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Biden To Discuss Migration With Mexican, Canadian Leaders; Mccarthy Faces Challenges As New Speaker; Russia Launches Strikes On Tail End Of "Cease-Fire"; Iran Executes Two Men Tied To Protests; Details Emerge In Idaho Multiple Murder Investigation; China Reopens Borders After Three Years Of Zero COVID-19; Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin Showing Signs Of Recovery; Prince Harry's Memoir: "Spare". Aired 5-6a ET
Aired January 08, 2023 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and right around the world, I'm Paula Newton.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, we are hours away from Joe Biden's visit to the U.S.-Mexico border. I will speak to a nonprofit director about what she hopes to see come out of his first visit to the frontier as U.S. president.
Plus, reports of new Russian strikes right across Ukraine. All this on the heels of what was supposed to be a Russian ceasefire. We will have a live report from Kyiv.
And for the first time since his cardiac arrest on a football field, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is speaking out on social media. What he is saying about his recovery so far.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Paula Newton.
NEWTON: So for the first time since taking office, President Biden is expected to visit the U.S. southern border in the hours ahead. Officials say he will assess immigration enforcement operations in El Paso, Texas, where border crossings have surged so much, the city recently declared a state of emergency.
The president's visit comes after he announced new executive measures to stem the tide and called on Congress to take action as well. Listen.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If the most extreme Republicans continue to demagogue this issue and reject solutions, I'm left with only one choice, to act on my own, do as much as I can on my own, to try to change the atmosphere.
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NEWTON: CNN's Arlette Saenz has more on Mr. Biden's border plans.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden will make his first trip as president to the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday, visiting El Paso, Texas, a city that has seen a surge in migrants in recent weeks.
Officials here at the White House say the president wants to get an assessment of the border security situation on the ground there. And he will meet and hear from officials with Customs and Border Protection.
The president will also be joined on this trip by Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Officials said the president wants to learn more about the efforts to stem fentanyl flow into the country.
This all comes as the president has faced pressure not just to visit the border but also address these issues regarding the border, as it has quickly become a political liability for President Biden.
The Texas governor, a Republican, Greg Abbott, said that it's about time that President Biden paid that visit down to the U.S.-Mexico border.
But on the other hand, the president has also accused Republicans of engaging in demagoguery, saying they need to come to the table to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which this White House says is the only way to fully ease these issues relating to the border.
Earlier this week, President Biden did announce a new expansion of a migration program. The U.S. will be expanding the humanitarian parole program for four countries -- Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela -- allowing up to 30,000 migrants each month to apply to come to the U.S. from those countries through that program.
But it also includes plans to expedite expelling those migrants who come from those countries but have not applied through legal processes to get here.
After this trip down to the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, President Biden will travel down to Mexico City for the North American Leaders' Summit. It is there he will meet with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and also Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is a key partner when it comes to addressing issues of migration.
The White House says migration is not the only topic that will be discussed; they also will be talking about security and other economic issues as well -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Marisa Limon Garza is the executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and she joins me now.
It is good to have you weigh in on what has been an incredibly stressful few years and now few weeks at the border.
What would you like to see come out of the president's visit and perhaps, maybe more realistically, what do you expect to see?
MARISA LIMON GARZA, LAS AMERICAS IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY CENTER: So what I would love for President Biden to see is the realities here at the southern border here in El Paso, Texas.
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GARZA: We have been kind of the front door to migration for many, many generations. And seeing the realities of what's come after the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout this time has really made it clear that migration is simply not going away.
This is something that we can't continue to disavow. And it's something that the president needs to really take on full-heartedly.
I fear that he may spend most of his time in a quick visit with our enforcement agencies, which are an important part of the solution but are certainly not the only people really trying to meet the needs of the people on the move.
And I would love for him to visit with the humanitarian service providers, who are offering space and shelter, doing so much with so little, to make sure people have protection from the elements and from all of the conditions that they are facing.
NEWTON: And there have been so many organizations trying to meet the need. I know that there is fear that those organizations can no longer meet the need.
Given the policies that the White House announced this week, what does it mean now for migrants?
Is there the real and present danger now of increased deportations, given the fact that, you know, as we see it now, you know, they are allowing up to 30,000 more migrants to enter but then the rest can very legally now be deported?
GARZA: Exactly. It's created a unique strain for the migrant community here in the region. And it's a reality that people are going to have to make some very difficult decisions for themselves and really be excluded.
The people that will benefit, which is an incredible benefit for them to be able to seek that kind of protection with a U.S.-based sponsor and supporter, will have to do that from other parts of the interior of Mexico and other countries, including their own original country. So that puts a burden. There's other things that are required, whether it's a valid passport
and other items that many people will be out of reach from. So it will be very curious to see how different countries respond at this moment.
We know that Mexico has made guarantees to provide safety for many of the people. But we know that the shelters are at and above capacity. So it's going to be a very difficult moment to see how this will all play out and will impact people that are trying to flee and gain safety and protection, which is obviously their legal right.
NEWTON: And the issue is so complicated, depending on the country you are seeking refuge from. This issue, I don't have to remind you, has consistently divided politicians and communities for so long.
I want to read you, though, and I'm sure you have seen it, the Border Patrol union tweeted, "As Biden and Harris sit around D.C., patting themselves on the back and lying about the border, things in the real world continue to deteriorate at record-setting levels.
"Rampant lawlessness, dead bodies piling up and human suffering are not part of the gated fantasyland they live in."
You know, that is quite a tweet. They have been very vocal as an organization.
Is it fair to say, though, that there are community members along the border that feel the same way as the Border Patrol right now?
GARZA: There likely are. The reality is that it's a complex and challenging situation. And it takes more than just an enforcement agency to be able to support this.
We know that these moments require all hands on deck from all parts of government. And so the agencies that are making these statements, you know, are very much beholden to how they would like to see the world operate.
And somewhere probably in the middle is where we actually are, not so far to either end of the spectrum. It's important that we continue to encourage community members to understand the realities that people are facing and understand that we do need more support in order to manage this.
But it shouldn't always be a punitive effort to make people be deterred and not come at all. There has to be a way to have a humane solution.
NEWTON: Thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
GARZA: Thank you.
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NEWTON: The White House says President Biden called Kevin McCarthy on Saturday to congratulate him on becoming Speaker of the House. But McCarthy's win came after four days, I will remind you, of embarrassing losses before he got the majority he needed on that 15th ballot.
Those six present votes were the so-called Never Kevin caucus, who finally relented as McCarthy made one major concession to them. It was one after another. Now those concessions could greatly weaken McCarthy as he attempts to enact a conservative Republican agenda.
On paper, McCarthy appears to have surrendered much of his power to the far right. The Republicans have set an aggressive agenda that goes heavy on investigations into the Biden administration and the president's family.
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NEWTON: Now we will get a preview of McCarthy's leadership abilities on Monday, that soon, when the House takes up a controversial set of new rules. Here is what the new speaker had to say as he tries to look ahead.
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QUESTION: How do you expect to govern this way that has been taking this long to get the conference united?
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: See, this is the great part. Because it took this long, now we've learned how to govern so now we will be able to get the job done.
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NEWTON: One of the most memorable and quite frankly disturbing images of the chaotic floor fight was a tense exchange, after Matt Gaetz humiliated McCarthy with a vote that cost him the win in the 14th ballot.
McCarthy, who had believed he had the votes, went straight to Gaetz. At first, Gaetz wouldn't budge and called for the House to adjourn until Monday. Some fellow Republicans, you know, they were furious.
At one point, as a dejected McCarthy walked away, I mean, just look at his face, a very angry Mike Rogers had to be restrained from moving toward Gaetz. This was an ugly scene that played out live on television and showed the depth of animosity that's been brewing among the rival Republican factions.
Republican Tim Burchett was getting close to Gaetz and now he recounts what happened. Listen.
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REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): It was very late, you realize that both sides have some older members and it was getting late. And I suspect most of them missed the early bird special at the Sizzler. So they were getting a little cantankerous,
And Mike, who is a friend of mine, came by and said some things, probably in haste, as a lot of us do, and probably responded to him with some things.
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NEWTON: OK. People in California are bracing for another wave of rain and snowstorms. Storms are expected to dump even more water on overwhelmed areas. More than 15 million people at this hour in California are under flood watches until at least early next week.
And the power has reportedly gone out already for more than half a million homes and businesses. Now up to 6 inches of rain is expected to fall right across the region through Sunday morning. Flash floods and landslides also expected. Heavy snowfall is predicted for the Sierras as well.
In our next hour, we will have a live report from the CNN Weather Center as this storm continues to hit California.
I want you to take a look at these live pictures from Hawaii's big island, where the latest eruption of the Kilauea volcano is providing, yes, spectacular views. The eruption is confined to a closed area of Hawai?i Volcanoes National Park and authorities have lowered the alert levels for people in aircraft.
High levels of volcanic gas are the primary concern, of course. When the volcanic gas meets the atmosphere, it turns into a visible haze. And I know you remember this from last month. It is known as vog or volcanic smog.
A ceasefire that existed only on paper is followed by full-blown fighting in Ukraine. Ahead for us, reports of new strikes after a day when Moscow had promised to keep those guns silent.
Plus, Iran says it has executed two more people tied to protests. The latest on how the world is responding to this brutal crackdown ahead.
And nearly a week since his shocking onfield collapse, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is thanking the public for their support as his team gets ready to play the New England Patriots Sunday.
And before we go to break, I want you to look at this: Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans holding a moment of prayer for Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin. And that was prior to kickoff on Saturday night.
We will be right back.
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NEWTON: Reports of new fighting are pouring in on the heels of a ceasefire that never really made it to Ukraine. We are getting word of Russian missile strikes in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.
Ukraine says Russian artillery also hit a number of other cities on Saturday. This after Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to hold their fire so orthodox Christians could mark Christmas.
Ukraine's president says there's only one way to restore peace in his country.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It has been confirmed once again, only the expulsion of Russian invaders from the Ukrainian land and the removal of any opportunity for Russia to exert pressure on Ukraine and Europe will result in the restoration of cease-fire, security and peace.
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NEWTON: Meantime, the leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner is making it clear he's not giving up on trying to capture the city of Bakhmut. Down south, we are receiving reports of massive explosions in the occupied city of Melitopol. Scott McLean is in Kyiv for us.
Scott, Christmas Day came and went, much as many expected it would, right, with residents living in fear and new missile strikes.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. So our colleagues, who are in Eastern Ukraine, actually heard seven explosions last night in Kramatorsk. This was shortly after 11:00 local time. So just minutes after that 36-hour unilaterally declared ceasefire by the Russians would have ended.
Also, still, technically, Christmas Day here in Ukraine. The local governor of the Donetsk region said those were Russian missile strikes, he also said two other missile strikes hit a town nearby, hitting a school and an industrial facility.
As you mentioned, further north in Kharkiv the local governor there says, outside of the city, two Russian missiles came down on an industrial facility and killed a 50-year-old man. He also says that, closer to the front lines, there was continued shelling throughout the day, despite this so-called 36-hour ceasefire being in place.
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MCLEAN: But the Ukrainians are also claiming that they hit a Russian military base deep into Russian-held territory, the city of Melitopol, and the Russians also said that the Ukrainians managed to damage two geothermal power plants in Donetsk.
The Wagner boss, in his determination to capture Bakhmut in Eastern Ukraine, he said what makes it so attractive is the natural defenses it has due to the geography and the waterways and also that it has salt and gypsum mines that make ideal storage places for weapons and also for troops as well.
So what makes it attractive is also part of the reason why it has been so difficult for the Russians to make any headway there.
NEWTON: Yes, brutal. In fact, a savage battle that continues ongoing in Bakhmut.
I want to ask you -- and there's been a lot of debate about why the U.S. isn't sending tanks in its latest military aid package, which we should say is substantial.
MCLEAN: It is multibillion dollar aid package. It is truly an orthodox Christmas gift for the Ukrainians. It includes missiles, ammunition, armored vehicles and also the Bradley fighting vehicles as well.
The Ukrainians have also got commitments for a similar kind of vehicles from France and Germany. The Bradley fighting vehicles, they look a lot like a tank and the Americans think that they will make a really big difference in getting the Ukrainians to punch through that front line and really try to change the game.
But they're less armored than a tank. So it's not the same thing. Of course, the Ukrainians have been asking for proper tanks. The reason, part of the reason why the U.S. hasn't sent them yet, is the Pentagon says that, frankly, their tanks come with a lot of headaches.
They require a lot of training. They also are huge gas guzzlers and they're very complicated to actually maintain. So the Americans are hoping that other allied countries will step up and send Ukraine their tanks instead, Paula.
NEWTON: OK. Scott McLean. Appreciate the update for us in Kyiv. Thank you.
Now in Iran, state media report authorities have executed two more men linked to anti-government protests. Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were hanged Saturday after being tried in an Iranian court. At least two other men were executed last month.
Nations around the world are condemning the killings, including the United States. In a tweet, the State Department says, in part, it condemns Iran's, quote, "sham trials and the execution of two more men in the strongest terms."
The U.S. will continue to work with partners to pursue accountability for Iran's brutal crackdown.
For more we are joined by Nada Bashir, she joins us from London.
Inside and outside Iran, this protest movement continues. But it has been so brutal inside the country. And one wonders, even through condemnation, if countries -- other countries can actually have an impact on the regime right now.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Paula. These latest executions are just another example of how brutal the Iranian regime is willing to be in order to quell these ongoing anti-regime protests. As you mentioned, a further two young men were hanged, executed early
Saturday morning, just 21 and 20 years old. Mohammad Mehdi Karami, a karate champion, and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, a volunteer children's coach, both are said to have faced torture while they were in detention.
According to the Iranian judiciary, they were convicted in December, said to have taken part in those protests but later convicted for allegedly killing a member of the Basij. That is Iran's paramilitary force.
We've heard from rights groups, saying these two individuals faced a forced confession which was used against them as evidence in court, eventually leading to their execution. But this is something, of course, that mirrors the reality that many are now facing in Iran.
We've heard from one rights group, Iran HR, based in Norway, which says it believes that many more political prisoners, people who have taken part in these protests, could be facing the prospect of execution in the coming days if there isn't a strong enough response from the international community.
According to that same rights group, nearly 50 people have been detained -- rather, been killed since protests began, hundreds others detained, facing imprisonment for their participation in these demonstrations.
This has drawn widespread international condemnation. We've heard from the U.S., U.K., Australia, the U.N. and European Union, all calling on Iran to bring an end to the death penalty.
Concern is that we have heard that condemnation for weeks since these protests began. We have seen sanctions put in place against the Iranian regime. And despite all of that, we are still every day seeing the brutality of the regime against the peaceful protesters.
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NEWTON: It has been chilling to see the faces of those men before they were executed. Nada Bashir in London, thank you.
Just ahead for us, China reopens to the world after years of zero COVID restrictions. We will explain what it means for families and businesses in China and throughout the region, as travel restrictions finally are dropped.
And we are learning more details about the suspect accused of killing four Idaho university students. We have the latest on the investigation.
Plus --
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): "We left everything behind," he says, "we don't have a home, we don't have a place to stay. Everyone here made an effort to get to where we are now and we have no way to go back."
NEWTON (voice-over): As migrants risk it all to reach the U.S., President Biden takes action to curb border crossings. Details on his new enforcement plans, that's next.
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NEWTON: And welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world, I'm Paula Newton and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
President Biden is expected to visit the U.S. southern border later today for the first time since taking office. The White House says he will discuss border security with officials in El Paso, Texas, where immigration numbers have been surging.
To address the issue, the president is updating a humanitarian parole program which affects people coming from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Mr. Biden says each month the U.S. will accept up to 30,000 migrants from those countries specifically but it will also expel just as many migrants if they don't go through the legal application process.
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NEWTON: Mr. Biden is also expected to discuss the border crisis later this week when he meets with Mexican and Canadian counterparts at the North American Leaders' Summit. CNN's Rafael Romo has our details.
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ROMO (voice-over): They know their dream is across the river but all they can do is wait. Some sit on the Mexican side looking north; the lucky ones have tents or find space in a shelter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
ROMO (voice-over): Many, like this Venezuelan migrant, have traveled thousands of miles and vividly remember the dangers they faced in each country they travel through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
ROMO (voice-over): He says they were robbed and kidnapped.
It's the story of thousands upon thousands of immigrants who continue traveling north, even if it means risking their lives.
The migrant crisis will be a top priority as U.S. President Joe Biden travels to Mexico to meet on Monday with his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
ROMO: Biden announced he is going to have a program to accept up to 30,000 migrants a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, along with a plan to expel just as many citizens from those countries who try to cross the border illegally.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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 it's 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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ROMO (voice-over): Immigration remains a political hot potato in the United States.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We take what's happening at the southern border very seriously, unlike some and unlike the President of the United States, who has refused to lift a finger to secure that border.
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ROMO (voice-over): Far from the political rhetoric, migrants continue to wait.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
ROMO (voice-over): Some, like this man, a migrant from Venezuela, say they have nothing to lose that they haven't already lost.
"We left everything behind," he says. "We don't have a home, we don't have a place to stay. Everyone here made an effort to get to where we are now and we have no way to go back."
Nearly 2.4 million immigrants were apprehended as they tried to enter the U.S. southern border in the fiscal year that ended in September, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It remains to be seen if these three heads of state can find any solution to stem the tide -- Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
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NEWTON: Virginia police say the health of a teacher, who was shot by a child last week, is thankfully improving and she is now in stable condition. She has been identified by her alma mater, James Madison University, as Abby Zwerner.
Officials say a 6-year-old boy was taken into custody after the shooting Friday in Newport News. The mayor called the crime a breakdown of values. And parents were understandably upset when they rushed to the school to try and find their children. Listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Why is a 7-year old with a bloody gun?
Come on. Think about it.
How does a 7-year old have a gun?
That's what I'm pissed off with.
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DR. GEORGE PARKER III, NEWPORT NEWS PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT: It was really a breakdown in what our values are as a community, what our values are as a city and what our values are as a school division. And we need to make sure that we never see instances like this happen again.
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NEWTON: Now the school will be closed on Monday and Tuesday and therapists are available through a 24-hour helpline.
Students at the University of Idaho are gearing up to return to classes this week after a winter break. This after the brutal killings of four students in November rattled that community.
Furniture was removed Friday from the off-campus murder scene. Some feel more secure now that a suspect is finally in custody. And as students return, security will remain high on campus.
Meantime, we are learning new details about the suspect. Investigators say the DNA recovered from his family's garbage was linked to the DNA found on a leather knife sheath found at the crime scene. CNN's Camila Bernal has more on this story.
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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of new details revealed this week on this case but also a lot of questions left. And I will get to those questions in a moment. I want to go over what some of these documents showed.
According to police, there was a surviving roommate, identified in these documents as DM. And she told police that she heard crying on the night of the murders. She says that she saw a figure that was dressed all in black, was wearing a mask covering his nose and his mouth.
She described this person as athletically built but not necessarily muscular.
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BERNAL: She said he had bushy eyebrows. She says she saw him but was in a frozen shock phase and then she went into her room and locked herself in.
The question there is, why does she not call police that night?
Why didn't she call police immediately?
We may not have the answer to that until there is a trial, if there is one. But authorities do say there is a number of things that link Bryan Kohberger to this crime.
First, they say there is DNA evidence. They matched DNA from a knife sheath, that was left near one of the beds of one of the victims, to his family DNA. They also say they were able to place Bryan Kohberger near the crime scene at least 12 times leading up to these killings.
They also say that they believe he was back near the house on the day of the killings before police were called to the scene. And there is, of course, that white Hyundai Elantra, linking him to this crime.
We have learned, five days after this crime, he received a new license plate for this car. We also know, according to sources, telling CNN that Bryan Kohberger was cleaning that white Hyundai Elantra inside and outside.
We also know also, according to sources, that he took out trash bags and, instead of putting them in his trash bins, he took them to the neighbors' trash bins. This happened at around 4:00 in the morning. All of that is now being processed at a lab, according to the sources that spoke to CNN.
So again, police working on this case, trying to build a case for a future prosecution, but there are still questions as to the motive.
What is the connection between Bryan Kohberger and these victims?
We will have to wait and see as this court process plays out but his next court appearance is on Thursday -- Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.
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NEWTON: After three years under zero COVID restrictions, Beijing's borders are open again. The first international flights of the new era landed on Sunday.
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NEWTON (voice-over): You are looking right there at passengers arriving in Shanghai. At the same time, a wave of destinations are imposing new restrictions on travelers from China. Portugal just the latest to join a list requiring a negative COVID test for those air passengers.
But with the Lunar New Year travel season now underway in China, it's suddenly a lot easier for families there to reunite thankfully with loved ones they haven't seen in years. CNN's Ivan Watson has the details from a Hong Kong border crossing near the mainland.
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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the old days, the pre-pandemic days, there would have been a constant flow of people going back and forth between these two different territories of China.
But it closed in February of 2020 and has been ineffective, basically, inoperational (sic) until today as part of this much larger reopening that Mainland China is doing. For the first time, you can land, you can travel to Mainland China and you don't have to do a week of mandatory quarantine.
The three years of self-imposed isolation, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mainland China, is coming to an end, just as the virus is spreading all out of control across Mainland China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Ivan Watson there.
The return of Chinese tourists with money to spend could also provide an economic shot in the arm to China's neighbors. Michael Holmes takes a look at that issue in the region.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The beaches of Bali are calling. And local business owners in Indonesia, who, pre-pandemic, catered to nearly 2 million Chinese tourists a year, say they're getting ready to welcome back some of their best customers.
This manager says, "Before the coronavirus, we had a lot of Chinese customers. Almost all of the cafes were full, at least 100 to 200 customers came daily."
Across Asia restaurants, tour guides and merchants anticipating an economic boost as China reopens its borders and drops quarantine requirements after three long years, making it easier for Chinese nationals to travel abroad.
According to a recent survey, 76 percent of Chinese travel agencies say Southeast Asia is a top choice for Chinese tourists, the region made all the more appealing since many Southeast Asian countries aren't requiring COVID-19 tests for Chinese travelers, as other nations reimpose restrictions on China after an explosive outbreak of COVID-19 infections.
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HOLMES: Thailand is expecting 5 million Chinese visitors this year.
This tuk-tuk driver says it's a chance to make more money but wonders at what cost.
He says, "I'm concerned because the pandemic in China still hasn't subsided. But the Chinese tourists will boost our economy and people will be able to make a better living."
Australia, South Korea and Japan are some of the countries that have reimposed entry restrictions on Chinese travelers, despite the impact on the tourism sector.
One caricature artist in Tokyo says he hopes the measures won't deter them, though having been back will be an adjustment.
He says, "We're grateful for their return," but adds he has had to downsize during the pandemic, so too many customers might be overwhelming.
South Korea is further restricting Chinese travelers by temporarily limiting short-term visas and not immediately increasing flights from China.
But this crepe vendor in Seoul has a different message for his one- time steady customers, "Come back."
He says, "Chinese tourists are our main customers, so the more, the merrier" -- Michael Holmes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Just ahead for us, nearly a week since his shocking onfield collapse and cardiac arrest, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is showing positive signs as he recovers, with fans and players from across the NFL cheering him on.
Before we go to break I want you to take a look at this, in pregame warmups, Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes wore this custom jacket in honor of Damar Hamlin, Hamlin strong.
We will be right back.
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NEWTON: Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin now thanking the public for all the prayers and support he has received since he was rushed to the hospital after a cardiac arrest. It happened during a game last Monday. I know so many of you remember this when he took a hit to the midsection.
Here we go. On Instagram, he wrote, "The Love has been overwhelming, but I'm thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out. We brung (sic) the world back together behind this. If you know me you know this only gone make me stronger. On a long road keep praying for me!"
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NEWTON: Up ahead, explosive leaks from Prince Harry's memoir are rocking the royal family. We will have a report next.
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NEWTON: Prince Harry's eagerly awaited memoir, "Spare," is set to hit the stands Tuesday. The Duke of Sussex has been doing the media rounds to promote it.
In an interview with ITV News, Harry describes the guilt he felt while walking outside Kensington Palace following the death of his mother, Princess Diana. He says that was the only time he cried in his life.
Harry was 12 years old when Diana died in 1997 in a car crash in Paris. She and then Prince Charles divorced a year after -- pardon me, a year before the accident. Harry's interview airs on ITV on Sunday at 9:00 pm London time.
Before the book's release, some British media were revealing bombshell details from it. From a scuffle with Prince William to Harry's time in the military, startling revelations are literally blowing up the internet. CNN's Richard Quest discusses the fallout of the leaks.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: It's difficult to know which of the many things that Harry has now said will hurt the most in different quarters.
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QUEST: The Taliban accusations, that he killed 25 members of the Taliban, that's probably the most objectively serious, because that could lead to reprisals and revenge attacks against British forces and, indeed, against the prince himself.
As for the rest, it is a miscellany of accusations, titillations, salacious bits of family gossip and, to some extent, when Harry says he wants reconciliation with accountability, it's very difficult to see how that can happen. They can paper over the cracks in the short term. But the real hurt
here is that he's revealed private conversations, private royal family happenings.
And every member of the royal family going forward will constantly be thinking, when speaking or dealing with Harry, is this going to be in the next big interview or the next big reveal?
Harry may be telling his truth as he sees it. But there will be consequences as yet perhaps unknown.
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NEWTON: Our thanks to Richard Quest there.
A quick programming note: please joining us Monday night for a special report on Prince Harry's accusations against Britain's royal family. That special includes Anderson Cooper's conversation with the prince for Sunday's edition of "60 Minutes" on CBS. "The Harry Interview" airs Monday night at 8:00 in the evening Eastern, right here on CNN.
And that does it for me for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton. For viewers in the United States and Canada, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, stay with us for "CONNECTING AFRICA."
