Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Influx Of Migrants At U.S.-Mexico Border Warns Of Humanitarian Crisis; Snow Is Piling Up On Livestock And Pets; Putin Visits Military Headquarters Coordinating Invasion; Qatar And FIFA Face Criticism Over Human Rights; Kyiv Hosts Children's Football Tourney Amid Attacks. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired December 18, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello, welcome to all of you watching us United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, a Texas border town declares a state of emergency as it buckles under a surge of migrants. The upcoming change that is expected to see those numbers grow.

Plus, dangerous driving conditions across New York state right now. Cities across the U.S. brace for a bitter cold this week. The forecast is ahead.

And fans are ready to see Argentina take on France. We're live in Qatar just ahead.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin at the U.S. southern border and growing fears about a potential humanitarian crisis. Large numbers of asylum seekers are straining the resources of towns and cities receiving them. Officials in El Paso, Texas, say thousands have arrived in just the past week.

On Saturday, the mayor declared a state of emergency. The decision was prompted by the number of people sleeping on the streets with falling temperatures and by the anticipated end of a Trump era policy just days away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR OSCAR LEESER, EL PASO, TEXAS: I really believe that, today, our asylum seekers are not safe, as we have hundreds and hundreds on the streets. And that is not the way we want to treat people.

We know that the influx on Wednesday will be incredible. It will be huge. Talking to some of our federal partners, they really believe that, on Wednesday, our numbers will go from 2,500 to 4,000 or 5,000 or maybe 6,000.

And when I asked them, I said, do you believe that you guys can handle it today?

The answer was no. When I got an answer, no. That meant, we needed to do something and do something right away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Unless the Supreme Court steps in, Wednesday will see the end of Title 42, which allowed for the expulsion of certain categories of migrants. When the policy ends, authorities expect the number of asylum seekers to rise even higher.

Title 42 is a Trump era public health order that allowed authorities to turn away migrants at the U.S. borders, to curb the spread of coronavirus. It is named after the part of U.S. Code that allowed the Centers for Disease Control to issue the policy. And has allowed the U.S. to expel around 2 million migrants.

It has been extended multiple times. On April 1st, CDC announced plans to stop the order, saying it was no longer necessary due to the decrease in COVID cases. But the policy remained in place due to lawsuits by Republican led states.

Last, month a federal judge struck down the policy put his order on hold until December 21st. CNN's Gustavo Valdes is on the southern side of the border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, watching asylum seekers cross the Rio Grande and the line up to present themselves to U.S. authorities. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Since Friday, we have been seeing --

(CROSSTALK)

VALDES: -- situation unfold every few minutes. A group of migrants get to this part of the Rio Grande with families, with children, trying to cross into the U.S.

You see, they get somebody to help them, trying to keep their feet dry as much as they can. It is a shallow part of the Rio Grande in this part. They get across. They try to do it carefully. It is still dangerous. We have seen people tumble and fall, including without (ph) and severe injuries.

And the goal, once they cross over, is continue the short trek up that hill, where the U.S. government has built a temporary fence at the end of the existing border wall. And those people are waiting to be processed.

The process seems to be faster than in days past when there was a long line of people waiting. People who had to wait more than a day to be processed. In the past couple of days what we have seen is Border Patrol agents taking them in a little faster. They wait for a van or a big bus.

And that is how they take them somewhere else to be processed. That doesn't mean that they are being accepted for asylum; it just means they are being processed somewhere else. We are seeing the early (ph) part of this group trying to keep their documents -- their documents dry.

[05:05:00]

VALDES: This is the end of a long road for many of them.

Where are you guys from?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Venezuela.

VALDES: They are from Venezuela. Most of these people are from Venezuela. They said they're tired because it has been very cold. They need to cross. They think that they are going to have a chance now.

The U.S. authorities insist that the end of Title 42 doesn't mean open borders. These people are still subject to deportation. For these people, that doesn't matter. The only thing they are worried about is that they are sent back to their countries.

They want that, if they are going to be allowed into the U.S., that they at least would rather stay in Mexico. That is something that is still to be seen. And like these people, over the weekend, the local authorities in Ciudad Juarez are telling us they suspect there are thousands waiting for the opportunity on Wednesday to cross into the United States -- Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The White House says there is a robust effort underway to prepare for the end of Title 42. While anticipating an increase in the already high number of asylum seekers at the southern border, the Biden administration has asked Congress for billions to boost resources. CNN's Arlette Saenz reports from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Biden administration is bracing for a possible surge of migrants as Title 42 is expected to end on Wednesday. Homeland Security officials recently had warned that they anticipate a likely increase in migrant flow immediately when the policy is lifted.

Here at the White House, officials have long known that the Trump era policy would end at some point.

But it took on additional meaning when a judge last month ruled that Title 42 needed to end by December 21st. That is Wednesday. On Friday night, a federal appeals court blocked a challenge from some Republican-led states that would have kept the policy in place. And the White House has said they have a robust effort underway to try to manage the border in the wake as they are expecting Title 42 to be lifted.

The White House has been trying to make clear that the lifting of Title 42 does not mean that the border is open and that they are going to work to try to manage migrant flow. The Department of Homeland Security has released a six-point plan detailing some of these efforts, including surging of personnel and resources to the border to help with processing.

They have also established or they're in the works of establishing some temporary facilities to help with this processing and also ramping up on the ground and air transportation to try to move some of the migrants and process them as well.

Additionally, the Biden administration has asked Congress for more than $3 billion to address border security issues. And what White House officials consistently say is that the only way for these issues to be fixed is if comprehensive immigration reform is passed on Capitol Hill.

In the coming days the White House is certainly facing a very steep challenge when it comes to this expected flow of migrants that could begin on Wednesday and flow into the coming weeks -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: For more, I want to bring in Monika Langarica. She's a staff attorney at the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy. She joins me from San Diego, California.

Thank you so much for being here with us. As we're seeing a huge crush of migrants are hoping to come across, if and when the Title 42 policy goes away. I want to play you a clip from a Democratic congressman, Henry Cuellar, from the other day, who just came back from a border visit, talking about what happens when Title 42 ends. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D-TX): Communities are going to be overwhelmed, not only El Paso. We've seen that in the past with Rio Grande Valley, in Eagle Pass and Del Rio. They're going to be overwhelmed. There're just not enough shelters and border processing centers to handle the large numbers of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I would ask, you is he right?

How much harder will it make it to handle the already ongoing crisis? MONIKA LANGARICA, UCLA CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION LAW AND POLICY: Sure. Thank, you Kim, for having me. First, it is critically important to note that essentially, for over 2.5 years, the U.S. border has been shut to people seeking asylum due to this debunked so-called public health policy known as Title 42.

It's important to know that that is how we got here. That's how we reached this point. There's this backlog of people trapped in border cities, waiting to exercise their right to seek asylum.

But this reality is simply not insurmountable for the U.S. government. The federal government knows exactly how to process people humanely, efficiently and in large numbers.

[05:10:00]

LANGARICA: In fact, it did exactly that with Ukrainians fleeing war, who came to our borders in large numbers earlier this year. The U.S. took in more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees in five months, including over 20,000 people who were welcomed along the land border in the month of April alone.

There's no reason why, once Title 42 lifts, when it lifts, the U.S. can't do the same for Haitians, Venezuelans, Central Americans. It's just a question of whether the administration and the federal government is willing to exercise the political will to do that.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I mean, that is certainly a question. But you said that they have the capacity. I, mean there is already a backlog of millions of people in the system, waiting to have their cases heard.

How are they supposed to handle this fresh influx?

LANGARICA: There is a backlog. There's a backlog of people waiting to seek asylum. There are backlogs from the court. But implementing Title 42, expelling people summarily to Mexico without due process, that takes resources.

Incarcerating people in border (INAUDIBLE), in ICE boxes, that takes resources. Putting people in ICE prisons takes resources.

Now is the time for the Biden administration to invest, to show (INAUDIBLE) this issue, to invest in humane, welcoming efforts at the border that will help restart the asylum system.

BRUNHUBER: Really appreciate your insights into all of this. Monika Langarica, thank you so much for speaking with us.

LANGARICA: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Tourists who had come to Peru for the trip of a lifetime have found themselves in the middle of something they could not have planned for. Airport and railroad shutdowns caused by widespread protests in the

country have left as many as 300 tourists stranded in the ancient city of Machu Picchu. One tourist gave an account of what he saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY HEPBURN, CANADIAN TOURIST: When we arrived in town, as we were walking through, I saw the trains sitting in the station.

And I noticed the guy that was welding the gate shut on the train station, which was unusual. So that was our first clue that something wasn't quite right. And then our guide told us that there were rocks on the tracks, boulders the size of small cars, in some cases.

And they had started small fires and burned some of the railway ties and such. So it was completely impossible for the train -- and then we, as a team, eight of us took a vote as to whether we were going to walk out, which we elected to do the following morning at about 5:30.

And then 30-odd kilometers later, we ended up back at the trailhead, hoping to catch a ride back toward Ollantaytambo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: -- mayor told CNN that he had requested helicopter flights to evacuate the tourists.

Thousands across New York and New England will wake up to a white blanket, as a cold winter storm dumped two feet of snow in the Northeast. The U.S. Weather Service is warning that travel conditions could be dangerous. The New York governor is urging residents to avoid unnecessary trips.

Meanwhile, a burst of cold, arctic air will further some temperatures plunging, bringing heavy snow in the coming days.

(WEATHER REPORT)

[05:15:00]

(SPORTS)

BRUNHUBER: Health officials in the U.S. are warning that holiday gatherings could further increase the spread of three deadly viruses, flu, COVID-19 and RSV. They are urging people to get vaccinated and mask up when indoors.

The viruses are already stretching overwhelmed hospitals across the country. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Flu certainly continues to be a concern even though the numbers are starting to improve. When you look at what the target is for flu vaccination, 70 percent. The numbers show that we are not quite meeting the mark. Only 40 percent of adults, 46 percent of children have gotten their flu vaccination.

So federal officials are encouraging people to not just get their flu shot but also get their COVID vaccine and their booster. We are now in this moment, where we are dealing with this triple threat, RSV, COVID and the flu.

All of this as we head into the height of the holiday season. Many people are hoping, once again, to gather and to get together with family and friends safely because we haven't really been able to do so for such a long time.

I do want to put the numbers in some context. According to the CDC, so far, more than 15 million people have become sick as a result of the flu; 150,000 hospitalizations and 9,300 deaths in the season so far.

To put that in historical context, those numbers have not been as high during the season for at least a decade. And that is certainly part of what is leading officials to be concerned about what is left of the flu season.

There are things you can do to prevent getting sick and getting other people sick. Officials once again encouraging people to mask up while they are indoors. Several cities around the country have issued new guidance, not a requirement, that people wear a mask when they are indoors or in crowded places.

And of course, they are reminding people to test and to vaccinate. The federal government is also responding once again. People can go online and request a free COVID test to be delivered to their homes. All of this in an effort to prevent and to make sure that people can gather safely during the holiday season -- Gloria Pazmino, in New York, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: South Korea calls it a serious provocation and Japan has lodged a protest with North Korea over Pyongyang's latest missile launch. South Korea's joint chiefs of staff say at least two ballistic missiles flew into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan early Sunday.

Japanese officials say they flew 500 kilometers, apparently without damaging aircraft or ships in the area. The U.S. and South Korea called on Pyongyang to immediately stop the launches. This is the 35th day this year North Korea has launched missiles.

Russia is rolling out a new recruitment campaign to bolster its military. We will see one of the ads and what it promises young recruits if they go to war in Ukraine.

Plus, powerhouse teams and superstar players. We'll have a preview of the World Cup final with France and Argentina. Coming up. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [05:20:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(SPORTS)

[05:25:00]

(SPORTS)

BRUNHUBER: Just ahead, it is almost time for the newly elected Congress to take over. But there is still plenty of work to be done in the lame duck session before the holidays. We are talking politics next, stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I am Kim Brunhuber and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

The mayor of El Paso, Texas, declared a state of emergency on Saturday. He says hundreds of migrants are on the streets in unsafe conditions as temperatures are dropping. Meanwhile, a member of Congress say the solution is migrants' countries of origin, not at the border, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): There is a longer term problem here and a really longer term solution that is needed.

You have to work with the Central American countries and Latin American countries to really build up their economies and help them rid themselves of the drug cartels that are threatening and endangering so many of these folks and forcing them to flee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: El Paso immigration officials are also bracing for a surge in migrants with a court-ordered end of a Trump era border policy known as Title 42 that is expected on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, let's discuss this with Ron Brownstein, he is a CNN senior political analyst and a senior editor at "The Atlantic," he joins us now from Los Angeles.

Thanks again for being here with us. So let's start with immigration. The Biden administration under fire for the growing crisis at the border with that huge surge expected. The administration says it is prepared but it needs more help from Congress to approve funding,

Republicans, of course, accusing Biden of basically opening up the border and criticizing him for not actually visiting the border.

So how big of a political price are he and the Democrats paying right now on this issue?

[05:35:00]

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, it was a significant but ultimately second tier issue in the midterm. Polls show there is broad dissatisfaction with the way Biden has handled the border and the conditions at the border.

But as a motivating political issue it has primarily affected Republicans. Look, they have had enormous trouble finding a path that really satisfies either side. On the one hand, they are facing a situation in which Republican state attorneys general going sympathetic.

Republican appointed judges have really pursued a number of lawsuits that have hamstrung their efforts to unwind some of the harsher tactics that Trump used on the border.

And on the other side, they have really been unable to get through Congress any of the broader changes in immigration law, particularly legal status for young people brought here illegally by their parents, DREAMers, that they were anticipating.

So right now they are in a situation where they are holding thorns on both sides and, really, haven't been able to generate a lot of progress to either mollify the critics or to satisfy their supporters.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and speaking of DREAMers, some kind of immigration to help the immigration bill to help either the DREAMers or to support migrants as farm workers, those are the types of things Democrats had hoped to get done before the new Congress was sworn in in January, because, of course, the last gasp of power for Democrats in terms of controlling all the levers of the federal government.

But time is running out, the clock is ticking.

So what do you think if anything they will get done before they lose the House?

BROWNSTEIN: First, to underscore, Kim, your point about the clock ticking, since 1980, each time a party has lost the unified control of government, the Democrats have now, they have not gotten it back in less than 10 years. So that really underscores what the stakes are in these final weeks.

And look, it has been a productive lame duck session already with the passage of legislation providing more security for same-sex and interracial marriages. And now they have pretty much all of the cards playing on the one hand of the so-called omnibus bill that would fund the federal government through the coming months.

But also, potentially, have other elements attached to it. And the most significant of those is a bipartisan reform and revision of the so-called Electoral Count Act, which was passed in the 1880s.

And this reform would clean up some of the ambiguities and uncertainties in the original law that were part of Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

BRUNHUBER: Let's look then at how things will change in the new year when the Republicans take control of the House. They managed to, as you said, get some huge pieces of legislation done with bipartisan support and working with a few key Senate Republicans.

So now the Biden administration will be focusing on those as well as some potentially new House members from those swing districts, who have political incentive to show that they can work with Democrats.

So will that work and how modest do you think Democratic expectations should be for the next two years?

BROWNSTEIN: I think they are modest in the extreme. I mean the Republican caucus is really bifurcated in a way that it's going to make it hard for it to move forward on many areas of agreement with the Biden administration and the Democratic-controlled Senate.

On the one hand, roughly three quarters of the members of the Republican Party, the new Republican majority, are from districts that Trump won in 2020 by 10 points or more, which means they are from the heart of Trump country.

They believe that they were sent to Washington to confront, not cooperate, with Democrats. On the other hand, the majority, as you know, is based on the fact that there are 18 Republicans who won districts that voted for Biden in 2020.

More than half of those are in New York and California, states that are going to be tougher for Republicans to win in 2024 presidential year than they were in '22. And they have a very different (INAUDIBLE). I mean, they are looking for ways to show that they can work across party lines.

But they are going to be facing the reality that Kevin McCarthy, in the effort to become the Speaker, is being forced to make a lot of concessions to the Right that is, in all likelihood, going to point this majority on a path of almost unremitting confrontation, I think, with Biden.

Whatever that means, good or bad, for those last 18 or so members, who really need to have a different profile going into 2024.

BRUNHUBER: Some fascinating weeks ahead, we really appreciate your analysis as always, Ron Brownstein, thanks so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Russia says president Vladimir Putin has visited the command center coordinating his war against Ukraine. Morale is reportedly sinking among Russian forces.

[05:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Russia denies it needs more recruits. But it is rolling out a new campaign to persuade people to join the military. Listen to this translation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Participants in the special operation receive many benefits from the government. Sasha is happy. He now has the kind of salary he couldn't have even dreamed of before.

A new profession, new friends, career advancement, free health care for himself and his family, government benefits. Also the status of a combat veteran and therefore respect. Well done, Sasha. Be like Sasha.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Barbie Nadeau is tracking events from Rome.

So first, Barbie, Putin's visit there, what was behind that, do you think?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as we understand, it he has been canvassing his commanders, looking for proposals on how to go forward in the coming months.

And whether that is a way to end the war or whether that is a way to win the war it is hard to understand. Of course, right now, the focus is on infrastructure, which has been crippling to Ukraine as they try to repair some of these plants that have been bombed.

But asking the commanders to be involved going forward obviously makes them complicit in all that is going on, on a much more intimate level, I guess, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so you mentioned the war on infrastructure. Bring us up to speed on the power and water situation right now in Ukraine.

NADEAU: Well, we understand that 6 million people have been put back online in terms of electricity. But water is still a problem. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that it was a big problem right now, the water supply.

We understand, though, that he is back on it, Kim. And you know the middle of winter is going to be -- not much appreciated but probably not very long lived because these attacks on infrastructure have just been relentless for so many people, Kim. BRUNHUBER: Some of the other attacks, some of the worst of them have

happened in Kryvyi Rih. So take us through what has been happening there.

NADEAU: That is the scene of where that tragic incident happened with the 18-month old-baby and his parents, along with a 64-year-old woman, who were killed in an attack against a residential property.

But there have been some miraculous rescues here. So several children were pulled out of the rubble nearby. Let's watch this incredible rescue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

NADEAU (voice-over): You see signs like that, that's just an incredible rescue and a wonderful moment. But these are things that are much more reminiscent of a natural disaster, like an earthquake, not a man-made disaster, which this war really is. Kim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. All right. Appreciate the update. Barbie Nadeau in Rome.

All right. Time for a break. When we come back, have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You saw somebody die in front of you?

BONIFACE BARASA, CONTRACT WORKER: (from captions): Yes. Somebody collapsed and died and I think that was because of the harsh weather conditions.

BRUNHUBER: They faced brutal conditions bring the World Cup to light and many are still seeking justice. We'll have details on the new call to compensate Qatar's migrant workers coming up. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: FIFA and World Cup host country Qatar are facing new criticism over human rights abuses. Advocates are calling on organizers to do more for the migrant workers who helped make the tournament a reality.

They say workers and their families still deserve compensation for unpaid wages, injuries, even deaths. CNN's Larry Madowo joins us now from Doha with more.

Larry, there's this glitzy, showy world of the World Cup we see on TV. Then the real world that lies underneath, something you have been looking into.

What more can you tell us?

MADOWO: Kim, what I found is that the action on the pitch and the glamor of Qatar and the World Cup masks a really dark reality for the thousands of migrant workers who made it possible.

I've watched the games in the stadiums and at the park and none of this is possible without migrant laborers. They are from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan but also Uganda, Kenya and Ghana.

Many have gone unpaid for months, live in horrible conditions, work 14-16 hour days and don't get paid overtime. Sometimes they collapse from exhaustion.

That is why many human rights groups are calling for Qatar and FIFA to do a proper account of the rights abuses that migrant workers suffered in the building of the World Cup and during the tournament itself.

Qatar said about 30,000 migrant workers built the seven stadiums, thousands more were needed to build the metro, the airport terminal, hotels and other supporting infrastructure.

And yet FIFA has declared Qatar the best World Cup ever and it expects revenues of about $7.5 billion. That's $1 billion more than the Russia World Cup a few years ago.

But one human rights body, Human Rights Watch, is calling this, that it will be remembered as the most expensive sporting event ever and the most deadly because we don't know exactly how many people died during the building of this World Cup. Listen to the FIFA boss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIANNI INFANTINO, FIFA PRESIDENT: Those who came and those who were here to welcome them have actually discovered that what is said or what is thought or what is believed is not true, that you can spend time together and just enjoy and just have a good time and just know each other better.

And these people, when they go back home, they will speak about their experience. The people who stay here, they will speak about their experience and they will open up more to the others. And I think this is really an important non-football legacy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: The non-football legacy of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 remains that, for instance, that Human Rights Watch points out that the average migrant worker in Qatar ends $320 a year if they get paid.

Listen to this criticism from Amnesty International, that says, however good the football has been, the tournament has come at a heavy cost for hundreds of thousands of workers paid illegal recruitment fees, had wages stolen or even lost their lives.

These workers and families deserve compensation. And we are still waiting for FIFA and Qatar to commit to ensuring remedy for everyone who made this World Cup possible.

[05:50:00]

MADOWO: And that's why they're calling for migrant workers here in Qatar and some compensation fund for the many who did not get paid, who were injured or might have lost their lives in this process, including the two migrant workers who have died since this tournament began, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, as we get ready to enjoy the big game today, it's important to keep these issues still front and center in our lives. Larry Madowo in Doha, thank you very much.

We'll be right back.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Well, as the war grinds on in Ukraine, the country is gearing up for the holiday season. But the festivities will be subdued. In the capital, Kyiv, a scaled back artificial Christmas tree was set up in the central square. The residents welcomed it and said it was a symbol of their courage.

As the World Cup winds down in Qatar, Russian attacks haven't dulled Ukraine's passion for soccer. Kyiv has just hosted a youth soccer tournament. And as CNN's Will Ripley reports, some of the players have their own World Cup ambitions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Ukraine, ferocious fighting, not just on the front lines but the football field.

[05:55:00]

RIPLEY (voice-over): This youth tournament in Kyiv has 30 teams from all over Ukraine, including areas battered by regular Russian attacks.

"They've been training this whole time," says this dad from Dnipro in Eastern Ukraine. "They go to the bomb shelter when there is an air raid siren but then they keep training."

Tournament organizers say the fact it's even happening this year is a victory.

"I was so worried about the tournament," he says. "Today is the final. Our mission is to give these kids back their childhood."

Getting those kids to Kyiv from some of Ukraine's hardest-hit areas, a huge logistical challenge, not to mention keeping players and parents safe.

RIPLEY: Did you hear the explosions?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, of course, we all wake up.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Wednesday's Russian drone strike on Kyiv scattered wreckage all over their football training center when Ukrainian air defense shot the drones down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ukraine, it's about the brave people.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Bravery on and off the battlefield; 11-year-old Igor (ph) from Kyiv says his dream is to be on a national team and go to the World Cup.

This may not be the World Cup. But for these families, it's a fight for the future of Ukrainian football, a fight for the future of Ukraine.

"This is my motherland," says 11-year-old Pavlo (ph). He is from Dnipro, this year's tournament champions. As for the war, every Ukrainian here agrees, they're playing for the winning team -- Will Ripley, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: That's a great story.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. For viewers in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "LIVING GOLF."