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CNN Witnesses Struggle of Ukrainians Who Fled Homes; Ukraine's Energy Grid Under Pressure from Russian Strikes; E.U. Energy Ministers Fail to Agree on Gas Price Cap; Hong Kong Cardinal Found Guilty in Protest Fund Trial; World No. 1 Brazil Take Down Serbia 2-0 in Group G; U.N. Passes Resolution to Investigate Protest Crackdown; Russian Duma Approves Bill Toughening 'LGBT Propaganda' Law; U.S. Urges De- Escalation as Turkey Targets Kurds in Syria; Biden and Xi Face off in Microchip War; Cuba Hopes to Attract Visitors with Shark Tourism. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired November 25, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

[00:00:33]

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, in the dark. Ukraine struggles to turn the power back on, following the latest Russian strikes on its energy grid.

Investigating Iran. The United Nations launching its probe into the country's brutal crackdown on protests.

And football history. Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first male player to score goals in five World Cups.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: Ukraine now entering its tenth month of the war, and in a race to bring the lights back on. Officials say the country is now receiving about half its usual power supply. More power plants are slowly coming back online, but Ukrainians say the process is taking a while because of the sheer scale of Russian strikes on Ukraine's electricity system.

On Wednesday, the attacks left a vast majority of the country in the dark, and for the first time in decades, temporarily took all of Ukraine's nuclear power plants off-line.

Have a look at these satellite images. They show you how much the Russian attacks are hurting Ukraine's power supply. The image on the left, well, that's January, and you can see the lights are on all over the country.

The one on the right, well, that's this month, most of Ukraine in the dark. In Kyiv, doctors had to perform a heart surgery by flashlight after

their hospital lost power halfway through the procedure. The video shows them doing the surgery on a child while waiting for generators to kick back in.

President Zelenskyy speaking about the power outages on Thursday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator: Restoration work continues today throughout the whole day. We are gradually restoring electricity, heat, water supply and communication. I am grateful to everyone who fights and works for our country. Together, we endured nine months of full-scale war, and Russia hasn't found a way to break us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, they might not be broken, but many Ukrainians definitely hurting after multiple waves of Russian strikes on their country. Some of them had to leave their homes because of damage to their towns and villages.

And, as Matthew Chance saw firsthand, some are struggling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, all over Ukraine, people, because of the Russian missile strikes, are being forced to abandon their towns, and villages and their homes and come to receptions like -- centers like this one in Odessa, to try and get some basic supplies.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

"What kind of things do you have here?" I'm asking her. What's that? All right. OK.

Sanitizer, yes. Soap, (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Food, as well. That's flour, fish, tinned fish. All sorts of things, some of it, of course, given by private donors. You can see some of it from USAID, from U.S. aid organization, the government aid organization.

And it is really just scratching the surface when it becomes to the humanitarian needs.

All right. Well, we've come inside the reception center, and you can see there are people sort of crowded in here, giving their details, so they can receive some of this aid distribution.

Let's speak to one of the organizers, Victoria (ph). Hi, have you got a -- have you got a minute?

VICTORIA (ph): Yes. Hi.

CHANCE: Hi. How many people do you look after every day here in the center?

VICTORIA (ph): Every day, we have from 5 to 700 families --

CHANCE: Families.

VICTORIA (ph): A day.

CHANCE: So that's how many people?

VICTORIA (ph): I cannot count how many.

CHANCE: It's more than 1000, right?

VICTORIA (ph): Yes.

CHANCE: Yes, it's a lot. And is that number increasing?

VICTORIA (ph): It is. It goes up. The -- the quantity goes up. I don't know, it's very hard. Because these three days, we had no light.

CHANCE: Yes.

VICTORIA (ph): And you know, a lot of houses are totally abandoned. So --

CHANCE: Some people have got no electricity.

VICTORIA (ph): Yes. We have no warms --

CHANCE: No heating?

VICTORIA (ph): Yes, yes.

CHANCE: No heating. And people can't cook food and keep warm.

All right. Well, just outside the reception center, we found this -- this food kitchen that's been set up here in the center of Odessa, which is obviously giving people perhaps the only hot meal they can get in these very difficult times of power cuts, food shortages.

It's been here, this vicinity, for some years before the war, but in the past few months, the situation has gotten a lot worse. Refugees displaced people from around Ukraine are highly dependent on this, and the humanitarian situation in the country, because of the Russian missile strikes and the ongoing conflict, is getting a lot worse.

Matthew Chance, CNN, in the center of Odessa, in Southern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: For more, I'm joined by Vladimir Shulmeister, a former first deputy minister of infrastructure in Ukraine. He's also the founder of the nonprofit, Infrastructure Council.

Appreciate you making the time, sir. When we talk about these energy attacks, these attacks on the energy

grid, how widespread is the damage? Because, of course, you have the flow-on effects, don't you? Water supply, health care, food, and medicine storage, and so on.

VLADIMIR SHULMEISTER, FORMER FIRST DEPUTY MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN UKRAINE: Good morning.

Indeed, Ukrainians, they have to get used to new way of living when the civilians are terrorized by the Russian Federation, and they have to get used to living without electricity, without water, without heating and, recently, also without problems with mobile networks and Internet.

The damages are quite severe. That's why we have these consequences. And people, they -- they already, for several weeks, trying to buy generators, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But it doesn't help a lot.

So actually, what needs to be done is to -- the grid needs to be prepared. The power supply needs to be restored, and this, indeed, takes some time.

HOLMES: You know, there are those who would say that, in many ways, attacks on energy infrastructure in a time of war, affective in some ways. Just as effective, in some ways, as damaging frontline battles. It's a weapon of war.

The president, Zelenskyy, said these are terror attacks, crimes against humanity. Would you agree?

SHULMEISTER: Absolutely. This is terrorizing civilians. The main goal of that is that civilians, Ukrainians, they would put pressure on the government of the president to change their line in the war, to make some steps towards the enemy.

But actually, Putin achieves another go. Ukrainians get stronger. They get definite in their original goal to be independent. And actually, what is happening now, this -- Ukrainians, they become real mission. So this consolidation of nation takes place, and Ukrainians get national idea to be independent of Russia.

HOLMES: You know, I will say, I've been through a Ukrainian winter, at least a couple months of it, and it -- it is tough. I mean, try to give people a sense of how much this hurts the people, though, at this particular time of year, how it affects their daily lives. It can be brutally cold.

SHULMEISTER: Yes, indeed, my mother is now in Kyiv. My brother is in Odessa, and I get daily information from them. And it's really tough. My mother lives on the 20th floor, and she doesn't have any possibility to go down and up. She's about 74. So she's waiting until electricity is there so she can buy something.

So people need become dependent on the situation, but they are really angry on Russia. And they -- they keep fighting. Doesn't matter where there are, what they do. They are definite in their struggle against Russia in this war.

HOLMES: And to that point, because I wanted to ask you more about that. I mean, it does seem to be no doubt that one of the Russian aims is to break the will of the people. What do you say to that? How strong is the will of the people?

SHULMEISTER: It's getting stronger and stronger. I read a lot of articles from Facebook of Ukrainians, and I see that they -- they become strong in this fight.

It's -- you know, the situation is similar to Putin was trying to move NATO out of the borders of Russia. You see that Sweden is getting to NATO.

So actually, Putin reaches totally opposite goals. And the same is happening now with Ukrainians with their will. They become stronger, and they become more decisive in their struggle and the fight.

[00:10:11]

HOLMES: Yes. It certainly appears so, that the opposite of what Vladimir Putin wants is happening.

Vladimir Shulmeister, got to leave it there. Really appreciate you making the time. Thanks so much.

SHULMEISTER: Thank you, thank you.

HOLMES: Well, the Russian president, Putin, he's warning Western leaders that any plan to cap oil prices would have, in his words, "grave consequences."

European energy ministers held an emergency meeting in Brussels, but they failed to reach an agreement. CNN's Anna Stewart with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The issue of capping gas prices has divided the bloc for weeks. Heading into the meeting, the Czech deputy prime minister said he was expecting it to be, and I'll quote, "spicy."

And the Polish minister for climate and the environment threw cold water on the idea that a deal could be reached.

ANNA MOSKWA, POLISH CLIMATE MINISTER: The gas price cap, which is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) currently, it doesn't satisfy any single country. It's a kind of joke for us, after so many amounts of discussions and proposals, written proposals, which were presented by member states.

STEWART: The E.U. Commission had proposed setting a cap of 275 euros, about $285 per megawatt hour on wholesale gas prices being sold the month ahead in the futures market.

Now, that is so high, far higher than current prices, that some member states questioned the point of it, saying it would rarely, if ever, be triggered.

Other member states are uncomfortable with capping the wholesale price of gas at all, saying it would do little to curb gas demand. The Czech minister for industry and trade, who chaired the meeting, concluded with this.

JOZEF SIKELA, CZECH MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND TRADE: I am glad to inform you that today, we are once again sending a real message of unity. We are not opening the champagne yet, but put the bottle in the fridge.

STEWART: The message of unity was about as clear as mud, and it is unclear whether the E.U. will find a compromise when they meet again on this issue next month.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Hungary says it will not stand in the way of Sweden and Finland becoming members of NATO.

Prime minister Viktor Orban says Hungary's Parliament will ratify their membership in its first session next year.

The announcement ended weeks of speculation over whether Hungary would hold up that process. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO this year but must be approved by all 30 members. But Hungary and Turkey have yet to give their formal go-ahead.

Now, in Hong Kong, a verdict has just been handed down in the trial of a Catholic cardinal and five others. Ninety-year-old cardinal Joseph Zen and the other defendants have been found guilty of failing to register a relief fund that helped pro-democracy protestors.

Zen has been an outspoken critic of China's ruling Communist Party.

Let's get more on the verdict in this high-profile trial from CNN's Anna Coren, standing by in Hong Kong. So a lot has just been happening in the last hour or so. Bring us up to date.

ANNA COREN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Michael. Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90 years old, has been found guilty, along with five other activists, for failing to properly register humanitarian fund under the societies ordinance.

This is a colonial-era law dating back to 1911. He and the others were fined each roughly 500 U.S. dollars.

Now, when they were arrested back in May, Michael, it was under the national security law, that very controversial law which has, you know, arrested more than 180 people since it came into place on the 30th of June, 2020.

They tried to get him on that for colluding with foreign forces. All the trustees, they were members of the 612 humanitarian relief fund, which provided legal and financial assistance to the more than 2,000 protesters who had been arrested.

Remembering, there were more than 10,000 protesters who were arrested in 2019, when we saw that pro-democracy movement here in Hong Kong.

The fund, it disbanded in 2021, after the police demanded a list of donors and beneficiaries. They also froze its assets. In those two years, Michael, this fund raised more than 35 million U.S. dollars.

Authorities couldn't get him under the NSL law, but they went on this, you know, administrative technicality, which critics are just saying is petty. You know, he's a 90-year-old man, having to face this.

But as you've said, he was an outspoken critic and is an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the Hong Kong government.

[00:15:03]

HOLMES: And what has the Vatican had to say about the whole situation? As you say, a 90-year-old cardinal. Has the Vatican spoken out?

COREN: Well, it's just gone 6 a.m. in the morning in Rome. We're yet to hear from Pope Francis or the Vatican.

When they were arrested, Cardinal Zen and these five other activists were arrested back in May, they said that they were paying, you know, extreme attention to developments.

But Pope Francis didn't make any other comment, other than to say he was going to continue dialogue with Beijing.

And this, Michael, is the heart of the matter. It comes at, you know, a sensitive time for the Vatican, which is in discussions with China about renewing this controversial agreement, which basically gives Beijing the power to appoint Chinese bishops on the mainland.

Now, Cardinal Zen has been very critical of this agreement. He has called this deal a sell-out of China's underground Catholics, who have been persecuted for remaining loyal to Rome.

He said that the deal, which has been in place now for a number of years, since 2018, that it would legitimize the CCP's control over China's Catholics and be like, quote, "giving the flock into the mouth of the wolves."

HOLMES: High-profile case. Thanks for following it, Anna. Appreciate that. Anna Coren there in Hong Kong.

Several days of World Cup upset screeched to a halt on Thursday, as two heavyweights emerged from round one triumphant. Portugal overcoming Ghana, 3-2. Star Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the first male player to score in five World Cups.

That record coming just days after the high-profile divorce between Ronaldo and Manchester United.

And Brazil showing the world why it's ranked No. 1 by defeating Serbia 2-nil. Both goals from Tottenham Hotspurs striker Richarlison.

As CNN's Don Riddell has the details from Doha and a look at Friday's marquis match.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: No team has won more World Cups than Brazil, and they arrived here in Qatar as the team to beat. Having played their opening game against Serbia on Thursday night, they have only enhanced their reputation.

RIDDELL (voice-over): Brazil have struggled against European teams in recent tournaments, but they have no such problems here, dominating possession and pouring in ten shots on target.

The Tottenham Hotspurs star Richarlison scored two of them on his World Cup debut, the second of which was a beauty. That is a contender for goal of the tournament.

In comparison, Serbia barely got a look-in, as Brazil won their opening game 2-nil.

Elsewhere in Group G, Switzerland beat Cameroon by a slender 1-nil margin. And it was again with mixed emotions for the man who scored the winner, Breel Embolo. He was born in Cameroon, and he left the country as a child. That is why he didn't celebrate.

The stories of the night arguably belong to Portugal's legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, who was emotional during the anthem, and who then made history with the penalty against Ghana. That made him the first man to score in five different World Cups.

Ghana made it difficult, though. Andre Ayew scored Africa's first goal of the tournament, before Portugal effectively settled it with two goals in as many minutes.

The young star Joao Felix will certainly remember his first World Cup goal. And Rafael Leao then quickly made it 3-1.

But Ghana pulled a goal back, and they could have drawn the game, when Portugal's goalie was asleep at the wheel. Every Portuguese fan breathed a sigh of relief when he got away with it. Most of all, Ronaldo himself.

The other Group H game, between Uruguay and South Korea, finished in a goalless draw. But there was late drama here, too. Neither side managed a shot on goal, although Federico Valverde could have won it late on. He was, however, denied by the post.

RIDDELL: The attention now turns to Friday and the box-office clash between the USA and England. And since it is a Thanksgiving holiday in America, this game is projected to break records for a soccer broadcast. Or should that be a football broadcast?

It's soccer versus football, so maybe this game will settle that argument once and for all.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Our thanks there to Don Riddell.

We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, the United Nations says Iran is in full-fledged crisis, and it opens an investigation into the country's deadly crackdown on protesters.

Also still to come, Russia's so-called LGBT propaganda law is poised to become even more restrictive. Why activists say it could criminalize being gay in Russia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:22:05]

HOLMES: The U.N. Human Rights Council has voted to investigate Iran's deadly crackdown on protesters. Iranian authorities are accused of committing widespread abuses as they tried to put down the movement that started more than two months ago.

It all began, of course, with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, while Morality Police -- while in Morality Police custody back in September.

Iran's representative called the U.N. resolution, quote, "completely biased" and said it did not reflect facts and realities. But in the end, 26 countries voted in favor.

Here's U.N. human rights chief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLKER TURK, U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: The unnecessary and disproportionate use of force must come to an end. The old methods and the fortress mentality of those who wield power simply don't work. In fact, they only aggravate the situation. We are now in a full- fledged human rights crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right. More now on the investigation from CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, reporting from Istanbul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This decision by the U.N. Human Rights Council to establish a fact-finding mission is being described as historic, a landmark decision, seen as a huge victory for so many Iranians and human rights groups and advocates who for years have been pushing the international community to establish an independent, investigative and accountability mechanism to try and hold the perpetrators of these human rights violations in Iran to account.

Now, we've spoken with human rights experts and lawyers who have been following this very closely and have been pushing for this for quite some time, and they say what we should expect is the United Nations in the coming weeks would establish this fact-finding mission.

What it would do is investigate the human rights violations that have been taking place during these protests since September. It will collect, preserve and analyze evidence that could be used to hold the perpetrators of these human rights violations accountable.

Now some would say that this is long overdue, that this should have happened a long time ago in Iran, but it is happening at a time when the United Nations is warning that the situation in the country is critical.

We've heard the U.N. human rights chief describing this as a human rights crisis right now. And with the protest movement that has turned into a national uprising showing no signs of stopping, and the governments already brutal crackdown already intensifying, many fear that the situation is only going to get worse. So it is very important that the international community is doing this right now.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Iranian media report an Iranian Kurdish football player is under arrest for incitement against the regime. The FAZ (ph) news agency says Voria Ghafouri had some, quote, "harsh reactions" in support of the recent rioters and was "inciting them," unquote.

[00:25:06]

Another Iranian player, the former national team goalkeeper, was arrested last week, accused of destroying public property.

Yet another former footballer, Ali Karimi, tweeted his support for both men. Karimi lives outside Iran and has also spoken out in favor of the protesters.

The lower house of Russia's Parliament has passed amendments which toughen the law banning "so-called LGBTQ propaganda."

Once it goes into law, it will mean that anyone who promotes or praises homosexuality could up -- end up with a heavy fine.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So this so- called LGBTQ propaganda law was passed by the lower house of Russian Parliament, by the state Duma and gay activists here in this country say that it essentially could criminalize being openly gay in Russia. Now, according to the text of all of this, it bans praising

nontraditional sexual relationships or suggesting that they are normal.

Now, all this really pertains to all facets of the public sphere. We're talking about media, radio, television, also the Internet, as well, but even books, and the fines are really steep. It ranges from thousands of dollars for individuals, to tens of thousands of dollars for legal entities or companies.

And if you're talking about foreigners, they face up to 15 days in prison and then possibly being deported.

Now, you're watching some of the proceedings in the Russian Parliament. And essentially, what the lawmakers there were suggesting is that they believe that the West was trying to spread homosexuality here in Russia and undermine traditional Russian values.

In fact, the speaker of Russian Parliament called this law the answer to a Blinken, talking about the U.S. Secretary of state. Listen into what some of the speaker of the Parliament had to say.

VYACHESLAV VOLODIN, CHAIRMAN OF RUSSIA'S STATE DUMA (through translator): Blinken. It is the best answer to the United States secretary of state, Blinken. Stop imposing on us foreign values. You destroyed your values.

We'll see how it ends, but that is sad, for sure, because it is sodomy. I can't say it in any other way. The United States of America have become the global center of this sodomy. Let them live there. Do not touch us.

PLEITGEN: Now, all of this has already had a chilling effect on the gay community here in Russia.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): There's some gay activists that we've been speaking to who say that, right now, they're trying to lay low. They're trying to not really comment on this in the public.

There's others who are openly saying that they believe that they might have to leave the country. In fact, a lot of gay people have already left the country in the past couple of months and in the past couple of years.

PLEITGEN: Now, one of the things that we need to point out is that this law has not gone into effect yet. It has been passed by Russia's lower house of Parliament, the state Duma, but still has to go through the upper house of Parliament, the Federation Council, and then also it has to be signed by President Vladimir Putin.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Nevertheless, the pressure continues on Russia's LGBTQ community, which has already been faced with a lot of pressure here in the society over the past couple of years.

PLEITGEN: Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Still to come on the program, the U.S. calling for a de- escalation of tensions as Turkey launches an aerial assault on Kurds in Syria. We'll have the latest when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:31:03]

HOLMES: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your sticking with us.

Now, U.S. officials urging Turkey to end its aerial assault on Kurdish forces in Northern Syria. Turkey has been targeting what it calls terrorists in the region, following an explosion in Istanbul that killed six people last week.

Now, one of the Kurdish groups is the SDF, a key ally in the U.S. fight against ISIS, while Turkey is a critical NATO ally. It's complicated.

They U.S. State Department calls the Turkish actions destabilizing and says they're putting civilians and U.S. personnel in danger.

CNN's Scott McLean with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S.-allied, Kurdish-led defense force that controls a large swath of Northern Syria has accused Turkey of attacking more than 100 towns and villages on Wednesday alone.

MCLEAN (voice-over): In its latest statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces accused Turkey of committing war crimes and said Turkish forces have hit neighborhoods and energy infrastructure, using planes, drones and heavy weapons.

It also promised that the attacks would not go unanswered.

Turkey has not yet responded to the claims but previously said that it had hit almost 500 targets in Syria since the start of its recent operation in response to a terror attack in central Istanbul, less than two weeks ago, that Turkey blames on Kurdish groups that it considers terrorists. Those groups deny the claims.

MCLEAN: This has put the United States in a very uncomfortable position. It is Turkey's NATO ally, but it is also allied with the SDF in fighting what's left of the Islamic State.

The U.S. says that a Turkish strike on an SDF and coalition forces base in Syria on Tuesday directly threatened the safety of Americans, though none were hurt.

The U.S. has called on Turkey to immediately de-escalate the situation. But so far, diplomatic efforts and public statements have done nothing to get Turkey to change course. MCLEAN (voice-over): On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even

floated the possibility of sending ground troops across the border into Syria.

MCLEAN: Scott McLean, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Hundreds of people marched Thursday in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They're protesting a cease-fire agreement they say doesn't go far enough to tackle Rwanda's alleged backing of M-23 rebels.

The cease-fire is set to begin in the coming hours, after leaders from several neighboring countries reached a deal on Wednesday.

But according to Agence France-Presse, M-23 says the agreement doesn't affect them, since they weren't part of the summit. They're calling for what they call a direct dialogue with the government.

The U.S. and China locked in a battle over microchips, and it's a fight that is stretching global supply chains to their limits.

CNN's Selina Wang looks at how U.S. President Joe Biden's CHIPS Act, banning certain high-tech exports to China, is hurting Beijing's technological ambitions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): China wants its 2 million-strong military combat-ready, but war is already playing out between the U.S. and China on the technological battlefield.

New export controls from the Biden administration choked off China's access to advanced computer chips, throttling China's high-tech ambitions.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those tiny computer chips.

WANG (voice-over): Washington upping the ante, just weeks before U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Bali, where they promised to stabilize U.S.-China relations.

But fierce competition on technology set to intensify, despite the handshakes and smiles.

ARTHUR DONG, PROFESSOR, MCDONOUGH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: This act is unprecedented in terms of modern times. They certainly poisons the waters further.

WANG (voice-over): The goal? To protect America's national security interests by stopping China from advancing its military capabilities that Washington says includes weapons of mass destruction.

[00:35:06] But America's latest move hits virtually all of China's industries, because almost everything as a chip in it. Your smartphone, car, refrigerator.

JAMES LEWIS, SVP & DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: This has had a tremendous effect on the Chinese economy.

WANG (voice-over): Beijing claims Washington is strangling the country by the neck.

China's read-out of Biden and Xi's meeting at the G20 said "starting a trade war or technology war, pushing for decoupling and severing supply chains, run count to the principles of market economy. Such attempts serve no one's interests."

China has poured billions of dollars and years of effort into building its semiconductor industry, but it still lags far behind the U.S., Taiwan and South Korea.

LEWIS: When you talk to Chinese officials, they say it's probably put them back a decade, right, in their effort to obtain an indigenous source of advanced microprocessors.

WANG (voice-over): Xi Jinping is urging the country to be self-reliant in technology and innovation, telling chip engineers at a factory to "grasp the lifeblood of technology in our own hands" and prepare for even more restrictions from Washington.

JORDAN SCHNEIDER, ANALYST, RHODIUM GROUP: I expect these types of export controls to be rolled out in lots of other key strategic industries.

WANG (voice-over): The new rules bar the export to China of advanced chips made anywhere in the world using U.S. technology; bans U.S. companies from selling tools needed to make those chips; restricts Americans from supporting chip development at certain manufacturing facilities in China, cutting China off from critical talent.

The U.S. sees China as its biggest long-term strategic threat that has the power and intent to reshape the international order, so Washington wants to stop selling anything to China that could later be used against the U.S.

But as China turbochargers its homegrown industries, the battle for technology supremacy --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two --

WANG (voice-over): -- is only beginning.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Artemis 1.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: When we come back, we'll go swimming with the sharks as Cuban dives deep to feed its tourist income and help the environment, as well. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: President Joe Biden says he's ready to take action in the wake of more than 600 mass shootings in the U.S. this year. That's right, 600.

Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited with first responders at a firehouse in Nantucket, in Massachusetts, where they're spending the Thanksgiving holiday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The idea we still allow semiautomatic weapons to be purchased is sick, just sick. It has no -- no social redeeming value. Zero, none. Not a single solitary rationale for it except profit for the gun manufacturer.

[00:40:07]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you do anything about gun laws during the lame duck, sir?

BIDEN: I'm going to try.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What will you try and do?

BIDEN: I'm going to try to get rid of assault weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, the man who killed six people at Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, was armed with a pistol, not an automatic weapon. He took his own life. Plenty of other atomic weapons are used in such killings, of course.

The person who killed five people at a gay bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado, over the weekend, he had an AR-style long rifle and a handgun.

Now the waters off Eastern Cuba are teaming with sharks, and the island nation is letting visitors go swim with them, so they can learn how important they are to the food chain and to help boost tourism. Not the tourists in the food chain, but you see where we're going.

Patrick Oppmann takes us underwater for the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Usually, they are the last thing you want to see in the ocean, but sharks are the reason why we have come here to the waters off Eastern Cuba. We're hoping to see the predators up close and with no cage. Local guides say this is the only place in Cuba, perhaps, one of only

a handful in the world, where divers can safely swim alongside bull sharks.

We are taking them at their word, praying the sharks had a big breakfast.

Bull sharks are considered some of the most aggressive in the world, but the ones we see seem mostly curious, swimming around me for a closer look before gliding away.

Guy Lazaro (ph) says they want to teach visitors to respect sharks, and to protect them.

"The shark is the perfect machine, the perfect predator," he says. "It's inspiring, emotional, and satisfying to interact with them."

Marine biologists say robust shark populations are necessary to maintain healthy coral reefs.

In 2015, Cuba placed restrictions on shark fishing, one of an increasing number of countries in the Caribbean to realize that sharks are not only important to the environment but a way to attract visitors.

OPPMANN: People in the Caribbean used to commonly catch and kill sharks, either for food or because they were considered a nuisance. But more and more countries in this region are now taking steps to protect sharks. It's not just about conservation. Shark tourism, visitors specifically coming to a country to dive with sharks, can generate millions of dollars in revenue.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Just before her first dive with sharks, Canadian tourist Carrie tells us she's been terrified at them ever since seeing "Jaws."

CARRIE PREVOST, DIVING WITH SHARKS: I watched the movie very young, and I was even afraid to swimming pools, let alone the ocean. So this is a challenge to overcome.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Guides spearfish to attract the sharks but are careful to use the minimum bait necessary. They say they've never had an attack involving a client or guide, and that people who come to dive here gain a new perspective on sharks.

"It's the myth of the shark being dangerous, a maneater that is aggressive," he says. "Then you manage to see a shark a meter and a half away from you, and when you come out the water, they say, This is the best dive of my life."

The sharks we swim with are undeniably powerful and also incredibly beautiful. At the top of the food chain, but never seeming to threaten us.

OPPMANN: And they said it'd be a shot of adrenaline in your arm. They were not kidding. I admit to being afraid, but they are very impressive creatures.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Creatures that there are now more and more reasons to try and protect.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Playa Santa Lucia, Cuba.

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HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes. WORLD SPORT next. I'll see you in 20 minutes.

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