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FTX Crypto Boss Sam Bankman-Fried Denied Bail In Bahamas; Kyiv Mayor Says Ukraine Shot Down 10 Iranian-Made Drones As Russia Strikes; South Africa's Ramaphosa Dodges Impeachment Vote In Parliament; Adjusting To Life In China After Zero-COVID Policy; How Western Aid Money Benefited Churches Embracing Anti-LGBTQ Rhetoric in Ghana; U.S. Nuclear Fusion a Milestone for Clean Energy; Musk's Costly Business Moves. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 14, 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: Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, a scam from the start, U.S. prosecutors accused Sam Bankman-Fried the failed CEO of crypto trader FTX of scheming huge investor's deposits as his own private piggybank.
CNN reporting the White House set to approve Patriot defense missiles for Ukraine. But it could be months before America's most advanced air defense system is operational.
And Elon Musk no longer the richest person in the world. Tesla's stock is plunged through that reportedly not paying its bills and reviewing severance packages, but laid off workers most fun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: If U.S. prosecutors are right, Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of the now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX not only engineered one of the biggest corporate frauds in U.S. history, but it was a giant scam from the get go.
The very moment the company was founded, Bankman-Fried allegedly scheme to defraud customers by using their deposits in FTX as a personal piggybank for undisclosed investments, lavish real estate purchases for himself, his parents and other senior FTX executives and large donations to political campaigns.
In a written statement, the chair of the Securities Exchange Commission simply put it like this, we allege that Sam Bankman-Fried for the house of cards on a foundation of deception. While telling investors this was one of the safest buildings in crypto.
Bankman-Fried was arrested Monday in the Bahamas and remains there behind bars after he was refused bail during a brief court appearance Tuesday. The judge really he was a potential flight risk. In New York federal prosecutors unsealed an eight count criminal indictment with details on the charges Bankman-Fried is now facing, which include wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, violating campaign finance laws, if convicted on all counts. Bankman- Fried faces up to 115 years in prison, and authorities have indicated there could be more charges to come with multiple ongoing investigations into the collapse of FTX.
Meantime, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers did not hear testimony from Bankman-Fried as was originally planned instead, his replacement the new CEO John J. Ray took his place had a damning assessment of shoddy business practices at FTX.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN J. RAY, NEW FTX CEO: The FTX Group's collapse appears to stem from absolute concentration of control in the hands of a small group of grossly inexperienced and unsophisticated individuals, who failed to implement virtually any of the systems or controls that are necessary for a company entrusted with other people's money or assets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: John Ray has a long history of dealing with massive corporate failures, he oversaw the liquidation of one time energy giant Enron. Here's more.
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RAY: This one is unusual. And it's unusual in the sense that literally, there's no record keeping whatsoever. It's the absence of record keeping, employees would communicate invoicing and expenses on Slack, which is, you know, essentially a way of communicating for chat rooms. They use QuickBooks, multibillion dollar company using QuickBooks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: QuickBooks.
RAY: QuickBooks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: All the latest details down from CNN's Brynn Gingras reporting in from New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: This is one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): FTX founder Sam Bankman- Fried once head of a cryptocurrency giant, now alleged federal criminal.
WILIAMS: Bankman-Fried and his co-conspirator stole billions of dollars from FTX customers. GINGRAS: Authorities arrested him last night after U.S. prosecutors filed eight criminal charges including wire fraud and multiple conspiracy counts. That 30-year-old appearing in court in the Bahamas now awaiting extradition to the US.
MICHAEL DRISCOLL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE, FBI NEW YORK: Fraud is fraud. It does not matter the complexity of the investment scheme. It does not matter the amount of money involved.
RAY: We know that the size of the harm was significant.
GINGRAS: The arrest comes on the eve of when Bankman-Fried was scheduled to appear before U.S. lawmakers and explain what led to the swift collapse of his company.
PATRICK MCHENRY, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: The rest of Sam Bankman-Fried is welcome news. But it still does not get at the bottom of what happened at FTX.
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GINGRAS: The company's new CEO John Ray III testified as he leads FTX through bankruptcy, exposing how the company made risky bets, been spent, customers funds and made questionable business decisions.
RAY: This is really old fashioned and embezzlement. This is just taking money from customers and using it for your own purpose. Not sophisticated at all.
GINGRAS: He had this advice for lawmakers as they consider making rules for the unregulated crypto industry.
RAY: We're dealing with people's money and their assets. And you know, my basic observation is you need records. You need controls and, and you need to segregate people's money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
RAY: That's simple.
GINGRAS: Earlier this year, Forbes magazine valued FTX at $32 billion. Bankman-Fried was seen as a superstar in the industry and earned the backing of major celebrities like Steph Curry.
STEPHEN CURRY, NBA SUPERSTAR: With FTX have everything I need to buy, sell and trade crypto safely.
GINGRAS: Tom Brady and his supermodel ex-wife Gisele Bundchen.
TOM BRADY, NFL SUPERSTAR: You know what? I'm in.
GINGRAS: But the company's value imploded last month after an industry publication questioned its inner workings and scrutiny by the federal government snowballed. Several of the celebrities now facing a civil lawsuit for their endorsements. Bankman-Fried saying this in an interview prior to his arrest. SAM BANKMAN-FRIED, FORMER FTX CEO: Look, I should have been on top of this and I feel really, really bad and regretful that I wasn't and a lot of people got hurt and that that's on me.
GINGRAS: The Securities Exchange Commission also filing charges Tuesday alleging Bankman-Fried donated millions of investors' money to political campaigns in violation of federal election laws. Adding in a statement, he built a house of cards on a foundation of deception.
GINGRAS (on camera): And Bankman-Fried is being held without bail in the Bahamas. The judge saying because he has so much access to finances, he does pose a flight risk. He will be back in court in February. Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.
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VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) the Ukrainian capital with mayor of Kyiv confirming in the past few hours the city was targeted by Iranian made drones, 10 shut down by Ukrainian Air Defense. Explosions were heard the early hours of the morning. The city's military administration has urged residents to stay calm and take cover. We have more details on that Russian airstrike when we get them.
With Moscow's war effort, suffering setbacks (ph), Russian commander now says nuclear weapons may be the only way Russia could actually win the war in Ukraine. Here's what he told state media.
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ALEXANDER KHODAKOVSKY, RUSSIAN MILITARY COMMANDER, DONETSK REGION (through translator): We realize that our resources of course, have their limits. And the next spiral of escalation can only be one nuclear. And we don't have the resources to defeat the NATO block with conventional means but we have nuclear weapons for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: America's most advanced air defense system could soon be on its way to Ukraine. The CNN reporting exclusively the White House is finalizing plans for the deployment of the Patriot missile defense system.
Ukrainian official from their president on down has made repeated requests for the Patriot defense system, which is capable of shooting down Russian missiles and aircraft, far from their intended targets, might be the only way to protect what's left with Ukrainian power grid, which is on the verge of collapse that's been targeted for months by Russian airstrikes. CNN's Oren Liebermann has exclusive details now reporting in on the Pentagon.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Patriot missile batteries are a system that Ukraine has been requesting near daily for quite some time now weeks, if not months. And CNN has learned according to U.S. officials that the U.S. is preparing to send over a Patriot missile battery to help with Ukrainian air defenses.
Air Defense has been one of the US's top priorities to get to Ukraine and a key focus of the international meetings to see what systems are available. U.S. now making the decision to send one of its most advanced systems, the long range patriot, which will fit on top of the systems the U.S. has already provided at the beginning of the war it was the short range Stinger missiles, then more recently, the NASAMS, a medium range air defense system, and the Patriot will fit on top of that, at a crucial time as Russia carries out missile strikes, drone strikes and rocket attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and energy infrastructure causing widespread blackouts and water shortages across the country. And that seems to be part of what tipped the scales in favor of sending over the Patriot missiles.
There was also a question of how long the training on these would take. Normally, it takes months but now that the U.S. sees this war is dragging on, and as the U.S. is set to perhaps expand its trading of Ukrainian forces, the opportunity is there to provide the necessary training to operate Patriot missiles so Ukrainian can operate them, sustain them and maintain them effectively. That was one of the key decisions here.
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How quickly could they get into the country? Well the U.S. has repeatedly shown he can move systems very quickly when it comes to HIMARS and howitzers, the bigger challenges the training. Ukraine has shown repeatedly that it can compress the training timeline in some of these more advanced systems. Still, this training normally takes months. How much can that be compressed? We're about to find out. Oren Liebermann, CNN at the Pentagon.
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VAUSE: Former Russian soldier seeking asylum in Europe, after defecting from an army unit accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine. In his first TV interview, he shares horrific details of what he saw with CNN's Fred Pleitgen, warning some of the images in this report understood.
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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): After the Russian army was forced to retreat around Kyiv, the carnage came to light. Bucha, Borodyanka and many other Kyiv suburbs littered with bodies. Ukraine especially blames one Russian unit for alleged crimes here the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade from Eastern Siberia. Now a deserter from that unit is speaking to CNN.
NIKITA CHIBRIN, RUSSIAN DESERTER: Actually big lie for me, like 24th February come in, OK, everyone go to war.
PLEITGEN: Nikita Chibrin defected from the Russian military and fled to Europe, where we met him in a secret location. He shows me his military booklet with a stamp signed by the commander of the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov, known in Ukraine as the Butcher of Bucha.
Chibrin says he and his comrades were given a shoot to kill orders even though Russia has denied any wrongdoing by its forces around Kyiv
CHIBRIN (through translator): We had a direct command to murder those who divulged our positions. If someone had a phone we were allowed to shoot him.
PLEITGEN: Chibrin says the unit was deployed to Belarus shortly before the invasion, allegedly for training. The soldiers had no idea they would soon advance into Ukraine, and he says they weren't prepared for war.
CHIBRIN (through translator): Everyone thought they could be like Rambo. Those who said I will be shooting Ukrainians easily piece of cake. When they went to the frontline, and then they came back, they were like, we don't want no war.
PLEITGEN: Chibrin says he too came under Ukrainian artillery shelling and showed us this video from near the town Lypivka, west of Kyiv. He tells me he refused to fight because he was opposed to the war and that his commanders called him a coward and we assigned him to menial labor tasks in the rear echelon.
He says he didn't witness the mass killings the unit is accused of but did witness plenty of crimes against Ukrainian civilians, including looting.
PLEITGEN (on camera): They weren't trying to hide it. They did this very open.
CHIBRIN: Yes, yes, no need to hide this all. Everything want that they see. I wanted this thing. I want this. Everything they look and cars too made for looting.
PLEITGEN (voiceover): End even rape.
CHIBRIN (through translator): I saw rapists running around being chased because they were committed rape. The guys who did rape I saw them run. Then I learned they were rapists. They raped a mother and a daughter. They would never jailed, just fired just like that. Go.
PLEITGEN: CNN has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment, but we haven't received a reply. Russia has consistently denied its forces were responsible for crimes against Ukrainian civilians. And President Vladimir Putin issued a decree praising the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade for quote, heroism and bold actions.
Nikita Chibrin fled Russia while on leave. He gets emotional when talking about his four-year-old daughter he left behind. He says he wants to testify against his commanders before an international court to shed light on what happened in the war he never wanted to be a part of. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEO TAPE) VAUSE: Basketball star Brittney Griner is thankful to be back home but according to an agent left heartbroken that Paul Whelan is still detained in Russia. The White House was unable to secure the release of the former U.S. Marine is part of a prisoner swap for the notorious Russia arms dealer Viktor Bout. Whelan and his family remain in Griner's thoughts according to her agent.
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LINDSAY KAGAWA COLAS, BRITTNEY GRINER'S AGENT: You can be both joyous and heartbroken and she's heartbroken that Paul Whelan is not home. She's thinking about his family and talks about her intention to call them as soon as she gets home. And she's really committed to telling the stories and making sure that, you know, this population of wrongfully detained Americans that people know their names.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In the immediate, Brittney Griner's airplane to help Americans who are detained overseas.
The Global Soccer Players Union says it's quote shocked and sickened by reports that Tehran may execute and Iranian player. Player faces the possibility of a death sentence after campaigning for women's rights during the ongoing anti-government protests. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): There are concerns that Iran is preparing to execute yet another protester Amir Nasr- Azadani, a 26-year-old professional soccer player. He's played for Iran's national youth team for several major clubs inside the country.
Now he was detained on November 27th. And Iran's authorities accused this 26-year-old of being involved in an armed group and allegedly carrying out the killing of several members of the security forces. But activist rights groups say these are absolutely false allegations that he's really the victim of a sham trial of these expedited death penalty proceedings that have already led to the execution of two other protesters just in the last few days.
And it's of course not the first time that we've seen soccer in the crosshairs of Iran crackdown. You'll remember that very shocking moment during the World Cup when Iran's football team refused to sing their national anthem, and then later we heard their families were threatened, according to activist by authorities, now serious fears and concerns that Amir Nasr-Azadani could be Iran's next target.
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VAUSE: The soccer player is not a member of Iran's national football team and was not in Doha, playing at the World Cup.
Fans around country which has just secured a place in the World Cup final. Argentina crushed Croatia three nil bringing nothing but pure joy what Buenos Aires thousands flooding the streets where he knows little plagues, light blue and white everywhere. Argentina's World Cup campaign began with an embarrassing loss to Saudi Arabia.
But now their first World Cup title and decades is in sight. The national hero Lionel Messi leading the way as team captain for will likely be his last chance. Messi scored a penalty kick in the semifinal, which is tying the record for the most goals in the tournament.
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LIONEL MESSI, ARGENTINA CAPTAIN (through translator): We've been enjoying it a lot since we arrived at this World Cup. Even though we had a losing start, as we said at the time, we were confident in this group. We were going to move forward. We ask people to trust because we knew what we are in this group is crazy. And well, we did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In the coming hours, France and Morocco will play for a spot in the finals. On paper, the French are defending champions looking for back to back wins. Well, Morocco is looking to continue a history making miraculous run. The loser of that match will face Croatia for third place. Winner it will of course face Argentina in the final on Sunday.
With more, we're joined now by journalist Amine El Amri, sorry, who is he covering the journalist section. They're covering the World Cup for the Moroccan Daily Newspaper, Le Matin, thank you so much for being with us.
AMINE EL AMRI, SPORTS JOURNALIST, LE MATIN: Hi, John. Good morning. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Good morning. Thanks for getting up early by the way. We appreciate that.
Morocco, the only Arab-African team ever to make it this far in any World Cup. It's considered a sentimental favorite, especially with this being the first World Cup in the Middle East. France's fans here, Les Bleus will face a hostile crowd, how likely is that? And will they have much of an impact of the match?
EL AMRI: Well, I think it's a great opportunity to play in the Middle East on an Arab territory here in Qatar. I think the sympathy not only comes from Africa and the Arab world, but it comes from all across the world because this team represents the underdog and in sports in general, especially in football, people tend to have sympathy for the underdog. But what this team shot (ph) and fighting spirit terms and solidarity sacrifice, I think it's going to be a great game against France.
VAUSE: And there's a lot more happening here than obviously just the football on the pitch because we have Morocco which has defeated Spain and Portugal, their former colonial power laws, if you like overlords, now we have France, which also has that title as well. So when we take the field, though, it's not quite a clear cut situation when it comes to France and Morocco, because these are two countries, which yes, they have a history of being colonial powers and occupied, but there's also generations of blended families as military cooperation. You know, shared entertainment. France has a huge Moroccan population. So, who's the, I guess, the good guy who's the bad guy here?
EL AMRI: It just kind of, you know, friendship, John. So friendship goes by many, many situations up and downs and rocky sometimes. I think I'm going to call it rocky in these times. But yes, it's -- unlike in other parts of the world where French were colonizing. In Morocco, the deliberation was kind of smoother than in any other countries.
[01:20:09]
So I think there has been really great ties between Morocco and France. But that's only the case. And that's the context that we're seeing as professional and as fans. But as players, I think it's just another game being the underdogs and against another great team.
VAUSE: Yes, I guess this has been a lot of been written about this match coming up, and you may be sort of painting Morocco is the future. This is this bright new country, and it's going to be this unifying moment, should they ever they make this one. But should they actually win would be amazing. And for France, is like they're the past.
I was just wondering, what impact does it have beyond that one day for people of Morocco, people of Africa, you know, and people of the Middle East to see that their team can actually make it this far and beat, you know, their former colonial overlords?
EL AMRI: Well, it's going against the odds. And it has been shown over the history that when you do that, you create this wave of hope and belief. And Morocco has been working on this for the last decade. So it might be just the model to follow for other African and Arab countries.
VAUSE: You know, it is going to be a great one to watch. I'm sure many around the world will be staying up, getting up early wherever they are. Amine El Amri, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
EL AMRI: Thank you, John. Thank you.
VAUSE: OK. (INAUDIBLE) break when we come back, what the government in Peru is now doing to try and restore order bid protests following the impeachment and arrest of the country's former president who tried to stage a coup.
Plus, what a zero-COVID policy unraveling. New COVID infections began to soar in China. Look at how everything has changed out in Beijing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: Armed forces have been deployed in Peru with ongoing political protests. At least six people have been killed are supporters of former President Pedro Castillo took to the streets following his impeachment and arrest last week. Castillo is denying allegations of conspiracy and rebellion insists he's been wrongly detained.
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PEDRO CASTILLO, FORMER PERUVIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I'm unfairly and arbitrarily detained. I am not as a thief or rapist, corrupt or thug. But I also want to address the country to tell it that I am grateful for its trust effort, struggle and identification. I will never renounce or abandon this popular cause that has brought me here.
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VAUSE: The protests have forced some flight cancellations and train services to be shut down across the country equally Machu Picchu. Meanwhile, Castillo's successor is urging protesters to try and remain calm.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has survived the fight for his political life. The country's parliament voted against impeachment proceedings following a lively debate Tuesday.
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He's accused of covering up the theft of more than half a million dollars from his private game farm. CNN's David McKenzie following the story now from Johannesburg.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was fighting for his political life. But in the end, it was not even close in a vote in Parliament, largely along party lines. Parliament deciding not to start impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa.
Now it's all related to an independent panel inquiry of the president which says, which said that he could have contravened the Constitution and even covered up a crime when more than $500,000 was stolen from his Phala Phala game farm from where it was hidden inside a sofa. Before the vote though, there was a feisty debate. And as expected, the opposition tore into the president and the ruling ANC.
JULIUS MALEMA, PRESIDENT, ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS: You are so desperate to avoid any type of investigation into the crimes that have occurred and in relation to a Phala Phala farm that you have decided to speed in the face of the freedoms and institutions so men who fought and died for.
JOHN STEENHUISEN, LEADER OF DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE: As long as you got the numbers in Parliament, you can make any scandal go away. And if that's how you intend to vote today, in one unified shield against accountability and oversight, just like you did in the Zuma days, then shame on you.
MCKENZIE: Now, of course, he's referring to former President Jacob Zuma who was never censured by Parliament, but how to resign in his own corruption scandal, a scandal that he denied and Ramaphosa has also denied all the allegations.
In a few days, Ramaphosa will be standing for ANC president in the electoral conference. He's widely expected to win that race. But this is not over yet. There's still investigations ongoing on what is now known as farm gate. David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
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VAUSE: China says new asymptomatic cases will no longer be included in daily COVID reports. Officials say the number isn't entirely accurate because most people with asymptomatic cases don't report the infection. It's one of the biggest changes as Beijing rolls back its strict zero COVID policy, a liberation which we debated by so many. CNN's Selina Wang has our report from Beijing.
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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): China is starting to unravel it zero-COVID policy but instead of crowds out celebrating this is how reopening is going in China, clothes shops, empty streets, people avoiding each other. Because for the first time since the start of the pandemic, COVID is spreading like wildfire in Beijing, people now either have COVID or they're scared to get it.
So I just spoke to the shop worker in the store. And he told me that he's the only employee without COVID which is why he can still come to work. And he says I am the only customer who has come into the store all day.
The only crowds I'm seeing in Beijing outside of hospitals like this and pharmacies.
So he says his fevers gone down, but he still has a cold hoping to buy medicine but he's worried they don't have any stock because there's long lines forming outside of pharmacies across the country. People are trying to stock up but stuff is selling out.
You know, for years, China has been demonizing COVID playing up the risks of long COVID. And now suddenly, state media is publishing headlines every day saying COVID is not a big deal. It's whiplash for a lot of people, because just weeks before, if you got COVID, your whole community would have gone into hard lockdown. This is such a major and sudden change.
So China is finally opening up How do you feel about it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel pretty great. I wish they could have opened up earlier.
WANG: Has business been very slow or difficult? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, you can see there are not that many customers, other people just got the virus.
WANG: Are you scared about getting COVID?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm worried about my parents and my grandparents little bit.
WANG: People are relieved though that you no longer have to go to a quarantine facility if you get COVID. Getting sent to one of those rundown facilities was such a big source of anxiety before. And these health QR codes that have been used for years to track and dictate where we can go, well, the government is now saying that you don't need them to enter most public places.
So I don't need to scan my code. It feels surreal though that I can literally just walk in. So she said I can only do online delivery so you can't even sit inside or order inside and Shake Shack.
So outside the Starbucks they have a sign saying you need to show a 40-hour COVID test even though the national rules don't require it. In Beijing, you still need a recent PCR test in order to enter restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues.
[01:29:47]
There are way less places now to get COVID tests in the city. And the lines are short because most people are just staying at home. But just a week before, at this exact same location, this was packed with people waiting in line.
So behind me is a graveyard of COVID testing booths. It is like almost overnight in Beijing, they removed all of these testing locations and here is the remnants.
After years of harsh lockdowns, the government is finally letting people manage their own health. But people don't feel ready and experts say the country isn't either. The country hasn't vaccinated enough of the elderly population and hasn't improved the health care capacity enough. So this reopening is going to continue to be messy and uneven.
Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Still to come, a CNN exclusive investigation. The western aid donors funding churches in Ghana which have a long record of violence and oppression against gay and lesbian people.
Also later, from the lab to a utopian future perhaps. How long will it take before nuclear fusion can power our homes. More on that later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back.
I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
In an exclusive CNN "As Equals Investigation", we revealed how western aid donors who had pledged to support LGBTQ plus rights have also funded supporters of a controversial anti LGBTQ plus bill in Ghana.
In the five years up to 2021, at least $5 million in aid from Europe and the United States went to projects run by or benefiting churches in Ghana, whose leaders not only backed the bill but also have a long track record of hateful, anti-LGBTQ plus rhetoric.
Nima Elbagir and her team traveled to Ghana to see the human cost of that rhetoric.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The Jamestown lighthouse in the capital Accra overlooks the Atlantic. The historic Gold Coast inextricably tied by the slave trade and Christian missionaries to the American shoreline an ocean away, ties that remain to this day.
Today, the nearby market is busy and vibrant.
This is the beating heart of Accra. You can buy pretty much anything here. And here, like much of the capital, the spirit of God, the word of God is omnipresent.
And you can see, its influence in all corners in this religiously conservative society.
[01:34:59]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The essence of the LGBTQI plus movement are completely at variance with the laws and principles of the almighty God.
ELBAGIR: A national prayer rally entitled "Homosexuality, a detestable sin to God".
But it is also across mainstream TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this country, I'm going to say it, they will say it's hate speech. If you find any gay person in your neighborhood, stone them to death.
ELBAGIR: The guest, a leading opposition party member and the presenter are discussing a draft bill being debated in parliament that further criminalizes the LGBTQ+ community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Ghanaian pastors who are gay --
ELBAGIR: It is often disguised as family values, but if passed without amendment. U.N. experts warn it will be a recipe for conflict and violence across Ghana. A CNN "As Equals Investigation" has shown these same churches backing
the anti LGBTQ plus bill received funding from U.S. and European governments. Over $4 million to the Catholic Church and over a million between other protestant churches, taxpayers' money even as they for years preached to further criminalize being gay in Ghana. Their position has been no secret.
In press releases, churches were publicly vilifying homosexuality. In one instance, calling to stop those who propagate this evil agenda of those with abnormal sexual orientations.
And in another stating that "Homosexuality is an affront to human dignity." This rhetoric, and the bill it spawned has real life consequences.
This is like the rock star, the more come to the area. Assidi, not her real name, wants to take us back to her small neighborhood in Accra. She identified as queer. For a long time, no one knew, but she believes she always stood out.
ASSIDI: I didn't really get along with anyone generally. Because I had this label of a threat -- which are geared like from the tender age of seven people though like I was a slut because I like to hang with the boys.
ELBAGIER: Assidi was outed when this video of her helping to clean up a local LGBTQ+ center was broadcast on various national TV stations. The center was shut down, following calls from religious leaders. The videos from the community center went viral. And exposed Assidi to her community and family.
ASSIDI: All of a sudden, I became this devious, devilish, bad person. And all kinds of stories were concocted about me.
ELBAGIR: At this point, Assidi says she could still live in her home. It wasn't until her neighbor said a man who looked like a relative was outside her house with a group of male friends, that she felt in danger.
ASSIDI: they would have probably kidnapped me. Help me out somewhere. Probably at the family house. And tried various tactics to cure me. Things could have gone anywhere from physical assault to corrective rape.
ELBAGIR: Corrective rape, the mistaken belief that the victims sexuality can be changed by being forced to have sex with the opposite gender.
Assidi had to leave the country for a number of months. She had no choice. The police are not here to protect the LGBTQ+ community. It is already illegal to be gay.
SAM GEORGE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: It's already a criminal offense. So you must be minded if you are committing a criminal offense that you cannot seek rights in the committing of an offense. ELBAGIR: This is Sam George a key proponent of the draft bill called
the Promotion Of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values. The new bill criminalize not only same-sex relationships and marriages, but also identifying as LGBTQ plus, Promoting and funding of LGBTQ+ groups, and public debate or education on sexual orientation and gender identity.
GEORGE: Let's be also very clear here. That there is no evidence whatsoever that the inception of this bill, or introduction of this bill into parliament has increased the wave of violence against practitioners of LGBTQ activities.
ELBAGIR: And yet, LGBTQ+ Ghanaians are increasingly targeted.
Some of these are forced confessions?
ALEX DONKOR, DIRECTOR, LGBTQ+ RIGHTS: Yes. Some of these are forced confessions. Some of these are even posted on social media so (INAUDIBLE).
ELBAGIR: Alex Donkor says he receives these videos almost daily now.
What you are about to see is disturbing.
Video seen by CNN show attackers growing increasingly brazen, filming their violent abuse of people they allege are gay. Forcing them to confess. And in some cases, name other people who are also gay.
[01:39:57]
ELBAGIR: It is not just the capital Accra. Violence is permeating across this country. People are really afraid. Friends and neighbors are turning on each other. For the safety of the people we're meeting, we've agreed not to disclose their location.
A worrying trend is that people need only to be accused of being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Mobs take it upon themselves to dole out what they perceive as vigilante justice. In effect, a witch hunt.
These men after being beaten, falsely accused a woman of being a pimp. Her life as (INAUDIBLE) was destroyed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said I was selling gay men and women for sex.
ELBAGIR: But your case was dismissed?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ELBAGIR: And nobody believes that you are innocent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, until this day no one believes me. No one believes I did not do it. So I lost everybody. And I was also four months pregnant and I lost my baby. And it was one of the most painful things. I cannot forget that. ELBAGIR: The church's place in Ghana is indisputable. The church's
position towards the LGBTQ+ community, undeniable. The position of some western donors like the U.S. who say they stopped donations before the new legislation. But refused to clarify whether they still support church projects, unconscionable.
Nima Elbagir, CNN -- Accra, Ghana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: None of the churches in this story responded to CNN's multiple requests to comment. The (INAUDIBLE) government told CNN it's not responsible for the use of these identified sons (ph). The United States blame the previous administration, saying it would not have prohibited funding based on the statement of anti LGBTQ+ rhetoric like churches but would not clarify if it continues to support church projects in Ghana.
The German government spokesperson stated they do not support any projects which endanger the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. However, CNN reached out to organizations acting for Germany in Ghana, confirm they continue to support projects run by or benefiting the Catholic Church and a number of prominent (ph) churches.
You can read more about this investigation on CNN.com. There is also a link to frequently asked questions about the "As Equals Project" including information that is funding.
You're watching CNN. Stay with us we'll be back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Winter storms hammering parts of the United States. Blizzards are raging in Colorado and the Plains. Tornadoes and floods are expected across the south and Midwest. In Anchorage, Alaska the city has been buried under more than 30 inches of snow over the last week forcing many schools to close.
Tornado watches in place for Louisiana and other parts of the south overnight. Nearly 6 million people will be under threat with storms expected in the coming hours. A very mixed bag.
Heavy rain has caused flooding in parts of Portugal's capital. This was the scene in Lisbon on Tuesday. The mayor's office put the city under a red weather warning urging residents to stay home.
[01:45:00]
VAUSE: There is a lot of weather happening so let's go to CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz for more on all this -- putting (ph) on the Ritz, what have we got?
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well John, we've got quite a bit of rain, still expected to fall over parts of Portugal over the next 24 hours. On Tuesday, parts of Portugal picked up over 70 millimeters of
rainfall. And here we are, not only dealing with heavy rain, but also damaging winds. We had 13 reports of wind gusts that caused damage just over the past 24 hours.
Since this area of low pressure, sitting right here just north of the Iberian Peninsula, and it spins, and it brings in that rain and storm chances. So let's back much of the same, coming into today.
You will notice that rainfall spinning right on to shore back into parts of Spain as well and on up into France. Heavier snowfall expected through parts of central Europe over the next 24 hours.
As for rainfall amounts, scary forecast in Lisbon and much of Portugal for the next three days. We can expected 25 to 50 millimeters of rain, isolated higher amounts up to 100 millimeters and again, that's over a three-day period.
And here's the threat as of yesterday, which was not out of the ordinary. We have this forecast where area is highlighted in red were a little more vulnerable for the wind threats. That's where you saw this (INAUDIBLE) indicating the severe wind criteria.
Not just the heavy rain and the severe weather threats across parts of Europe. But also dealing with the winter weather as we really discussed. This is Richmond Park over the U.K. Noticing the frozen lake. Yes, many of us are dealing with a cooler than normal temperature. But trying to warm back up. Slick spots all across the U.K. here in the next 24 hours to the rest of the week for that matter.
But at least we are trying to get some joy out of it. Playing out with the snow helps. But bundle up, as for snowfall totals. These are preliminary over the past 24 hours. Andrews Field, picking up nine centimeters.
And we still have that yellow warning. Parts of Ireland, back up into Scotland. And of course, the east coast of the U.K. for ice. Windy, icy and snowy conditions for, you can expect several travel delays John.
VAUSE: Britley thank s so much. Britley, thank you for the update. We appreciate that. Thank you.
The Biden administration hopes a commercially viable nuclear fusion reactor will be reality within ten years. Scientists though say it could take decades before this breakthrough technology could be a reliable energy source.
CNN's Rene Marsh has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER GRANHOLM, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: This is one of the most impressive scientific feat of the 21st century or the president might say this is a bfd. RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The breakthrough happened inside this Department of Energy lab in California. U.S. scientists have effectively figured out how to bottle the sun using 192 high powered lasers, to simultaneously fire upon two hydrogen atoms. The pressure and heat fuse them together unleashing energy that replicates the conditions that has allowed the sun to burn bright for billions of years.
GRANHOLM: This milestone, moves us one significant step closer to the possibility of zero carbon abundant fusion energy powering our society. We could use it to produce clean electricity, transportation fuel, power heavy industry.
MARSH: On December 5th, for the first time ever, the fusion produced more energy than the lasers used to drive it. For an energy source to be viable, the energy output must be larger than the energy used to produce it proving nuclear fusion is a feasible energy source, with no carbon footprint, and no radioactive waste.
DR. ARAT PRABHAKAR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY: It took not just one generation, but generations of people pursuing the school. And it is a scientific milestone.
MARSH: The discovery is critical in the quest to pivot away from dirty energy sources like fossil fuels and power everyday lives using clean energy. But it could be decades before it's available for widescale use. And by that time, the climate crisis could have reached a tipping point.
The Biden administration has set an aspirational goal of getting a commercial fusion reactor up and running in a decade. But scientists say it's more likely to take 2 to 3 decades. They still need to figure out how to generate enough power for wide scale consumption. And figure out how to harvest that power and get it to the power grid.
Rene Marsh, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back, details on Elon Musk's really bad, no good, terrible week. No longer the world's richest person, Twitter struggling to pay its bills, it seems even more people dislike him than ever.
[01:49:47]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bill aiming to ban TikTok from operations in the United States. The proposed legislation would block social media companies based in China and a handful of other countries.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio says action is needed to combat a threat from TikTok which he calls a puppet of the Chinese Communist Party. At least seven states have banned the app from state-owned devices.
And so too the U.S. military and other government agencies.
From the "New York Times" new reporting that Twitter has stopped paying the rent at its San Francisco headquarters and global offices. This comes as new owner Elon Musk also considering not paying severance packages to the thousands of employees who were laid off from the company since he bought it. News like that have made Musk a lightning rod for criticism.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich, sorry, takes a look at Twitter's enigmatic and controversial leader.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- no longer the richest man in the world.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elon Musk, met with boos and some cheers on stage with Dave Chappelle, a mirror of what his first two months at Twitter's home have been like. Revered by some, despised by others.
A tweet about prosecuting Anthony Fauci drew backlash. He has reinstated many previously banned accounts, like former President Donald Trump that violated Twitter's rules. And he fired thousands of employees, reportedly threatening to sue the ones who remained if they leaked confidential information.
But those who followed Musk's career say that they are not surprised.
SARA FISCHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The approach that you are seeing in how Elon Musk governs Twitter is aligned with how he has governed his previous companies. The difference is that he is doing it more publicly in a more supercharged way.
YURKEVICH: Musk started his first tech company with his brother in the mid 1990s. Called Zip 2, which made online maps.
KIMBAL MUSK, ELON MUSK'S BROTHER: He slept in our office because we can pay rent either in office or at the house. Well let's do the office.
ELON MUSK, CEO, TWITTER: This is definitely very cool.
YURKEVICH: Musk sold that first company in 1999 for more than $300 million and bought himself a rare McLaren super car with his newfound fortune.
MUSK: There it is gentlemen, the fastest car in the world.
YURKEVICH: Bigger money would come with Musk's next company which eventually became PayPal. It sold in 2002 for $1.5 billion dollars. But Musk was just getting started.
MAYE MUSK, ELON MUSK'S MOTHER: He said, should we go into space, or should we go into electric cars, or solar power? I said well, just choose one.
YURKEVICH: Musk did not listen to his mom.
MUSK: We expect to open a lot more --
YURKEVICH: He revolutionized the car industry with Tesla, which he claims has almost gone bankrupt. Tesla, like many companies, facing a dramatic collapse in share price, down nearly 50 percent this year. Challenging Musk's richest man in the world title.
EDWARD NEDERMEYER, AUTHOR: Tesla was always an incredibly chaotic company in a business that runs on the long term planning. It was sort of this day-to-day sort of chaos and lack of planning. And the plans were constantly changing.
YURKEVICH: He went on, making history with SpaceX.
MUSK: We want to make space accessible to everyone.
YURKEVICH: Musk started a solar energy company and another high tech venture, Neuralink, aiming to connect humans and computers by implanting chips into peoples brains.
MUSK: It's sort of like having an Apple Watch or a Fitbit. Replacing a piece of skull with like a smart watch.
[01:55:00]
YURKEVICH: Initially, camera-shy, Musk learned to leverage the power of publicity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are Elon Musk.
MUSK: I am?
M. Musk: I saw him on a TV show I said, Elon, you are doing TV work? He said no one will sell me any rocket parts because they don't know who I am.
YURKEVICH: He has nine children and even the unusual name of one child made headlines.
MUSK: I mean it's just X, the letter X. And then the ae us is like, pronounced ash.
YURKEVICH: His eccentric ways have landed him in serious trouble. A joke tweet about taking Tesla private led to an SEC investigation and a lawsuit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Musk tweets and blog posts misled investors into believing that it was a virtually certain he could take Tesla private.
YURKEVICH: Musk settled with the SEC and this year he bought the very company that landed him in legal hot water, purchasing Twitter for $44 billion. MUSK: If Twitter was not bought and steered in a good direction, it
would be a danger for the future of civilization. And so that is why I bought it.
YURKEVICH: Musk has been criticized for allowing hate speech back on to Twitter. Something he denies.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): We can't be surprised because Musk has let go of so many of the people that might be responsible for moderating and taking their content off line.
YURKEVICH: Despite the backlash against him Musk insists that he has always had the best motives.
MUSK: I love humanity, I think that we should fight for a good future for humanity.
YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Being controversial, being erratic though comes with a price. According to Forbes, Musk is no longer the richest man in the world. He is now second to Bernard Arnault the CEO of luxury brand LVMH, the parent company behind Louis Vuitton and Hennessy Cognac. Musk dropped on the list because of what Forbes described is a dramatic collapse of Tesla's share price. He is still ahead of the space rival Jeff Bezos, who is currently number four on that list.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues after a short break with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church.
Hope to see right back here tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world.
I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM: day of reckoning. FTX founder.
