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Hundreds Of Jair Bolsonaro Supporters In Custody After Attacks; Virgin Orbit's Rocket Fails On First Launch Attempt From U.K.; Prince Harry's Memoir "Spare" Hits Bookstores; Ukraine Reports Powerful Russian Assault On Soledar; Families Mourn Protesters Executed In Iran. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired January 10, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:33]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, Brazil's January 8th insurrection, how election deniers loyal to the Trump of the tropics tried to overthrow a democratically elected government.

How China's reopening of borders in the coming Lunar New Year is like pouring rocket fuel on a COVID outbreak already spiraling out of control.

And Harry and his media blitzkrieg, spruiking a book in which he complains about all the horrible media attention.

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

VAUSE: Authorities in Brazil have now arrested at least 1500 people out of thousands of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed all three branches of government.

On Monday, police shut down pro-Bolsonaro camps around the country, including one in the capitol outside army headquarters, the protesters spent 10 weeks demanding the military stage a coup and overturn October's election.

But on Sunday with Congress in recess, they stormed the three government buildings, leaving behind widespread damage what one report described as an orgy of violence.

A day later, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva retired -- a return rather to the capital where he met with governors. He criticized police conduct before and during Sunday's attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I couldn't believe it. That's why I was forced to talk to my justice minister and take a strong attitude. Because the police in Brasilia neglected it, resilience intelligence neglected it. There is an explicit connivance of the police with the demonstrators even here inside the palace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Brazil's former leader is in the United States just hours ago tweeting a photograph from a hospital bed in Florida. His wife says he's being treated for abdominal discomfort.

Brazil's Justice Minister says Bolsonaro bears political responsibility for the attacks but right now, there are no legal grounds for an investigation.

CNN's Isa Soares is following all of these developments, and she has more now reporting in from Brasilia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A stunning attack on Brazil's seat of power, as thousands of supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro broke through security cordons in Brasilia. Roaming presidential building corridors, vandalizing Congress, scenes reminiscent of the 2021 U.S. capitol riot.

One week earlier, the scenes were of Democratic triumph, as Bolsonaro's left-wing rival, Lula da Silva was inaugurated as the new Brazilian president following a tight election result. Bolsonaro never explicitly conceded, and neither did his most ardent followers.

This, this is my hero. I am at his home, our home, our home, a Bolsonaro supporter says from inside the presidential palace. Protesters dressed in the colors of the Brazilian flag, now a symbol of Bolsonaro's far-right movement. Unfelled banners from the congressional building rooftop, demanding the results of Brazil's most fought election in a generation be overturned.

More than 1,000 arrests were made after security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to regain control of the congressional building, the Supreme Court and presidential palace. But by the time they did, the damage had already been done. The president's chief of communication showed destruction inside his own office.

PAULO PIMENTA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT'S CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS (through translation): It's unbelievable what was done in the palace. Look at the state of the rooms, equipment, computers. Look at this.

SOARES: World leaders condemned the attack as an assault on democracy. Brazil's new president pinned the blame on his predecessor, accusing him of encouraging rioters through social media from Florida. He promised no stone will be left unturned, vowing to find those responsible.

LUIZ INACIA LULA DA SILVA, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translation): We will find out the financiers and they will pay with the force of the law for this irresponsible gesture, this anti-Democratic gesture of vandals and fascists.

SOARES: Bolsonaro denounced the actions of his supporters from the U.S. where he traveled after the election.

[00:05:04]

The former president already facing at least four Supreme Court investigations. The latest scenes will only add to further calls at home into Bolsonaro's influenced on his base, a conservative firebrand politician who for years has been taking cues from the Trump playbook, pushing election fraud conspiracies, and casting doubt on the integrity of the electoral system.

Isa Soares, CNN, Brasilia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining us now is Brett Bruen, president of the Global Situation Room, he served in the Obama White House as Director of Global Engagement. Good to see you, Brett, thanks for being with us.

BRETT BRUEN, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM: You bet.

VAUSE: OK, so this doesn't even seem to be close to being over. I guess the big question is, does Lula da Silva have what it takes to end this division? Is it even possible at this point to end the division?

BRUEN: I think a lot John depends on how he responds. You know, he's talked about prosecuting those who were involved as quite frankly we saw here in the United States, the FBI has pursued aggressive prosecution of those involved in the insurrection on January 6th.

At the same time, Lula is just coming into office. He also obviously, is coming in after a very divisive time in the country. So, he's got to balance, on the one hand, rightly seeking justice for those that violated that sacred ground in Brasilia and on the other hand, he also has to try and forge new coalitions and ensure some modicum of political stability in the country.

VAUSE: Well, you mentioned what happened in the United States, here's some context what happened in Brasilia, compared to Washington on January 6th, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIMENTA (through translator): What happened in Brazil is more severe than what happened in the capital. Because what we saw in the United States was the invasion of the legislative branch. Here we had an invasion of the seat of all branches of government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, beyond the skies and the size and scale of the protests. One of the big differences, though, is that on January 6th, the actual day of, Trump was there to fire up the crowd. Bolsonaro was nowhere to be seen here. In fact, he was in Florida.

So, does that mean in a way this is a mob with its own momentum?

BRUEN: Yes, I know there are attempts to obviously draw parallels between the two. But Bolsonaro was not playing that protagonist role. That incitement role is directly as we saw on January 6, here in Washington.

So, you know, we have to be careful, and obviously more information may come out. And here in the United States, you're looking very closely at what Bolsonaro was doing, and indeed, his immigration status in the United States.

VAUSE: Should he be deported back?

BRUEN: I think we have to wait and see what the investigation shows. And as somebody who spent a lot of time working on U.S. visas, I can say, it is a very long process. And since he's here in the United States, he will have access to every available process and recourse. So we're talking John years before that's likely decided.

VAUSE: But there is another U.S. connection, and that is the involvement of the far right. In recent days, the former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, among others has been repeatedly tweeting things like this, Lula stole the election. Brazilians know this. Turn over the machines. And as just to sort of reference here. This is what he said back in November. Listen to Steve Bannon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: In Brazil, it's gone beyond the Bolsonaros. This was the people saying no, you didn't follow the Constitution. You use these machines, use the judiciary to shut us down in the media, and we're not going to tolerate it. It's going to be very interesting to see how that plays out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: You know, there's so much wrong in that statement, the machines were legitimize, the election was, you know, feat, fair -- fair and free by independent assessments.

But you know, what I'm wondering, is it did the Trump crowd, did they amplify what was being heard in Brazil? Or do they simply -- or was it created by the Trump crowd and jumped onto by the far right Bolsonaro group?

BRUEN: Look, I think Trump wrote a playbook. And that is certainly being replicated not only in Brazil, but by populist politicians in other parts of Latin America and the world.

So yes, there are riffs off of this, there are new versions of it that are localized, but let's not fool ourselves. What Trump did is serving as an inspiration and in some cases, a roadmap for what other politicians are doing as they look to cling on to power.

VAUSE: I want you to be part of the White House readout from a call between Presidents Biden and da Silva. It reads President Biden conveyed the unwavering support to the United States for Brazil's democracy and for the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in Brazil's recent presidential election, which President Lula won. President Biden condemned the violence and the attack of democratic institutions and on the peaceful transfer of power.

[00:10:01]

There is nothing especially out of the ordinary of that readout, except for the -- in contrast to the reaction from many Republicans in the U.S., which has been sort of cheerleader for the insurgents. What impact does that have?

BRUEN: Well, there's a domestic dimension to this John, where Biden and his team are obviously emphasizing some of the dangers of Trumpism and what it is doing in other countries, and that has some currency here in U.S. politics.

On the other hand, obviously, Republicans are going to be reluctant to speak out and to do anything that could run afoul of the former president.

And obviously, as you mentioned earlier, a number of his advisors who have close ties to Bolsonaro and his team, so this has real implications for U.S. politics as much as it does for our foreign policy.

VAUSE: Yes, they are two independent incidents but they're so linked in so many ways but yes, as you say, there's a lot more to be revealed, a lot more we need to find out.

Brett, as always, it's great to have you with us. Thank you.

BRUEN: You bet.

VAUSE: What was meant to be historic moment for Britain space industry has ended in disappointment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's off the ground. God speed LauncherOne, God speed Cosmic Girl on this historic with European and U.K. mission to open space.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Started out OK, according to Virgin Orbit it normally kept its LauncherOne rocket from reaching orbit, becoming the first space launch from the British soil.

Modified 747 released the launch of 35,000 feet at stage one rockets did the job. But now -- for now, Virgin says it's evaluating what went wrong. It did not reach over. The launch was unmanned, carrying only satellites.

Cosmic Girl and its crew made it safely, that's the 747. The goal was to release nine satellites into Earth's low orbit which would have marked a milestone for Britain's commercial satellite sector.

Prince Harry's much hyped extensively leaked tell all memoir is now officially on sale across the U.K. Spare recounts Harry's years of private emotional turmoil, bitter family disputes and resentments, while also taking aim at the press and coverage of the royal family.

But Harry has a book to sell and certainly hard feelings towards the media seem to be on hold for a whirlwind media tour with countless interviews in recent days.

CNN's Max Foster has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY: I love my father, I love my brother, I love my family.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With the release of his bombshell expose Spare, Prince Harry has said he never intended to hurt anyone in the royal family. He says he wants reconciliation and accountability.

Do you think you have any responsibility and a breakdown of the relationship?

PRINCE HARRY: Without question, I'm sure. But what people don't know is the efforts that I've gone to to resolve this privately.

FOSTER: But in interviews and on the page, the Prince reveals family rivalries, private conversations personal misgivings, with consequences as yet unknown.

The palace has repeatedly reasserted its silence. One revelation that Camilla, the Queen Consort, leaked stories in a campaign to be queen.

PRINCE HARRY: With a family built on hierarchy. And with her on the way to being Queen Consort, there was going to be people or bodies left in the street because of that.

FOSTER: Then there was the family's distrust of Meghan.

PRINCE HARRY: He's changed. She must be a witch.

FOSTER: Prince William and Kate didn't get along with Meghan from the get go, he says.

PRINCE HARRY: Some of the things that my brother and sister-in-law, some of the way that they were acting or behaving definitely felt to me as though unfortunately that stereotyping was causing a bit of a barrier.

FOSTER: Harry says he doesn't speak to his brother or father anymore. He was denied a seat on the plane to Scotland with them when Queen Elizabeth died. So, has he burnt bridges completely?

PRINCE HARRY: Well, they've shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile up until this point. And I'm not sure how honest he is on burning bridges. You know, silence only allows the abuser to abuse, right?

So, I don't know how staying silent is ever going to make things better.

FOSTER: Having already spoken to ABC, CBS and ITV, Harry's media round continues on Tuesday with an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert".

What would Diana his mother have made of the situation?

PRINCE HARRY: I think she'd be sad. I think she'd be looking at -- looking at it long term to know that there are certain things that we need to go through to be able to heal the relationship. I think she would be heartbroken that it's ended up where it's ended up.

FOSTER: Max Foster, CNN London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining me now from Los Angeles is former Royal Correspondent Sandro Monetti. Good to see you Sandro.

So, I want you to listen first up to Harry speaking to Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes" Sunday night, and why he believes Camilla was dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[00:15:03]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You wrote, I even want to Kamila to be happy, maybe she'd be less dangerous if she was happy. How is she dangerous?

PRINCE HARRY: Because of the need for her to rehabilitate her image.

COOPER: That made her dangerous?

PRINCE HARRY: That made her dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: No one has ever accused Harry of doing the New York Times crossword puzzle with a pen. But isn't he doing pretty much the same thing that Camilla is doing that was so dangerous, forging a relationship with the media? In his instance, self-rehabilitation, but to sell a book and to push a narrative.

SANDRO MONETTI, ROYAL EXPERT: Oh, John, where do we even start? Well, first of all, the prince of provocations book is out around the world, some corners of it anyway. Already number one on Amazon. He says he doesn't want to hurt anyone. He's certainly not hurting his bank balance. $20 million advance. So, I'm sure there's a healthy share of the profits there. And as to your point, yes, oh, Harry, he just needs a bit of a hug.

But you know, he certainly -- he certainly seems incredibly hypocritical, because I've watched all these interviews. And this is -- this seemed to be a certain amount of mixed messaging going on here.

VAUSE: To say the least, I mean, and there also seems to be some tension between Harry and William.

MONETTI: Well, you noticed that?

VAUSE: I did notice. I did take notice of that in particular. Harry blames William for one of the biggest mistakes of his life that was wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party. "I found William and Kate and asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said. Harry says, I rented it, plus a silly mustache and went back to the house. Harry tries it on and both William and Kate howled. Worse than Willy's leotard outfit. Way more ridiculous."

I mean, I get it. You know, at the time Harry was what? 17, he was young, but you know, he's playing a bit of a victim here during a lot of these moments I believe it seems.

MONETTI: Well, it's blame shifting, isn't it? Yes. And yes, he was -- he was 17. But he's grown up with a incredible sense of history. He knows what it means to wear that outfit.

And to blame it on someone else and said oh, well, they thought it was a good idea. No, you are the one wearing it.

So, it's -- I find myself shouting at the screen in a lot of these interviews, but at the same time, you know, it reminds me so much of his mother Diana's controversial panorama interview all those years ago.

And, you know, whenever a royal goes on camera and does T.V. interview, it never turns out well in the long run. And I think there's going to be another case of that.

VAUSE: Yes, but if you're going to -- if you're going to book compared to the Netflix Docu series, I mean, the docu series was pretty light on. Was Netflix like shortchanged by Harry and Meghan?

MONETTI: Pretty light on, it was six hours of boring nonsense, you know. And then, Netflix must be really aggrieved because they paid reported 100 million for that.

And now, Harry, you know, who clearly hates the press. You know, it's being their best friend, serving them up so much tabloid friendly tittle tattle. It's ridiculous.

So, Netflix towers (PH), they must be thinking hang on, I think we overpaid. Why didn't we get any of this?

VAUSE: And the palace has made no comment so far on the book or all of the interviews, no comment on this, here we go, listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Can you see a day when you would return as a full time member of the royal family?

PRINCE HARRY: No, I can't see that happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: At this point, if they were to say anything on that, would it be along the lines of thank God for that?

MONETTI: Sadly, you know, I think the odds on that and there's no way he can return after this, surely. You don't burn so many bridges, love so many truth bombs, and then find a way back.

But remember, John, this is just the beginning. This is a multi-book deal that we've got. So, I'm sure that Harry has got some other private conversations that he can say for the next one, as well.

And so, it's really, really sad. You know, he was -- he was my favorite Royal. He had so much dignity. And I know he wants to speak his truth, but private conversations are private. There could have been other ways to do this book. It could have been really inspiring. Instead, it's just tawdry tittle tattle.

VAUSE: Yes, were out of time, but shouldn't be the point, this is his version of events too. It's very one sided.

So Sandro, thanks for being with us as always, we appreciate that. Happy New Year.

Well, we'll take a short break here on CNN but when we come back, deadly attacks across eastern Ukraine, Russian missiles killing civilians at the local market but a young girl pulled alive from the rubble.

Also ahead, more death sentences handed out in Iran with the Supreme Leader calling antigovernment demonstrations acts of treason.

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[00:21:49]

VAUSE: Ukraine's government reports an all-out military offensive on the eastern town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, the Ukraine deputy defense minister says the Russian military, along with mercenaries from the Wagner group are literally advancing on the corpses of their own soldiers.

The industrial town is known for its soldier (PH) gypsum mines and the vast network of cabernets (PH), underground tunnels, which could be used to hide Russian troops and military equipment.

And just west of Soledar, Ukraine claims a Russian missile hit a road in the city Kramatorsk, killing two people in a car. And in Kharkiv region, another reported missile hit a village market killing two people wounding four others.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says not a single building is left standing in Soledar, but Ukrainian forces continue to resist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The battle for the dark boss continues and although the occupiers have now concentrated their greatest efforts on Soledar, the result of this difficult and prolonged battle will be the liberation of our entire Donbas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The fighting continues despite Russia's call for a ceasefire to mark the Orthodox Christmas, Ukraine call it propaganda and a chance for Russian forces to regroup.

Still, residents of one besieged Ukrainian city did hold a small celebration and CNN's Ben Wedeman was there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There was no peace no silence in Bakhmut on the eve of Orthodox Christmas. The unilateral Russian ceasefire never materialized.

The guns didn't go silent. And one of the city's shelters, residents gathered around a table laid with food and tokens of the holiday.

Tetiana a volunteer tries to raise spirits. We wish you good health, peace, prosperity and all the best she tells them. She knows it's important to put on a brave face. Even though it's raining and snowing outside, I'm smiling, says Tatiana I wish people a merry Christmas I tried to show them it comes from my soul.

She did manage to bring a smile to the only child in the shelter 9- year-old Volodymyr (PH) and his wish on this day I want this war to end and all my friends to return he says. For the adults the gift under this tree is electricity to charge mobile phones and a wireless router connected to a satellite link up allowing for a tenuous connection to loved ones.

To reassure them however they can that they're still alive. Not well. And here there's warmth in a city where public utilities were knocked out months ago. Yet it's hard to feel the holiday spirits says Andriy.

ANDRIY HERIYAK, BAKHMUT RESIDENT: It's so sad day.

WEDEMAN: As the day progresses snow begins to fall and shelling continues. Christmas Eve dinner is a subdued affair in this basement home for now to a few of the doctor's still left in Bakhmut. God bless us with strength patient endurance says Dr. Olena Molchanova but here strength has its limits. [00:25:13]

I feel pain she says, because I can't be with my family. I can't sit at the same table with my mother and daughter Christmas morning any lead up in the shelling.

WEDEMAN: For months Russian forces have tried to take this city but so far have failed. But in the process according to one local official, more than 60 percent of Bakhmut has been destroyed.

At the Church of Saints priests hold mass elite relative safety of the crisp. Candles provide the only light and warmth in this the darkest of times.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Bakhmut.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Three more antigovernment protesters have been sentenced to death in Iran. They were charged with waging war against God according to state media.

Two executions were carried out over the weekend which brings the total number of death penalties which have been implemented to four. Demonstrations erupted across Iran in September after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police. She'd been detained for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly.

The international community is rallying behind the protesters, multiple European countries some of their Iranian ambassadors have condemned the death sentences.

Meantime, Iran's supreme leader is calling the antigovernment protests, acts of treason.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN (through translator): Undoubtedly these actions are treason and responsible institutions deal with treason seriously and just.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meantime, families of the protesters executed on Saturday are now mourning the loss of their loved ones.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A mother's heart wrenching final farewell for her son. The oppressor took you away from me, she cries at his grave. Now you're asleep here, she says. This is the only goodbye Mohammad Mehdi Karami's family got, no final visit, no justice. The 21-year-old Kurdish-Iranian karate champion was executed by the Islamic Republic this weekend, along with Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, a volunteer children's coach. They were convicted of killing a member of Iran's Basij paramilitary force during a protest in November.

Death sentences handed down after what rights groups say are sham trials based on forced confessions extracted under torture. Karami's parents had taken the risk of speaking out in social media recordings, begging the state to spare their boy's life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): They can convict him to two life sentences. 50 years of prison, just so I know he continues to breathe. I swear to God I don't know what to do. To whom should I complain? They're killing my innocent child. What should I do? Who should I talk to?

KARADSHEH: The ruthless republic has shown no mercy. At least four young men hanged. Many others facing execution by a regime that appears to be using the death penalty to crush dissent.

Among them, 19-year-old Mohammad Boroughani and 22-year-old Mohammad Ghobadlou, sentenced to death by this notorious judge, Abolqasem Salavati nicknamed the Judge of Death.

On Sunday night, a crowd gathered outside the prison where Ghobadlou and Boroughani are being held after activists reported their execution was imminent. Scenes of sheer bravery as the crown chant against the regime and support Ghobadlou's mother, wasting it all to try and save her son.

Activists are urging the international community to do more than just condemn these executions, to try and save the defenseless on death row. To save their families from this unimaginable pain.

Gen. Jack Keane, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Just out here on CNN, from zero COVID to zero restrictions and now China's airports are crammed with travelers reuniting with families after years of statehood post separation, but at what cost? More on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

[00:32:28]

At least 17 people have died in the latest anti-government protests in Peru. Nearly 70 others were wounded on Monday during the unrest in the Southern city of Juliaca, according to Peru's vice health minister.

He says almost 30 police officers were also hurt. State media reporting the Peruvian president is calling for unity. These demonstrations began last month after the former president was impeached and removed from office for attempting to stage a coup.

China is on the move again with the self-isolation of zero-COVID in the rearview mirror. Travel restrictions are mostly a thing of the past in the great migration for the lunar new year is expected to reach some two billion trips.

CNN's Selina Wang shows us how families now rushing to reunite with long-lost loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anticipation is in the air. Flowers in hand, they anxiously wait. This is the most exciting day in three years at China's airport as the country reopens its borders.

And the moment finally arrives. These are especially meaningful reunions. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, travelers from abroad can meet their families right after getting off the plane, instead of getting sent to a quarantine facility.

We documented this family's reunion, a mother and her son waiting for her husband, his father, at the airport. They haven't seen each other in almost a year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Yes, I'm really excited. It's been too long. I'm thrilled to see him today.

WANG: He's a little shy, but he says he misses his dad and the flowers are for his dad.

WANG (voice-over): They patiently wait hours for his arrival, the family running to greet the father, his son finally getting that warm embrace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It feels great to go home straight without quarantine.

WANG: The Beijing capital international airport is finally coming back to life, but as China's opening up, other countries are getting nervous. More than a dozen countries have imposed COVID-19 testing rules on travelers coming from China.

WANG (voice-over): But it's not stopping people from going abroad.

JANE SUN, CEO, TRIP.COM GROUP: The pent-up demand is very strong. We have seen serious growth in the search volume for almost all the destinations.

WANG: So the platform saw the biggest increase in international searches and booking since the pandemic started?

SUN: That is correct.

WANG: Where are you going to right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Macau.

WANG: Macau?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

WANG: Are you excited you don't have to quarantine any more?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

[00:35:01]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very good.

WANG (voice-over): This family is waiting to board their international flight. I ask him where he wants to go the most.

WANG: He said he really wants to go to Italy this year.

WANG (voice-over): Across the country, all of China's land borders have reopened: from Hong Kong to Inner Mongolia in the North, Xinjiang in the West, and Yunnan in the South.

All the gates now pushed open, no more restrictions. Residents cheer the historic moment.

But the celebratory mood dampened by the explosive spread of COVID. Hospitals across the country overflowing with elderly patients. The medical system was unprepared for the country's sudden U-turn away from zero-COVID.

But it's a poignant moment for all of these families at the airport. After years of sacrifice during zero-COVID, finally, they're reunited.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And this just in. China apparently has suspended all short-term visas for South Koreans who want to visit China.

This seems to be the first round of retaliation by Beijing in response to travel restrictions based on travelers from China. South Korea demanded a negative COVID test for anyone arriving in Seoul and in South Korea from China.

We'll take a short break. When we come back, President Biden takes more action to address a surge in immigration. Critics say he's ignoring, though, the struggles of everyone involved. Ahead, a disturbing look at what migrants are enduring on the U.S. border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Attorneys for the U.S. president say they've discovered a small number of classified documents at the office of the think tank where Joe Biden once worked.

Officials say less than a dozen papers were found in the former office at the Penn Biden Center November 2, turned over to the National Archives the next day.

They appear to be government records from Biden's time as vice president.

Officials say that the Justice Department is reviewing the matter and the White House is cooperating. When asked about it on Monday, the president gave no comment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any comment on the documents, sir?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: This comes months after classified records were found at the home of former President Donald Trump.

But there are a few differences here. Big ones. For one thing, Trump is being investigated for potential obstruction after initially refusing to return the documents to authorities.

In Biden's case, the records were turned over immediately.

Well, President Biden has met with his Mexican counterpart for talks on immigration, ahead of a regional summit in Mexico City. Both leaders say they'll continue to address an ongoing surge of illegal border crossings.

Biden visited the border town of El Paso, Texas, on Sunday and spoke with local authorities. But notably, he did not meet with any migrants. CNN's Rosa Flores has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do you want to be?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

FLORES: She wants to be a teacher.

FLORES (voice-over): The Doral (ph) sisters have been living in this makeshift migrant camp outside an El Paso church for a week.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

FLORES: She wants to be Rapunzel.

[00:40:00]

FLORES (voice-over): Playing with toys is a luxury they haven't enjoyed since they left Venezuela four months ago, according to their dad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

FLORES: He says that he decided to come to the United States because there is no education, really, for his daughters.

FLORES (voice-over): The Dorals (ph) are among the hundreds of migrants who call the streets of El Paso home. Arguably, the epicenter of the current border crisis.

A scene President Joe Biden skipped during his first visit to the border, a short three-hour stop in El Paso that prompted criticism by the governor of Texas.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: This is nothing but for show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

FLORES (voice-over): And protests by local immigration and human rights advocates. Like Fernando Garcia.

WANG: You think this is a photo op for the president?

FERNANDO GARCIA, IMMIGRATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE: I think this is it (ph), that in three hours, that feeling of disappointment has been transforming to outrage.

FLORES (voice-over): Outrage over policies like the Trump-era pandemic health rule known as Title 42, says Garcia. That rule allows border agents to swiftly expel some migrants to Mexico. Biden said this about the policy.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't like Title 42.

FLORES (voice-over): Just days ago, he expanded the rule to Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians.

GARCIA: I think the only ones happy with the expansion of Federal 42 are the Trumpists, conservative Republicans. We're expecting something different.

FLORES (voice-over): Something more humane. Like the campaign promises that he made says Garcia.

During his visit, Biden stopped by a port of entry, a migrant respite center, and by the border wall. But didn't appear to see or meet any migrants.

Apparently, the closest the president got to seeing the migration flows in pictures, shown to him by the mayor of El Paso.

MAYOR OSCAR LEESER (D), EL PASO, TEXAS: Which were very impactful. So he could see what our city and what challenges we've been going through.

FLORES: Seven.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven.

FLORES: The sister's favorite toy: a tablet, to learn numbers and the English alphabet. Their dream: learning to speak English.

FLORES: What would you tell the president?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

FLORES: He says that his message to the president is that not all migrants are bad. He's a father. He's here with his children, and they're just here for a better life.

FLORES: During the day, the Doral (ph) sisters play outside, and at night they sleep inside the church that you see behind me. It turns into a shelter overnight.

But back to President Biden. The White House defending his trip to El Paso. The fact he did not meet or see any migrants. The White House saying that President Biden was focused on meeting with groups that help migrants.

Rosa Flores, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Some rare good news for the earth's climate. The U.N. says action to save the ozone layer has been successful and is on track for the complete recovery within decades.

All because of a landmark agreement 35 years ago that phased out the years of ozone-harming chemicals worldwide.

According to the new assessment, if current policies stay in place, most of the climate could see the ozone layer restored to 1980 levels within a few years.

I'm John Vause. Back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. In the meantime, WORLD SPORT starts after a very short break. See you back here in about 17 minutes.

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