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Ukraine Slams Moscow's Ceasefire Push as Hypocrisy; Postal Workers Maintain Lifeline for Elderly Ukrainians; McCarthy Still Can't Seal Deal as Speaker of U.S. House; Revelations Abound in Prince Harry's Upcoming Memoir; Former Pontiff Fondly Remembered at Vatican Funeral; Violent Clashes Break Out after Police Detain El Chapo's Son. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired January 06, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Vause.

[00:00:19]

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM. The guns will not fall silent in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas this weekend, despite a Russian offer for a temporary truce, which Ukraine has dismissed as a trivial ploy.

Eleven times no. And still, Kevin McCarthy pushes on with his bid to be elected speaker of the U.S. House.

And two princes literally at each other's throats. Fears of a new, but possibly mean stepmother in the palace. And then killing the baddies in Afghanistan. All the highlights from Harry's new book.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Ukraine has dismissed a Russian offer for a temporary cease- fire over the orthodox Christmas this weekend, describing it as a propaganda gesture and a trivial ploy.

Still, according to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a unilateral 36-hour-long pause in his special military operation, which is set to begin four hours from now.

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, initially called on both sides to observe a truce for orthodox Christmas, celebrated January 7.

Ukraine and its allies have reacted with skepticism, accusing Vladimir Putin of ulterior motives: trying to buy time for his military to re- arm, regroup and send in reinforcements.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Now they want to use Christmas as a coverage to at least briefly stop the advance of our guys in Donbas and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilizes men to our positions. What will this bring: just another increase in the death toll? (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: With us now from Washington is CNN contributor Jill Dougherty, who's also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She was a reporter. She spent decades covering Russia and Vladimir Putin and for many years was CNN's bureau chief in Moscow.

Good to see you, Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi John.

VAUSE: OK, so here's part of the official line coming from the Kremlin. "Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodox live" -- Orthodoxy, rather -- "live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as the Day of the Nativity of Christ."

But Ukraine made a point of celebrating Christmas a few weeks ago on December 25th, which was seen as being more aligned with Western countries. They still celebrate Christmas on January 7th. But U.S. President Joe Biden noted that Vladimir Putin did not propose any kind of pause in the fighting back then. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches and with the -- with -- on the 25th and New Year's. And I mean, I think he's trying to find some oxygen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Find some oxygen, when some public relations, maybe some propaganda, as well. This cease-fire seems to be about a lot of things, but celebrating the birth of the son of God, it's not really one of them, is it?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know it sounds humane, doesn't it? You know, Christmas, peace, let's have a cease-fire.

But I think if you put this in context, you know, religion in Russia and in Ukraine is really a diplomatic minefield. Because you have Patriarch Kirill, who is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, the person who decided, or dreamed up, this idea of a cease-fire. He is a rabid supporter of the war. He's actually said things like, the Russian troops who die in battle in Ukraine will have their sins, you know, forgiven by God.

So it's, you know, very political what we're going on.

We also have to look at the reaction by the Ukrainians, who said, you know, it's a cynical trap and an element of propaganda.

And then of course, there's the situation on the ground. Even if the Russians stop fighting, how would that work? So you know, we can -- there are many different sides to this, you're right.

VAUSE: And you brought up, you know, the Russian -- the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. He's the pro-Putin, pro-war cheerleader. The fact that it first came from him, this idea of a cease-fire, does that raise red flags from the get-go?

DOUGHERTY: Well, I think, you know, if you look at the relationship between Putin and Kirill, the head of the church, it's very tight right now. And the Russian Orthodox Church, again, is cheerleading for the war.

So if -- if, let's say, Kirill suggests this idea; Putin then orders it. That works well for Putin domestically, because he looks like a religious man who is, you know, following the dictates of the head of the church.

[00:05:11]

And then it also plays into, I think, that image that Russia wants of the world, that they are morally the best people in the world. They're peace-loving.

And you know, in this situation, let's say that the Ukrainians and the Ukrainians said, they're not going to abide by this. Then the Russians can point the finger and say, the warmongering Ukrainians are not going along with this cease-fire.

So, I don't want to sound too cynical. But I mean, there is a lot of subtext here.

VAUSE: Yes. I don't think you sound too cynical with this one. The German foreign minister was among many who made this point: "If Putin wanted peace, he would take his soldiers home, and the war would be over. But apparently, he wants to continue the war after a short break."

So there is the propaganda value which you pointed to, this unilateral cease-fire. And also, there is strategic value here, as well. I want you to listen to Ned Price from the U.S. State Department. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We believe this is a cynical ploy so that the Russians can use a bit of time, whether it is a couple of days or however long it ends up being, to rest, to rethink, to regroup and ultimately to re-attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: How badly does the Russian military need some kind of pause right now to try to regroup and rearm, given the success of that Ukrainian offensive that's been going on for the last couple of months?

DOUGHERTY: Yes. It appears that they definitely do. Especially on the ground. In the air war which they have been conducting, we've been seeing that over the past, you know, weeks, if not months of the air attack. They continue that on the ground, they are stymie. And even as you heard, a brief pause would help them to get back on track, presumably. It would at least help.

VAUSE: You know, Jill, there's a lot -- a lot in this proposed cease- fire, and you know, we'll see what happens. As you say, the Iranians have said that they will not be abiding by it. So we'll see how it plays out the next couple of days. Thanks, Jill.

DOUGHERTY: Sure.

VAUSE: A (UNINTELLIGIBLE) boost is heading for Ukraine's ground troops, with both the U.S. and Germany sending new infantry armored vehicles, including the U.S. Bradleys, which are used for both troop movement and as anti-tank weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. PATRICK RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: It's not a tank, but it's a tank killer. A Bradley is a armored vehicle that has a firepower capability that can deliver troops into combat. So again, it will provide a significant boost to Ukraine's already impressive armor capabilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Germany plans to send its Marder fighting vehicles along with U.S.-made Patriot defense system missiles. The announcements come ahead of an expected increase in fighting in the coming months.

As the war grinds on, so too does life for ordinary Ukrainians. Many of the elderly depend on pensions, which are difficult to deliver in a war zone.

CNN's Ben Wedeman went to the front lines, to a town in Eastern Ukraine, where postal workers serve as a lifeline for many elderly and retired residents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sometimes a morning stroll to the post office is not just a stroll.

The town of Siversk has been on the firing line for months. But a few, mostly the elderly, hang on with dogged determination. And on this day, the post office, a mobile post office, has come to town.

Oleksiy Virobiyov (ph) heads the local military administration and urges residents not to bunch up, just in case shelling starts.

They're waiting to pick up their modest state pensions. For most, just around $100 a month. But enough to buy supplies from the handful of shops still open. Getting the job done safely is a challenge.

"We're trying to choose the right time and place," Oleksiy (ph) says. "But this is war. Today it's like this, and tomorrow it can be totally different."

Russian forces on the distant ridge are just a few miles away.

WEDEMAN: Rain or shine, or shelling, the people from the post office come here once a month to hand out pensions. Without those pensions, the few people remaining here would not be able to survive.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): In the cold, they wait patiently for their turn.

"This is essential," says Ludmila (ph). "We have nothing. Only water in the well. No electricity, no gas, nothing since March."

Living in constant danger for months on end, they get by on stoic fatalism.

"I was born here," says Olga (ph). "This is my motherland. I'm not going anywhere. What will be, will be."

[00:10:04]

Anna Fesenko (ph) runs the mobile post office. Is she afraid, I ask her?

"It's a good question," she answers. "We just feel people need us. When you enter the town, you probably thought no one is here, but look how many are here. Someone needs to come here and give pensions. If not us, who?"

Despite the gloom of war, the mail -- or rather the pensions -- always get through.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Siversk, Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Eleven votes over the past three days, and there's still no speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington.

Lawmakers reconvene at noon in the day ahead to try, try and try again. The chaos has brought government business to a standstill. It's now the longest contest for speaker in 164 years.

GOP leader Kevin McCarthy is negotiating with a small group of holdouts. And even a series of major concessions has not swayed those so-called "never Kevins."

At one point on Thursday, Republican Matt Gaetz nominated Donald Trump to be speaker. The former president received one vote, from Matt Gaetz.

Meanwhile, McCarthy says he's not threatening to strip committee assignments from anyone who voted against him. And he's not putting a time line on his bid to be speaker.

Details now from CNN's Manu Raju.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Eleven times in a row Kevin McCarthy has failed to get the 218 votes he needs to be elected speaker.

It has been 100 years since a speaker's race has gone to multiple ballots. It's been since the mid-1800s since the speaker's race has gone for this many ballots.

And Kevin McCarthy is not yet where he needs to be, the 218 votes he needs to be elected speaker. But behind the scenes, he has been negotiating, he and his allies, along with some of those holdouts to try to assuage their concerns, try to bring them over to his side.

He has proposed a number of measures to give them more power. Give the rank-and-file members, especially members of the far-right Freedom Caucus. Some of those numbers denying him the ascension speakership. Getting them more power, more say over the legislative process. The ability to call for a vote to oust the sitting speaker.

Now under the rules proposed by McCarthy, one member could do that. That is down from conference rules that about half of the Republican Congress, 111 members initially, would be able to do that.

McCarthy's gone all the way down. To have one member, which raises concerns about keeping the speakership stable. The stability of the speakership, assuming he gets the job.

Now McCarthy, in speaking to him, late -- soon after the final failed vote on Thursday, was confident he will ultimately get there. He just didn't know when.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): The entire conference will have to learn how to work together. So it's better that we go through this process right now. So that we can achieve the things we want to achieve for the American public. What our commitment was.

So if this takes a little longer, and it doesn't meet your deadline, that's OK. Because it's not -- its not how you start. It's how you finish.

RAJU: But even if a deal is raised with some of those dissidents, and McCarthy and his allies, that doesn't mean that he's going to get the 218 votes right away.

There are other members who have different concerns. They're trying to work out an agreement with those members who have those different areas of concern. Can they get there with those members after cutting those deals? That still remains to be seen.

So if he does get this deal, he's got some more work to do, which means a lot of people think this is going into next week, at least, to see if McCarthy can get the votes and if not, maybe even beyond.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Joining us now is CNN senior political commentator, Scott Jennings. He served as a former special assistant to Republican president George W. Bush.

Thanks for staying up, Scott. Good to see you.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you. Thank you.

Here's a little more now from Kevin McCarthy, kind of applying a little bit of lipstick to a pig. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCARTHY: I think we're having good discussions. I think everybody wants to find a solution. And the good thing about it is we work it all out at the beginning, so the rest of the Congress will be very productive for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Yes, right. When he says discussions, what he means is giving in to the hostage takers and getting very little back, right? So does there come a point when he starts losing support among the garden- variety Republican lawmakers, because he's made too many concessions to the so-called Taliban 20?

JENNINGS: Well, there was some discussion of that today among some of the Republican members of the House that you've never heard of. You know, people that just sort of are backbenchers and serve on various committees that aren't terribly famous, but they make up a core of Kevin McCarthy's support.

And there was some discussion that, you know, this deal that he's trying to cut with some of these 20 holdouts may ultimately rankle or drive some of them away.

I still think he's the most likely person to win this race. He does have a few hundred votes, after all. His main problem, though, is of the 20 holdouts, there appear to be between between five and eight who don't want any deal at all.

They just don't like him personally, and that's different than horse trading. You know, that's -- that's a real personal issue. And can you woo any of them or at least get them to vote "present"? Not clear that he has a plan on that part yet.

[00:15:13]

VAUSE: You know, well, across the Republican Party, there does seem to be agreement on one thing: the last few days do not reflect well on the GOP. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an embarrassment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A circus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dung. Crap.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Petulance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spectacle.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: A temper tantrum.

KARL ROVE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: An utter unmitigated disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: This was meant to be the easy vote. What happens when it's time to raise the debt ceiling?

And then all the concessions McCarthy is likely to make House rules, having the effect of speaker -- weaken the role of speaker, you know, that will be shaping up to be an unmitigated disaster. But the consequences will be far greater than the side show we're watching right now play out on the floor of the House.

JENNINGS: Yes. The deal that he's trying to cut with some of these holdouts, it really would empower the most conservative elements of the Republican conference.

And these are people who in the past have advocated for things like shutting down the government if they don't get their way, and being really intransigent when it comes to dealing with the Senate and the White House.

So these people have real opinions about the way they think things ought to be. But the problem is they're in a different party than the people who control the Senate and there White House, so there is going to have to be some compromise.

But by empowering them, you're essentially empowering the people least willing to compromise at a time when we know in a few months, as you pointed out, the government is going to have to come together in a bipartisan way to, say, raise the debt limit and do other things. So this does portend for a bit of a chaotic couple of years for the U.S. House.

VAUSE: But amid the deafening sounds of days and days of discordant and angry voices, there was one lawmaker who, with reason and calm, urged their colleagues to end the bitter division and work together. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I really want to see us to come together. There's an important race coming up in 2024, and Republicans, we have to prove to the country that we can be trusted to lead. And that's why we need to work this out as soon as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: What sort of dire straits is the Republican Party in when QAnon believer and Holocaust denier Marjorie Taylor Greene is the voice of reason?

JENNINGS: Yes, well, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every know and again. And it's a little strange to hear her out there, sort of talking sense, but she's not wrong. The party does need to show the American people that it can be trusted with government responsibility. This is one of the things that held it back in the midterm.

We lost a lot of Senate races because independent voters decided, well, we don't like Biden, but we don't really trust the Republicans yet. This doesn't help with that.

And we can get over this and maybe turn things around, but if this is the way it's going to be for two years, you know, the American people, I think, want boring, sort of normal government. This is the opposite of that. This is sort of anxiety-inducing government, which I think they had quite enough of under Donald Trump.

VAUSE: Yes. There's this hope that it will just go back to normal, where the government just gets on with what it does and people just don't know about it.

That doesn't seem to be possible, though, if you look at the current environment. And it's just getting worse. It's not getting back to anything like normality.

JENNINGS: Yes, and the people that are being powered by Kevin McCarthy in his quest to become the speaker, they're the most confrontational. Right? They're the ones who want to create the most conflict in the government with Democrats, with Joe Biden.

And some of that's OK. There's legitimate oversight and investigations to be done.

But constant conflict, constant confrontation and constant sort of desire to pummel the other side instead of try to find a few areas of common ground, I don't think that's really where the American people are right now, and that would be a strategic mistake if that's the way this House goes for the next two years.

VAUSE: Yes. It's exhausting already. Scott, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

VAUSE: Well, former Pope Benedict has now been laid to rest, marking an historic moment in American history. Just ahead, we'll explain why this funeral was unlike any other in modern times.

Also, family drama, drug use, killing in Afghanistan, dramatic revelations from the Duke of Sussex, that's up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:21:20]

VAUSE: Welcome back. Explosive new details have been leaked to the British media ahead of the official release of Prince Harry's new book, "Spare."

According to "The Sun" and "The Mail" online, Harry reportedly begged his father not to marry Camilla, who is now queen consort. He reportedly wrote, "I remember wondering if she would be cruel to me; if she would be like all the other evil stepmothers in the stories."

According to "The Telegraph," Harry also claimed to have killed dozens of people during his two tours of duty with the British army in Afghanistan. He said he considered them chess pieces that have been taken off the board and that he used to watch footage of each kill recorded by the helicopter camera after recording to -- after returning to base.

Harry wrote, "So my number is 25. It's not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me." He boiled it down to eliminating the, quote, "baddies" before they could kill "goodies."

The prince's memoir, "Spare," is set to be released on Tuesday. CNN royal correspondent Max Foster reports on what else the new book reveals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR (voice-over): New year, new set of revelations from Prince Harry about his family. The British newspaper "The Guardian" managing to obtain a copy of his new autobiography, entitled "Spare."

In it, the newspaper says, he describes an argument with his brother at Kensington Palace.

The alleged fight started when William called Meghan "difficult," "rude" and "abrasive," painting a vivid picture of the incident. Harry writes that the Prince of Wales grabbed him by the collar, ripping his necklace, and knocking him to the floor.

Harry says he landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under his back, with pieces cutting into him.

CNN has reached out to Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace, who have declined to comment on the alleged altercation. So has a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan.

To promote the book, the prince spoke to U.K. and U.S. media about his relationship with the family and his future role in the monarchy. In an interview with Britain's ITV network, he was asked this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you still believe in the monarchy?

PRINCE HARRY, UNITED KINGDOM: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe you will play a part in its future?

PRINCE HARRY: I don't know.

FOSTER (voice-over): And as royal preparations are largely underway for King Charles' coronation later this year, Prince Harry put his attendance into question, saying in the ITV interview, there's a lot that can happen between now and then.

PRINCE HARRY: The door is always open. The ball is in their court. There's a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.

FOSTER (voice-over): In a snippet from an upcoming "Good Morning America" interview with the prince, Harry was said to have described William in his book as a beloved brother and archnemesis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you mean by that?

PRINCE HARRY: There has always been this competition between us, weirdly. I think it really plays into -- or is played by the heir- spare.

FOSTER (voice-over): Since tying the knot in 2018, Harry and Meghan's relationship with the royal family has been under intense scrutiny.

And with the release of the couple's Netflix documentary last month, the pair's personal rift with the monarchy has never been far from the headlines.

Although critics question Harry and Meghan's motives for going public, with very private problems, Harry as said that he just wants to take control of his narrative and ultimately get his father and brother back, longing for a family, he says, rather than an institution.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: U.S. President Joe Biden did not attend the funeral for the Pope Benedict at the Vatican, but he did travel to the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington on Thursday and signed the condolence book for Benedict.

[00:25:07]

President Biden is a devout Catholic, who was overheard telling officials there that it was a great honor to meet with Benedict when he was still pope.

At the request of Benedict, the funeral was relatively modest by papal standards but nonetheless, historic.

More details now from CNN's Delia Gallagher in Vatican City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN ITALY AND VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Veiled by fog, the sun rose on St. Peter's Square, just as it set on the life of the pope emeritus, Benedict XVI.

Hours before the ceremony began, a dash from the faithful for prime placement, after nearly 200,000 saw the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger lying in state over three days.

He was brought out one final time. Fifty thousand filled St. Peter's Square to honor the first pope to resign his position in more than half a millennium.

A muted crowd, a smaller ceremony following Benedict's own wishes. Attended by just a handful of dignitaries. Modest compared to the some 1.1 million who turned out for the last papal funeral, John Paul II, over which Cardinal Ratzinger himself presided in 2005.

There is this funeral marked an extraordinary moment, unique in Catholic history, a pope presiding over the funeral of a predecessor who resigned the post.

It was a far cry from the last time a pope lived to see his successor. Pope Celestine V was thrown in jail by his successor when he resigned in 1294.

Pope Francis, far more liberal to Benedict's conservatism, showed enduring respect for his fellow Catholic and delivered the homily.

POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): Benedict, faithful friend of the bridegroom, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice now and forever.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): In so many ways, a ceremony utterly familiar to any Catholic, which pay tribute to the global faithful who Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has come to represent. And as Pope Francis pleaded with the Virgin Mary to show benefit comfort, the ceremony was brought to a close.

Santo Subito, the crowd urged. Make him a saint now, just as they chanted for John Paul II before him.

Benedict, blessed by Francis and carried by the papal gentlemen, brought to St. Peter's Basilica. His coffin sealed in zinc and a second wood coffin, buried in the Vatican grottos alongside scores of his forebears.

Delia Gallagher, CNN, Vatican City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: When we come back, travelers from China facing more restrictions from more countries concerned over a surge in COVID outbreak. The very latest in a live report from Hong Kong when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:39]

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN's room.

Sweden and Germany are the latest to join a growing list of countries placing restrictions on travelers arriving from mainland China. Renewed COVID infections have been soaring in recent weeks. CNN's Ivan Watson has the very latest now, reporting in from Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hospital hallways crowded with sick people, patients treated on sidewalks, and lines of vans waiting for entry to busy funeral homes. A huge COVID-19 outbreak is battering China, the sure coming more than three years after the virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Chinese state television says medical workers are stepping up to meet the challenge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We have expanded the ward, added more beds, brought in more beds. We brought in experienced doctors to work with the young ones to get them up to speed quicker.

WATSON (voice-over): But social media footage shows hospitals in China's wealthiest cities clearly inundated with patients, and a recent Chinese study projects infections won't surge in less developed rural parts of the country until later this month.

Officially, as of Thursday, only 24 people in all of China died from COVID-19 since December 7, according to China's CDC, with only six COVID victims in Beijing.

MR. ZHANG, BEIJING: That is totally ridiculous, not credible, you know. As far as I know, my close relatives, among them, there are four that died already. That is from one family. So I hope the government will honestly and credibly tell its people and people in the world what's really happened here.

WATSON (voice-over): Last month, CNN journalists filmed bodies stored in containers awaiting cremation at one Beijing funeral home. The World Health Organization criticizing China for under-representing the severity of its outbreak and not sharing enough real data on the scale of the outbreak.

DR. MIKE RYAN, WHO EMERGENCIES PROGRAM DIRECTOR: We believe that the current numbers being published from China under-represent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions and, particularly, in terms of deaths. And we would like to see more data on a more geographic basis across China.

WATSON (voice-over): Beijing's decision to allow citizens to travel internationally, ending years of self-imposed isolation, just as the virus spreads out of control, has triggered a global debate. A growing number of governments imposing travel restrictions ranging from the U.S., which requires pre-flight COVID tests to Morocco, which temporary banned all travel from China. Beijing is now threatening reciprocal measures.

The growing international dispute of little concern to Chinese families that are struggling with the sudden loss of loved ones. Some statistical models predict China could lose more than a million people due to COVID-19.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Officials in Beijing have disputed those claims by the World Health Organization that China has downplayed the severity of the current outbreak and is refusing to share crucial data.

For more on that, Kristie Lu Stout is live for us this hour in Hong Kong.

You know, there has always been concern about transparency in China. This is not a country that often likes to share information, doesn't like to let people and keeps everything close to its chest, and lies at times.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Absolutely, so it is rather uncanny when you have China reporting some of the lowest COVID-19 death tolls in the world right now.

Earlier today, China officially reported five new deaths caused by COVID-19 for January the 5th. Compare that to only one new death the day earlier.

And that remarkably low number simply does not match the scenes that played out in Ivan Watson's story that we just aired of the overwhelmed hospitals in Beijing.

It also does not match what we're going to bring up and share with you right now, the video that has just came in of an overwhelmed hospital in Hangzhou, China, of crowded rooms and chaos taking place there.

And this is why China has been accused by the World Health Organization and by world leaders for under reporting and under- representing the scope and scale of its runway COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:35:06]

But if you talk to China's ministry of foreign affairs, they would insist that, ever since the start of the pandemic, China has always been, quote, "open and transparent."

In fact, let's bring up the remarks that were shared on Thursday afternoon at the MOFA briefing, according to Mao Ning, who said, quote, "Facts have proven that China has always maintained close communication with the WHO and shared information and data on the epidemic in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with law," unquote. She goes on to say, "China's COVID situation is under control," unquote.

The World Health Organization this week says that China has underrepresented the toll of the outbreak in terms of ICU admissions, in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of deaths.

Concerns have also been raised by the U.S. president, Joe Biden, as well as the health ministers of France and Germany. And speaking of Germany, Germany has now joined the growing list of governments around the wrote that are now imposing restrictions on travelers from China.

Let's show you the updated map. It has been updated to include Germany, as well as Sweden, as well as Greece. They will now require proof of a negative COVID test for all arrivals from China.

And China's response? We've been open and transparent throughout, and such measures are, quote, "unacceptable."

Back to you, John.

VAUSE: Kristie, we appreciate the update. Kristie Lu Stout there, live for us in Hong Kong.

A short break now, but when we come back, Mexican police have arrested the son of a drug kingpin, and drug cartel members reacted, well, with violence, blocking roads, setting vehicles on fire. All those details in a moment.

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VAUSE: Before U.S. President Joe Biden travels to the Southern border with Mexico this weekend, he unveiled new measures aimed at discouraging migrants from entering the United States illegally while encouraging them to make a formal application.

Under this plan, up to 30,000 migrants will be allowed to legally enter each month from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and Cuba. But in announcing this new program, Biden stressed that it was not a long- term solution to the ongoing border crisis.

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BIDEN: Look, we should all recognize that, as long as America is the land of freedom and opportunity, people are going to try to come here, and that's what many of our ancestors did. And it's no surprise that it is happening again today.

We can't stop people from making the journey, but we can require them to come here, that they come here in an orderly way under U.S. law.

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VAUSE: The president attends a leader summit in Mexico City this weekend, and he will stop in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday. But it will be his first attempt to assess the situation as president, and there, you'll meet with local officials about the recent surge of migrants crossing over from Mexico into the United States. Well, the son of notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is now

in police custody in Mexico. Authorities arrested Ovidio Guzman in a dramatic operation that led to violent clashes between police and drug cartel members.

CNN's Rafael Romo has our report.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Residents in the Mexican northern city of Culiacan woke up to what seemed to many like a war zone.

Roads were blocked throughout the city, including this one, leading to the airport. This is how criminal groups responded after this man, Ovidio Guzman-Lopez, was detained by Mexican security forces.

His arrest produced clashes between cells of his criminal game and Mexican security forces.

Mexican defense minister Cresencio Sandoval said that, after Guzman's detention, cells from his criminal group staged 19 blockades and armed attacks in different parts of the city, including its international airport and an air force base.

Ovidio Guzman-Lopez, also known as the Mouse, is the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The former leader of the Sinaloa cartel was convicted in the U.S. in 2019 of ten counts related to leading a criminal organization, drug trafficking, and firearms charges.

He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

ROMO: Mexico defense minister Sandoval said Ovidio, El Chapo's son, leads the criminal group known as the Minors (ph), part of the Cartel of the Pacific, which is responsible for violence in four Mexican states and the country's Northwest region.

ROMO (voice-over): And according to the U.S. State Department, "Law enforcement investigations indicate Olivio and his brother, Juaquin Guzman-Lopez, function in high-level command and control roles of their own drug-trafficking organization, the Guzman-Lopez Transnational Criminal Organization, under the umbrella of the Sinaloa Cartel."

The Mexican government had already tried to capture Ovidio Guzman- Lopez in October 2019. After he was detained, the Sinaloa cartel unleashed a heavily armed fighting force.

A gun battle in the streets of Culiacan ensued, putting the lives of countless civilians at risk.

It quickly became painfully obvious the Sinaloa cartel had outmaneuvered and overpowered Mexican security forces. In the end, Mexican authorities decided to release Guzman to prevent further bloodshed.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: I'm John Vause. Thank you for watching. We'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM.

But first, please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after a very short break. I'll see you right back here in about 17 minutes from now. Thanks for watching.

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