Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Controversial World Cup to Kick Off in Qatar; Trump Investigations; UVA Football Players Honored in Memorial; U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Pays Surprise Visit to Ukraine; Possible Talks to End Russia's War; World Population Tops 8 Billion. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired November 20, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, we're just hours away from the kickoff of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. We're live in Doha, where fans aren't letting the latest controversy overshadow the tournament.

And a snowstorm wreaking havoc on millions of Americans across the Northeast. We're live at the CNN Weather Center with details.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now and this is an issue this COP did not address.

HARRAK (voice-over): An appeal for more to be done on climate change as delegates to COP27 close on a draft agreement. We're live in Johannesburg with details.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Laila Harrak.

(SPORTS)

[05:05:00]

HARRAK: Residents in parts of New York state could wake up to more snow after a historic storm hit on Saturday. The National Weather Service is warning that some western areas of the state could see extremely heavy snow overnight. Erie County in the Buffalo area received its largest amount of

snowfall in the past 24 hours. Officials say two people died from cardiac complications due to shoveling.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRAK: Millions of followers of Donald Trump are waiting right now to see if the former president is returning to Twitter. They rushed to sign on to his account after the platform's new owner, Elon Musk, restored his access a few hours ago. It was suspended after the January 6th, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

According to Twitter because of the risk of further incitement of violence. But on Saturday Mr. Musk wrote, the people have spoken, Trump will be reinstated.

This comes after a poll Musk posted late Friday showed nearly 52 percent of 15 million votes favored reinstatement. Mr. Trump says he doesn't plan to return to Twitter but will continue to use his Truth Social platform.

On Saturday, Mr. Trump made his first major appearance before Republicans since announcing his third presidential candidacy.

[05:10:00]

HARRAK: Appearing virtually before the Republican Jewish coalition in Las Vegas, the former president received a standing ovation.

Mr. Trump's quest for the nomination faces serious headwinds, not least of which is the special counsel who has taken over two key investigations. The U.S. attorney general explained why he felt this move was necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Based on recent developments, including the former president's announcement that he is a candidate for the next election and sitting president's stated intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint a special counsel.

Such an appointment underscores the department's commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: The new special counsel has been tasked with two specific probes. Mr. Trump's handling of classified materials at his Florida residence and any efforts Mr. Trump or others may have taken to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after his election loss.

At an event on Friday night Mr. Trump, again, claimed he was the victim of unending persecution by his political enemies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: This horrendous abuse of power is the latest in a long series of witch hunts. They want to do bad things to the greatest movement in the history of our country but in particular bad things to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: While some Trump allies in Congress are demanding that the attorney general appoint a special counsel to investigate the president's son, Hunter Biden, they've made clear they intend to make that a top priority when they retake control of the U.S. House in January.

But then there are mainstream Republicans who want the party to move past Trump. They say results from the midterm elections show the former one-term president is pulling their party down. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: We keep losing and losing and losing and the fact of the matter is the reason we're losing is because Donald Trump has put himself before everybody else.

GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): I've got a great policy for the Republican Party. Let's stop supporting crazy, unelectable candidates in our primaries and start getting behind winners that can close the deal in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Mr. Trump could face serious challenges for the 2024 Republican nomination, with Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former vice president Mike Pence among those considered likely to run.

Last hour I spoke with Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor at the University of Essex in England, and I asked her how she sees the next two years unfolding now that Mr. Biden will face a narrowly divided Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: You will have the Republicans in the House trying to set up investigations. But because the Democrats control the Senate that's not going to go anywhere.

So Joe Biden is insulated by the Senate from House investigations, whether it be into Biden himself or Hunter Biden, his son, or the origins of COVID. They've made clear they have a huge agenda going after Biden in what seems to be based on revenge rather than benefiting the American public.

But I think in the end, not much will happen. I think it will be a blame game running up to the 2024 elections.

HARRAK: Former president Trump faces a DOJ special prosecutor after announcing he's running for president again. What does it mean for the GOP, will conservatives rally behind him?

LINDSTAEDT: They seem to already be rallying behind him despite that, after the midterms, all kinds of Republican political pundits were on the airwaves, eviscerating Trump and saying he was a huge liability to the Republican Party.

He was the reason they lost and they didn't do well. And they were heralding Ron DeSantis as the next star. The Republicans should be happy this is going ahead. This is a way to eliminate the biggest cancer to the Republican Party.

Instead, you already have acolytes of Trump, saying on Twitter or publicly, this is terrible. Trump himself trying to rally support, saying this is rigged, that this is completely unfair, that they should be prosecuting people like Obama and Clinton.

And we've seen that Trump has been effective in the past in ratcheting up support against a special counsel. Look at what happened to Robert Mueller, who was investigating him before.

[05:15:00]

LINDSTAEDT: His approval rating was 68 percent. But by February 2019, at the very end, his approval rating had dropped 17 points. So we see the effectiveness of Trump in picking apart anyone that goes against him. That's why you might see other Republicans coming to his support now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: CNN will have much more on this important story in the coming hour.

Now some good news for some Americans. The Biden administration has notified them that their student loan debt relief has been approved but the bad news is that officials cannot start wiping those debts clean just yet. A legal battle has put the program on hold for now.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona sent out emails to explain the delay, saying, "A number of lawsuits have been filed challenging the program, which have blocked our ability to discharge your debt. We believe strongly that the lawsuits are meritless and the Department of Justice has appealed on our behalf."

In Idaho, a week after the fatal stabbing of four students, police are still searching for a suspect. Ahead, the latest on their growing investigation.

Plus, sorrow at the University of Virginia. A community comes together to remember three young football players killed in a tragic shooting.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HARRAK: Authorities in Idaho are still working to find a suspect in the killing of four university students. Investigators have again searched the house where the victims were found stabbed to death last week.

They're hoping to figure out how the attack unfolded, how many people may have been involved and how an attacker could have entered in the first place. CNN's Camila Bernal has more from Idaho.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have seen a lot of activity here at the crime scene, local authorities going inside of the house and police officers outside of the House, even looking and measuring at some tire marks near the driveway of the house.

We know that, in addition to the work that's being done here, they've already interviewed at least 38 people. They're going through hundreds and hundreds of tips that are coming in.

But there is still a lot of fear in this community and frankly confusion, because initially police officers had said there was no threat to the community. And then they changed everything and said, look, you have to be vigilant because there has not been an arrest in this case.

The one thing, though, that they continue to say is that they believe this was a targeted attack, although they have not given a reason as to why they believe this was a targeted attack.

According to the latest information that we have, we know that all four of them were believed to be sleeping at the time of the attack. They were stabbed multiple times and we know that at least some of them had defensive wounds.

So they might have been able to fight back. The father of one of the victims, the father of Xana Kernodle, saying he believes his daughter fought back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY KERNODLE, XANA'S FATHER: I heard from her before we went out. I think midnight is the last time I heard from her and she was fine. They were just hanging out at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: We also know they went through different Dumpsters in this area, trying to look for evidence and then they released a timeline, hoping to get more information, more tips based on where these students were last Saturday night.

We know two of these students, they were at a fraternity party between 8:00 and 9:00 pm. The other two, they were at a local sports bar between 10:00 and 1:30 in the morning and then they went to a food truck. That was around 1:40 in the morning.

But authorities say they believe all four of them were back here at the house at around 2:00 in the morning. They say the attack likely happened in the early morning hours but that 9-1-1 call did not come in until about noon on Sunday.

Now we also know that the two other roommates that were also here on the night of the attack, authorities say they don't believe they are suspects in this case. But clearly still a lot of work to be done by investigators and a lot of questions to be answered, all as the friends and family mourn the loss of these four students -- Camila Bernal, CNN, Moscow, Idaho.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Thousands of people attended an emotional memorial honoring three football players killed in a shooting at the University of Virginia. Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry were killed last week when a student opened fire on a bus returning from a field trip to Washington, D.C.

Our Joe Johns has more now from Charlottesville, Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Intense security here at the University of Virginia after an unspecified email threat brought out tons of law enforcement, police dogs and metal detectors.

While inside the building, an intense and emotional memorial service for the three University of Virginia football players, shot last Sunday allegedly by another student with a gun.

This was supposed to be a very different experience for the University of Virginia on Saturday. They were supposed to have their final home football game of the season against Coastal Carolina.

But that game was canceled after the shootings and thousands upon thousands of supporters of the university, along with students and friends, attended the memorial service without any idea from police as to the motive for the shootings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY ELLIOTT, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: To my three young kings, I'm eternally grateful for you. Thank you for being a light to the world. You'll continue to shine your lights bright before us in the days ahead.

ELIJAH GAINES, FOOTBALL PLAYER, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Everyone here loved every single one of those boys, Lavel, D'Sean and Devin. Love is an intense feeling of deep affection and I definitely had an intense feeling of deep affection toward every single one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:25:00]

JOHNS: The suspect in the case, 23-year-old Chris Jones, is locked up in the county jail. He faces multiple charges, including three counts of second degree murder -- Joe Johns, CNN, Charlottesville, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Police have arrested two suspects making online threats against a synagogue in New York City. This is one of the two who were detained at Penn Station. Police says the suspect had an illegal semiautomatic gun, a large knife and a Nazi armband. They're now facing charges of making terrorist threats and illegal weapon possession.

The threats started appearing on Twitter, suggest an attack on one of the synagogues in the city. Law enforcement sources says the posts were later traced to a work computer used by one of the suspects.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HARRAK: Some breaking news just coming into CNN: police say five people were killed Saturday night at a gay night club in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Another 18 people were injured at Club Q. They add that a suspect is in custody. Police declined to speak about a possible motive. We will have details on this as soon as they become available.

A Ukrainian city near a nuclear plant comes under more artillery fire. We will show you the damage and have the latest on the aftermath.

Plus, Kyiv and Moscow face calls to negotiate as the upcoming winter threatens to take a heavy toll on Ukrainians. We will ask an expert if diplomacy has a chance at this point.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

More Russian artillery strikes have been reported around a southern Ukrainian city near the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant. Ukrainian officials say at least 40 shells hit areas around Nikopol overnight, causing damage to buildings as well as gas and power lines. At least one person has been reported injured.

This as Ukraine says it's begun voluntary evacuations from parts of its newly liberated areas in the south. Officials say water, heat and electricity are in such short supply that residents will have a hard time to survive the winter. It's hoping to give them temporary shelter elsewhere in the country.

The whole nation is dealing with power shortages after Russian strikes earlier this week. But president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says officials are working to bring the power back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As always, today I received reports on the repair works in the energy sector. We're working throughout the country to stabilize the situation. Kyiv and its regions, Odessa and its regions, Kharkiv and its region have the most problems with electricity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said autocrats could learn all the wrong lessons from Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Speaking in Canada Mr. Austin said if they conclude nuclear weapons can buy them impunity, that could lead to nuclear proliferation. The Pentagon chief didn't mince words about Russian attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Russia isn't just waging a war of aggression; it's also deliberately attacking civilian targets and civilian infrastructure with no military purpose whatsoever. Now these aren't just lapses. These aren't exceptions to the rules. These are atrocities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: The U.K. is vowing to help boost Ukraine's air defenses. London is promising $60 million in new air defense weapons and technologies.

The move was announced during Saturday's surprise visit to Kyiv by prime minister Rishi Sunak. During his visit, Mr. Sunak joined President Zelenskyy in a flower laying ceremony honoring victims of war.

For more let's head now to Scott McLean, he joins us from London.

Scott, what more have you learned about the strikes around that city near Zaporizhzhya?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so this is the district -- Nikopol, it's called -- and, according to the local governor there, it was targeted overnight. Some 40 shells hit residential areas, an area that has been frequently targeted over the last few weeks by Russian strikes.

And it's significant because it is, as you said, right across the river from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Enerhodar. Perhaps, though, this is not all that surprising because it was less

than a month ago that a Russian-backed official in that region said that the Ukrainians had really amassed a significant amount of military hardware on the other side of the river.

And his expectation is that they would start using that hardware to start striking places like Enerhodar and make that part of the occupied part of Zaporizhzhya their primary focus along the front lines.

So maybe this is the Russians trying to preeminently strike some military hardware, to degrade Ukraine's ability to cross the river and take back more of their territory.

HARRAK: U.K. prime minister Rishi Sunak on a surprise visit to Kyiv.

Did he manage to reassure Zelenskyy of the U.K.'s support?

MCLEAN: Yes, surely officials in Kyiv were concerned, given the political turmoil in this country, the fact that the U.K. has had three prime ministers in two months, with Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak.

And Boris Johnson was one of the biggest backers of Ukraine. In fact, the U.K. provides the second most military assistance, financial assistance to the country, second only to the United States.

So Boris Johnson was extremely popular in Kyiv. Clearly, Rishi Sunak's visit was an attempt to try to allay some of the fears and make sure that Zelenskyy knows that Sunak is planning to continue what the U.K. has already started.

It pledged $2.7 billion this year alone. It's pledging to spend at least the same next year, assuming that the war actually continues.

[05:35:00]

MCLEAN: Air defense is something in particular that the Ukrainians have been asking for.

So $60 million in air defense spending is what Rishi Sunak came pledging. That includes 125 anti-aircraft guns, radars and other technologies to help the Ukrainians try to locate and also shoot down incoming Russian missiles, given -- well, it's especially important given the fact that so many of those missiles have managed to strike key infrastructure.

And now rolling blackouts are just a regular part of life. One other quick thing to mention, Laila, that is that while, of course, the Ukrainians are grateful for the international assistance they have gotten, they would like to make it more formal.

At that Halifax Security forum in Canada, one of Zelenskyy's top aides said he would like to have not only assurances of assistance from allied countries but legally binding guarantees of Ukraine's security. And a big chunk would be assuring that it has the air defense systems that it needs.

HARRAK: Scott McLean, thank you your continued coverage.

The top U.S. general recently suggested this could be a good time for Ukraine to try to go to the negotiating table. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said Kyiv can now negotiate from the position of strength.

Earlier I asked CNN's political and national security analyst David Sanger if diplomacy would have any chance right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think General Milley's comments reflect the fact that all wars have to end sometimes. And they almost always end with a negotiated settlement, sometimes after a significant victory.

In the case of Ukraine, though, both sides still seem to think they're winning. The Ukrainians are obviously gaining ground, the Russians are not conceding the degree to which they've lost territory, other than in places like Kherson.

More importantly, Vladimir Putin sees winter coming and believes that plays to his advantage, that the Ukrainians will freeze, given the infrastructure that Russia has destroyed, particularly in recent weeks; that the NATO nations will begin to crack and divide as the cost of heating oil and gas rise.

Now he may be getting this wrong and he may decide at some point to negotiate. But right now we've seen no indication that the Russians are prepared for a serious negotiation. And the position we've heard from the Ukrainians is still that Russia needs to go back to the February 24th borders before you could really get a conversation going.

HARRAK: Exactly. As you know, the U.S. provides Ukraine with arms, logistical aid.

How much leverage realistically does it have over Kyiv?

Can it nudge Ukraine into making suggestions?

President Zelenskyy objective is restitution of all of Ukraine's territory.

Would there be public support for negotiations with the Kremlin?

SANGER: I think there would be support when the Ukrainians feel they're ready to go do it. But every time we've pressed President Biden on this -- and did just before he left for asia -- he keeps repeating the mantra, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.

And the U.S. at this point doesn't want to be seen, at least publicly, to be nudging them in any particular direction. The other problem that the U.S. runs into, Secretary of Defense Lloyd

Austin, back in the spring, uttered a real truth when he said the U.S.' objective is to make sure, whenever this is all over, the Russians are not in a position to launch something like this again.

And you know, the Ukrainians have a significant concern, understandable concern, that what the Russians would like right now is a lull in the fighting to give them an opportunity to restore their forces and come back more heavily in the spring or, if they're not ready in the spring, at some point in the future.

So the question is how do you fit that objective, that U.S. objective that Austin described, into a real negotiation?

HARRAK: David Sanger, thank you so much for this conversation.

SANGER: Great to be with you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Russia is accusing Ukraine of war crimes. Moscow says video circulated online show Russian soldiers killed after surrendering to Ukrainian forces.

[05:40:00]

HARRAK: CNN has geolocated the videos to the outskirts of Makiyivka, a recently liberated village in the eastern Luhansk region.

The edited video purports to show a couple of Russian soldiers lying face down on the ground with their hands over their heads. More soldiers are seen emerging from a building and lying down next to the other troops in the yard.

A man can be heard shouting, "Come on out, one by one.

"Which of you is the officer?

"Has everyone come out?

"Come out."

A short exchange of gunfire is heard before the video cuts off. A second clip shot from a drone appears to show the same men dead on the ground, surrounded by pools of blood.

We are unable to verify what exactly happened in the first clip or what happened between the clips. But we know from Reuters that the U.N. human rights office is aware of the video and is investigating.

In the meantime, CNN has reached out to Ukraine's general staff for comments twice but hasn't received a response yet. Russia's ministry of defense says the video shows, quote, "a deliberate and methodological killing of more than 10 immobilized Russia servicemen."

Executing prisoners of war is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. Ukraine has also accused Russia of multiple war crimes since the invasion began.

A new report estimates that Iran's security forces have killed more than 300 people since the protests started. Iran Human Rights, an NGO based in Norway, says at least 378 people have been killed since September, including 47 children. CNN has not been able to independently verify that number.

And ahead on CNN, bold action on the climate crisis. How delegates at the COP27 climate summit reached a landmark deal benefiting poorer countries vulnerable to global warming.

Plus 8 billion and counting: that's the population of the world right now. We will explain what this milestone means and the challenges facing all of us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It is a symbolic day in terms of the impact that this decision will have on the future. Developing countries have been fighting for 30 years to have a fund, to have recognition of the losses and damages associated with climate change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: He's one of many leaders from the U.N.'s climate change conference, celebrating the decision to create a loss and damage fund to help vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters.

A landmark deal allows nations who have contributed very little to the climate crisis to receive money for damage caused by the effects of global warming. Details of where the money will come from have yet to be decided.

All right. Let's get you more now by bringing in CNN's David McKenzie, who is in Johannesburg.

David, what do you make of this outcome?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's an acknowledgment that the world has been unable to stop the worst effects of climate change because vulnerable countries -- and you see the disasters that just this year: the flooding in Pakistan, the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa and East Africa.

These nations and regions don't have the funds to deal with these disasters and the system of aid isn't enough. And so it is an acknowledgment that not enough, excuse me, has been done to stop the climate crisis. And this fund, though the details are scant at this stage, is very important because it is an official reckoning from wealthier countries that they need to do their part.

But if you look at the report card of this meeting, it is decidedly mixed. Despite the loss and damage fund being approved, there's also the sense that there's not enough being done to cut emissions, to stop the worst ravages of the climate change that we are facing, increasing in the next few years.

There's also, surprisingly maybe to those watching, no mention of a dedicated transition from fossil fuels, including oil and natural gas, into renewables. That will be extremely disappointing to many, including, I suspect, the U.N. secretary general.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUTERRES: Let's be clear: our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now and this is an issue this COP did not address. A fund for loss and damage is essential.

But it's not an answer if the climate crisis washes a small island state off the map or turns an entirely African country to desert. The world still needs a giant leap on climate ambition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Not only the biggest, likely U.S., China and other parts of the world need to cut their emissions. To get to that 1.5 degrees warming, everybody, every nation that has industrial output, will need to transition to cleaner energy.

We're not seeing it fast enough and you can imagine that these talks will continue, of course, into the coming years. But not enough is being done to stave off the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

HARRAK: David McKenzie reporting from Johannesburg, thank you so much for your continued coverage.

Well, as the world grapples with climate change, there is an interlinked issue of population growth. According to the U.N., we've now surpassed 8 billion humans on planet Earth. Lynda Kinkade tells about the challenges that lie ahead for a world that's gotten this crowded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This baby born in Lebanon is now one of the 8 billion people living on this planet. The United Nations estimates that the world population has increased by 1 billion in 12 years and on Tuesday it reached 8 billion, a new milestone for mankind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think there is too much of people in this world. What we need to really think about is how to use wisely our resources. KINKADE (voice-over): The U.N. said human population growth is the

result of high fertility in many countries, as well as the advancement of technologies that benefit longevity.

[05:50:00]

KINKADE (voice-over): But global population growth is gradually slowing. The U.N. projects it would take 15 years for another billion and another 21 years for the next billion.

JOHN WILMOTH, DIRECTOR, U.N. POPULATION DIVISION: More education, greater gender quality and more access to health care will help bring down the fertility rate and therefore slow the rate of growth.

KINKADE (voice-over): What won't slow is the impact of climate change on the next generation. As global leaders search for a sustainable future, fewer people on Earth will not necessarily solve the climate crisis.

At the moment, countries with lower population growth are actually creating more greenhouse gas than the rest of the world.

MARIA FRANCESCA SPATOLISANO, U.N. DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS: The majority of the world population growth is and will increasingly be concentrated amongst the world's poorest countries.

These countries with significantly lower emission rates are likely to suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change.

KINKADE (voice-over): More challenges still ahead: conflict, poverty and diseases. How the world handles these problems will decide the future for the next billion people -- Lynda Kinkade, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: We will be right back.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:55:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HARRAK: Wedding bells at the White House on Saturday as President Joe Biden's eldest granddaughter, Naomi Biden, married her fiance, Peter Neal, on the South Lawn. It's the 19th wedding to ever take place at the White House.

More than 300 guests danced and ate dessert at the reception, receiving slices of the wedding cake and followed as in past White House receptions.

And President Biden turns 80 today. The White House says he will celebrate with a brunch hosted by first lady Jill Biden. Family members already in town for that wedding are staying on for the celebration. It's the first time ever that a U.S. president has turned 80 while in office.

Now before we go, some dogs had a pretty close call with death. They're rescue dogs rescued from this plane crash near Milwaukee; 53 dogs were on board, so were three humans. They all survived. Now 52 of the pets are up for adoption.

If the math doesn't add up, that's because the deputy fire chief who helped rescue the pooches took a pup home himself. A Facebook page has been set up to help pay for medical expenses for dogs injured in the crash.

I'm Laila Harrak. Thanks so much for your company. For viewers in the U.S., "CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND" with Martin Savidge and Amara Walker is up next. For international viewers, stay with CNN for "LIVING GOLF." See you next time.

[06:00:00]