Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN International: U.S. May Ramp Up Advanced Training Of Ukrainian Soldiers; China Loosens Some COVID Rules Following Mass Protests; China Mourning The Death Of Former Leader Jiang Zemin; Make- Or-Break Matchday For Fans Of Germany, Belgium; Does The British Royal Family Have Racism Problem?; Embattled Crypto Founder: I Never Try To Commit Fraud. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired December 01, 2022 - 08:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:36]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. Max Foster is out on assignment today.

Just ahead this hour, as Ukraine struggles to keep the lights on, assign from U.S. officials that more help could be on the way. We'll have the latest from Washington. Plus, wining, dining and diplomacy. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wise get a warm welcome in the United States. And it's a do or die for powerhouse Germany at the Qatar World Cup. We're live in Doha with a preview of all the actions.

We begin in Ukraine where punishing Russian airstrikes on critical infrastructure continues. They've left millions of people in the dark even as the brutal winter sets in. Kyiv says the southern city of Kherson is without power after heavy Russian shelling, while in the Zaporizhzhia region, emergency power outages are even being implemented now after heavy electricity consumption.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is calling on NATO and its allies to supply the country with everything it needs as fast as possible. Here's Ukraine's Foreign Minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We will win this war with the help of allies. We will become members of NATO. But it doesn't mean that nothing should be happening between now and the moment of us becoming a member of NATO. This does not happen in a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Now the U.S. is also considering a dramatic expansion in the training it provides to Ukrainian forces. The impact along the front lines could be decisive. Let's bring in Katie Bo Lillis for more on this now. She's joining us from Washington, D.C. Katie, what are we learning about what the White House is considering here? KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Bianca, this is potentially a pretty significant expansion of not just the number of Ukrainian forces that the United States is training, but the kind of training that the U.S. is providing. Up until now, at least since February, the U.S. has been -- has trained a few thousand Ukrainian troops, primarily in small groups and primarily on how to use specific weapons systems.

Under this new proposal, the U.S. could be training as many as 2,400 Ukrainian soldiers a month in larger groups on how to perform more sophisticated battle maneuvers, what's known in the military as combined arms training. Now, what do I mean by that? Combined arms training means that the United States could potentially be training the Ukrainians on how to better integrate their artillery support with their infantry maneuvers, for example, or how to better perform command and control or logistics for larger, more complex military operations.

Now, it is important to note that this is still a proposal. It's still under interagency review. It hasn't been approved yet. But we are told by our sources that this is a serious consideration as the U.S. and the Biden administration looks towards how to best equip Ukraine to push back on this Russian invasion over the long term.

I also spoke to one military analyst who pointed out that up until now, this war has primarily been fought as this kind of grinding war of attrition between two artillery armies. And one of the decisive factors, if not the decisive factor, is the availability of artillery ammunition. Essentially, who has enough bullets, right?

And so that raises some questions, I think, about how useful combined arms training is going to be to Ukraine if the United States and the west can't come up with a way to continue to provide Ukraine with the amount of artillery ammunition that it needs over the long run to prosecute this fight. So that's really the big debate right now, Bianca.

NOBILO: Katie Bo Lillis in Washington, thank you.

BO LILLIS: Thank you.

NOBILO: Following days of extraordinary nationwide protests, China is relaxing some COVID 19 rules with one official calling for a human centered approach to dealing with the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: This excited man is shouting unsealed as workers removed barricades from the streets of Guangzhou. The city has lifted lockdowns in several districts and called an end to districtwide mass testing. In Shanghai, lots of video like this emerged earlier this week of angry protesters clashing with police. On Thursday, health authorities there lifted lockdowns across eleven districts. Not every city is easing up though, choosing to stick with the nation's zero-COVID policy.

[08:05:06]

CNN's Ivan Watson joins us now from Hong Kong. Ivan, to what extent are the government acknowledging that these relaxations are a response to these nationwide protests?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not at all, I would say, but it is striking. You know, you were just showing the footage of that delighted man saying the lockdown has been lifted in Guangzhou. Video that emerged filmed on Wednesday. On Tuesday night in that same city, you had some residents battling riot police in that city over the COVID restrictions.

So you've really had just a startling shift there. And some of that is echoed by a top official in China, a vice premier named Sun Chunlan, who has been kind of the face of the COVID restrictions in the country. As a top official, she said, quote, "With the decreasing toxicity of the Omicron variant, the increasing vaccination rate and the accumulating experience of outbreak control and prevention, China's pandemic containment faces a new stage and mission."

And in her statement, no mention whatsoever of zero-COVID or dynamic zero-COVID, which is how the government has phrased its strategy, a people's war led by the leader Xi Jinping against this virus. There seems to be a shift in the narrative and the tone coming from top down in the government about how to deal with the virus.

Some restrictions lifted in some cities. One city actually Jinzhou in the northeast, saying it's not going to lift its lockdowns because it thinks it's on the verge of wiping the virus out. So keep watching this space. In the meantime, there is another important political development, and that is the aftermath of the death of the former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin.

He is being afforded all of the kind of respect and pomp and circumstances of a former Chinese leader. His body flown to Beijing from Shanghai, where he passed away at the age of 96. His coffin was taken through the streets of Shanghai. People were lining the streets. Xi Jinping himself was at the airport to meet the coffin, where Jiang Zemin was actually wearing his trademark spectacles before -- while also lying-in state.

And this is going to be an important kind of political development in the days of head preparing for this state funeral. And we're seeing some reactions not only in person with people laying flowers in honor of this man, but also online where we're seeing kind of a wave of nostalgia. The internet is heavily censored, Bianca, in China, but there are people that are kind of making digs at the current system and the restrictions in China and arguing that under Jiang Zemin, there was more openness and actually more freedom in China. Bianca? NOBILO: Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, thank you.

In less than an hour, a big day of diplomacy begins for two major NATO allies. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, are set to arrive at the White House for a start of an official state visit. This will be U.S. President Joe Biden's first time hosting a state visit since he took office nearly two years ago now.

Bilateral meeting and state dinner will follow. The Bidens and Macrons had a more informal get together Wednesday night meeting for dinner in Washington. CNN's MJ Lee is live at the White House. MJ, what can you tell us about what's on the two leaders' agenda today?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, just to set the scene for you here, we are standing outside on the South Lawn of the White House where any minute now the French President and his wife, the First Lady, they are expected to arrive at the White House for what will be President Biden's first state visit of his presidency.

So, of course, we are going to see a whole lot of pomp and ceremony throughout the day, beginning with this morning arrival ceremony and then, of course, ending the day with this big state dinner where there's going to be a multicourse meal. And hundreds of guests are expected to attend this dinner at a tent set up here right on the south lawn.

But it's really the middle portion of the day that is going to be the working portion of the day for the two leaders, where they are going to have a lengthy bilateral meeting and talk about so many things that are on the agenda, including the ongoing war in Ukraine. Issues like the challenges posed by countries like China and Iran.

And the China space is a particularly interesting one given that, as you know very well, President Biden himself had a very long bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping of China just a few weeks ago in Bali on the sidelines of G20. And officials have told us the two men are likely to trade notes on how they sort of have and deal with their working relationship with Xi Jinping.

[08:10:04]

So these are all of the things that are on the agenda for today, but right now we are just waiting for that arrival ceremony to begin. You might hear the band playing behind me, so it is going to be a very busy day here at the White House.

NOBILO: MJ Lee, thank you.

It's crunch time for Germany in the World Cup. They take on Costa Rica in a few hours' time. After losing to Japan and salvaging a draw against Spain, the Germans need this win. Not only that, they also need Spain to beat Japan if they want to make it to the knockout stage. No matter who wins, the match will make history. That's because for the first time in World Cup history, an all-female refereeing team will be on the pitch. Amanda Davies is at the World Cup for us and joins us from Doha. Amanda, what can we expect today?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi, Bianca. It's not only a band gearing up at the White House. You might be able to hear the Senegalese chorus going on behind us. Their fans are very much able to enjoy the fact their team have already booked their place in the last 16 gearing up for their tie against England on Sunday.

But yes, for Germany, this is very much a crunch time. They have been here before, though, don't forget. It was back in Russia in 2018, they headed into their final group game against South Korea needing a win. They were beaten two nil. So today, very much looking to avoid that embarrassment, the four-time world champions of heading out at the group stage for a second straight tournament.

But they've got a tough test. They're up against a 2014 quarterfinalist Costa Rica, whose coach, Luis Fernando Suarez, has said his sides are loving the facts, that they are being seen as the disruptors and have the chance to spoil this party. Germany's boss, Hansi Flick, though, saying he is setting out his battle plan early, that is that his team wants to kill off the game in the opening moment.

So that could very much be an interesting prospect for French female referee Stephanie Frappart. As you mentioned, the first ever female to referee a Men's World Cup match. I mean, she has very much made a career blazing a trail for female officials. She was the first woman to officiate a match in France's top flight league and she was also the first woman to take charge of a UEFA Men's Champions League tie.

And from what I've spoken to her about in the past, she is an incredibly proficient, efficient, lowkey referee. She will not want this to be about her. She will want it to be the football making the headlines.

But just quickly, in terms of some of the other matches, Spain will be hoping they will be writing the headlines for the right reasons. They just need a point in their match against Japan. Croatia are looking to maybe cause some upset to Belgium's golden generation. They absolutely could be heading out of this tournament if they don't record a win. Morocco looking -- they only need a point against Canada as well. So very much all to play for.

I have to tell you, I'm going to hand back, Bianca, because I'm slightly struggling to hear myself think.

NOBILO: Fabulous job, given that. Amanda live in Doha with a big party and musicians behind her. Thank you so much.

Still to come, as the Prince and Princess of Wales visit the United States, a controversy back in the United Kingdom is threatening to overshadow their trip. All the details for you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:16:00]

NOBILO: Does the British royal family have a racism problem? An incident at a recent event at Buckingham Palace has raised that question yet again. It all began when this woman, Ngozi Fulani, attended a reception at the palace on Tuesday evening. She says a senior member of the royal household grilled her repeatedly about her British heritage, asking her, quote, "Where are you from?"

That senior household member has since been revealed to be this woman, Lady Susan Hussey. The 83-year-old has been in service to the royal family for decades and Lady Hussey has since resigned. But that hasn't stopped the controversy.

As you can see here, all the British newspapers are leading with this story today. And it all comes an awkward time for the Prince and Princess of Wales. They're on a visit to the United States right now and attended a basketball game in Boston on Wednesday.

So let's bring in CNN Anchor and Royal Correspondent and anchor of this show, Max Foster. He's live in Boston for us today. Max, this controversy isn't dying down. We just saw the headlines on all the newspapers in this country. What's the reaction being from the royal family?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR & ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting here. I mean, it's making headlines and it plays into the concerns that Meghan expressed. And actually, we've just had a trailer drop for the Meghan and Harry documentary on Netflix. And again, that's going to no doubt go into this issue of racism within the British monarchy, this white institution that is Buckingham Palace.

And I think it's not surprising to many people that there might be some racism within the monarchy. And this conversation, when you see the transcript of it is, you know, it's horrible sort of language and it does make you wonder why there aren't more diverse people working within Buckingham Palace. I think that's what a lot of people are questioning right now.

Susan Hussey is who they say it was in this conversation. She was the closest aides to the late Queen. She's been in the palace for decades. She absolutely epitomizes what many of the people in the palace look and sound like. So there's a huge amount of concern, but at the same time, Princess -- Prince William's team have expressed horror at this conversation and they've said that it's good that she stepped down straight away and there is no place for racism in society. So I think there's different views within the palace, but no doubt there are some issues there.

NOBILO: Max, as you mentioned, it's not the first time, of course, that we've heard these type of allegations and we may well expect more to come, and that being fleshed out in the documentary series on Netflix. Do you think this reaction from the royal family, from Prince William, the Princess of Wales, is going to be enough to allay the concerns that the British public rightfully have here? That one of their main institutions could have people in it that would have racist conversations like this? FOSTER: I think they had to act very quickly and start this investigation, which is what Buckingham Palace is doing, but they've done this before. When Meghan said that, you know, she felt that she -- her race kept on coming up inappropriately when she was working within the royal family, they did say they would look at the, you know, HR policies around diversity.

And again, this time around, they said -- they've reminded staff to look back at the diversity policies within Buckingham Palace if you're a member of staff, or indeed a member of the family. But what's worrying to some people is that staff had to be reminded to look again at the policies. If they have to look at those policies, then there's an issue there.

So they've tried to address it in the past and they are again trying to address it here, but they've got to show some sort of progress and these stories, if they keep coming out, are going to be, you know, cause gradual damage to the brand. And I think the answer really has to be they have to get more diversity into, you know, the palace staff. So they get used to the idea that, you know, we do operate in a diverse society.

[08:20:01]

NOBILO: And other than more diverse members of staff, greater focus or emphasis on diversity policies, what can King Charles III do to try and salvage that brand, that image and that trust in the monarchy that you're talking about?

FOSTER: Well, to be fair to King Charles, as Prince Charles, he worked very hard on diversity and religious tolerance and was often, you know, a lot of his charities do promote the protection of diversity. And when he became King, one of the first things he did was meet religious leaders and said he sees the vault role of monarch to be -- to defend Britain's diversity.

So it's something that he's trying to address and I'm sure he's very concerned about this latest incident and he would have been behind the quick action behind it. So I think coming up to the coronation, which is in June, I think he's going to be putting a greater emphasis on this.

And I think when we see the coronation, it's going to look more diverse. That's going to be very much what Prince Charles, now King Charles is going to try to do going forward. But it's a huge challenge when many of his own staff just don't reflect what we see in modern society.

NOBILO: Max Foster for us in Boston, thank you so much.

After his business empire crumbles, the former FTX CEO says, look, I've screwed up. We'll look at what caused the once rising star to come crashing down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NOBILO: The European Union's digital chief warns Elon Musk that Twitter needs, quote, huge work -- needs, sorry, huge work, or it could face penalties, including fines. In a meeting with the E.U. officials on Wednesday, Musk was advised that the company would need to comply with the E.U.'s new Digital Services Act, or face billions in fines.

Musk agreed to a so called stress test of the website early next year, which would give Twitter the opportunity to make any needed changes. Musk has been met with a less and stellar welcome by some after his purchase of Twitter due to reinstating suspended accounts and relaxing enforcement of Twitter's terms of service.

Former FTX head Samuel Bankman-Fried was once one of the richest men in the world, with a net worth of $26.5 billion dollars. Now he says he's just got about $100,000 left. This after his company plunged into bankruptcy.

As Christine Romans reports, the rapid fall of FTX illustrates the harsh reality of cryptocurrency.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMUEL BANKMAN-FRIED, FTX FOUNDER AND EX CEO: I mean, look, I've had a bad month.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Disgraced FTX Founder and ex-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried speaking out on camera for the first time since he resigned after the implosion of his multibillion-dollar empire.

BANKMAN-FRIED: I'm down to, I think, I have one working credit card left. I think it might be $100,000 or something like that.

ROMANS (voice-over): Bankman-Fried, who was known as crypto's white knight, sitting for a wide-ranging interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit, speaking about FTX's liquidity crisis and bankruptcy filing.

BANKMAN-FRIED: I didn't ever try to commit fraud on anyone.

ROMANS (voice-over): The collapse of FTX is under civil and federal investigations into whether FTX misappropriated customers funds when it made loans to his hedge fund, Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried addressing this.

BANKMAN-FRIED: I ain't knowingly commingle funds. I was frankly surprised by how big Alameda's position was.

[08:25:02]

ROMANS (voice-over): Bankman-Fried now acknowledging the lack of corporate controls and risk management within the businesses he oversaw.

BANKMAN-FRIED: Look, I screwed up. Like, I was CEO, I was the CEO of FTX. And, I mean, I'd say this again and again that, that means I had a responsibility. That means that I was responsible ultimately. There was no person who is chiefly in charge of positional risk of customers on FTX. And that feels pretty embarrassing in retrospect.

ROMANS (voice-over): FTX, which was once marketed as an easy way for people to get into crypto, using star athletes like Tom Brady, Naomi Osaka and Steph Curry, and even a Super Bowl ad with Larry David to amplify the platform.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Edison, can I be honest with you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It stinks.

ROMANS (voice-over): Now its customers don't know how much, if anything, they'll be able to get back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: That was Christine Romans reporting map.

The music world is mourning a star. Christine McVie, singer and keyboard player for Fleetwood Mac, has passed away at 79 after a brief illness. No cause of death was given. Born Christine and perfect, she wrote some of the group's biggest hits, including "Don't Stop" and this one, "Little Eyes."

(MUSIC)

NOBILO: The band called McVie truly one of a kind, special and talented beyond measure.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London and CNN's World Sports is up for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]