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New Peru President Sworn In, Predecessor Castillo Arrested; Suspected German Coup Plot Spawns Dozens Of Arrests; Trump Team Finds Two Documents With Classified Markings In A Florida Storage Unit; China Seeks To Boost Ties With Saudis As Arab Summit Announced. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 08, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for staying with us, ahead here on CNN Newsroom. He went from peasant farmer to Peru's president now possibly prison. The rise and fall of Pedro Castillo, a bizarre plot to overthrow Germany's government returned the Kaiser to power. Some of those arrests of the former military accused of being armed, trained and ready to die.
And a lavish over the top warm welcome for China's President as he arrives in Saudi Arabia. There's no awkward fist bump moments, no fences to men.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) Peru's President attempt to dissolve Congress to avoid impeachment followed by the mass resignation of government officials in protest has ended with Pedro Castillo ousted from power under arrest and the country's first female president sworn into office.
Supporters of Castillo faced off against riot police as this drama unfolded in the Capitol. Prosecutors accused Castillo of leading and criminal organization profiting from government contracts awarded to family and friends.
And just hours before an impeachment vote Wednesday, he attempted to state what many have described as a coup, trying to install an emergency government and rule by decree. The country's top court declared the move unconstitutional, the armed forces and police refused to support him, by days end, Castillo had been impeached and taken into custody for the alleged crime of rebellion.
His vice president is now approved six Head of State in just five years. Here's what she had to say about these stunning turn of events.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DINA BOLUARTE, PERUVIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As we all know, there has been an attempted to pushed by Mr. Pedro Castillo, which has not found backing in the institutions of democracy and in the streets. This Congress of the Republic, per the constitutional mandate, has taken a decision. And it is my duty to act accordingly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Michael Shifter is a senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue as well as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Thank you for being with us.
MICHAEL SHIFTER, SENIOR FELLOW, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE: My pleasure. Thank you.
VAUSE: Before the vote to remove him from office, the now former President addressed the nation on state television. He said he was paying a price for the seats he made in office because it is an experience. So then he explained why he could not be guilty of those corruption charges. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEDRO CASTILLO, THEN-PERUVIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I reiterate, I am not corrupt, because I would never stain my name and the good name of my parents. I am a man of work trust and consensus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So just to begin with some context here is the victim or wrongdoer where the charges legitimate, did they weren't removed from office? And is that all just a moot point anyway because he tried to stage a coup?
SHIFTER: Well, I think certainly, the coup attempt takes precedence over everything else. But I do think there is the well documented evidence of corruption, of widespread corruption. There are in fact, six, there were six traditional investigations underway by the lead prosecutor in the country. And I think part of the explanation of why this came to a head today was precisely because there was more evidence that was very damning against President Castillo.
So I think it's true that there are parts of the political elite that never liked him from begin with, and wanted him out. But it's also true that he was engaged in widespread corrupt behavior, and there was a basis for the charges.
VAUSE: So just after this all began, this political crisis began, Castillo was removed from office, the vice president took his place, the first woman in Peru sworn in as president. Here she is. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLUARTE (through translator): So I asked for a political truth to install a national unity government, this high responsibility calls upon us all. I am not asking for my government to be immune from scrutiny. What I am asking is time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Will she get the time? Is this new president a placeholder? Does have credibility to bring some kind of stability? I guess, ultimately, is this the beginning or the end of a political crisis?
SHIFTER: The problem now is that the only thing more unpopular Castillo is the Congress.
[01:05:02]
And so I think, the public opinion in Peru would like to see new elections to have a new Congress. But Congress wants to hang on. And she wants to hang on until the end of the Castillo's term, which is July of 2026.
So we have a bit of tension and differences between what public -- what the public would like to see, which are convenient new elections and the interest of the new president, and also the Congress that's in place. And we'll see how that plays out.
VAUSE: I want you to listen to the reaction from the U.S. State Department, everything that happened in Peru.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: The virtue of democratic systems around the world is the fact that they are self- correcting. And we continue to watch these events very closely. They are fluid, but it seems that Peru's Congress has taken a corrective action by seems impeaching Pedro Castillo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So from what's played out so far, the head of the military resigning when Castillo tried to seize control, a lot of his own ministers resigned from office, his vice president took control and a peaceful -- what appeared to be a peaceful assumption of power. It seems that the checks and balances worked right. And that's not all has always been the case in Peru.
SHIFTER: Yes, the system is hold. There's a democracy in Peru. And he also lost support among his own constituents on base because he didn't deliver. He was seen as corrupt in the end. And so he had no support at all. It all kind of disappeared. And I think the system work, the institutions work. But the problem is you still have a crisis, because you have a Congress that lacks any credibility that very rock bottom in the polls lower than Castillo is, and there's just no faith that the system is going to be effective in addressing the country's very profound problems.
So this is not going to be, you know, Shangri La. It's not going to be a great party. I think it's, you know, it's a little bit premature to celebrate. But I do think it provides some relief, the situation just couldn't continue to deteriorate as it had been. And so this is, I think, a positive step. But I think it's important to try to get some renewal in the political class, and also try to have some political reforms to avoid a crisis like this in the future.
VAUSE: It's clearly a story we need to keep an eye on for some time. Michael, thank you for being with us.
SHIFTER: My pleasure. Thank you.
VAUSE: German police have foiled what they describe as a QAnon inspired plot for the armed overthrow of the government and install a new Kaiser as head of state. (INAUDIBLE) leaders of the plot and presumably would be Kaiser is Prince Heinrich the 13th.
The Senate (ph) of German nobility, but the title is essentially meaningless, is about 25 suspected members or supporters of the group which were arrested in a series of police raids on Wednesday. Officials say their goal was to put an end to democracy in Germany.
All right, terrorism has a long history in Europe. But now the link to the online conspiracy theorists QAnon adds another troubling dimension, and CNN's Brian Todd reports. That's not the only similarity between the suspected extremists arrested in Germany and those in the US.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Armed German police makes sweeping arrest across the country, a dragnet resulting in the apprehensions of 25 people, members or supporters of what German officials say is a far-right terrorist organization that was allegedly plotting to overthrow the government in Berlin.
German prosecutors say there could be twice that many people in the group overall, a group that follows the Reichsburger or Reich Citizens' Movement, a movement described as radical and violent followers of conspiracy theories like the QAnon ideology of conduct.
NANCY FAESER, GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): The suspected terrorist group uncovered today was founded based on coup d'etat fantasies and conspiracy ideologies.
TODD: Just how closely aligned are those German right-wing militants to the QAnon movement in the US,
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both of the movements gained steam in 2020 around those societal conditions, around antivax, anti-mask mandates, and around the functioning acts of the U.S. and German governments.
JON LEWIS, PROGRAM ON EXREMISM, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: The ties to QAnon in the U.S. are really the crossover of the conspiracy theories, which is that there is a global deep state, not just one in the United States and one in the Federal Republic of Germany and that these groups collude, and that they are not legitimate governments that they are not legitimate leaders. TODD: Connected to the plot in Germany, according to a top German news outlet, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a former far-right member of Germany's lower house of parliament, a woman who now serves as a judge in Berlin's District Court. CNN was not able to get comment from her and German prosecutors did not confirm her involvement.
There are also indications that the right wing German plotters may have been channeling the January 6 insurrectionists that the U.S. Capitol, German officials saying members of the group considered entering the German portal went by force.
[01:10:03]
ALEXANDER HAUSLER, RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM RESEARCHER, DUSSELDORF UNIVERSITY (through translator): The storming of the U.S. Capitol after the last presidential election showed these people that there are options to destroy the state order.
TODD: But why should Americans care about a right-wing conspiracy in Germany?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Their crossover or international communications can make it a global movement. And there's the factor have come together to do what, we got a taste of that on January 6.
TODD: And the former and possibly future American president has embraced these fringe groups. Donald Trump, a hero of the QAnon movement in the U.S. has recently reposted various memes and videos with references to QAnon conspiracy theories and took a picture on Tuesday night at a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser with a promoter of QAnon.
TODD (on camera): While agencies like the German Security Services and the FBI remain proactive in trying to take down these far-right extremist groups. analyst John Lewis says one challenge they have is that many of these groups don't have a central or visible leader. The splintered nature of the groups he says makes them tougher to penetrate the plots harder to stop. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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VAUSE: And living next door want to be Kaiser. Well, the neighbors of the suspected ringleader say about living next to Prince Heinrich XIII. You'll hear from them about 30 minutes.
New developments to report in the Donald Trump documents drama more classified material has been found in a storage unit in Florida and it was not found by the FBI. CNN's Evan Perez explains.
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EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): A team hired by Donald Trump's lawyers found two more documents that were marked classified in a storage facility when they conducted a search of for Trump properties recently. The Trump team turned over the documents to the FBI, which in August conducted a search of the former president's home and Florida.
Justice Department lawyers have repeatedly told the Trump lawyers that the government believes that they were still additional documents missing and that has raised the prospect that Trump was disobeying a federal grand jury subpoena this summer that ordered him to turn over all government records that were marked classified.
Source tells CNN's Kaitlan Collins that the Trump lawyers oversaw the searches at four properties. Trump Tower in New York, the Bedminster Golf Club, and office location in Florida and a storage unit where those two documents were found and where the General Services Administration's had shipped Trump's belongings after he left the White House.
Trump's lawyers offered to let the federal investigators observe the search at his Bedminster property, but the offer was declined. A spokesman for Trump said that the former president and his counsel, quote, continue to be cooperative and transparent with the federal investigation. Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
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VAUSE: It's considered one of most controversial requests from Ukraine since the war began. According to multiple U.S. and Ukrainian officials, Ukraine has been urging the Biden administration and members of Congress to provide the Ukrainian military with cluster munition warheads, weapons banned by more than 100 countries but not by the United States.
CNN reports exclusively that senior Biden administration officials have been filling this request for months have not rejected it outright. Both Ukraine and Russia have used cluster bombs during the war. But according to an investigation by Human Rights Watch, Russians have used them more often and against civilian targets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will use quote all means available if necessary, which many believe is code for nuclear weapons, what he calls a fight for Russia's national interest. Putin says right now half of the 300,000 men caught up as Russia's partial mobilization and now in Ukraine. 77,000 are in combat units.
Russian leader also acknowledged the war is going to take a while and wonder the increasing threat of nuclear war. U.S. State Department had this reaction.
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PRICE: We think any loose stock of nuclear weapons is absolutely irresponsible. It flies in the face of the very statement that Russia formally signed on to in January of this year in the context of the UN Security Council. It flies in the face of the statement that we've heard from Russian officials even in recent weeks reaffirming that very simple principle about a nuclear war.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says intense fighting is underway around the Eastern town of Bakhmut. Russian forces trying to gain control. Some of the Ukrainian soldiers severely wounded in that fight are now heading to a trauma hospital in the city of Kramatorsk. The doctors are now working urgently to save their lives. And CNN's Sam Kiley is there.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Wartime brain surgery in tandem. Wounded in battle on the same day on the same front. Two young men, the focus of these over practice neurosurgeons.
Kramatorsk gets often bombed. The windows even in here, a tape to slow flying glass.
[01:15:04]
The effort is intense to repair brains, to save lives, memories, labs and future dreams. They would have little idea where to start their delicate work if they didn't have use of this CT scanner. It can pinpoint damage, find what it's done, and it gives surgeons a plan of action.
He says yes, and unfortunately there is no left eye. There's a suspicion of damage to the right eye as well, but definitely no left eye.
KILEY (on camera): This is the fourth patient we've seen in the space of about an hour come in for a CT scan. It's supposed to be doing 15 or 20 a day. They're actually doing 70 or 80. In short, it's wearing out.
KILEY (voiceover): This equipment is vital. The hospital can't afford a new one. But a used ones for sale in the west of Ukraine cost about 120,000 bucks, price of losing this one incalculable.
He says he shows signs of severe cranial cerebral injury with acute subdural hematoma and severe brain can choose him. He needs urgent surgery.
The administrators here have raised about $60,000. They need help with the rest. This is the only CT scanner in a vast region.
Critical, this machine is critical. CT is critical to provide appropriate care for patients with both head wounds and acute brain injuries.
Is it saving lives? Definitely absolutely 100 percent.
KILEY (on camera): There's been a steady flow of soldiers injured in a near Bakhmut. That is the scene of the heaviest fighting but this is a hospital that is trying to deal really with an area they say about 300 square kilometers and a lot of that is at war.
KILEY (voiceover): Some soldiers are relatively lucky. Dak (ph) was shooting mortars at the Russians who shot mortars back. My commander was lucky. He sat in front of me and I sat behind him and he was unhurt and I got hit in the leg. But yes, we've seen wounded and dead before. If I'm sitting here I'm lucky.
Ukrainians on this eastern front call it the meat grinder. Jet (ph) was alongside Dak (ph) when they were hit.
How would you describe the battle for Bakhmut? He says World War I trenches, mud, blood, trenches, mud again, artillery trench warfare, that is World War I and World War II something like that, but done the song, something like that.
The difference is that modern weapons are now more powerful, modern surgery, often the only route to survival that an old fashioned grid. Sam Kiley, CNN in Kramatorsk.
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VAUSE: Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2022 is the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Along with the spirit of Ukraine shown by his fellow citizens, Mr. Zelenskyy has won the widespread acclaim for his leadership and against all odds fight against Russia. Time says the president and the countless individuals who embody the spirit of Ukraine made a clear cut choice, quote, for proving that courage can be as contagious as fear for stirring people in nations to come together in defense of freedom for reminding the world of the fragility of democracy and of peace.
Still to come here on CNN, touchdown in Saudi for China's President and the beginning of what both countries declare will be the start of a new era of cooperation. It's also a clear message to the U.S. President. Also as Beijing rolls back zero-COVID, experts are now warning the country is not ready for what's yet to come.
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[01:21:09]
VAUSE: Strike by border control workers in the UK is expected to add to widespread disruptions to holiday travel at some of Britain's busiest airports. Password booth employees are planning to walk off the job every day but one from December 23 to the 31st.
Heathrow and Gatwick Airport say they're working to minimize the disruptions. Union workers want a 10 percent pay increase as well as better job security. And they joined 40,000 rail workers who are also playing strikes through December and into January.
The happiest place on earth in Shanghai is all happier today. Well, that's Disneyland there which -- with the announcement that it's reopened just a few hours ago. This comes as the communist government begins to rollback its much despised zero-COVID policy.
Let's go to senior international correspondent Ivan Watson live in Hong Kong. Get your Mickey Mouse ears on but I guess the question now is what comes next is a sort of ease up these zero-COVID policy restrictions.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, I called a friend in Shanghai yesterday. And she didn't know that the government had just announced among its 10 changes were that it was lifting the restrictions on travel between regions and provinces of China.
And when informed about this, she said, Oh, this is great. I get to see my parents for the first time in many, many months. I have to start looking for plane tickets. And that's reflected in a 160 percent surge in the search volume for plane tickets on the travel platform sea trip on Wednesday.
The flip side of that is that there's also been a run on things like cough medicine and anti-inflammatory drugs that according to Chinese state media, a jumped 18 fold on a major e commerce platform on Wednesday.
So I think it shows just kind of the yin and yang, on the one hand, there is a major move towards resuming life as usual in China and on the other side of that there is real concern about people being exposed to this disease that for years the Chinese government has been warning really is really deadly and dangerous to the Chinese population.
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WATSON (voiceover): China is the last country in the world still trying to completely eradicate COVID. But after months of harsh restrictions, some of the COVID lockdown barriers in China are starting to come down.
This move by authorities comes just days after protests erupted across the country against Beijing's zero-COVID policy. This breath of fresh air for some exhausted citizens carries a harsh reality. Experts predict a tough COVID winter is likely coming.
PROF. BEN COWLING, CHAIR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, HONG KONG UNIVERSITY: The winter is the worst time to have a large epidemic because hospitals may already be under pressure for other reasons during the winter.
WATSON: The highly contagious Omicron variant is already spreading through the Chinese population.
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Unlike the rest of the world, very, very few people in China proportionally have had COVID and that's because of the strict lockdowns that the Chinese government has implemented.
And so there's a very low baseline immunity. The other issue is that China has been using its domestically produced vaccines, which are less effective than the mRNA vaccines.
WATSON: China has one of the world's highest COVID vaccination rates, but vaccination for the elderly in China lags far behind. 23 percent of Chinese citizens over 80 are completely unvaccinated. That leaves roughly 8.4 million very vulnerable unvaccinated people.
COWLING: So if COVID was to spread through China now, I think we've seen a lot of severe cases in that group of people with either no vaccination or no recent vaccination.
[01:25:04]
WATSON: Epidemiologists say Hong Kong may offer a roadmap for what could happen in mainland China. After Hong Kong successfully maintained a zero-COVID bubble for nearly two years, Omicron spread out of control here last winter.
WATSON (on camera): At the peak of the outbreak, Hong Kong suffered more than 7,000 deaths in six weeks, most of them elderly. At the time, it was the highest COVID mortality rate in the world driven largely experts say, by very low vaccination rates among people over 60.
WATSON (voiceover): Per capita, Mainland China has almost half the number of critical care beds in hospital compared to Hong Kong.
WEN: China got its investments backwards. So by putting their focus on testing, and not on vaccines and treatments, China has actually not prepared the country and the citizens for what happens when zero-COVID ends, which inevitably would end at some point.
WATSON: China was the scene of the world's first known COVID outbreak in December of 2019. If the experts are right, it could also be the last country that faces of COVID crisis.
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WATSON: So John, there's a one model out there that's been put together, comparing since there's such parallels between Hong Kong and mainland China with the vaccination rates and everything. projecting that China could suffer from one to even more than 2 million deaths as a result of COVID when the predicted outbreak really hits the population there.
The Chinese government is trying to jumpstart its vaccination program, really trying to get jobs into arms of the most vulnerable, the elderly, and that leads experts to question why wasn't this program restarted earlier. John.
VAUSE: Ivan, thank you. Senior international correspondent Ivan Watson live for us there in Hong Kong. Despite this rollback of some of the harshest pandemic restrictions in China, Asian stocks fell yesterday, user (ph) weak trade data.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped more than 3 percent, markets closed down in Japan, South Korea and Shanghai as well. Chinese exports contracted at their steepest pace in more than two years in November, falling 8.7 percent compared to a year ago. Officials in Beijing plan to increase their focus on economic growth in 2023.
In Asia markets right now we can see that in Hong Kong that 3 percent came back with a burst. Shanghai Composite they down by a third of 1 percent. The Shenzhen index also down by a third of 1 percent.
Well, there was no awkward fist bumps no need to mend fences, just a full court press of pomp and pageantry for Chinese President Xi Jinping as he touched down in Saudi Arabia for a three-day visit. He's taking part in two major summits which could threaten U.S. influence in the region. The White House is trying to play down that possibility.
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JOHN KIRBY, COORDINATOR, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Sovereign nations have every right to conduct bilateral relations that they see fit. We would let China and Saudi Arabia speak to this particular visit on their own. We are not asking nations to choose between the United States and China.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VAUSE: More details down from CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voiceover): President Xi Jinping's arrival in Riyadh as much about the substance of China-Saudi relations as it is about signaling Saudi Arabia's growing power.
When the leaders met last February 2019, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, MBS, needed Xi's handshake. The Chinese president welcome, intentionally helping MBS shake off his image of international pariah following the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
SHAOJIN CHAI, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SHARJAH UNIVERSITY: It was China invited him to go to China and give him a big applause and they understand each other. They looking forward this long term rule in for their own respective countries.
ROBERTSON: Xi's greeting this time, even with COVID protocols better than Biden's five months ago. Also a significant diplomatic message. Biden got a much criticized fist bump from MBS, a promise arms deal and departed vowing not to leave a vacuum in the Middle East for China and Russia to fill.
Xi bridles at that claims not to be in a regional power play, but does want Saudi Arabia free of U.S. limitations.
CHAI: The Chinese government or Xi himself want to achieve strategic autonomy of the Middle East countries including Saudi GCC or Arab states.
ROBERTSON: The detailed substance of the meetings isn't on the record yet, but is likely to include a joint multibillion dollar petrochemical venture and very possibly Chinese weapons sales to, maybe drones. [01:29:50]
During Biden's visit, I asked Saudi's foreign minister if the then- newly agreed defense cooperation with the United States negated Saudis desire for Chinese arms too.
PRINCE FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL SAUD, SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER: We see really the U.S. as a primary partner in defense procurements. But of course, if we can't get U.S. equipment, we will look elsewhere.
ROBERTSON: But the Xi/MBS relationship isn't just about MBS playing U.S. interests against China.
AL-SAUD: China is the world's second largest economy and that we in order for the region, the globe to have a pathway to sustainable prosperity need cooperation, not confrontation.
ROBERTSON: According to the Saudi government, China has been its top trading partner for the past five years. Trading volumes last year reaching close to $82.4 billion. Almost half of that, Saudi oil sales to China.
When Xi and MBS met in 2019, the world was a different place. COVID-19 had yet to break out in Wuhan, hammering the global economy.
Today, President Xi has consolidated his grip on China, but still struggles to control COVID and the ensuing unrest at home.
MBS is also consolidating his power at home and is trading global pariah status for global powerbroker, through OPEC plus, crimping world oil supplies. MBS is also eyeing China's 5G tech, believed by Biden and allies to give China potential access to U.S. national security data.
BRETT MCGURK, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: There are certain partnerships with China that would create a feeling (ph) of what we can do.
ROBERTSON: After his time with MBS, Xi will meet with GCC leaders in what is being called the first China-Arab summit, and likely push for a free trade agreement and energy security.
Nic Robertson, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Well, they decided on the next head of state, appointed ministers to the new government and were ready to storm the Reichstag.
When we come back, more details on the Qanon-inspired plot for the violent overthrow of the German government.
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[01:34:50] VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
More now on one of our lead stories and central to the plot to overthrow Germany's government is this man. He goes by the name of Prince Heinrich XIII. He's a descendant, he says somewhere -- he's a descendant of a dynasty that once ruled parts of Eastern Germany -- there he is.
(INAUDIBLE) say a group of far-right extremists wanted to end democracy in Germany, bring back a monarchy with Heinrich as kaiser. Neighbors of the wannabe kaiser were in disbelief when they were told of his arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not really comprehensible, you hear about such plans from other countries but for this to happen outside my front door. The government we have is not ideal, but probably better than what they had planned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a shock that our neighbor organized a (INAUDIBLE) with right-wing radicals with their -- let me call them fascists.
Quite honestly, I'm shocked that this prince thinks he has the right to do something like this against the democratic rule of law.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To be honest, I have no words. It's so far away from what I personally believe in and I find it hard to grasp.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We're joined now by Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
Brian, thank you for being with us. It's been a while.
BRIAN LEVIN, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF HATE AND EXTREMISM: Hi, John. Thanks so much for having me.
VAUSE: So now, the headline from "The Economist" today, it described this as a hare-brained plot to restore a king. Many people may have had a similar reaction when the story broke, but I want you to listen to the interior minister from the state of Bavaria. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOACHIM HERMANN, BAVARIA INTERIOR MINISTER: This is obviously one of the largest terrorist organizations that has existed in the more right-wing sector in recent years.
We can see that what some people consider to be completely absurd fantasies can lead to a highly dangerous decision to act.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: So while the plot may be absurd or harebrained, it seems the threat itself is very real. So explain how these two ideas can exist side by side.
LEVIN: John, what a great question. The Ku Klux Klan in late 1865 started as a lark. And indeed, Qanon here in the United States of which this is partially based, but it's got so many tentacles, and analogs to what we've been seeing here but a lot of things -- Hitler was dismissed initially too.
So the fact that there might be something bizarre about a conspiracy theory or hatred does not mean that that group, cannot go off the rails and become a national security threat. We've seen time and time again.
VAUSE: And with regards to the threat, a number of those arrested appear to be former military, ex-military, and the infiltration of Germany's security services by right-wing extremists has been a concern for a while now.
But in this instance, given their ability and the allegations that there was weapons training, and they had acquired weapons and they had this capability, that adds to the seriousness of the threat as well. So where does this all go from here?
LEVIN: Well, we've been seeing plots rise in Germany for years. So even as attacks plateaued and then we seen them sporadically occur, plots have been uncovered quite a bit. And one of the things that I think is so interesting about the point that you're making, is that you know ARG, which is this right-wing political party, had success in the last part of last decade.
And this is a spinoff, and what I think is so interesting is when you have these conspiracy theories, in this case the COVID restrictions were part of this, this looks very much like a carnival mirror reflection of some of the very types of strange conspiracists that we see here in the United States.
Indeed they travel in a similar stream but they localize it to their own particular regional biases, as well as to charismatic figures that can take this forward.
As we've seen in the United States with the insurrection, elected people, former military, this kind of thing is not the last thing you'll see out of Germany or the United States. There have been plots before, not from the right burgers.
Well, we've certainly seen plots, and it shows of a police officer last decade from this particular group. But what I'm saying to you is that fertile soil not only produces entities like this which have 21,000 members, but others as well that is similarly situated with regard to ideology and grievance against the state, in this way saying the state is illegitimate.
VAUSE: Ok. I want you to listen to Germany's chief federal prosecutor with details on those who are accused of planning to overthrow the government. Here he is.
[01:39:46]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER FRANK, GERMAN CHIEF FEDERAL PROSECUTOR (through translator): The accused are united by a deep rejection of state institutions in Germany. The arrested persons adhere to conspiracy myths consisting of various narratives of the Reichberger (ph) ideology as well as the QAnon ideology.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's hard to kill an idea but at least with ISIS and al-Qaeda you can kill the leader. QAnon doesn't have a known leader. And you say it sort of plants itself wherever it can, international borders be damned.
So I'm wondering, if you look at these arrests as being good news in a way but also do they raise concern about what else is out there.
LEVIN: It does raise concern about what else is out there. But this Prince Heinrich XIII because he's such a charismatic figure with this particular entity, it's going to be a serious blow.
But what I'm saying to you is, the same kind of rejection of governance that we see here whether it's QAnon or the Sovereign Citizen Movement, which is related but much older.
Here we're seeing in Germany something that is a reflection of what seeing here, sovereign citizens here reject the government and go back to a prior time. Sovereign Citizens try to do the same thing.
But here, once you lose a charismatic leader, these groups oftentimes splinter. But what I'm saying to you is that fertile soil for conspiracism (ph) and far-right extremism, the threat is not just from one particular group. It's across a spectrum on the far-right and they've been posing a problem in Germany including hate or violence.
This is a very important thing that was done, thousands of police officers, expect more arrests going forward.
VAUSE: Brian, I wait for the day when your expertise and insight is not needed but for now, thank you very much.
LEVIN: Thank you as always, John.
During a memorial ceremony to honor police who defended the U.S. Capitol during the January 6th insurrection, some Republican lawmakers were rebuked, mostly because many within the GOP have downplayed the violence and threat from that day.
The Capitol police and the Washington Metropolitan police received congressional gold medals for their heroism during that riot. Remembered but not present as Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick who suffered a number of strokes and died a day later. During the award ceremony Sicknick's family made clear their disdain
for two top Republican lawmakers, refusing to shake their hands. Officer Sicknick's brother went to slam the incoming House Majority Leader, Republican Kevin McCarthy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG SICKNICK, BROTHER OF BRIAN SICKNICK: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think McCarthy is trying to do everything he can to gain as much power as he can. I do not think he cares a whit about the American people, quite honestly. I think he cares about himself. I think he's modeling his own actions after Trump's.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Democrats are still celebrating Raphael Warnock's runoff win in the state of Georgia and a new 51 to 49 senate majority. Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer welcomed Warnock back to Washington after his victory over Republican Herschel Walker on Tuesday night.
The Senate had been tied before this, 50-50 with vice president Kamala Harris breaking any tie. But the one-seat advantage gives Democrats a majority on all committees, could help minimize the influence of Moderates who weren't always on board with President Biden's agenda.
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SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: They say all good things come to those who wait. And this outcome is absolutely worth the wait. It gives us just a lift.
The fact that we got the 51 votes, gives us just a great feeling, enthusiasm, unity, encouragement, in that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: There's praise too from the White House, saying Warnock ran on President Biden's agenda. That was a success.
Well, despite all the controversy surrounding Qatar's World Cup, FIFA's president says this tournament -- it's is one of the best ever.
Details when we're back.
[01:43:33]
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VAUSE: Few sports have a closer link to the sea than surfing, can't really do it anywhere else. Three years ago, the governing body for professional surfers joined in the fight to help protect our oceans, partnering with an organization dedicated to preserving and regenerating coral reefs.
Today on Call to Earth we go to French Polynesia, home so some of the wildest waves in the world to learn more about the work happening there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to Tahiti, an island formed from volcanoes in the middle of the South Pacific. Covered with lush mountains and surrounded by crystalline waters, it's home to a diverse ecosystem.
It's also a surfer's paradise and the site of the world's Circ League Illusters, (INAUDIBLE) Tahiti Park with Teahupoo wave considered one of the most genuine dangerous in the world, provides a key challenge to sport elite.
VALHINE HERRO, TAHITIAN PRO SURFER: It can be so scary that when you overcome that fear, you can get the best wave of your life out here.
JACK ROBINSON, AUSTRALIAN SURFER: I think (INAUDIBLE) is one of the heaviest waves in the world just because the amount of volume of water that comes in.
LAKEY PETERSON, AUSTRALIAN SURFER: It's a very, very powerful force of nature. It's a wave that's like nothing else you've seen before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it should be the eighth wonder of the world when you get to watch the surfers risk, you know, their lives for these barrels, it's one of the most amazing things you can ever see in your life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But below the crushing waves of this epic surf spot, a different kind of life is at risk.
TITOUAN BERNICOT, FOUNDER AND CEO CORAL GARDENERS: , At the moment, on our planet, the coral reef's conditions are not good. They're here on planet earth since 400 million years, but in just three decades, we already lost 30 percent of our worlds coral reef. And the scientists estimate that by 2050, 90 percent of the remaining one could be condemned. So it's an emergency.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To help raise awareness about the issue, in 2019 World Surf League teamed up with Coral Gardeners an organization led by T'Tsu (ph) and (INAUDIBLE).
He's from his, the sister island of Tahiti.
The main reason why oral reefs are dying around the world is global warming. Then there is also ocean, accreditation organization, human pressure like the (INAUDIBLE) of the waters, can be close in farming. They are many reasons why the coral reefs are threats and the corals are bleaching and then dying. And it's happening so far.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Titouan and his crew have dedicated their lives to saving the reef.
BERNICOTT: I like to say, "no reef, no ocean, no air" because the coral reef they are the ocean lens. We call them also the rainforest of the sea. Then that's what regulates the temperature of the atmosphere, the air we all breathe.
His centerpiece for the coral gardening effort is a rehabilitation and restoration for a that grows and replant corals. We're taking, basically super corals. The coral that have not succumbed to bleeding and the warm of ocean waters.
Now those two (INAUDIBLE) where we can see -- are able to is take a piece of the coral and then graph it, put it on the line and let tat piece of coral grow.
So to keep on procreating and they keep on growing and they keep on building a bigger and bigger house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a model designed to be scalable, and implemented anywhere in the world, and one that now has the support of an international collective of individuals -- scientists, engineers, and surfers alike who all share a singular mission with helping the oceans have a break.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's still time to say the reef, it's not too late. We can change our ways, we can bring back the reef and that's what you know, the good work that Coral Gardeners is doing.
[01:49:58]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not too far gone. Like we can make a change right now and we can turn the corner and turn it around. So it's not too late.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Let us know what you are doing to answer the call to earth with #CallToEarth.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.
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VAUSE: Rest day for the final eight countries still in the World Cup as they prepare for quarterfinals. Friday Croatia, the 2018 runner up will face off against the world number 1 Brazil, and then third ranked Argentina will take on the Netherlands.
Despite the clouds of controversy which still hang over this World Cup, including accusations of human rights violations as well as greenwashing, Egypt's president says the opening group rounds were the best ever.
Johnny Infantino, cited the great quality of football, and the numerous upsets so far. He also had praise for all those beautiful stadiums. As well as the record-breaking viewership.
PGA star Rory McIlroy is also (INAUDIBLE) new events during an interview with a number of other top golfers. He was asked for his thoughts on the tournament and called it one of the best in memory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RORY MCILROY, GOLF PLAYER: I've been following this World Cup really closely, and has I think once all of the noise sort of quieted down about where the World Cup was being played and the football actually started, I think it's been -- it has been one of the best World Cups and memory.
You know, some of the matches have been great, they've been really tight, even some of the upsets like Morocco beating Spain yesterday, it's been a really, really cool World Cup to follow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: 19 days into this World Cup, the first one held in the Middle East, we've seen football heavyweights fall, with teams from all continents qualifying for the knockout for the first time in history.
Then there's the fan energy. There's been sheer joy, heartbreak, and some silliness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know there's a lot of politics going on but the way I look at it like hey, we're here to have a common bond which is the sport of football or soccer. And you know, my friends and I, we just focus on that. Regardless of the differences, we can focus on the thing that share a passion for, and that's the game.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iranian people and the U.S. are friends.
Every time, before now and people
[01:54:52]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Netherlands just scored.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are going to be champions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gold medal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And a good time was had by all including the people dressed up as cows.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. My colleague and friend Rosemary Church will be back after a very short break. See you tomorrow.
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