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Biden Facing Special Counsel Probe Over Classified Documents; New Commander Taking Charge of Russia's Military Campaign; Lisa Marie Presley Dead of Heart Attack at 54; U.S. Cancer Death Rate Down 33 Percent in 3 Decades; UAE Appoints Oil Company Exec as Head of U.N. Climate Summit. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired January 13, 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: Coming up this hour on CNN, more classified documents, a classic Corvette, and a special counsel.
[00:00:07]
The U.S. president now under investigation for his handling of sensitive material after more classified documents were recovered, this time at his home in Delaware.
Holding out in Soledar. Ukrainian forces fighting on as Moscow reportedly orders in reinforcements.
And like Dracula running the blood bank, or the tobacco industry organizing a quit campaign, as host of the this year's U.N. climate change summit, Dubai appoints a senior oil executive as chairman. Cue the outrage.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: U.S. President Joe Biden is now likely to face weeks, possibly, months of bad headlines, conservative outrage. and speculation, now that a special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate his handling of classified material.
The announcement by the Justice Department comes after the White House confirmed a second batch of Obama-era documents marked classified were found last month at Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware. Another document was found Thursday.
On Monday, Biden's legal team confirmed they recovered sensitive government material from an office at a Washington think tank, which Biden used before being elected president.
At the same time, there are new questions over what appears to be a less-than-transparent accounting by the Biden team of when and where all these documents were found. That will now be part of the investigation by Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney appointed by then- President Donald Trump, who is promising his investigation will be fair, impartial, with dispassionate judgment.
The Biden team has promised to continue to cooperate but also insists the small number of documents were inadvertently misplaced. It was all just a mistake. When questioned by reporters, President Biden insisted the documents, when found, we're in a secure location.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Classified -- classified material next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me -- I'm going to have a chance to speak on all of this, God willing, soon. But as I said earlier this week, people -- and by the way, my Corvette is in a locked garage, OK, so it's not like they're sitting on the street.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: For the record, that's a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, good with green paint, a classic. But maybe not the most secure storage facility.
So how did the classified material get there and what about the contents? And then there's this whole lack of transparency from Biden and his aides.
CNN's Phil Mattingly lays out the timeline of the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm here today to announce the appointment of Robert Hur as a special counsel.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For President Biden, the dramatic escalation of a perilous moment.
GARLAND: It was in the public interest to appoint a special counsel.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Attorney General Merrick Garland appointing former U.S. attorney Robert Hur as special counsel to investigate the possible mishandling of classified documents and revealing a lot more detail about an issue Biden and his lawyers kept quiet for weeks and have desperately tried to manage since the story broke four days ago.
BIDEN: People know I take classified documents and classified material seriously.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): The special counsel announcement coming after Biden's second public statement about a second set of classified documents found at a second location.
BIDEN: As part of that process, my lawyers reviewed other places where documents from my -- from my time as vice president were stored, and they finished the review last night. They discovered a small number of documents with classified markings in a storage areas and file cabinets in home and my personal library.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): But Garland's detailed timeline underscoring that at the time of Biden's first statement on the issue, earlier this week --
BIDEN: We're cooperating fully, cooperating fully with the review and which I will hope will be finished soon.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): -- his lawyer had been aware of the second set of documents, discovered at his Wilmington home for nearly a month. It's a timeline that started with the November 2nd discovery of ten classified documents in a former think-tank office, which led Garland to appoint U.S. attorney John Lausch to investigate the matter less than two weeks later.
On December 20, more documents discovered.
GARLAND: Biden's personal counsel informed Mr. Lausch that additional documents bearing classification markings were identified in the garage of the president's private residence in Wilmington, Delaware.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): All key factors for what Lausch would recommend to Garland last week.
GARLAND: On January 5th, 2023, Mr. Lausch briefed me on the results of this initial investigation and advised me that further investigation by a special counsel was warranted.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): A recommendation that came four days before the initial discovery of classified documents leaked and before days of White House statements that intentionally avoided key details or obfuscated key matters altogether, in part out of an effort to avoid this very moment, sources said, and to follow strict limits set by his lawyers.
[00:05:04]
BIDEN: I'm going to get a chance to speak on all of this, God willing, soon.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): As a due diligence search for any more documents was still ongoing.
GARLAND: This morning President Biden's personal counsel called Mr. Lausch and stated that an additional document bearing classification markings was identified at the president's personal residence in Wilmington, Delaware.
MATTINGLY: And while this investigation has clearly moved into a very new, very potentially dangerous phase, at least based on historical precedent, the special counsel, the White House counsel is stressing they will continue to cooperate, saying they have cooperated and worked closely with the Justice Department up to this point, something that they don't think is going to change.
And they said, at least in a statement after the special counsel was appointed, that they believe that, when this is all said and done, it will be discovered that this is an inadvertent issue, something that was clearly a mistake. That, they believe, should exonerate the president. Very clearly, a problem for a president that thought he was entering his third year in office with a fairly clear path after good midterms and a very, very different economic situation.
Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining us now former federal prosecutor and host of the "It's Complicated" podcast, Renato Mariotti, as well as Daniel Strauss, staff writer for "The New Republic." Good to have you both with us.
RENATO MARIOTTI, HOST, "IT'S COMPLICATED": Good to be here.
VAUSE: OK. So now the first question for you, though, just on the facts alone, is the appointment of a special counsel here justified? And what does this mean specifically in relation to the investigation. because in the past, they've often gone beyond the initial reason for why they were appointed in the first place?
MARIOTTI: Yes, I think it's -- it's certainly a decision you can justify, but I think it is a bit of a stretch. In other words, I think that Merrick Garland did this because he wanted there to be no potential criticism that he was pulling punches, given that he was an appointee of Joe Biden's.
That said, on the facts here, it really does not even look like the sort of case that would ordinarily be pursued by the Justice Department and so, frankly, you know, I think that this is the sort of thing that ordinarily would not be done. It's only because it's Joe Biden.
VAUSE: OK. Now, as the old saying goes, be careful what you say to "60 Minutes." Listen to Joe Biden back in September of last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you saw the photograph of the top-secret documents laid out on the floor of Mar-a-Lago, what do you think to yourself, looking at that image?
BIDEN: How that could possibly happen. How anyone could be that irresponsible. And I thought what data was in there that may compromise sources and methods. By that I mean names of people who helped, or et cetera. And it's just totally irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Along with that, there are new details that Biden and his lawyers have been dealing with this since November. More documents were found December 20, then again on Thursday.
So Daniel, take you know, Biden's outrage on "60 Minutes." Combine it with this new timeline here, the new details we've learned. How much was politically have those two factors made this for Biden? And how much of a win is this for Donald Trump? DANIEL STRAUSS, STAFF WRITER, "NEW REPUBLIC": I wouldn't necessarily
call it a win for Trump, but it definitely takes part of the expected critique of Trump, by Democrats, off the table. They can't say as easily, this was a former president who recklessly kept documents, because the response will be somewhat neutering.
At the same time, though, the real difference here is that Vice President Biden, when he was vice president, like Trump, he didn't know that -- where all the documents were.
But unlike Trump, there's been no resistance from President Biden about handing over the documents or working with the Justice Department.
And the White House has been very clear on that from the beginning. Still, it is a -- sort of a gigantic sort of sea change in 2024 politics, and the politics of Washington, D.C.
VAUSE: You mentioned there are some major differences here between the actions of President Biden and President Trump. Biden had at least a dozen documents. Some were marked top-secret. Trump had more than 300, of which 60 were marked top-secret.
Biden and his lawyers have been cooperating. They contacted the National Archives. Former President Trump did the complete and total opposite, which is why he's under investigation for obstruction.
So Renato, to you. We can still learn a lot more details about both cases, but from what is we know right now, compare the seriousness of the legal trouble both presidents are facing, relative to the other?
MARIOTTI: I don't think there's much of a comparison.
On Trump's side, as you mentioned, he's facing a potential obstruction charge. He's also facing a charge for the willful retention of classified information.
[00:10:04]
And you can see why it's willful. He had the government sending him letters, saying that the documents didn't belong to him. They ultimately issued a grand jury subpoena to his lawyers. They -- the Justice Department came and paid a visit to Mar-a-Lago. Then, you know, eventually, they had to get a search warrant to seize the documents.
And even then, there's some evidence that, you know, and allegations from the Justice Department Trump's attorneys lied to them, lied both verbally and in writing, that there were some documents that were moved out of the location.
So, totally different situation than -- than Biden.
I think Biden is more analogous to the Hillary Clinton case, in that, at most, there is a gross negligence in terms of the mishandling of classified information. But, you know, in this case I would say it appears to be, based on what we know, just inadvertent possession, where, you know, he didn't know he had the documents and then, you know, reported them to the authorities as soon as he did.
You know, I think ultimately that's going to result in no prosecution, but nonetheless, it could have some political implications, I suppose.
VAUSE: With that in mind, this past Christmas came a little late for Republicans, but it came nonetheless. Here's Speaker, in name only, of the House, Kevin McCarthy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Here's an individual that said on "60 Minutes," that was so concerned about President Trump's documents locked in behind, and now we find that this is a vice president keeping it for years out in the open in different locations. I do not think any American believes that justice should not be equal to all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So Daniel, to you, do you agree that Merrick Garland was under some pressure here to appear to be even-handed with the appointment of special counsel? And is there a perception, because of that, rightly or wrongly, of a moral equivalency in terms of the actions of Trump and Biden?
STRAUSS: Look, it's pretty clear that this attorney general and this Justice Department is very, very focused on making sure that they demonstrate no political bias at any point in any of their major investigations.
That's been clear in the deliberative take, the deliberative approach that the Justice Department has taken to announcing and really engaging in any of its investigations of Donald Trump.
And I think here, too, that is the same -- that follows that pattern. The fact alone that classified documents were found within private residences and locations, where Vice President Biden was when he was out of office, is similar enough, although not a carbon copy, to the reams of documents found at Mar-a-Lago that Merrick Garland, in a high level of caution, felt that appointing a special prosecutor was appropriate, at least to show that going into election season, there's no political bias and that the Justice Department is even-handed and not the department of any current or former president.
VAUSE: And on that, we shall leave it here, but Daniel Strauss, thank you for being with us. Also, Renato Mariotti, thank you, as well. Appreciate you -- time for both of you. Thank you.
STRAUSS: Thank you.
MARIOTTI: Thanks.
VAUSE: Right now, the fate of the small town of Soledar in Eastern Ukraine remains unknown. Russian mercenaries say they've taken the entire town, while Ukrainian fighters are said to be maintaining defensive positions.
But it seems the fight is over little more than rubble and devastation.
Ukrainian forces in Soledar claim to have launched a number of counter attacks and have made some incremental gains in the past 24 hours, while still describing the situation as critical.
A Ukrainian soldier has told CNN they have ammunition but no food. His unit has been ordered to hold on until the end.
Russian mercenaries released these images Thursday along with their claim to have taken control of all of Soledar, a claim not supported by the Kremlin.
Geolocating by CNN confirms the images are from Soledar, but from the Northern outskirts of the town.
And the governor of Donetsk says hundreds of civilians are caught in the crossfire. Any attempt to evacuate right now, he says, is unrealistic.
If Soledar falls to the Russians, it will be the first battlefield victory for Moscow after months of setbacks and humiliating losses. But it will come too late to save the job of the general in charge of all Russian forces in Ukraine.
After three months, he was fired this week by Vladimir Putin and replaced by General Valery Gerasimov. Ukrainian officials say the revolving door at the highest level of Russia's military is another sign Putin is increasingly concerned over the direction of the war.
A pro-war Russian blogger believes the leadership change is an attempt to stop the blame game in Moscow from past military failures.
[00:15:03]
And at a media briefing on Thursday, the Pentagon seemed dismissive of the Kremlin shakeup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Frankly, I think that the world would rather see Russia focus on withdrawing from Ukraine and saving innocent lives, versus spending time on numerous management reshuffles. And Russian soldiers and their families would probably like to see that, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: General Gerasimov is Russia's highest-ranking military officer and the architect of the invasion of Ukraine. His appointment to run day-to-day operations is seen by some as a sign that major Russian offensives are coming, adding urgency to pleas from Ukraine for modern Western-made tanks.
CNN's Scott McLean reports now from Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A major shake-up in the highest ranks of the Russian military. General Valery Gerasimov is the experienced commander Putin has now put in charge of the so-called special military operation.
His predecessor was shuffled out barely three months in, following setbacks on the battlefield.
But the Kremlin says it is making progress in the small but strategic town of Soledar, where both sides say the fighting has become intense.
"The situation is difficult but stable," this Ukrainian soldier says. "We are holding back the enemy. Nobody leaves the positions. The positions are being held. We are fighting back."
The Wagner mercenary group claimed to have taken full control of the area, with Russian forces blockading the city's Southern and Northern access routes.
Kyiv denies the town has been captured, despite some indications it's lost considerable ground.
HANNA MALIAR, UKRAINIAN DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator) The enemy has high losses. The area outside the city is covered with the bodies of Putin's troops. Nevertheless, they're moving over their own corpses.
MCLEAN (voice-over): New satellite images reveal the devastation in Soledar, craters scarring the landscape, buildings reduced to rubble. Local officials say hundreds of civilians are still there, most of them elderly.
PAVLO KYRYLENKO, HEAD, PRO-RUSSIAN DONETSK MILITARY ADMINISTRATION (through translator): As of now, there are 523 people there. It would be wrong to say that they don't want to leave now. We are doing our best to help people to leave.
MCLEAN (voice-over): For the Russians, victory here would be a morale boost for a stalled campaign. The Kremlin spokesman hailed the enormous effort in Soledar but says the main work is still ahead.
It will only get tougher. For the first time since the war began, Ukraine will soon have tanks, after Poland agreed to send the German- made Leopards. Germany and the U.K. are mulling the same decision.
Scott McLean, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Just hours after she was rushed to hospital suffering cardiac arrest, Lisa Marie Presley has died. Her mother, Priscilla, made the announcement a short time ago, leaving so many around the world shocked and grieving the death of the king's only daughter. CNN's Chloe Melas has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: CNN has learned that Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, has died. In a statement to CNN, the family wrote, quote, "Priscilla Presley and the Presley family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Lisa Marie. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."
Early Thursday morning, CNN learned that EMTs responded to Lisa Marie's home in Calabasas, California, for a possible cardiac arrest. Now, this came just two days after Lisa Marie attended the Golden Globes at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, alongside her mother Priscilla, to support Austin Butler, who portrayed her father in Baz Luhrmann's film, "Elvis."
He actually won a Golden Globe award that evening. We saw cameras pan over to Lisa Marie and her mother in the audience. At one point, it looked like she was wiping away tears.
When Elvis died in August 1977, Lisa Marie was just 9 years old, and she is the only heir to his estate. Lisa Marie went on to have several children, one of which, his name was Benjamin. He died by suicide in 2020, and Lisa has been open about the grief that she experienced in the wake of her son's death, even writing, in an essay this summer, in July about what that was like and how difficult it was, at one point -- at one point writing, quote, "My heart and soul went with you. The depth of the pain is suffocating and bottomless without you. Every moment of every day."
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And Lisa Marie Presley was just 54.
[00:20:01]
A senior government administrator in Peru has resigned amid weeks of deadly unrest gripping the country. The now former labor minister has called on the president to apologize for the deaths of protesters and to call elections before April, next year.
At least 49 people have died in clashes between police and protesters since the impeachment and arrest of former president, Pedro Castillo in December. His supporters are demanding the resignation of the current president, Dina Boluarte, along with the dissolution of congress, changes to the constitution, and for the release of Castillo.
Peru's top prosecutor is now investigating Boluarte and senior members of her cabinet over the high death toll among protesters. Brazil's president has promised to purge die-hard supporters of his
predecessor from government positions, just days after an angry mob ransacked key government buildings in the capital.
Investigations are underway to find out who allowed hundreds of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro to storm and vandalize the presidential palace and other buildings on Sunday.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called out the military police and the army for their possible involvement in the violence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is important to say that there was a lot of people who were complicit in this among the military police. There were many people from the armed forces who were complicit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And Brazil's federal police say they found a draft of a document intended to overturn the results of the presidential election, while searching the home of Brazil's former justice minister.
Anderson Torres denies writing the decree, says it was leaked to the media to make him look bad.
CNN's Isa Soares has more on that and the investigation into what role police may have played in the riots.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They came in their hundreds. On alert and with weapons at the ready. A show of force to protect democracy.
And head off expected pro-Bolsonaro protesters. For the police, this was about protecting control and order after growing accusations they colluded with rioters on January the 8th.
Video shared on social media showed security forces talking to protesters, some even standing idle as rioters stormed the three branches of power.
Former policeman Cassio believes some of the criticism is unwarranted.
CASSIO THYONE, FORMER POLICE OFFICER AND LAW ENFORCEMENT RESEARCHER (through translator): Some policeman ended up not acting, because they didn't think there was a risk of invasion. Also, we've had a big ideological influence inside the security forces, right-wing influence. I don't think it was incompetence.
SOARES (voice-over): For the last four years, Brazilian forces have taken orders from former President Jair Bolsonaro.
But several sources here tell me what remains are accusations of a politicized police force.
THYONE (through translator): We have research results that show that between 50 and 60 percent of policemen were Bolsonarismo sympathizers. But that doesn't mean they are against democracy.
SOARES (voice-over): President Lula da silva has called for tough action to stamp out any acts of collusion within the security forces in Brasilia. And he's tasked this man, Ricardo Capelli, with doing it.
RICARDO CAPELLI, INTERIM HEAD OF SECURITY FOR BRASILIA FEDERAL DISTRICT (through translator): Police officers have every right to make their political choice. That doesn't interest me. What is important is the respect for the constitution.
SOARES (voice-over): Respect that Capelli says most have, even as investigations begin into the role some may have played.
Still, he believes they were set up to fail.
CAPELLI (through translator): What happened on the eighth and today's operation clearly demonstrates that was the absence of command. The previous head of security was traveling.
SOARES (voice-over): The man he's referring to is Anderson Torres. Until December 31st, Torres was Bolsonaro's justice minister. After leaving office, he became head of security for Brasilia on January the 2nd.
CAPELLI (through translator): He changes the core of the leadership, travels, and leaves the office without command, allowing the unacceptable actions of the eighth.
SOARES (voice-over): Torres denies wrongdoing and says on Twitter that he's always based his actions on ethics and legality.
Despite that comment, authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest. His involvement and ties to Bolsonaro, too much of a coincidence, Capelli tells me.
CAPELLI (through translator): He was justice minister to Jair Bolsonaro. That's a confidence role and one of the highest importance. We would not be justice minister if he did not have president Bolsonaro's complete confidence.
SOARES (voice-over): A damning accusation that suggests the enormity of the security challenge ahead.
Isa Soares, CNN, Brasilia, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Right now, Jair Bolsonaro remains in Florida since leaving Brazil ahead of Lula's inauguration. But pressure is going on President Biden to expel him from the U.S.
Dozens of House Democrats are urging the U.S. president to stop providing shelter for the former Brazilian leader. In a letter to Biden, House Democrats wrote about Bolsonaro, "He is no longer the president of Brazil or currently serving as a Brazilian official, so we request that you reassess his status in the country to ascertain whether there is a legal basis for his stay and revoke any such diplomatic visa he may hold."
[00:25:14]
Well, we'll take a short break. When we come back, there's been a dark and stormy night in the Southeast of the U.S., spawning dozens of tornadoes. Details on the deadly storms in a moment.
Also, ahead, encouraging news from the American Cancer Society. A big fall in the number of people dying from cancer. All those details in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: A series of powerful storms swept across the Southern East [SIC] United States Thursday, spawning more than 30 possible tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky.
At least six people died in Alabama. Several injuries were also reported. About 20 homes are damaged or destroyed just in one county alone.
The National Weather Service says that one twister was likely on the ground for at least 80 kilometers. The strong winds and rain knocked out power lines, sent debris flying, and ripped off rooftops.
One survivor here describes the aftermath.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH A. BROWN, TORNADO SURVIVOR: We had a tax office. Lord, look at our vehicle. Lord, we ain't worried about them. Y'all, thank God for this destruction. And the Lord for blessing all those at the tax office.
Lord, we could've been gone, y'all. We had to run. Everybody jumped on top of each other in the clutch (ph). Y'all hear me. Lord, when I say we blessed, we are blessed. Lord have mercy. Oh, my God. That's the building beside us. Oh my God, y'all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Deborah Brown there, obviously grateful to be alive.
A wall was torn off a warehouse complex West of Atlanta.
The governors of Alabama and Georgia have issued a state of emergency for some parts.
Well the death rate from cancer has fallen 33 percent in the U.S. since 1991. White House is calling this great progress. A new credits better treatment, early detection, and less smoking. CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This new report from the American Cancer Society shows we've made steady progress in getting our nation's cancer death rate to decline in the past three decades.
That's in part due to advancements in treatment. We have fewer people smoking, which is a risk factor for cancer. We also have an HPV vaccine, which offers some protection against cervical cancer.
And we're detecting cancers early.
All of those factors have played a role in what the head of the American Cancer Society calls meaningful gains. Have a listen.
KAREN E. KNUDSEN, CEO, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: There's new revelations for prevention, for early detection, and for treatment have resulted in true meaningful gains in many of the 200 diseases that we call cancer.
HOWARD: And while that's good news, when you really look at the numbers, there's still room for improvement in certain areas. So, the data show that, as a nation, we have seen our cancer death rate declined by 33 percent since 1991.
[00:30:06]
But we also see some racial disparities continue. The death rate in the black community is still 12 percent higher, which shows there's some inequities that still need to be addressed.
We also are seeing increases in the incidents of certain cancer cases. We're seeing more breast cancer, more uterine cancer, more prostate cancer.
And overall, the lifetime probability of being diagnosed with any invasive cancer is 41 percent for men, 39 percent for women. Researchers say there's still room for improvement there, as well.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Straight ahead here on CNN, we'll look at the preservation of U.S. presidential documents and the critical role that plays in holding presidents accountable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate the handling of classified documents found at President Joe Biden's home and former private office.
Notably, aides to Biden alerted officials that the documents, some marked "classified," were found in an office which he used at a think tank, and at two locations inside his Wilmington, Delaware, home. The garage and an adjacent room.
The attorney general says regulations require the appointment of a special counsel to maintain the Justice Department's independence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARLAND: I strongly believe that the normal processes of this department can handle all investigations with integrity. But, under the regulations, the extraordinary circumstances here require the appointment of a special counsel for this matter.
This appointment underscores for the public the department's commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters. And to making decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP
VAUSE: U.S. National Archives is more than just a great big library used to store presidential documents from various White Houses. CNN's Brian Todd reports now on the crucial role it plays in holding various administrations accountable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Experts on White House document preservation tell CNN the sensitive papers from the Obama administration discovered at President Biden's Wilmington, Delaware, home and at his former think tank simply shouldn't be in those places.
TIM NAFTALI, FORMER DIRECTOR, RICHARD NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: Vice President Biden's team didn't do a careful job of segregating his private materials from his public materials. So, that's a problem.
[00:35:02]
THOMAS BLANTON, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Even an ex-president can't take documents like this home, because they belong to the American government. They belong to the American people under the Presidential Records Act.
TODD (voice-over): All documents from presidents and vice presidents are supposed to be saved for posterity by the National Archives.
Experts say the Archives has people dedicated to helping a presidential administration preserve those documents from the beginning of each presidency to the end.
What if a president or vice president wants to take an important document with them when they leave office? TODD: Who do they have to clear it with, the National Archives?
NORM EISEN, FORMER DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL, OBAMA-BIDEN TRANSITION: There's a process within. You would work within the White House. There's officials who are there who are in charge of document handling. They consult with the National Archives.
TODD (voice-over): And, experts say, it's really up to the staff of a president or a vice president to comb through their documents carefully. And coordinate all of this with the Archives towards the end of each administration. Because the Archives, itself, doesn't have a list.
NAFTALI: So, it is not possible for the National Archives on January 20 of inauguration year, to have a checklist and say OK, we've got them all.
TODD (voice-over): Everything work-related a president, or vice president, writes, signs, or even jots a little notation on is supposed to be saved for prosperity and turned over to the Archives.
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Little posties. You know, you have a little handwritten note to somebody. You're writing on a note card at a national security meeting. These belong to the American public.
TODD (voice-over): Analysts say the documents found in President Biden's stash that were marked "top-secret" could compromise national security if they fall into the wrong hands. But they also say this kind of mistake likely isn't unprecedented.
NAFTALI: Given the amount of paperwork that our presidents and vice presidents have generated, it is always possible that inter filed with unclassified, private papers, there might be a classified record or two.
TODD: Is there a way to make the transfer of presidential and vice presidential documents airtight at the end of an administration? Former Nixon Library director Tim Naftali says one reform that's been discussed is to mandate that the process of a White House staff, working with the Archives, begins sooner, in year three of a presidency, so it's not rushed.
He says he'd also like to see the Archives, itself, add more people to its ranks. People who'd have the sole task of helping to preserve White House documents.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still to come on CNN, the chairman of this year's U.N. climate summit has been announced. While many say the fox is now in charge of the henhouse, others are a little more optimistic.
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VAUSE: To Shanghai now, where it's not every day you see a sports car driving through the lobby of an upscale hotel. But how about that? Look at that.
The Jinling Purple Mountain Hotel, to be precise. The driver apparently upset over losing a laptop during a recent stay.
The 28-year-old man was arrested. No one was hurt. But, still no word on where his laptop might be. Oh, it's over there. No.
Well, activists are sounding the alarm ahead of this year's United Nations climate change conference. COP28 will be held in Dubai, and the United Arab Emirates has appointed the head of one of the world's largest oil companies to preside over the summit.
CNN's Becky Anderson reports on the outrage and also the support for what is a very controversial choice.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The climate crisis is already front and center in 2023, and it is only getting worse.
The past eight years were the warmest on record for the planet, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. And after Egypt hosted COP27 last year, climate change will again be in major focus for the Middle East this year, as the United Arab Emirates gets set to host COP28 in Dubai in November.
A major oil-producing country hosting the global climate conference at a pivotal time, with this man, Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber, appointed as president of COP28.
He's the head of Abu Dhabi's national oil company. The 12 largest oil company by production in the world. And his appointment has sparked outcry from some climate activists.
HARJEET SINGH, CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK: He must step down immediately from his current role as the CEO of the Abu Dhabi national oil company, and ensure that the outcomes from COP28 are in line with what is needed in terms of climate ambition and to avert the climate crisis that we are facing right now.
ANDERSON (voice-over): But, clearing (ph) down in what appears at first to be controversial is less so, given Dr. Al-Jaber's key role in shaping the company's transition to a cleaner future.
He's been the UAE special envoy for climate since 2020. And he was out front regionally in 2021 with his country's commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
He also helped establish the UAE's renewable energy company, Masdar, which launched in 2006.
ROBIN MILLS, CEO, QAMAR ENERGY: He has also been very much prioritizing clean energy development, so it hosts the word's largest single-side solar park. It has a very successful nuclear power program, which is coming online, which is reducing emissions.
In its efforts on energy efficiency and energy subsidy reform. It has major effects on carbon capture storage, which of course, is a key part of de-carbonizing the use of fossil fuel.
ANDERSON (voice-over): It's all part of the UAE's plan to diversify, as Dr. Jaber has laid out.
DR. SULTAN AL-JABER, PRESIDENT OF COP28: The world needs maximum energy, minimum emissions. This is why our leadership decided to be a first mover of renewable energy over 16 years ago.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Maximizing energy while minimizing emissions.
The UAE's delicate balancing act, personified in Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber, as the UAE builds towards COP28 at the end of this year.
Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
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VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Michael Holmes at the top of the hour. In the meantime, WORLD SPORT is up next, and I'll see you next week. Have a great weekend.
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(WORLD SPORT)
