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Russia's War on Ukraine Continues; Biden Faces Special Counsel Prove Over Classified Documents; Lisa Marie Presley Dead at Age 54; Protesters Stormed Brazil's Capital; Peru Anti-Government Protests Spread; China to Resume High-Speed Train to Hong Kong; UAE Appoints Oil Company As Head Of UN Climate Summit; German Police Removing Demonstrators Who've Been Protesting Coal Mine For Over Two Years; New UFO Report Shows Hundreds Of Incidents Since March 2021. Aired 2-2:45a ET
Aired January 13, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom," Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis, passes away at the age of 54. We will have a look back at her life growing up in the shadow of the king of rock and roll.
Plus, more classified documents are found at President Joe Biden's private home with the special counsel now set to investigate.
And the German police are starting to clear climate protesters hold off at a village in a standoff over the expansion of a coalmine. We will look at how the tiny town has become a symbol of the cost of Germany's dependence on fossil fuels.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: The fate of the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar hangs in the balance amid an all-out Russian offensive to put it under Moscow's control.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian military officials say that the situation is critical but that they are still pushing back against Russian attacks. However, Russian Wagner mercenaries released this video showing them inside Soledar. The group claimed it has captured the entire town, which the Kremlin isn't confirming.
And these satellite images show the sheer devastation left by just one week of fighting in that part of Ukraine. The pictures on the left are from the beginning of the month. And on the right, you see little more than smoldering buildings, which is all that is left in the same areas now. President Zelenskyy thanked his troops in Soledar in his evening address on Thursday. Here he is.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Today, I would like to specifically mention the paratroopers from the 77th airborne brigade that together with the fighters from the 46th airborne brigade holds their position in Soledar and inflicts significant losses on the enemy. We have analyzed in detail the decisions needed, the reinforcements needed, and the steps to be taken by commanders in the coming days.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The battle for Soledar is happening as Russia makes a major change on top of its command for the war in Ukraine. Our Scott McLean reports the new man in charge has his job cut out for him.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A major shakeup 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 that 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 has 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 are moving over their own corpses.
MCLEAN (voice-over): New satellite images revealed the devastation in Soledar: Craters scouring 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 that 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 UK are mulling the same decisio.
Scott McLean, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Our Nada Bashir is monitoring developments in Ukraine, and she joins us now from London. So, Nada, what more are we learning about the man now leading Russia's invasion and the ongoing reaction?
[02:05:00]
NADA BASHIR, CNN JOURNALIST AND PRODUCER: Well, look, as you heard there in Scott's reporting, this comes less than three months since his predecessor is appointed. So, the timing of this has certainly raised some eyebrows and there has been some suggestion across the globe that this may be in response to the setback that Russia continues to face 11 months on since this invasion of Ukraine first began.
We heard from a top Ukrainian military official who has pointed to the frequency of the personnel changes that we are seeing within the Russian command, within the Russian armed forces, suggesting that this might be an indicator that Russia is continuing to face these setbacks.
Perhaps, this might be an attempt to bring some kind of synchronization, some kind of coordination between the management of the Russian armed forces and its command and troops, of course, on the ground.
We've also heard reaction to the shift in personnel from the United States. The Pentagon spokesperson speaking just yesterday, suggesting that this might be once again another indicator that Russia continues to face significant setbacks on the ground in Ukraine. Take a listen.
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BRIG. GEN. PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: I'm not going to speculate per se on how this might affect things on the battlefield in Ukraine other than to say that it likely does reflect some of the systematic challenges that the Russian military has faced since the beginning of this invasion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: Now, those challenges as outlined by Pentagon spokesperson are the challenges that we've seen over the last 11 months from the logistical setbacks, from the -- on the field command, setbacks.
Of course, that command and control challenges that the Russian armed forces have faced, as outlined by Russian intelligence officials, since the beginning of the invasion have been a crucial point of concern for the Russian military and for the Russian command.
But we also heard reaction from within Russia. A top Russian military blogger taking to Telegram yesterday to offer his assessment. He has previously taken the lead in offering military analysis of the Russian operation in Ukraine, suggesting that this might be an attempt to stop the Russian command from blaming the generals in the field, from bringing responsibilities under one central figurehead.
Of course, there is question around the motive behind the shift in personnel, whether or not this is an attempt to bring perhaps more control under the defense ministry, and also as you have there (INAUDIBLE).
We have seen, of course, a more vocal and visible presence of the Wagner mercenary groups. This might be an attempt, of course, to once again shift that control back to the defense ministry in a very public manner. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Nada Bashir, live in London for us.
Major legal mess and PR headache is unfolding at the White House. A special counsel is now set to investigate whether the U.S. president mishandled classified materials. The Obama-era documents in question were discovered at his home in Wilmington, Delaware and at a private office in Washington. Most of them were found in November and December, but the public only learned about them recently, and questions are mounting about why they were kept hush-hush.
U.S. attorney general has chosen Robert Hur as special counsel. He is a former U.S. attorney from the Trump administration who is promising to conduct this investigation with -- quote -- "fair, impartial, and dispassionate judgment."
The Biden team says it is fully cooperating. Only a small number of documents were inadvertently misplaced and that this was all just a mistake.
When President Biden was pressed about the situation on Thursday, he downplayed the suggestion that the documents were at risk. Here he is.
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UNKNOWN: Mr. President, classified -- classified material next to your Corvette. What were you thinking?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me -- they're -- I'm going to get a chance to speak on all this, God willing, soon, but as I said earlier this week, people -- and, by the way, my Corvette is in a locked garage. Okay? So, it's not like they're sitting out in the street.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: So, the documents were stored near his prized Corvette, you can see there, but who put them there? What kind of secrets do they contain? There are also growing questions about transparency.
CNN's Phil Mattingly leaves out the timeline of the investigation.
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MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm here today to announce the appointment of Robert Hur as a special counsel.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE 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 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 had desperately tried to manage since the story broke four days ago.
BIDEN: People know I take classified document and classified material seriously.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Special counsel announcement coming after Biden's second public statement about a second set of classified documents found at a second location.
[02:10:02]
BIDEN: As part of that process, my lawyers reviewed other places where documents from my time as vice president were stored. And they finished the review last night. They discovered a small number of documents of classified markings in storage areas and file cabinets in my home and my personal library.
MATTINGLY: 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. We're cooperating fully with the review in which I hope would be finished soon.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): His lawyers had been aware of the second set of documents discovered at his Wilmington home for nearly a month. It is a timeline that started with the November 2nd discovery of 10 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 28th, more documents discovered.
GARLAND: President 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 his initial investigation and advised me that further investigation by special counsel was warranted.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): The 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 were 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.
BIDEN: I'm going to get a chance to speak on all 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 national document bearing classification markings was identified at the president's personal residence in Wilmington, Delaware.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (on camera): And while this investigation has clearly moved into a very new, very potentially dangerous phase at least based on historical presidents, special counsels, the White House counsel is stressing that they will continue to cooperate, say 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 was an inadvertent issue, something that was clearly a mistake. That, they believe, should exonerate the president.
Very clearly a problem for a president. 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)
BRUNHUBER: Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, has died just hours after she was rushed to hospital suffering cardiac arrest. Her mother, Priscilla, made the announcement a short time ago. Lisa Marie followed in the footsteps of her dad, the king of rock and roll, releasing three albums as a singer and a songwriter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: We have more now from CNN's Chloe Melas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: 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 have 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 the Baz Luhrmann's film "Elvis." He actually won a Golden Globe that evening. We saw cameras panned 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 nine years old. 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 had been open about the grief that she experienced in the wake of her son's death, even writing an essay this summer in July about what that was like and how difficult it was, 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)
BRUNHUBER: And Lisa Marie Presley was 54.
[02:15:00]
BRUNHUBER: We'll be right back.
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BRUNHUBER: Brazil's president vowed to purge diehard supporters of his predecessor from government just days after an angry mob ransacked key government buildings in the nation's capital.
Investigations are under way to find out who allowed hundreds of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro to storm and vandalized the presidential palace and other buildings on Sunday. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called out Brazil's military police and the army for their involvement in the violence. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translator): It is important to say that there were 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)
BRUNHUBER: Police did eventually disperse the crowd with tear gas and arrested some 1,800 protesters only after Lula ordered the federal government to step in to stop the riots. That's raising many questions about the role police played.
Isa Soares has details from the Brazilian capital.
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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-Bolsanoro protesters. For the police, this was about projecting 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 believe some of the criticism is unwarranted.
CASSIO THYONE, FORMER POLICE OFFICER AND LAW ENFORCEMENT RESEARCHER (through translator): Some policemen 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% of policemen were Bolsonaro sympathizers. But that doesn't mean they are against democracy.
SOARES (voice-over): President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called for tough action to stamp out any acts of collusion within the security forces in Brasilia, and he has 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. [02:20:00]
SOARES (voice-over): Still, he believes they were set up to fail.
CAPELLI (through translator): What happened on the 8th 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 is 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 eight.
SOARES (voice-over): Torres denies wrongdoing and says on Twitter that he has 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 is a confidence role and one of the highest importance. He would not be justice minister if he did not have President Bolsonaro's complete confidence.
SOARES (voice-over): A damning accusation. This suggests the enormity of the security challenge ahead.
Isa Soares, CNN, Brasilia, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: A senior government minister in Peru has resigned amid the weeks of deadly unrest, gripping the country. 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. Amid the turmoil, Peru's prime minister insists the country's president won't resign.
We got more now from CNN's Rafael Romo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The violent clashes erupted in the Peruvian city of Cusco, the latest wave of unrest following the ouster of former president Pedro Castillo.
Anti-government protesters threw rocks at riot police Wednesday, who responded by firing tear gas and moving in with an armored vehicle. Video from the scene shows the injured receiving medical aid before being carried off.
The turmoil follows demonstrations in the southern region of Puno. Eighteen people have been killed there since Monday night, including a police officer who was burnt to death by protesters. Prime Minister Alberto Otarola condemned the violence during a session of Congress.
ALBERTO OTAROLA, PRIME MINISTER, PERU (through translator): I deplore this aggression against the security forces. And once again, I call for order, peace, and tranquility for all Peruvians. We can't be killing each other.
ROMO (voice-over): The unrest began in early December when then president Castillo was impeached and arrested after he announced plans to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government. He was apparently trying to get ahead of a congressional vote on his impeachment.
Dina Boluarte, Castillo's vice-president, was then sworn in to replace him. Now, Castillo supporters are calling for her resignation along with prompt general elections on new Constitution and the release of the former president.
But last month, the Supreme Court ruled that Castillo had to remain in pretrial detention for 18 months on charges of rebellion and conspiracy, which he denies.
The new government won of vote of confidence in Congress by a wide margin Tuesday. A loss would've triggered a cabinet reshuffle and the resignation of Prime Minister Alberto Otarola.
Meanwhile, Peru's top prosecutor has launched an investigation into Boluarte and her cabinet members over the deadly clashes as relatives and friends of the dead march through the Peruvian city of Juliaca carrying the coffins of their loved ones.
UNKNOWN (through translator): They are killing us. Juliaca's people. We are dying. We want justice.
ROMO (voice-over): It is the worst outbreak of violence Peru has seen in more than 20 years.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: After three years of strict COVID policy and widespread lockdowns, China is reopening its borders and it plans to resume service of the highspeed train from Hong Kong to mainland China that had been shut down because of the pandemic.
CNN's Marc Stewart is live for us in Hong Kong. Marc, China opening up as the country is bracing for more economic headwinds.
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, there is perhaps hope that by opening up mainland China, it will perhaps increase the chances of some kind of economic benefit, some kind of economic certainty. Let's focus on the highspeed rail for just a moment because it will open up the mainland China's verily significant cities such as Shenzhen which is, of course, a big tech center, Guangzhou, which is a big manufacturing base. All of that travels to and from Hong Kong at least have been put on hold.
[02:24:54]
STEWART: So, the hope is that by opening up these routes, people can again have face-to-face meetings not only with family and friends but also business people who have been craving to meet their counterparts in the east and the west to have face-to-face discussions and to have discussions that could perhaps lead to deals that just a Zoom call cannot handle. So, the opening of these rail lines is significant.
Buy broadly speaking, travel for Chinese citizens in some parts of the world is proving to be difficult. About a dozen countries now have restrictions particularly on entry concerning testing, vaccination. That is proving to be a little bit of a hiccup in this grand reopening plan.
But the rail service, the importance of this cannot be underestimated, especially, Kim, as we approach Chinese New Year in about a week. That is when many families, many Chinese families will be on the move and that too could lead to an economic boost.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right. We will be watching. Thank you so much, Marc Stewart, live in Hong Kong. Appreciate it.
Severe storms slam the southeastern United States spawning dozens of tornadoes. We have details on the deadly weather when we come back. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. A series of powerful strong storms swept across the southeastern United States Thursday spawning about 35 possible tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky.
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BRUNHUBER: At least six people were killed in Alabama and several injuries were reported. About 20 homes were damaged and destroyed in one county alone. The National Weather Service says one twister was likely on the ground for at least 80 kilometers. Strong winds and rain knocked down power lines and ripped off rooftops. Listen to what some residents in Alabama had to say about the storm.
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UNKNOWN: Just out of nowhere, I heard a sound I've never heard before. It sounded like a freight train coming through here. The wind picked up so strong. I had to jump out. I ran out because everything was shaking like never before.
UNKNOWN: I have not been able to get back there to see what it looks like. The road that leads to my house is blocked, and I couldn't even go around the other way. So, pretty much waiting on my husband to come and do all the inspections.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: In Georgia, a wall was torn off a warehouse complex west of Atlanta and some parents in the county south of the city are anxiously waiting to bring their kids home. More than a dozen students are sheltering with school officials because the roads aren't passable. We are just getting word, a five-year-old boy was killed south of Atlanta when a tree fell on the car he was in.
[02:30:00]
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, there has been no letup in the series of extreme weather systems causing epic flooding in California. At least 18 people have died in the past two weeks as heavy rains turned neighborhoods into lakes and destroyed countless homes and businesses. And more rain is expected Friday and Saturday. Now, one bit of good news, less than 1 percent of California is now under extreme drought conditions down from 35 percent of the state just two weeks ago.
On troubling news on the climate front, scientists say 2022 was the warmest La Nina year on record and this year will be even warmer. Researchers say that's significant because the La Nina phenomenon typically has a cooling effect on global temperatures. Experts say it played a role in some of last year's biggest natural disasters, including the heatwave in Europe, disastrous floods in Pakistan, and a devastating hurricane in Florida.
We'll be right back with more news after this break. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: 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 the support for the controversial choice.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR (voiceover): 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 a 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 12th largest oil company by production in the world, and his appointment has sparked an 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: But drill down on what appears at first to be controversial is less so, given Dr. Al Jaber's key role in shaping the country's transition to a cleaner future.
[02:35:02]
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, Mazda, which launched in 2006.
ROBIN MILLS, CEO, QAMAR ENERGY: So, the UAE has also been very much prioritizing clean energy development, so it hosts the world's largest single science Solar Park. It has a very successful nuclear power program which is coming online which reducing emissions. It has efforts on energy efficiency and energy subsidy reform. It has major efforts on carbon capture and storage which of course is a key part of decarbonizing the use of fossil fuels.
ANDERSON: It's all part of the UAE's plan to diversify as Dr. Jabber 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 in renewable energy over 16 years ago.
ANDERSON: Maximizing energy while minimizing emissions. The UAE's delicate balancing act personified in Dr. Sultana Al Jaber as the UAE builds towards COP28 at the end of this year.
Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: After more than two years of a standoff, German police are now removing climate protesters from an abandoned village near the Dutch border but hundreds of demonstrators remain at the site where energy firm RWE has been trying to expand a lignite coal mine. A German court ruled this week that demonstrators had to leave the village of Lutzerath where they have been holed up since October 2020. The years-long showdown has cast a spotlight on tensions over Germany's climate policies in the midst of a global energy crisis and opponents say they won't give up. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SASCHA, ACTIVIST: (Speaking in a foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been here for a week now. And before that, I was here on and off for weeks at a time because I think we have to work to make sure that Lutzerath stays. It's the red line of one and a half degrees. If we want to keep to the Paris Climate Agreement and ensure that the climate crisis, which is already costing thousands of people their lives, especially in the Global South is not fueled any further, then we have to act here and now. And we have to show we cannot rely on politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And I'm joined now on the phone by Lakshmi Thevasagayam, spokesperson for the group Lutzerath Lives. So, thanks for joining us. First of all, in terms of the operation to clear out the activists, the resistance was quite robust. I understand protests are set up barricades and dug trenches, there were a few Molotov cocktails thrown. But I understand it's been by and large, peaceful so far. Have all the protesters been cleared out? What's the latest situation there on the ground?
LAKSHMI THEVASAGAYAM, SPOKESPERSON, LUTZERATH LIVES (voiceover): The situation is still tense as planet activists are trying to postpone their eviction of Lutzerath as long as they can because we know that here, the state of Germany is supporting climate criminal, RWE, actually one of the biggest fossil fuel companies in the world. And we see that the German government is rather protecting the capitalist profits than human life.
BRUNHUBER: But the company legally owns the land now in a deal with the climate ministry led by the Green Party. So, is there a point to this resistance? What message are you trying to send here?
THEVASAGAYAM: We see here that even electing a Green Party wouldn't help. It's the system which -- in which we live the capitalist system, which is based on profits with the thriving of more and more and more into the climate crisis. And this system won't help us out of climate catastrophe. That's why we stand strong together to try for a different life in which our well-being is being (INAUDIBLE) capitalist profits.
BRUNHUBER: I think most Germans would agree with those long-term goals but short-term -- I mean, there's an ongoing energy crisis prices are through the roof average German families are impacted. So, many might say getting energy from coal isn't ideal, but we need everything we can get to get the country through the winter.
THEVASAGAYAM: Actually, the German Institute of Economy has just published a study that says that we have here a perfect lovely coal. As RWE and the Green Party are working together here, (INAUDIBLE) they say, as these researches say we have the clear (INAUDIBLE).
[02:40:05]
The thing is as far as the coal in the midst of Lutzerath actually to have our energy safety. Although we are now stepping out of nuclear power, and also under these circumstances, we won't get any gas from Russia right now. So, we have the facts on our side, but we will need the coal on the Lutzerath to ensure energy safety, as well as that we need the coal to stay underground, as this is the only measure to actually reach our 1.5-degree goals, or rather it's the line which we can't talk anymore because as you already also bought in the news, the climate crisis is now. And now's the time to actually act on it.
BRUNHUBER: Let me just jump in. We only have about 20 seconds but I just want to ask you what's next. I mean more activists including Greta Thunberg are supposed to join the protests if the demonstrators can hold out till then. So, what are the chances? What do you think happens next?
THEVASAGAYAM: Our process is very vivid and rough so we asked everybody to come on Saturday for the big demonstration. Yes, we will be thousands and we will resist.
BRUNHUBER: All right, really appreciate your time, Lakshmi Thevasagayam. Thanks so much for joining us.
THEVASAGAYAM: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Before we go, the U.S. government has gotten over 350 new reports of what it's calling unidentified aerial phenomena or UFOs since March of 2021. Now, they're described in a new report released by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence lawmakers to put pressure on the Pentagon to investigate claims of extraterrestrial activity. The Pentagon attributes almost half of these incidents to drones, birds, and balloons. The other half still remained unexplained and there's no direct mention of space aliens.
William, Prince of Wales and the heir to the British throne made his first public appearance on Thursday, two days after the release of Spare, his brother Prince Harry's best-selling memoir.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you hurt by the comments in Harry's book, sir?
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BRUNHUBER: William and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales visited the new royal Liverpool University Hospital and ignored the question shouted. And King Charles also stepped out on Thursday visiting a community center in rural Scotland. Publisher, Random House group says the English language version of Spare sold more than 1.4 million copies on its first day of release in the UK, U.S., and Canada.
Now, the Zookeepers in the United Kingdom have announced the birth of what may be the world's rarest chimp, a critically endangered Western chimpanzee. Now, the male chimp who hasn't been named was born on December 9 at the Chester Zoo. The western chimpanzees' population has dropped 80 percent in the last 25 years and is extinct in some of its former habitats. The baby and new mother had been bonding with the other 22 chimpanzees at the zoo. All right, thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. "WORLD SPORT" is next.
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