling today in the city of Dnipro and the southern region of Odessa. Local officials say several infrastructure facilities have been. Well, President Zelenskyy wants Ukraine to play a role in a joint U.S.-Polish investigation and says, if Ukrainian Air Defense are responsible, he wants proof.

CNN's Matthew Chance has more now reporting from eastern Poland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Russian made missile, striking a NATO ally, and setting the world on edge. But it now seems the explosion that killed two polish farmers here was a tragic accident, not as feared ordered by the Kremlin.

STOLTENBERG: The incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks. But let me be clear. This is not Ukraine's fault.

CHANCE: Not Ukraine's fault, because its military was defending against the barrage of Russian missiles, targeting essential infrastructure and killing civilians. Among the victims on Tuesday was this 69-year-old woman. She was visiting her husband's grave in Kyiv when a piece of shrapnel tore through her body and killed her.

As winter sets in, Russia is making Ukraine civilians suffer with reckless abandon. But what happened here in Poland shows just how dangerous that is for the whole world too. This, while Ukrainian officials are redoubling their request for more advanced air defense systems from the United States and Europe. They've also committed to cooperating with an investigation into what happened here and admitted their air defenses were active in the area.

But officials are clear. Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible, dragging millions of Ukrainians and now a sleepy one street, Polish town into his war of choice.

[03:05:03]

Matthew Chance, CNN on the Polish Ukrainian border. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: So, let's go now Live to London where CNN's Nada Bashir is following all the latest developments. Good morning to you, Nada. So, what are you learning about the ongoing investigation?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Rosemary, this investigation will certainly be a primary concern and focus for the Polish government, and of course for NATO member states. We had yesterday from the Polish Ambassador to the United Nations addressing the U.N. Security Council describing this as what is expected to be an extensive and multi phased investigation to verify the details around this instant.

Of course, he noted that those initial findings suggest that this was not a deliberate attack, as you heard there in Matthew Chance's reporting, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg, laying out that the early evidence suggests this may have been caused by the Ukrainian air defense system.

But of course, as asserted by the Polish ambassador yesterday. Those final conclusions won't be drawn, won't be announced until that investigation is complete. Now we understand that the Polish authorities are working closely with the Ukrainian authorities who have said that they will cooperate fully with this investigation.

Of course, intense consultations are ongoing as well with other NATO allies and member states. But we have also heard that message repeated by the Polish government, by NATO that ultimately the responsibility lies with the Russian government for its continued assault on Ukraine.

But despite this, we've had vehement rejection of any sense of responsibility by the Russian authorities. Russia's ambassador to the United Nations speaking yesterday, even going so far as to accuse NATO members and namely the United States of being actively engaged in this conflict. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VASILY NEBENZYA, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): To involve NATO which is conducting a proxy war with Russia, the U.S. military has actively become involved in planning and de facto control over the conduct of military activities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: In other words, retentions are of course still mounting. We heard from the Polish ambassadors to the United Nations highlighting just how close Poland stands geographically, territorially to the prospect of a potential escalation to this conflict beyond Ukraine's borders. Also noting that Poland's military is now stepping up its combat readiness in response to this latest incident.

But they have also asserted that they will maintain restraint and responsibility over the course of this investigation in order to avoid any sort of escalation, which as the Polish ambassador said yesterday could have far-reaching consequences.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also warning of those far-reaching consequences, but also asserting that NATO will continue to support the Ukrainian armed forces with a particular focus on stepping up support for Ukraine's air defense systems. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Nada Bashir, many thanks for that report. I appreciate it.

The Iranian regime is continuing to crackdown on anti-government protests over the death of a young woman in police custody. State media say three more protestors have been given death sentences on various charges. Bringing the total number to five.

Demonstrations also took place across the country on the three-year anniversary of the deadly November 2019 protest. In this video shared online by an activist outlet, you can see Iranian authorities pointing a weapon at protestors at a subway station in Tehran.

And protestors set fire to a seminary in western Iran around the same time as five people shot and killed in the region. State media are calling the shooting a terror attack, claiming two people on motorcycles shot at security forces. It's unclear if the shooting and fire are linked.

Well meantime, tensions between Israel and Iran are high after a drone attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman on Wednesday. Israel is accusing Iran of launching the drone, which it says is the same kind being used by Russia in Ukraine.

The vessel's operating company says no one was hurt, but one Israeli official is calling it a provocation in the Gulf designed to disrupt stability ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.

A tense moment at the G20 summit on Wednesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping scolded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the last day of the meeting. The awkward 42nd long exchange came on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali. Xi appeared to be irritated, saying an earlier conversation with Trudeau had been leaked to Canadian media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:10:03]

XI JINPING, PRESIDENT OF CHINA (through translator): Everything we discussed has been leaked to the papers and that is not appropriate. And that's not the way the conversation was conducted. If there is sincerity on your part.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: Free and open and frank dialogue and maybe we will continue to have you again. We'll continue to look the work constructively together, but there will be things we will disagree on and you will have to (Inaudible).

JINPING (through translator): Let's create the conditions first.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Earlier this week, the two leaders held their first face-to- face conversation in more than three years. Trudeau reportedly raised serious concerns over China's domestic interference, including allegations China meddled in Canada's elections in 2019.

And for more on all of this, I'm joined by CNN's Will Ripley. He's live in Bangkok, Thailand. Good to see you again, Will.

So, what more are you learning about, this very awkward, uncomfortable exchange, and how would you describe the relationship between these two leaders?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Canada and China have had tensions going all the way back to the detainment of the Huawei chief executive, his daughter who was in Canada when the United States requested that she be held on charges that were later resolved, allowing her to fly home after several years of house arrest.

And so, the, you know, ever since then there have been trade issues. There were two Canadian citizens, you know, who were held and then they were released. So, this has been a pretty contentious relationship and the lack of face-to-face interactions certainly hadn't helped the situation with Xi Jinping hunkering down for only virtual interactions with world leaders during much of the COVID pandemic, which is why it's so striking to see him now out on a global stage interacting without a mask, shaking hands.

Even as China remains very much, you know, gripped by this zero COVID draconian lockdowns and quarantine policies. And yet, Xi Jinping now at back out interacting with the leaders of the west.

And you mentioned, Prime Minister Trudeau bringing up those discussions about election interference. Xi Jinping during his meeting on Monday with the U.S. President Joe Biden said that it is Chinese style democracy. That is how he would describe his system. Certainly, an interesting take, and perhaps a signal to U.S. allies that China doesn't want ideological barriers to stand in the way of negotiations.

Prime Minister Trudeau for his part, just hours after that exchange brushed off the significance of it saying that's just a part of candid conversations between world leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUDEAU (through translator): Listen, I think that people know that not all the conversations are going to be easy with the other leaders, especially when it comes to issues that are sources of disagreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Xi Jinping's plane has just landed in Bangkok within the last hour and it was rumored that he was going to be giving a speech later today, but we've now learned that is not going to be happening. However, he will hold his first face-to-face meeting in three years with a Japanese prime minister. That being, of course, Fumio Kishida. The last time he had a meeting with a Japan leader was with Shinzo Abe, the late Shinzo Abe back in 2019. He'll also be meeting with the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern later today, along with the chief executive of Hong Kong.

So, Rosemary, his coming out is really complete here after meeting with Biden, along with the leaders of Australia, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, South Africa, just to name a few at the G20 in Bali. He's continuing with that face-to-face diplomacy in his new role and his new title. Some are calling him a modern-day emperor now that he has this unprecedented third term is China's leader.

CHURCH: All right. Will Ripley joining us live from Bangkok. Many thanks for that report.

Well, North Korea had been relatively quiet during the recent summits in Asia, but that changed this morning when Pyongyang fired a short- range ballistic missile. According to South Korea's military, it was launched from the country's east coast before landing in the waters off the Korean peninsula.

By CNN's count, it is the 33rd day this year that North Korea has carried out a missile test.

I'm joined now by Anna Coren who is live in Hong Kong. Good to see you again, Anna. So, what were you learning about this missile launch?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, North Korea does not like to be ignored. Obviously, it's been a discussion, a topic of discussion this week as these leaders of countries have got together here in Asia for the ASEAN Summit, the G20, and now APEC.

But as you say, you know, North Korea has been well behaved up until now. We heard from North Korea's foreign minister Choe Son-hui who issued a threatening statement this morning. You know, remarking on North Korea's disdain at these trilateral talks that took place last Sunday.

[03:15:00]

These are on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit between the United States, South Korea, and Japan in response to North Korea's provocative behavior that we've seen over the last few months. And they there pledged a greater security cooperation. North Korea was not happy with this.

And the North Korean foreign minister, who we haven't heard from for quite a while said that this brought the situation to an unpredictable phase. Let me read to you more of what she said. She said, the U.S. bolstered offer of extended deterrents and the daily increasing military activities of the allied forces around the Korean peninsula are foolish acts that will bring more serious instability to the U.S. and its allies. She goes on to say, the U.S. will be well aware that it is gambling for which it will certainly regret.

Now, Rosemary, a few hours after this statement, a short-range ballistic missile was fired, believed to be a Mach 4 according to the South Korean defense forces, it traveled 240 kilometers at an altitude of 47 kilometers. Now, we know that the North Koreans are preparing according to the United States, of conducting a nuclear test.

Everyone is waiting for that. It would be their first nuclear test since 2017. But we heard from the South Korean foreign minister just a short time ago, Rosemary, who said that these nuclear and missile threats will further strengthen the South Korean and U.S. alliance, and this will only worsen international isolation for North Korea, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Anna Coren joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

And still to come, Republicans will control the new U.S. House starting in January. Their majority will be small, but they've already hinted at numerous investigations into the Biden administration. But all is not well within the GOP caucus where Kevin McCarthy could face a rocky path to becoming house speaker. Those details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, people have been waiting outside a prison in Myanmar today hoping to finally reunite with their loved ones. That's after state media announced that hundreds of prisoners arrested by the military regime will be pardoned.

And as Paula Hancock's reports, the release includes some high-profile figures.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Myanmar has a tradition of releasing prisoners on special occasions, and today is no exception. Today, this Thursday, marks the country's national day and hundreds are being released according to state media. Some of those on the pardon list are particularly high profile.

[03:19:59]

Vicky Bowman, the former U.K. ambassador to Myanmar, and also, her husband, Htein Lin, who's a former political prisoner and an artist, they were arrested back in September and they were sentenced to a year in prison for violating immigration laws.

According to officials, the address on her visa that was registered did not match her actual residence. Now also there's the Australian economist Sean Turnell. He was a close economic advisor to the deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi remains behind bars and is still being tried on a number of charges being found guilty and sentenced to numerous years behind bars.

But for Sean Turnell he had been held behind bars for 21 months. He was arrested in the days after the military coup of February, 2021, and he was then sentenced just recently to three years in prison for violating the official state secret act.

Now, on top of that, there's the Japanese journalist Toro Kubota. He'd actually been sentenced to 10 years in prison, again, for immigration visa rule violations, but also for filming protests.

Now it's worth pointing out that protests are still going on in Myanmar, pro-democracy protests despite the fact there was such a bloody crackdown by the military junta. It is also coming at a time of diplomatic activity in the region. The G20 in Indonesia has just ended. There's APEC meeting in Thailand.

There was also an ASEAN meeting of the Southeast Asian nations in Cambodia, where Myanmar was one of the main topics of conversation and the fact that the country had failed to implement a five-point peace plan.

Now these are just a few of the high-profile prisoners being released. We know from monitoring group AAPP from before this announcement today that more than 7,500 still remain detained. They also say that almost 2,500 they believe have been killed since this military coup, although they believe the actual number may be far higher.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Daejeon, South Korea.

CHURCH: Republicans are now set to take control of the U.S. House this January. And President Joe Biden says he's willing to work with the incoming majority, where the Republicans are willing to do the same while that remains to be seen, but their rhetoric certainly suggests they're not.

As it stands, the Republicans have a paper-thin hold on the lower house far from the red wave many predicted. Republican in fighting has put into question who will be the next speaker of the house. But in the Senate, there's no question Mitch McConnell remains Republican leader and is set to become the longest serving party leader in Senate history.

CNN's Manu Raju reports now from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After trading blame for more than a week amid the GOP failure to take back the Senate --

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): The country is screwed for the next four years because of this.

RAJU: Mitch McConnell reelected for another two years as Republican leader, but for the first time in his 15 years as leader facing a challenger Republican Rick Scott. The vote in the secret ballot election 37 for McConnell, 10 for Scott, one voting present.

What lesson did you learn from this, and will you change your approach at all?

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: First, I don't own this job. Anybody who wants to run for it can feel free to do so. As everyone has said, we had a good opportunity to discuss various differences and I'm pretty proud of 37 to 10. RAJU: Beyond closed doors for more than three hours Republicans engaged in an intense debate for the second straight day. Some criticizing Scott's tenure running the Senate GOP campaign arm. Others calling on McConnell to be more inclusive.

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): What is our plan? Why? What are we running on?

RAJU: And some say blame for the mid-term failure rest with McConnell, not with former President Donald Trump, who pushed Senate candidates that ultimately lost critical races.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): I think Senator McConnell's view is, is that Trump is largely to blame, that Republicans have an image problem because of Trump. I've said that I don't agree with that.

RAJU: What is it about Mitch McConnell's leadership style that you don't like?

SEN. MIKE BRAUN (R-IN): I look for something that tries to get us in a better place than where we have been.

RAJU: McConnell has yet to publicly blame Trump, but told CNN that certain people in their party frightened moderate voters.

MCCONNELL: Their impression of many of the people in our party in leadership roles is that they're involved in chaos, negativity, excessive attacks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (on camera): Now, CNN has projected that the Republicans will retake control of the U.S. House, meaning that they will have the power to set the agenda. They will have the power to drive the investigations on the committees, the power to issue subpoenas, and we expect on Thursday morning two committee chairman to begin to lay out their investigator priorities.

[03:25:03]

Namely investigating the president's son, Hunter Biden, and oversees business dealings will be a big part of the agenda, but they will still have to legislate, and legislating will be difficult given the divide between the Republican conference, between the moderate wing and the conservative wing and the likelihood that this will be a razor thin House majority.

Meaning, Kevin McCarthy, if he does become the next speaker of the House, we'll have a very difficult time navigating those two wings and ensuring there are few defections as possible to get his agenda through.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

CHURCH: Some Republicans are actively questioning whether the party should still follow Donald Trump after their poor showing in many competitive midterm races. But Trump holds himself blameless for those losses and wants the party to get behind him for another run at the White House. Take a listen to what he said Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: My fellow citizens, America's comeback starts right now.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for President of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But that announcement has fallen flat in some quarters. The National Review's editorial about Trump's candidacy is one word, no. And the New York Post buried the news and mocked Trump.

Meantime, at a CNN town hall, Donald Trump's vice president refused to commit his support to the former president's 2024 campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: If Donald Trump were to run and win the nomination, would you support him as the nominee?

MICHAEL PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, let me say there -- there may be somebody else in that contest I'd prefer more, Jake.

TAPPER: Anyone in mind?

PENCE: Well, you know, I honestly believe we're going to have better choices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mike Pence also left the door open to seeking the Republican nomination himself as you would've worked out there. Pence says he doesn't plan to testify before the January 6th committee, but admits the day of the capitol insurrection was the most difficult day of his public life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PENCE: The president looked up at me and he asked if Karen and Charlotte were OK. I said tersely, they're fine, Mr. President. And he said, were you scared? And I said, no. I was angry. I was angry about the differences we had. And I was -- I told him seeing those people ransacking capitol infuriated me.

But we sat for more than an hour and a half, and I was candid with the president about my disappointment. And I must tell you that, I sense the president was deeply remorseful in that moment. Now, I know that's at odds with people's public perception about him, but I want to tell you it was true. I could tell he was saddened by what had happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: You are watching CNN Newsroom live from Atlanta. Still to come, we will speak with the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine about the deadly missile strike in Poland. And reports are emerging of torture in the formerly occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson.

We're back with the details on that.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Hello, and welcome back to our viewers joining us from all around the world.

Let's get back to our top story this hour. U.S. experts are on the ground assisting the Polish government's investigation into Tuesday's missile incident which killed two people. Early assessments from Poland and NATO are that the missile was likely fired by Ukraine in self-defense against a Russian missile barrage.

At this stage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he does not believe his forces fired that missile, and he's asking for Ukraine to play a role in the joint U.S.-Polish investigation into what happened.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer joins me now from Morgan Hill in California. He is also an affiliate with Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation.

Thank you, sir, for being with us.

STEVEN PIFER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Happy to be here.

CHURCH: So, the United States and NATO are in lockstep blaming Russia saying it bears the ultimate responsibility for the deadly missile blast on Polish territory on Tuesday. Even if it's likely that this was a Ukrainian defense missile trying to intercept one of about a hundred Russian missiles striking Ukraine that day.

How critical is this show of unity at a time when the world was on the brink of a potential major escalation in this war?

PIFER: Well, all evidence now points to a Ukrainian air defense missile having gone astray and coming down in Poland. But I do think that NATO, Washington, they're correct when they say Russia ultimately is responsible. Last night there were something like 100 Russian missiles launched at Ukraine, that Ukraine and air defense missile would not have been launched had Ukraine not been trying to defend itself.

But I think the other thing that we learned last night was that initial information sometimes can't be clear, sometimes it can be wrong. And it was wise of NATO and the Polish government to sort of take a measured stance, explore what happened. And then of course, today, they came out and said, you know, this was an air defense missile that gone astray, not a Russian missile.

CHURCH: Yes, they were very cautious there. And the U.S. and NATO, they also emphasized this was not Ukraine's fault, but instead a tragic accident. And while President Zelenskyy earlier denied it was a Ukrainian missile, he did later fall in line with what the U.S. and NATO was saying, calling for every factor available.

So how important was it in this critical moment that the NATO member leaders kept cool heads and investigated the real cause before taking any next steps? And do you think we would've seen that caution in the past?

PIFER: No. I think actually NATO and something like this tends to be a fairly cautious organization. I mean, the first question was, you know, if it was a Russian missile, and I quite frankly, I assumed it was a Russian missile at first. I should have waited before pronouncing, but I thought it was a Russian missile had gone astray because it clearly came down nowhere near any kind of a military target. It wasn't near any of the routes that, it looked or being used by the west to move harms into Ukraine.

So, it looked like it was a mistake on the Russian side. Again, now we found out, again, that it was a Ukrainian rocket. but I think the message here is, we ought to be cautious in reacting until we get full information.

CHURCH: And meantime, Russia's ambassador to the U.N. is now saying that the U.S. has become actively involved in controlling the war in Ukraine. How dangerous are those comments and what's Russia trying to do here?

PIFER: Well, the Russian ambassador at the U.N. has been saying silly things like that now for four or five months. So, I tend to discount most of his comment.

[03:34:58]

But it does reflect something that you're seeing, for example, by Russian television pundits, is when they talk about this war now, it's not just against Ukraine, but it's against Ukraine and NATO and the west.

And I think part of this is simply the Russian ego. For a lot of Russians, it's hard to say we're losing just to Ukraine. And let's be clear, it's been the Ukrainian military that has stopped the Russians and has now been pushing them back, both in the Kharkiv oblast and as we saw this weekend in Kherson.

But I think for the Russian ego, sometimes they like to portray this as a war against the west and Ukraine under the west control, because it's better for them to be losing instead of just to Ukraine, they're losing to Ukraine, NATO, and the whole world. CHURCH: Right. And Russia has put Poland on notice, warning the NATO

member nation not to get involved in the war. And Belarus is also weighing in on that, suggesting Poland is involved in preparations for war. What is going on here?

PIFER: Again, I think, you know, there's a bit of posture in here, but there's been one really clear red line it seems to me that's been drawn by Washington, by NATO, by NATO members, is that while they are prepared to provide a lot of military support and financial support to Ukraine, they're not prepared to send NATO troops to go to war to defend Ukraine. And that's been a pretty clear red line. And I think that that one is the one that the Russians watch the most carefully.

CHURCH: Ambassador Steven Pifer, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

PIFER: Thank you.

CHURCH: Eight months of Russian occupation have taken their toll on the recently liberated Ukrainian city of Kherson. And they're sharing horrors they had to endure at the hands of Russian forces.

CNN Affiliate ITN filed this report. A warning, though some viewers may find this story disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

PARAIC O'BRIEN, CORRESPONDENT, CHANNEL 4 NEWS: Nikola Chechenko (Ph) and his wife Ludmila (Ph) have watched the invasion and the liberation of Kherson City from their sixth-floor balcony. They saw it all from here, the Russian withdrawal across the Dnipro, the destruction of the Antonovsky Bridge. But it was what they heard from here that will stay with them the longest.

Their apartment overlooks one of the places where the Russians detained and tortured people. At night, they would struggle to tune out the sounds of the screaming from next door.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): It was loud. You could hear everything from here, how they beat them there.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): I didn't believe that such a time had come, that we should torture each other.

O'BRIEN: The soldiers we were with hadn't been here before, so went into combat mode as they approached the entrance. With hundreds of Russian soldiers still in the city, an official building is mined, they were taking no chances. All day long we could de-mining teams detonating explosives that the Russians had planted around the city.

Also left behind, evidence of destruction and looting. The Russian zed symbol painted on the door. And if you look inside, there's graffiti that reads Zelenskyy, we are coming. But if we move to the next garage, it looks like this is what was looted by the Russians from people's homes. We have washing machines, toilets, air conditioning units.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

O'BRIEN: When it was deemed safe for us, we followed a soldier whose called name was Anton (Ph), down some steps and inside.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

O'BRIEN: So, Anton is just pointing out a few things about this room. The chairs are screwed onto the floor. And you can see they've used tape obviously to tape up people's ankles to the chair.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): And look, the chairs are screwed into the floor.

[03:39:50]

O'BRIEN: Here's why the chairs may have been secured. This device is a wind-up generator for charging old Soviet army field phones, here used to electrocute detainees.

When you're standing in a room like this and you think about what happened to your fellow Ukrainians in a room like this, how do you feel?

UNKNOWN: Fury. Fury.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): An ordinary army telephone, TA-57. I know it by the sound. I served in the army. It was TA-57.

O'BRIEN: When the Russians took over Kherson, they obtained a list of former military men. Vladimir Sofanov's (Ph) name was on that list. He was held and tortured in the facility for two months. One of the men in the screwed down chair.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): Army telephone set TA-57. And it is modified for torture. two clips that cling to the ears. They were clinging to my ears. I know that the younger boys that I had in my cell they put those clips not just on their ears but on other parts of their bodies.

O'BRIEN: Which ones?

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): They attached it to the boys nipples and scrotum.

O'BRIEN: Vladimir (Ph) was part of the underground partisan movement in Kherson, but there was another category of prisoner, the parents of serving soldiers. People like Vitali Sergio (Ph). His son was away fighting, so they took Vitali in his place and tortured him as though he was the younger man.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): Take off your shorts. So, you take off your shorts. They connect two electrodes to the balls, and they turn the dynamo. Your hair stands on end. Everything (muted) your whole body. Then they slow down. And then slowly it accelerates again. And your whole body. And then, more voltage again, and they turn it down again.

O'BRIEN: As well as these two men, we've spoken to the families of other people who were inside the facility but have gone missing. According to the testimony we've gathered, a large number of prisoners were taken by the retreating Russian army to occupied areas. We don't know what's happened to them. We do know what happened to two other prisoners though.

Because back on the sixth-floor balcony, unbeknownst to the Russians, Ludmila and Mikola (Ph) were watching when one evening, this is what they saw.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): They took out two bodies from there.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): I saw them carry out two in blankets.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): Yes, and I saw it too.

UNKNOWN (on-screen text): They threw them out with the trash. And then the next day, a truck arrived, they loaded everything in and took it all away.

O'BRIEN: Nothing can fully heal what was inflicted on the people of Kherson City. They saw, heard, and felt terrible things, but now they're free to testify to those things, and that counts for something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN has contacted Russian authorities for a response to this ITN report. CNN's Nic Robertson, who was in Kherson earlier this week has reported on allegations of human rights abuses committed in the city while under Russian occupation. Moscow has denied all previous allegations of war crimes.

And this just in to CNN. Ukraine says a U.N. brokered grain deal has been extended for another 120 days. That means exports will be allowed to continue from Ukraine's Black Sea ports while the war rages on without interference. The deal was set to expire on Saturday.

And just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, we will show you the devastating effects a deadly strain of Ebola has had on one Ugandan family as doctors hope a trial vaccine will slow its spread.

We're back with that and a live report on the other side of the brakes. Stay with us.

[03:45:00]

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: I'm pleased to announce that a WHO committee of external experts has evaluated three candidate vaccines and agreed that all three should be included in the plan trial in Uganda. We expect that first dose of vaccine to be shipped to Uganda next week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Some welcome news there from the World Health Organization as Uganda has been suffering from an outbreak of the Sudan strain of Ebola since September. The WHO says those first doses of the trial vaccines will be given to about 3,000 people who have come into contact with Ebola patients.

And for more on this, we want to turn to CNN's Larry Madowo who's joining us from Nairobi, Kenya. Good to see you, Larry.

So, as Uganda deals with this deadly Ebola outbreak, that good news is that it will receive these first trial doses of an Ebola vaccine. What are you learning about all of this?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, I've just returned from Uganda and I went to Mubende district to the central region where the outbreak was first reported back in September. This vaccination, the Ugandan health minister tells me will be using what is called ring vaccination. Essentially, this 3,000 people who came into contact with Ebola patients will be the first one.

And then public health authorities in Uganda will review the data from this initial phase to see if they're going to be expanding it. Why is this necessary? Because Ebola is ravaging communities and now six districts in Uganda, and in some casesn they have lost everything. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO: Joseph Singirigabo is raising his three grandkids alone at 78. Ebola swept through his family, claiming the lives of his wife, son, and his newborn granddaughter in a few short weeks. They're picking up the pieces after the children's mother fled from the disease. While Joseph was in mandatory 21-day quarantine, he says his only assets were. His livestock.

JOSEPH SINGIRINGABO, MUBENDE RESIDENT (through translator): The problem I'm facing is getting food for me and my grandchildren. Secondly, I never went to school, but I want them to get an education.

MADOWO: Did you ever imagine you would be left taking care of your young grandchildren alone?

SINGIRINGABO (through translator): I knew that at any time of day, and their father will take care of them.

MADOWO: Uganda declared its first Ebola outbreak in a decade here in the central district of Mubende in late September. Cases soon spread to a neighboring district, and the government has since restricted movement in and out of them.

Ebola treatment units like this one were quickly set up to treat positive cases and to quarantine anyone they had come into contact with. This is the reality of what it means when Ebola breaks out in your community. That is a three-month-old baby. That's a suspected Ebola case. The mother is down with Ebola, and so it's one of the siblings and she already lost her dad to the virus. Sometimes when it rains, it pours.

Six Ugandan districts now have Ebola cases, including the capital Kampala. Though the rate of new infections appears to have slowed down, doctors say not all the sick are turning up.

JACKSON AMONE, EBOLA CASE MANAGEMENT LEAD IN MUBENDE: Some of the patient, they're still hiding, and some of them they don't know that they have Ebola, so they're in the community there. It is very easy for one to have a very big multiplier effect. Son we are not yet confident whether the number is going down.

MADOWO: The Sudan Ebola virus strain now circulating in Uganda has no approved vaccine, but the country is launching three trial vaccines with contacts of confirmed cases.

JANE RUTH ACENG OCERO, UGANDAN HEALTH MINISTER: This trial of vaccines have been tested for safety. Son our further testing is about efficacy and how long it protects.

[03:55:02]

We want to see if within 29 days the contacts can quickly generate antibodies and can protect themselves.

MADOWO: Armed police watch over Ebola treatment units to block people from sneaking back into the community. Ugandan authorities say myths and misconceptions tied to culture or religion are holding back progress in containing the outbreak.

YOWERI MUSEVENI, PRESIDENT OF UGANDA: All traditional healers and which doctors are prohibited from cutting out their activities during this Ebola outbreak.

OCERO: The number of probable cases.

MADOWO: Uganda's health minister told CNN she expects to have the Ebola outbreak under control by April if citizens full of government guidelines.

Do you feel the international community doesn't give Uganda enough credit for your experience in dealing with previous Ebola outbreaks and therefore having this under control.

OCERO: This is our eighth Ebola outbreak. Every time we get an outbreak, our experience increases. What we need is to be supported to end this epidemic as quickly as possible.

MADOWO: Uganda's closing the school year early and send their kids home to avoid spreading Ebola among them as vigilance becomes a common tune.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MADOWO: The Ugandan health minister told me that it's not likely that they can export Ebola cases internationally, because obviously positive patients are under intensive care, and their contacts have the name central immigration authorities, so they can't leave the country. Son the U.S. for instance, screening travelers from Uganda in specific airports.

The region and the rest of the world, she says, should not be afraid. The big problem why Ebola still is spreading in Uganda despite the government's aggressive movements, is that there are some people who still believe for cultural religious reasons that they want to go to hospital, they go to traditional healers or which doctors. And that's why you see President Museveni saying during this Ebola outbreak, those which doctors and traditional healers should not be taking clients, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Larry Madowo, thanks for that report. And we'll be right back.

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CHURCH: Organizers for the World Cup in Qatar are apologizing for an incident involving a Danish TV crew. A Danish reporter shared this footage saying it shows a confrontation between his crew and security staff in Doha. The reporter says they interrupted his live broadcast and threatened to break his camera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RASMUS TANTHOLDT, REPORTER, TV2: Mister, you invited the whole world to the -- you invited the whole world to come here. Why can't we film? It's a public place.

UNKNOWN: No, no, but, but --

(CROSSTALK)

UNKNOWN: This, I cannot.

TANTHOLDT: But you can break the camera. You want to break it, OK. You break the camera. OK.

UNKNOWN: You bring the camera.

TANTHOLDT: So, you're threatening us by smashing the camera.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: World Cup organizers later issued a statement saying, upon inspection of the crew's valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by onsite security before the crew resumed their activity.

Well, Qatar has also been facing questions about human rights, LGBTQ rights and its treatment of migrant workers.

ISA Soares has our report.

[03:55:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: The winner to organize the 2022 FIFA World Cup is Qatar.

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: the sport world was stunned when FIFA awarded the World Cup to Qatar. Controversy took center stage and football risk becoming a sideshow. Why was Qatar a tiny desert state with no football pedigree chosen to host FIFA's showpiece event?

Even the disgrace, former chief of football's governing body has since described the decision as a mistake.

SEPP BLATTER, FORMER FIFA PRESIDENT: I was right at a certain time to say it is we should not go there.

SOARES: That move 12 years ago provoked unprecedented anger, accusations of corruption and sports washing. Qatari officials strongly deny the allegation that bribery was involved in their bid. Before a ball is kicked at this year's tournament, attention has focused on Qatar's human rights record. It stands on same sex relationship and most damaging to its reputation, the treatment of overseas workers drafted in to build essential infrastructure.

Amnesty International claims authorities failed to properly investigate the deaths of thousands of migrant workers, despite evidence linking premature deaths with unsafe working conditions in the searing heat. Qatari officials say they investigate all reports of abuse and exploitation and are committed to holding unscrupulous employers to account.

DAVID BECKHAM, ACTOR: How important is it to keep traditions like this?

SOARES: Ambassadors like David Beckham have been criticized for accepting roles said to be worth millions of dollars.

JOE LYCETT, COMEDIAN: If you end your relationship with Qatar, I'll donate this 10 grand of my own money.

SOARES: Comedian Joe Lycett called out the former England captain, saying his status as a gate icon was under threat. Homosexual acts are illegal in Qatar considered immoral under Islamic law. Punishments include prison sentences and even death.

Organizers told CNN, Qatar is a tolerant and welcoming country and claim no one will be discriminated against. Nonetheless, calls to boycott the tournament have gathered momentum.

When the final whistle goes at Qatar 2022, the legacy will be judged not only over 28 days of football, but in the years that lie ahead.

Isa Soares, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks to spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. CNN Newsroom continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo, next.

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