Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Second Protester Hanged in Public; Special Counsel Aggressive on His Criminal Investigation Against Trump; Brittney Griner Excited to Go Home; Ukrainians Suffer During Cold Winter Months; Snow Comes Early Ahead of Winter; Families Wants to See Justice. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 12, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, we are following developments in Iran with reports the country has carried out its second execution related to protests in less than a week. Details in a live report.

Donald Trump's legal woes deepen. CNN now learning that the newly appointed special counsel is speeding ahead on a pair of criminal probes surrounding the former president.

And more than 30 years after the bombing of Pan Am flight 103, a key suspect is now in U.S. custody

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

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Well, nearly three months into the demonstrations that have shaken Iran to its core, CNN has learned that a second protestor has been executed. Government affiliated news agencies say the man was publicly hanged just a few hours ago after being convicted of allegedly killing two members of the security forces and injuring four more.

Iran carried out its first known death sentence connected to the protest last week. Mohsen Shekari was hanged on Thursday after his conviction for allegedly injuring a paramilitary officer.

For more, we want to bring in CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. So, Salma, what more are you learning about this?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Iranians waking up to this very disturbing news. Iranian authorities have hanged a man in public, in the town, in the city, rather of Mashad in the early hours of this morning. According to government affiliated news sites, he was convicted of waging war against God and found guilty in an Iranian court of allegedly killing two members of the besiege militia, that very important security force, and of injuring four others last month. The man's name is Majidreza Rahnavard. And Rosemary, I want to

emphasize this was an execution in public, so potentially residents of Mahsad could have seen that very terrifying scene this morning. And as you mentioned, he's the second, protestor that we know of that has been executed since the start of this uprising in September.

The first known execution took place last week on Thursday. Mohsen Shekari, who again, according to government affiliated news agencies, was convicted of stabbing a member of the besiege and blocking a road in Tehran.

Now I'm explaining to you why the authorities are saying these two men were executed. But protestors, supporters of this popular uprising, those who are taking to the streets against the government say this is just another tool of repression. They believe that Iranian authorities are using executions as a way to terrify and intimidate protestors to keep them off the streets.

Amnesty International in particular has been tracking these executions, and Amnesty International says that Iran is seeking the death penalty in the case of 21 people. And I'm just going to read you a brief quote from a statement that Amnesty put out last month. These are sham trials designed to intimidate those participating in this popular uprising.

So, a sense there that as the Iranian authorities scramble to try to silence this growing movement that has really ballooned across the country, that these executions may be used more and more by Iran's authorities.

But as we often see in these cases, Rosemary, these two men will become symbols, heroes for the opposition on the ground.

CHURCH: Indeed. And of course, the hope as far as the authorities are concerned there in Iran is that people will be scared as a result of these executions and will get off the streets. Are you seeing any indication that that is happening?

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely not. I think Iran's protestors, I think those activists on the ground, I think those who are supporters of the movement will say that this only makes them double down. That this only reveals the extent to which Iran's authorities will go to try to silence and repress again.

[03:05:01]

This growing demonstration, these growing demonstrations have continued now for almost three months that started with the case of one young woman, a 22-year-old woman, who allegedly was not wearing her hijab properly. Her death in the custody of the morality police has now ballooned into this movement that is so much greater than just the hijab law, that is demanding the overthrow of the government, that is demanding the Islamic system of Iran be scrapped.

These are huge demands, of course. And they have faced brutal repression in the -- in trying to continue this demonstration. We know according to rights groups that hundreds of people have been killed, thousands of people have been arrested, and yet we continue to see these acts of defiance every day on the streets of Iran.

CHURCH: Incredibly brave protestors still out on the streets. Salma Abdelaziz bringing us the very latest from her vantage point there in London. Many thanks.

Well, the U.S. Congress is scrambling to craft a spending bill before government funding expires this week. The White House is ramping up pressure on lawmakers to move quickly to pass the package. It would provide everything from pandemic funding to additional money for Ukraine enhanced child tax credits and disaster relief funds. And the White House is warning of disastrous consequences if it's not done on time.

The House select committee investigating last year's insurrection held a meeting Sunday to discuss criminal referrals. The panel has been weighing referrals for former President Donald Trump after he pushed a conspiracy that led to the January 6th capitol attack. They're also considering referrals for several Trump allies, including the former White House chief of staff and Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani. The referrals would largely be symbolic but they would document the views of committee members for the record.

CNN's Elie Honig explains how they work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: First of all, they have to obviously finalize the criminal referrals. Now there's no set for, there's no worksheet that you just fill out for a referral. It can be as short as a couple sentences. Dear DOJ, we hereby refer all of this to you for investigation, or it can be a long document, they can list out specific names. So, they need to need to figure out, first of all, who are they going to name?

Second of all, are they going to name specific federal statutes, specific crimes that they think might have been violated? And then third, how much depth are they going to go into? Are they just going to say, we think you need to investigate this person for this crime, or are they going to say, and here's our evidence, and turn it into essentially a prosecution memo or even an opening argument like you might see in court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: It's still unclear if the panel has reached a decision, but members largely agree that Trump and his allies committed a crime by trying to prevent the transfer of power.

Meantime, sources say newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith is moving fast on a pair of criminal probes into Trump, including one related to the insurrection.

And earlier, I spoke with Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at the University of Essex, and I asked her what she makes of the January 6th committee's meeting on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: I think this is a sign that Donald Trump's luck is running out. That Congress is moving to push to, you know, indict Trump to, or to suggest that Trump is indicted. I think we've always seen that there are these norms that we can't indict a former president or a sitting president, and that has really insulated Trump from, you know, different sorts of prosecution.

But I think the house is making it very clear that a criminal action has taken place, that he tried to overturn an election, and that this wasn't some sort of spontaneous thing, and that he needs to be held accountable. We've been really reticent so far to really make him accountable for some of his actions.

But we're seeing with some of the legal results that have been taking place with also the fact that the Trump organization was found guilty on 17 counts of corporate fraud and a series of other cases in Georgia, a civil suit in New York. And the investigation that you talked about with Jack Smith, the special counsel, looking into what happened in Mar-a-Lago as well, that Trump, he is going to have to finally face the law. And I think he's been incredibly lucky up at this point by pursuing delay tactics.

CHURCH: Right.

LINDSTAEDT: And pushing this narrative that, you know, he's untouched.

CHURCH: Let's look at that, because as you mentioned newly appointed special counsel Jack Smith is moving quickly on two criminal probes around Donald Trump, including asking a federal judge to hold Trump in contempt for failing to comply with the subpoena, ordering him to turn over records mark classified.

[03:10:08]

What does that signal to you specifically?

LINDSTAEDT: Well, we had -- we had thought originally that this pursuit of, you know, the investigation into Mar-a-Lago or into the January 6th might halt because Trump had earlier than any other candidate decided that he was going to run for president right after the midterms.

And this was his attempt to have some kind of delay tactic. And then of course, the Attorney General Merrick Garland made it clear that, you know, no one is above the law. And he appointed this special counsel. And there were concerns from the Democrat side or from those that want to see Trump face some sort of retribution, that this was going to cause all kinds of delay.

But we see that the special counsel, Jack Smith, has been moving very expeditiously, and that I think Trump is going to face an indictment. And we're seeing some illegal experts saying the same thing, that his time is just simply running out and he committed crimes here.

When we look at what happened in Mar-a-Lago, that's a narrow case that's going to be easier to prove. The January 6th case is going to be a little bit more difficult to prove. It's much more expansive. But in both cases, it's possible that Trump is going to finally face some sort of retribution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Our thanks to Natasha Lindstaedt for her analysis there.

A Libyan man accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am flight 103 over Scotland nearly 34 years ago is now in U.S. custody. Two hundred seventy people died that December day, 259 on the plane and 11 on the ground in the town of Lockerbie. It remains the U.K.'s deadliest terror attack. The suspect had been held in Libya for years. Libyan authorities say he confessed to involvement back in 2012, but it's unclear whether those statements will be allowed in U.S. court.

Years of painstaking detective work went into the U.S. charges, which were announced in 2020. The FBI says investigators sifted through 300 tons of wreckage scattered over 845 square miles. That's nearly 2,200 square kilometers.

We'll CNN spoke with the sister of a man who died in the Lockerbie bombing. She's also the president of the group victims of PanAm flight 103. She welcomed the latest developments and said accountability was a top priority for family members of the people who were killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARA WEIPZ, LOST BROTHER IN PAN AM FLIGHT 103 BOMBING: Thirty-four years later we're still bringing -- we're still bringing those accused to justice says that we have the fortitude. Number one, the determination of the families to keep fighting after 34 years, but also the fortitude of our government to keep fighting and holding those people accountable.

That the investigators didn't stop. The prosecutors haven't stopped. Six administrations have, you know, been in -- been in power since, or been in place since the bombing happened. And, you know, it's still been a priority and been at the forefront. And today he is now in U.S. custody and now we all have a trial in the U.S. to hold him accountable.

And, and that is, that is very important to the families. It has been one of our -- it has been the top priority to find the truth and to hold these people accountable. And the fact that this is now going to happen in the u.S. is, it's monumental, I think is the only word I can use at this moment. It's not the end, but it is a great first step and we're very anxious and eager to hear, what comes out of this trial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we'll have more coverage of this story, including a live report later this hour. We are learning more about basketball Star Brittney Griner's flight

back home after being released from a Russian prison last week. One of the diplomats who led the prisoner exchange was with her on that flight from Abu Dhabi, and this is what he has to say about getting her out of Russian custody.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER CARSTENS, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HOSTAGE AFFAIRS: When she finally got onto the U.S. plane I said, Brittney, you must have been through a lot over the last 10 months. Here's your seat, please feel free to decompress. We'll give you your space. And she said, no, I've been in prison for 10 months now listening to Russian. I want to talk.

But first of all, who are these guys? And she moved right past me and went to every member on that crew, looked them in the eyes, shook their hands, and asked about them, got their names, making a personal connection with them.

It was really amazing. And then later on, on an 18-hour flight, she probably spent 12 hours just talking. And we talked about everything under the sun.

[03:14:58]

And I was left with the impression that this is an intelligent, passionate, compassionate, humble, interesting person, a patriotic person, but above all, authentic.

I hate the fact that I had to meet her in this manner, but I actually felt blessed having had a chance to get to know her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Griner was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow for convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout.

And still to come, Ukrainians are facing untold hardships in the cold and dark as Russia continues to strike at their energy system. More on the desperate situation in the port city of Odessa, next.

And school kids looking for a snow day may be in luck in the Western U.S. Meteorologist Britley Ritz will have a forecast when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Ukraine's president is trying to shore up more assistance from the United States as his country enters the cold winter months with a battered energy system. In a telephone call Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy told U.S. President Joe Biden that Russian strikes had destroyed about half of Ukraine's energy system.

[03:20:01] He thanked Mr. Biden for allocating aid to help rebuild the energy grid and for another defense aid package. Right now, Ukrainians in several regions are struggling in the dark amid massive power shutdowns. Mr. Zelenskyy says Odessa has been impacted the most after Russia's latest attacks on the energy infrastructure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Restoration works continue in the south of our country. We are doing everything to return lights to Odessa. At this time, it has become possible to partially restore supplies in Odessa and other cities and districts in the region. We are doing everything to reach the maximum number possible in the conditions that developed after the Russian strikes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, Ukraine is temporarily changing its ground counteroffensive strategy against Russia. The Ukrainian defense minister says rain is hampering movement on the front lines and making it difficult to transfer equipment and vehicles. But he says once the wet ground freezes, troops will resume their campaign to liberate all Russian occupied territories.

We're also learning that heavy artillery fire was reported in the region that sits across the river from the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. A Ukrainian official says at least 30 shells were fired. But fortunately, no one was killed or wounded.

A top Ukrainian official in the Luhansk region says there was an explosion Saturday at the headquarters of the Wagner Group, a private Russian paramilitary organization. He says the strike hit a hotel where many of the group's members were believed to be based in the Russian occupied region. CNN has not confirmed details on any casualties.

Well, winter is still officially days away, but winter weather has arrived. A major storm is bringing rain, wind, and heavy mountain snow to much of the Western U.S. This was the scene near the Tahoe National Forest in California Sunday, and you can see the Sierra Nevada mountains being buried in snow. As winter storm alerts impact millions of people.

So, let's check in with CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz at the weather Center. She's been watching this very closely. what is the latest on this major winter storm and who's under threat right now?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we're still dealing with it across the Sierra Mountain range, back into the Central Rockies, and then many of us across the northern plains in the upper Midwest here within the next 24 to 48 hours getting in on the action as well.

Over the last 48 hours, Soda Springs, California picked up 60 inches of snowfall and the Central Rockies over the next three days. Look at this marble jumped another inch of snow, 13 plus inches expected, especially through some of the higher elevations of the Rockies.

Winter storm warning still in effect for the Sierra. And Winter storm watch is now extended all the way up onto the Iron Range, the upper Midwest blizzard warnings now in effect, that's 35 mile per hour winds sustained over a three-hour period of time where visibilities are expected to drop near a quarter of a mile, if not near zero.

Snowfall still falling across parts of the Central Rockies back into the Sierra Mountain range this morning and into the afternoon. This is going to be an ongoing process over the next day to two days. As it takes its track eastward, you see the back end of that where temperatures aren't quite cold enough to deal with snow, but aren't quite warm enough to keep it as rain. Then we wind up with ice.

And if the track of the system shifts just slightly north, we're dealing with more of an ice threat. So, then we pick up about a quarter to a half an inch of ice, which is enough to cause power outage, widespread power outages, trees could come down, and then of course, slick spots all across the roadways.

On top of that, we then deal with this threat of severe weather with the warm front and the cold front starting to move through the lower Missisippi Valley into the western Tennessee Valley. Tuesday being our greatest risk for severe weather, especially across northern Louisiana where we're highlighting in orange, it's more of an enhanced risk of severe weather, where we have not only the threat of flooding, but the threat of damaging winds, large hail, and even the threat of long- lived tornadoes.

And not only are we dealing with the snowfall and the threat of severe weather across the lower 48 of the United States, but also London, you hear in the U.K. dealing with the threat of ice and snow, near wide out conditions for many, especially upward Scotland.

CHURCH: Wow. Lot to cover there. Britley Ritz. Many thanks as always.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Splash down from tranquility to Taurus-Littrow to the tranquil waters of the Pacific. The latest chapter of NASA's journey to the Moon comes to a close. Orion back on Earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Twenty-six days and 1.3 million miles later, NASA's Artemis 1 mission has come to an end.

[03:24:59]

The agency's latest milestone comes 50 years after its last mission to the moon with Apollo 17. Now, this first phase of the Artemis program was a critical unmanned test flight, which could pave the way for astronauts to return to the lunar surface and beyond.

And CNN spoke to a former astronaut earlier to get his assessment on the Artemis 1 mission and Sunday splash down. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS HADFIELD, FORMER ASTRONAUT: One is, did the parachutes deploy. There were 11 parachutes to work in a row, and all of them worked perfectly, a real testament to the people that did the work. And the second, of course is this was just coming in blisteringly fast. All the way it's as if we threw a rock off the moon and it fell all the way to the earth.

And so, it was coming in at 25,000 miles an hour. And so, we needed the heat shield to protect the ship for the next time we put people on board. And both of those things, I mean, it pinpoint landing, the vehicle looks pristine, it just sets us up so well for all the things that are coming in the future.

It's just like a door got kicked wide open today by the great pristine technology that we demonstrated. And it's, to me, it's just so inspirational and exciting. Give people an almost impossible challenge. And it's amazing how the breast -- best and the brightest really respond. And there's always bad stuff going on, but this is an amazing and hopeful and inspiring thing going on in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Colonel Chris Hatfield. Well, it has been nearly 34 years since Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockabie, Scotland killing nearly 300 people. Now, a man accused of making the bomb is in U.S. custody. We'll have a live report.

Plus, despite a recent change in COVID restrictions, many Chinese businesses remain closed. Why one restaurant owner says people are still afraid to leave their homes in Wuhan.

Back in just a moment.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, returning now to a major story we've been covering. A man accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland is now in U.S. custody. The suspect had been held in Libya. Authorities there say he confessed to involvement in the attack that killed 270 people more than 30 years ago.

But it's unclear whether that will be allowed in U.S. court. The charges in the U.S. came after years of painstaking detective work. The FBI says, investigators sifted through 300 tons of wreckage scattered over 845 square miles. That's nearly 2,200 square kilometers.

And CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, Nic.

So, what more are you learning about the suspect and what comes next? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is now in U.S. custody. We understand from the documents that the FBI has released saying that he has believed to have been a Libyan intelligence agent from about 1973 until 2011, 2012. He was in Libyan law enforcement custody. It's not clear what

for, but it doesn't see it's not connected with the -- with the Lockerbie bombing.

But during the questioning, he admitted to being a bomb maker for the intelligence services. And this information the FBI learned about in 2017, so a very slow process. And in 2020, the FBI were able to interview the Libyan law enforcement officer who took that statement from Mas'ud as is -- as is being called. And actually that law enforcement officer said that he would testify in a court to the effect of this statement.

So this bought about the legal case and the charges, but the fact that Mas'ud is now in the U.S. after all this painstaking investigation, tiny fragments of of the bomb itself were recovered from clothing. The clothing was identified being -- from being purchased from a clothing store in Malta. It was put in the suitcase with the bomb and aboard the plane there in Malta. And it's been a huge investigation to get to this moment now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Almost 34 years since the deadliest terror attack in British history and the man accused of building the bomb that killed 270 people, mostly Americans, is finally going to face justice in a U.S. court, a huge moment for victims' families.

KARA WEIPZ, LOST BROTHER IN PAN AM FLIGHT 103 BOMBING: It has been one of our, it has been the top priority to find the truth and to hold these people accountable. And the fact that this is now going to happen in the U.S. is it's monumental.

ROBERTSON: Libyan Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi was arrested for his alleged role in blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland 38 minutes after it took off for the U.S. from London, killing everyone on board, and 11 people on the ground.

The U.S. first charged Al-Marimi for his involvement in the attack two years ago while he was already in custody in Libya for unrelated crimes.

MICHAEL SHERWIN, THEN ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY: It is alleged in the criminal complaint in the indictment that at that time all co- conspirators worked together to arm the explosive device in the suitcase.

ROBERTSON: The Justice Department expects Al-Marimi to make his first appearance in district court in Washington in the coming days. For years, the only person convicted in the Lockerbie bombing case was Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi. Al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence official was accused along with another Libyan man who was acquitted for planting the explosive inside a portable cassette player in a suitcase on the plane.

Al-Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison. But eight years after his conviction in 2008, he was released from a Scottish prison with terminal prostate cancer. Arriving home in Libya, he received a hero's welcome in 2011 following the revolution that toppled Libya's dictator Muammar Gaddafi. I visited Al-Megrahi at his home in Tripoli. He was near death.

[03:35:03]

His family as they always had, protesting his innocence.

Has he been able to see a doctor?

KHALED AL-MEGRAHI, SON OF CONVICTED LOCKERBIE BOMBER: No. There is no doctor. There's nobody to ask and we don't have any phone line to call anybody.

ROBERTSON: What's his situation right now?

AL-MEGRAHI: He stop eating and he's sometimes he's come in coma.

ROBERTSON: Coma. He goes unconscious.

AL-MEGRAHI: Yes.

ROBERTSON: He died the following year without ever proving his innocence. Al-Marimi's trial will likely revisit part of Megrahi's defense, particularly alleged inconsistencies about how the bomb came to be and the plane.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (on camera): So the families of those many, many victims, one of the things they've always wanted was to get to the truth. And there was the trial and the Scottish court jurisdiction Camp Zeist in the Netherlands 1999, 2000, year 2000. And there the evidence was presented, but Megrahi continued to say that this wasn't factually correct.

So, I think for the families, for Mas'ud to be in court, it won't just to be about justice being served, but it will be a hope that they can get closer to the truth and try to iron out whatever inconsistencies Megrahi claimed that there were.

CHURCH: All right, Nic Robertson joining us live from London. Many thanks for that.

Fears are growing in China that a new wave of COVID cases is building just as Beijing starts to overhaul its zero COVID policy. A top Chinese expert says cases brought on by the Omicron variant are spreading rapidly. The official total of new cases was down on Sunday in the Chinese capital, but the true number could be much higher than reported.

Meantime, Beijing is set to eliminate its mobile itinerary card technology on Tuesday. The government used it to see whether people travel to areas at high risk for COVID infection.

Well, despite Beijing's changes to the zero COVID policy, life in China is far from normal. Businesses in Wuhan, home to the first discovery of COVID-19, say the streets are empty.

CNN's Kristie Lu out has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this restaurant in Wuhan, China, getting a table isn't a problem. Owner Zhu Chongoing says even though China revised most of its COVID 19 restrictions last week, the customers have yet to return.

ZHU CHONGOING, RESTAURANT OWNER (through translator): On our street people are still struggling. They all believe that life will go back to the way it was after reopening. Everyone has this fantasy.

LU STOUT: It is a wary reopening in Wuhan, which was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago. Many small business owners say, even though people are freer to move about, there are less customers than before. The streets aren't as bustling as they once were, and some businesses remain closed.

Restaurant owner Zhu says people are still afraid of COVID.

CHONGOING (through translator): Now that things have opened up, it also means that positive cases are all out. No one comes to the restaurant.

LU STOUT: Last Wednesday, China lifted many of its strict COVID restrictions following protests against the country's zero COVID policy. And many places QR codes are no longer needed to enter public spaces. Mass testing has been rolled back and some people are allowed to quarantine at home. But as more people resume contact, there are fears of more scenes like this line of people waiting outside of a fever clinic in Wuhan.

Experts say China has fallen short on vaccinating the elderly with boosters, stockpiling antiviral medications, and improving surge capacities in hospitals. And some people worry that could mean more outbreaks.

UNKNOWN (through translator): If we were in lockdown, at least all the asymptomatic cases would either be quarantined at home or sent to makeshift hospitals. But now with everything opening up, all these people are out, so the infection rate is high. I have a lot of friends who already have a cold or fever, and I'm one of them too.

LU STOUT: There are reports of some pharmacies selling out a fever medications. Many people bracing for a new wave of sickness, the price of moving away from a zero COVID policy means learning to live with it.

Kristie lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still ahead, the human toll of the World Cup. Migrant workers who endured awful conditions in Qatar speak out against their abuse. Hear their sobering tales and their demand for more rights.

We're back with that in just a moment.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: For almost three days, World Cup fans have been mourning the shocking death of sports writer Grant Wahl. And to honor his legacy some have been bringing attention to a subject he was passionate about, the exploitation of migrant workers at the World Cup. Advocates have accused host nation Qatar of abusive labor practices that may have caused hundreds of deaths.

Just days ago, a Filipino man died while working at a resort south of Doha, and here's how the Qatari World Cup chief responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NASSER AL KHATER, QATAR WORLD CUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE: We're in the middle of a World Cup and we have a successful World Cup. And this is something that you want to talk about right now. I mean, death is a natural part of life, whether it's at work, whether it's in your -- in your sleep. Of course, a worker died. Our condolences go to his family.

However, you know, I mean, it's strange that this is something that you wanted to focus on as your first question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Grant Wahl sharply criticized officials for that response saying, quote, "they just don't care." Qatari World Cup organizers don't even hide their apathy over migrant worker deaths, including the most recent one.

And CNN's Larry Madowo has been covering the mistreatment of migrant workers and he joins us now from Kenya. Larry, Grant Wahl made a point of shining a light on this issue and you are doing the same. Tell us what you found.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, we found that migrant workers in Qatar often work in deplorable conditions and leave in even poorer conditions. They have very little chances to change jobs. They work 14, 16-hour days with no overtime with very little breaks, often in the heat, and they don't feel that they can speak out because in some cases, when they do speak out they get deported.

[03:44:58]

Even though organizers of the World Cup and the Qatari government says they've put in a lot of reforms since 2020. They've dismantled the so- called kafala system, which is used across the Gulf and gave the minority Qatari population and employers a lot of power over the migrant workers' rights to work, to live in the immigration status.

But a lot of organizations say it's not been implemented and enforced properly, and there are still people, even right now, during the World Cup in such deplorable conditions, but they're too afraid to speak out.

I've spoken to some of them who returned back here in Kenya and their stories are heartbreaking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Boniface Barasa is back in Kenya, but says he's still suffering from trauma after three years as a construction worker in Qatar before the World Cup.

BONIFACE BARASA, FORMER MIGRANT WORKER: I saw the supervisor call another Kenyan "a lazy Black monkey". Then when the Kenyan countered back, he asked him why are you calling me a black monkey? Then he slapped, the supervisor slapped the Kenyan.

MADOWO: The 38-year-old is a lifelong football fan, but says he hasn't watched any matches. The pain is still too fresh.

BARASA: Another one died from that harsh weather conditions. My colleague died. Another one was beaten and was, and he went missing.

MADOWO: You saw somebody die in front of you?

BARASA: Yes, somebody collapsed and died and I think that was the because of the harsh weather conditions.

MADOWO: Because of the heat.

BARASA: Because of the heat, the limited drinking water breaks.

MADOWO: Last month, the Qatar World Cup chief acknowledged that 400 to 500 migrant workers have died on projects connected to the tournament. As the World Cup got underway, some black migrant workers have taken on highly visible roles in a country where they're often invisible, part of the workforce, but not the society.

Kenyan traffic officer Dennis Kamau (Ph) handing out red and yellow cards entertains fans and has attracted global media attention. And 23-year-old Kenyan Abubakar Abbas (Ph) has become a viral mega star as metro guy. Organizers even brought him out to address fans before the England/USA game.

But advocates for migrant workers dismiss these as isolated cases and empty P.R. that hide the dark exploitative work environment.

MALCOLM BIDALI, CO-FOUNDER, MIGRANT DEFENDERS: As we speak, we still have people not getting paid. People are still living in cramped conditions. We have people still facing physical verbal sexual, assault, discrimination, long working hours working conditions, horrible working conditions.

MADOWO: Malcolm Bidali was a security guard in Qatar, but says he was detained for advocating for migrant workers' rights.

BIDALI: I am very worried and scared, and concerned when the World Cup ends because like all the media, you know, spotlight and everything else will, you know, shift, and move away to the next big thing.

MADOWO: Qatar says, it dismantled the previous restrictive migrant labor system which has been criticized across the Gulf for exploiting foreign workers from Africa and South Asia and taking away their passports. But critics say the reality has not changed.

Geoffrey Owino was a safety inspector at Lusail Stadium who believes he too was deported from Qatar for speaking up for migrant workers.

The African migrant workers complain of exploitation despite all these changes Qatar says it's put in place.

GEOFFREY WINO, FORMER MIGRANT WORKER: On paper the laws are very good, but implementation and goodwill from the government of Qatar is the problem. That's why workers will continue complaining until a framework, a robust justice system is put in place, whereby violators of these laws against migrant workers are punished.

MADOWO: Geoffrey says he receives complaints and distress calls from migrant workers all over the Gulf, desperate to return home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO: Organizers of the Qatar World Cup told CNN that they would need specific names, dates, addresses, I.D. numbers before they can respond to those claims in our report about racism, discrimination about beatings, even deaths during the construction of the stadiums.

And so, the big picture here is that this World Cup, one of the most expensive, about $220 billion was spent by Qatar to make it happen, was built on the back of the label of black and brown migrant workers. Many of them are from Kenya, from Uganda, from Nepal, Bangladesh, and India, and they continue to live in conditions that one of them described to me as modern-day slavery.

He never thought that he would live in such a condition where he's essentially shadowed from the dormitory-like living conditions, Rosemary, to the place of work and then back, and they had no other social life. So, they're part of Qatari life because they help build this country, but they're not part of the society.

CHURCH: Larry Madowo, we thank you for that report and shining a light on this issue. I appreciate it.

Well, still to come CNN honors everyday people doing extraordinary things to change the world. See who was named hero of the Year after a short break.

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: CNN has a new hero of the year. Nelly Cheboi, the Kenyan born software engineer was honored on Sunday as part of CNN's annual celebration of everyday people changing the world. She founded TechLit Africa, a nonprofit organization that uses recycled computers to create technology labs in rural schools in Kenya.

Cheboi learned coding while attending school on scholarship in the United States, and now is able to give children in Kenya the opportunity to learn those skills at a young age. How fantastic is that?

But of course, sure she wasn't the only one honored at the star- studded ceremony in New York.

CNN's Brynn Gingras has more on the other honorees who shared the spotlight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a night to be inspired as we are on the red carpet honoring the 10 CNN heroes and what incredible stories each of them has. There is a woman who has been upcycling computers to bring back to her community in Kenya to be able to teach them computer skills.

[03:54:59]

There is a man who spent time in prison going back to his west Philadelphia community creating a center for kids to get on the right path. Another man, a war veteran, Iraqi war veteran who is using the arts to help other veterans escape the war zone and deal with PTSD. I want you to hear from him.

RICHARD CASPER, CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CREATIVETS: That moment for me when they're like so excited to talk about the worst thing that happened in their -- in their life. I've known that we repurposed their memory right there and they're going to be successful. So, all the texts and love that we get back, that's what keeps me going.

Our waiting list is rather long because as you think, like, we build these programs so veterans don't want to turn it down. Twenty suicides a day in the veteran military space, 14 to 20 don't seek help. This is how we're getting to them. Just by you doing this interview is going to get veterans to know we exist and we'll bring them out to the programs and save their lives.

So, this is just, just this makes me a winner right here.

GINGRAS: You should learn all about their inspirational stories. You can go to cnn.com to learn more and donate yourselves. It's incredible evening honoring those. For those people who are just doing small things and making a huge impact in their own communities and in the world.

Brynn Gingras, CNN, on the red carpet in New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So inspiring and this next story proves it is never too late to finish what you started. A 90-year-old woman returned to college to earn her degree 71 years after she first enrolled.

Joyce DeFauw started her freshman year at Northern Illinois University in 1951, but dropped out to get married and start a family. In 2019, she expressed an interest in going back to school, but first she had to learn how to use a computer so she could take classes online. Three years later, she put on a cap and gown and got her degree. Isn't that fantastic? Sends chills down.

Thanks for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. CNN Newsroom continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:00:00]