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Dozens Killed in Strikes Across Gaza; Israel Prepared to Act Against Houthis; Qatari PM: 'We Are Committed to Stop This War'; Zelenskyy to Visit U.S. with Aid Stalled in Congress; China, Philippines Trade Blame Over Maritime Incidents; UPenn Names New Interim Board of Trustees Chair. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 11, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everybody.

[00:00:29]

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, more fighting in Southern Gaza, and Qatar's prime minister says Israel and Hamas are not showing the same willingness now to resolve the war.

Plus, the death toll in the occupied West Bank continues to rise, and health officials in Ramallah say Israeli actions are restricting Palestinian access to healthcare services.

And COP28's president says countries are making progress on a final agreement of the climate talks, but divisions remain around the future of fossil fuel.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: And we begin this hour in Gaza, where Israeli forces and Hamas fighters are engaged in intense battles as Israel expands its operations in the South.

The Palestinian news agency, WAFA, says dozens of civilians were killed in airstrikes on Sunday across Gaza, including in the Southern city of Khan Younis.

I want to warn you, the next video contains images that are disturbing. It shows wounded people being rushed into a hospital in Khan Younis. According to WAFA, medical sources say those arriving for treatment are having to lay on the ground, because there are no beds, nor medical supplies available.

CNN's Alex Marquardt is following developments and has the latest from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is clear from fierce fighting that Israel is still battling to control much of Northern Gaza.

Israel is facing what they're calling strongholds of persistent resistance. We've seen fierce clashes --

MARQUARDT (voice-over): -- between Hamas militants and Israeli soldiers, particularly in the Jabalya refugee camp which, on Sunday, saw several airstrikes on a home. According to the Palestinian news agency, WAFA, several dozen civilians were killed inside that home, and others were buried beneath the rubble.

MARQUARDT: Now, Israel is claiming to have killed some 7,000 Hamas militants since this war began. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, at the same time, saying that close to 18,000 people have been killed inside Gaza.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Over the past few days, so much of the fighting and focus by Israel has been on the Southern city of Khan Younis, the biggest in Southern Gaza. That is where Israeli officials believe --

MARQUARDT: -- that some top Hamas leaders may be. And as Israel has pressed farther South, according to local news reports, dozens of people were killed on Sunday, particularly in the Northern and Eastern part of Khan Younis.

This comes after a warning on Saturday, an urgent appeal, the IDF said, for civilians and residents in Khan Younis to leave certain areas and to flee toward the Southwest, where Israel says that there were established shelters.

Now it's unclear how many people would have gotten that message, given the communication issues; and it is unclear what those established shelters exactly are.

Now, on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there continues to be what he calls a gap between Israel's intent to try to keep civilians safe and what's really going on on the ground. Take a listen.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think the intent is there, but the results are not always manifesting themselves. And we see that both in terms of civilian protection and humanitarian assistance.

Even as Israel has taken additional steps, for example, to designate safe areas in the South -- to focus on neighborhoods, not entire cities in terms of evacuating them -- what we're not seeing sufficiently is a couple of things.

MARQUARDT: Blinken went on to say that there needs to be better communication by Israel with both the humanitarian groups, which he said are doing heroic work, as well as civilians about times, places and routes for when and where it will be safe for them to move.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Now on Israel's Northern border, the IDF says several soldiers were wounded after, quote, "suspicious aerial targets" crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

Israel says it happened in the Western Galilee area, and two targets were intercepted.

Hezbollah claims it targeted an Israeli command headquarters using drones earlier on Sunday, saying the attack was in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel's national security adviser says the country is ready to act against Houthi rebels in Yemen, should the international community fail to do so.

The Iran-backed rebels have been targeting merchant ships with alleged Israeli links in the Red Sea and have warned they will continue to do so unless Gaza gets the aid it needs.

[00:05:09]

Israel says it's giving the international community time to organize its response.

Ali Vaez is director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group; joins me now from Doha. And thanks for doing so.

So Israel saying, if the international community doesn't act to stop these attacks, it will. How would an Israeli military move on Houthis complicate the regional landscape?

ALI VAEZ, DIRECTOR, IRAN PROJECT AT THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It's good to be with you, Michael. I think that it's very likely that Israel would take aerial strikes against some of the positions of the Houthis.

But let's remember that the Houthis were targeted by massive Saudi-led coalition bombardments since 2015. And not only did they survive; they became much more aggressive and powerful.

And so I'm not sure if it's necessarily going to achieve the objective that Israel has in mind. And also take into account that part of the reason the Houthis are doing this, which is completely in line with what Hezbollah is trying to do in Lebanon, as well, is to distract Israel from what's happening in Gaza and also to deter U.S. and Israel from further expanding the war because of the consequences that it might have.

The Houthis control the strategic Straits of Bab el-Mandeb. They can disrupt shipping in the Red Sea. And also, in the Gulf region.

HOLMES: U.S. warships have taken out Houthi drones and missiles. They have, though, studiously avoided describing those as attacks on the U.S. What's your take on the U.S. response and the calculus it is making? VAEZ: I think the U.S. is acting wisely in order to -- not to fall

into the trap of Houthi provocations. It would be very difficult for the Houthis to effectively target Israeli territories. It's a very difficult chart for them, geographically.

And the U.S. forces in the region have proven themselves pretty capable of shooting down missiles and drones. The bigger problem, I think, is if the Houthis target commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Or even U.S. naval ships.

But -- but the question is what is the best way of deterring them? Is it demonstrating restraint, or is it engaging in a fight that I think, actually, the Houthis are pitching?

HOLMES: The Houthis, of course, have had Iranian support over the years. Do you think Iranian fingerprints are on these Houthi attacks?

VAEZ: Look, there is no doubt that the network of Iranian allies, proxies, and partners throughout the region are coordinating with Iran.

But if you look at different groups throughout the region, they have different relationships with Iran, and Iran has a different degree of influence and control over them.

And the Houthis are basically the least controlled group among this network. They are fiercely independent. They are truly zealots, and it's very difficult for Iranians to be able to dictate anything to them.

And that, I think, increases the risk of escalation, because the Houthis can do something that is not necessarily closely coordinated with the Iranians but could result in the kind of tensions that could then spiral out of control; and we would end up from the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas to a disastrous regional conflagration.

HOLMES: The threat of unintended consequences.

How do you see Iran's broader strategy when it comes to Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza? How it, you know, balances its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, to whatever extent that is. And those groups' involvement so far.

What does Iran want and, I suppose, critically, not want to happen?

VAEZ: That's a very good question.

So I think what Iranians are looking for is to avoid a regional escalation, because that would then diminish the terrorist capabilities that they have, especially in the form of the crown Jewel of their network, which is Hezbollah.

Because at the end of the day, Iran has created this network in order to deter an attack on its own soil. So if Iran's allies in the region, like Hamas or Hezbollah or Houthis, all of them are diminished in confrontations with the U.S. and the United States, then Iran's own soil will become much more vulnerable.

For them, I think as long as Hamas survives, that is considered victory. As long as they can deter the U.S. and Israel from expanding the war, I think they would be satisfied with the outcome.

But again, it's a very dangerous gamble that they're engaged in, because there is plenty of space for mistakes and miscalculations in a wide geographical are, from the Red Sea all the way to the Mediterranean, and with so many non-state actors taking actions that are not necessarily very well-calibrated and fine-tuned.

[00:10:05]

HOLMES: Great to get your analysis. Ali Vaez, thank you so much. Appreciate you making the time.

VAEZ: My pleasure.

HOLMES: Now the Palestinian Health Ministry is reporting a rising death toll in the occupied West Bank. It now says at least 275 people have been killed in Israeli attacks there since October 7th.

The ministry in Ramallah also reports more than 3,000 Palestinians have been wounded in the occupied West Bank and claim some attacks by Israeli forces have restricted the availability of healthcare services.

The Palestinian Crossing Authority says 100 aid trucks arrived in Gaza from Egypt on Sunday. That is in keeping with the daily average that's been allowed over the last week.

But of course, it is still less than a quarter of the aid that was going into Gaza before the war began, according to the U.N.

In Khan Younis, residents rushed to grab water and other supplies, but the president and CEO of Save the Children says people in Gaza still don't have anywhere near what they need just to survive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANTI SOERIPTO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SAVE THE CHILDREN: Humanitarian organizations like ours, we're really running out of words to describe how bad it is. We work in crises all over the world, from Afghanistan to Sudan, to Ethiopia, to the Democratic Republic of Congo. So we are no strangers to war and conflict.

But what is happening here is that there is -- there's two million people and a million children in a very, very small space. There is no way to get out. Nobody can flee, which is not the case in most of these other crises. And there is nothing coming in. And there's an absence of basic necessities.

So, the siege that's put upon the people of Gaza is not -- we cannot do it, there is no market of sorts to allow people to get access to food and water, and anything they need.

So -- so we think that is a willful, you know --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a choice.

SOERIPTO: It's a choice. It's a choice. And it's withholding aid from the population.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now the war in Gaza took center stage during the first day of an international form in Doha.

CNN's Becky Anderson moderated a panel with world leaders, including the Qatari prime minister. He told her he is deeply disappointed by the failure to secure a new pause in the fighting. But he's not giving up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Israel has categorically ruled out a cease-fire and says its military operation will continue until it has destroyed Hamas and freed all of the hostages.

And two months in, and 137 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza, including Americans.

And Israel has yet to come up with compelling evidence that it can execute on that goal of destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages without continued catastrophic loss of human rights.

So I spoke to the Qatari prime minister from (UNINTELLIGIBLE), earlier on today. Of course, Qatar intimately involved at the heart of the mediation talks, which effected a humanitarian truce, a weekslong truce which allowed for the release of upwards of 100 hostages.

That, of course, is now over. And the Qatari prime minister told me that he is deeply disappointed that the two warring parties have not been able to come together to effect further negotiation. Further freeing of hostages, on the one side, held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

But he did sound a tone of optimism. Have a listen.

MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN BIN JASSIM AL THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: For the way forward, we are going to continue. We are committed to have all the hostages being released, but also we are committed to stop this war and to stop the bombardment of -- of the innocent Palestinians.

It always takes two parties to be willing to such an agreement. Unfortunately we are not seeing the same willingness that we had seen in the weeks before.

ANDERSON: While this region, the Gulf, and the wider Middle East is absolutely determined. And you heard this echoed around this region, that it is an immediate ceasefire that is needed at present. Certainly, the U.S. administration is a very enthusiastic about trying

to get a plan for what's known as the day after. The day the guns go silent, a plan about what a post-conflict Gaza may look like.

I spoke to the Palestinian prime minister, who was here with me in Qatar. And he has described, talking to the Americans, about a plan which could involve Hamas as a junior partner, if Hamas signed up to the PLO platform.

[00:15:15]

Well, I asked Mohammad Shtayyeh whether it was realistic to suggest that Hamas be involved in governing Gaza going forward and what any plan for the day after might look like. This is what he told me.

MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER: I think it's very important that we should all realize that Hamas is an integral part of the Palestinian political mosaic. And therefore, for Israel to claim that they are going to eradicate, eliminate Hamas, I think this is something that is totally -- it's -- first of all, that it's not going to happen and totally is not acceptable to us.

ANDERSON: Alongside the director general of the United Nations General Assembly, I was also joined on stage by Ayman Safadi. He was the Jordanian foreign minister.

And all three regional leaders that I spoke to today said any plan going forward has to include a Palestinian horizon; must include a solution for the Palestinians. It must include security, dignity, and self-defense as part of any conversation about where this region goes tomorrow.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Doha.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now the Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin wants an active role in de-escalating the conflict in Gaza.

Russia says Mr. Putin, on Sunday, told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that the Kremlin is ready to help and would supply, quote, "all possible assistance" to help alleviate the humanitarian emergency there.

The Kremlin statement also said Mr. Putin condemns terrorism and that the two leaders had a joint interest in evacuating Russian citizens and Israeli hostages.

Mr. Netanyahu has previously voiced his displeasure with Russia's position on the Gaza conflict at the U.N.

Still to come here on the program, Argentina's new president promises change is in store for the country's deeply troubled economy. His plan for a new era, coming up.

Also, we'll tell you about the latest in a series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: Ukraine says its defense forces destroyed eight aerial targets, as they put it, after Russia apparently launched a missile attack on the Kyiv region.

At least four injuries have been reported and no deaths however. It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit Washington this week.

CNN's Kevin Liptak with those details.

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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Zelenskyy's visit to Washington on Tuesday will come at a critical moment as lawmakers are working to come up with a package that would include new aid for Ukraine, along with new rules on migration into the United States.

And certainly, the fact that President Biden invited Zelenskyy to visit Washington tells you that the administration is looking for some kind of dramatic way to break the impasse on Capitol Hill.

So while he is in D.C., he will meet with President Biden at the White House to discuss what President Biden's aides say is vital American support to Ukraine.

But he will also be on Capitol Hill. Zelenskyy will speak to all senators in a meeting in person, and he will meet, as well, with the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson.

And certainly, his challenge will be in convincing some of these skeptical Republicans that the $60 billion, an additional American assistance that President Biden is requesting for Ukraine could make a difference on the battlefield.

As Ukraine remains bogged down in this counteroffensive, that hasn't necessarily changed the battle lines so far. But already, you're hearing some Republicans sort of oppose Zelenskyy's visit.

J.D. Vance, conservative Republican from Ohio, said that Zelenskyy will come to Washington and demand that Congress care more about his border than our own.

Remember, these talks are tied together with this conversation about tightening the rules on migration into the United States. We did hear Sunday from the two senators who are sort of leading those discussions: the Democrat, Chris Murphy; and the Republican, James Lankford.

It did not appear as if there were any closer to an agreement. Listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): This is one of the most dangerous moments that I've ever faced in American politics. And I wish Republicans weren't holding Israel aid and aid to Ukraine hostage to the resolution of immigration reform.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you get Ukraine aid passed separate from this?

SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OK): No. No. The focus is what we hear from so many people, is why would we deal with other people's national security and ignore American national security? Why would we literally allow people across our Southern border this administration labels national security risks by the thousands coming into the country, separate from just the migrants that are coming fir employment.

We have individuals they've literally labeled national security risks coming into the country. Why would we not work to be able to stop that? We can't do two things at once.

LIPTAK: Now, President Biden did say last week that he was open to significant compromise when it came to border provisions. But he is really caught in a bind here, feeling pressure from both sides. Certainly from Republicans and even some Democrats who want to do more to stop the migrant flows from coming into the United States.

But also, on the other side from progressives and immigration advocates who are worried about the steps that President Biden might agree to, worried that they could amount to some of the restrictive policies that President Trump enacted when he was in office.

Now, we did hear from Senator Chris Murphy today that the White House plans to become more engaged on these talks over the coming weeks. But it remains, certainly, unclear whether presidential involvement will break the impasse.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Mr. Zelenskyy spent Sunday in Argentina, congratulating the Argentine president, Javier Milei, on his inauguration. The two held a bilateral meeting after the swearing in the ceremony.

The Ukrainian president posting online, in part, quote, "Today the streets and squares of Buenos Aires are filled with the word 'freedom.' Freedom is what unites us, Ukraine and Argentina. We truly cherish it, protect it, and stand ready to strengthen it together."

And Argentina's new president promised, Sunday, the start of a new era for the country. The world is watching to see how he addresses an economic crisis of epic proportions. President Milei claims no government has ever received a worst inheritance, telling the public, quote, "There is no money." CNN's Ivan Sarmenti has more on the ceremony and its special guest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN PEREZ SARMENTI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Javier Milei is the new president of Argentina.

SIMENTI (voice-over): The inauguration started this Sunday morning, at the Congress, where he swore in front of the deputies (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

But, instead of giving his maiden speech there, as other presidents used to do, he decided to go outside and talk to the people. He announced a shock of (UNINTELLIGIBLE), because there is no money, he said.

But remember Argentina is facing a huge crisis, with an inflation over 140 percent a year.

At the Congress also there were some special guests. The surprise there was Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, who decided to attend to this inauguration. He arrived early this morning in this, his third visit to Latin America since the beginning of the war.

Later they met again here in Casa Rosada, the government house, where it's also expected a bilateral meeting this afternoon.

[00:25:00]

Another guest here is Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, who assists the membership of Ukraine to the European Union.

Milei also talk to the crowd here. He thanked them for becoming the first Libertarian labor president of Argentina.

Ivan Sarmenti, CNN, Buenos Aires.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Police in Spain have arrested a Venezuelan citizen considered one of the alleged leaders of a major worldwide hacker group. They've not identified the suspect but say the person is linked to the hacker group known as Kelvin Security.

Investigators say it is connected to more than 300 high-level cyberattacks in more than 90 countries in the last three years.

The suspect is accused of data breaching, hacking, and money laundering using cryptocurrency. Kelvin Security is also suspected of using the dark web to sell confidential data linked to countries including the U.S., Germany, Italy and Japan.

Tensions between the Philippines and China flaring once again in the South China Sea. Both nations accused each other of dangerous maneuvers and a collision that happened this weekend in the contested waters of the Spratly Islands chain. The Philippines has summoned the Chinese ambassador to complain. The

Philippines Coast Guard says at least two of the ships were damaged after being fired on with water cannon, and that a Chinese ship rammed a vessel.

But China says the Philippine ship deliberately swerved to cause a collision. It's the latest in a string of maritime confrontations that have heightened regional tensions.

CNN Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang joins me now to discuss further. These incidents aren't just getting more common. They're getting more dangerous.

Tell us about the latest one and the reactions to it.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Michael, as you mentioned, the two governments obviously, not surprisingly, blaming each other as the culprit that caused the latest incident.

But let's not forget. the real cause of this, of course, is this long- running territorial dispute between China. And many of its neighbors, including the Philippines, because Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entirety of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea.

But there are both tactical and strategic regions why we are seeing more of these, what you -- as you described more dangerous encounters, because the Philippines, under President Marcos, has been increasingly publicizing these incidents, really trying to draw more global attentions to this issue.

Because there is some urgency on the Filipino side. Part of what the Philippines has did -- has done, starting in 1999, was actually running ashore a World-War-II-era warship on the Second Thomas Shoal, which is part of the Spratly Islands, to stake its claim.

And, for the most part, of the two decades since, they have been able to use that as a military outpost, rotating its marines in and out and re-supplying it with civilian ships.

But since Chinese Leader Xi Jinping took power, we have seen, of course, the Chinese foreign policy and military operations in the region becoming more assertive and, some will say, aggressive. That's part of the reasons for this -- for these clashes.

But time is running up for the Philippines. Because that ship is literally rusting away and disintegrating structurally. So a lot of analysts have said the Chinese are simply waiting for that ship to be washed away by water and then just swoop in and potentially seizing that territory and even militarizing it, as they have done in many other islands and islets in the region.

So that's why time is critical for the Philippines, and they need to prepare that ship. And there are, of course, some reports the U.S. is advising the Philippines doing so.

But strategically, though, what we have seen is Marcos expanding and deepening the Philippines cooperation with the U.S. since he took power by, for example, granting the U.S. additional access to Filipino bases and restarting joint air and sea patrols with the U.S. and Marcos himself. Even stopping in Hawaii, on its way back from the APEC summit to visit the U.S. Indo-Pacific command.

That's why, from Beijing's perspective, the Philippines is now just doing the U.S. bidding to stir trouble, to challenge the Chinese supremacy and power to, quote unquote, "surprise Chinese interests."

So that's what the U.S. has very much seen as part of the saga, even though there is this perceived, quote unquote, "thawing" between Washington and Beijing.

So Michael, all of that is why these latest incidents is very potentially troublesome in terms of what this situation is headed with regional and global implications -- Michael.

HOLMES: And Steven, you mentioned the United States Sunday, they urged China to abide by a 2016 arbitration ruling over these very waters. How likely is China to do that. One imagines not very. So what's the endgame?

JIANG: Yes, I want to go a step further, saying it's just impossible, because the Chinese government, they did not even recognize the legitimacy of that international tribunal.

[00:30:05]

So they have been ignoring that ruling since 2016. And they have said time and again they are not going to abide by anything handed down by that illegitimate court -- Michael.

HOLMES: All right, Steven. Thanks for the update. Steven Jiang there in Beijing.

A quick break here on the program. When we come back, the fight over fossil fuels at high-stakes talks. There is slow and difficult progress. Why there are major divisions at this COP28 climate summit in Dubai. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Almost 600 members of Harvard University's faculty have now signed a petition urging officials to resist calls for the removal of university president Claudine Gay.

The petition comes amid pressure on Gay to step down, following her testimony on antisemitism before Congress last week. She was among three university leaders accused of failing to stay or defined the calling for genocide would violate their school code of conduct.

The Harvard petition urged officials to, quote, "defend the independence of the university" and, quote, "resist political pressures."

Meanwhile, the University of Pennsylvania has appointed new leadership after its now former president, Liz Magill, resigned on Saturday over her testimony before Congress. The chairman of the school's board of trustees also resigned.

Julie Platt, the board's new interim chair, said the change of leadership was, quote, "necessary and appropriate." CNN's Polo Sandoval reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The University of Pennsylvania will begin final exams this week under new leadership after controversy resulted in the resignation of two university officials, among them Liz Magill, the now former university president.

She, along with the heads of Harvard and MIT, have been heavily criticized since last week for failing to recognize that calling for Jewish genocide is a direct violation of the university's codes of conduct.

Here, on the campus, we have seen reaction and heard reaction from students, including one in particular who's also the vice president of the Jewish heritage program, who told CNN over the weekend he felt that this was a step towards accountability for the university administration.

Separately, we also heard over the weekend from the governor of Pennsylvania, who spoke at a local synagogue, joining both Jewish and non-Jewish community leaders, strongly condemning the violence against all faiths. This is what he said.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): In whatever form -- whether antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, homophobia -- it has no place here in Pennsylvania, in a place founded on the promise of William Penn. We will not tolerate it.

[00:35:19]

SANDOVAL: The governing organizations at Harvard continue with their regularly scheduled meetings the last few days. This amid growing calls for their president, Claudine Gay, to step down. Gay has issued an apology recently, a Harvard spokesperson declining to comment.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The head of the COP26 climate summit is warning that progress is not coming fast enough as delegates in Dubai discuss the future of our planet.

The president of the U.N. climate change conference says major divisions remain over whether or not fossil fuels should be phased out and, if so, how. A Democratic senator who's part of the U.S. delegation says OPEC

remains a major stumbling block as other leaders stressed the urgency of reaching an agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): Young people of the world should be very afraid that OPEC and global oil and gas companies are working to water down this report. OPEC and the oil companies, right now, are trying to whitewash the crisis that has been created by fossil fuel. And U.S. companies are a part of this, as well.

JOHN SILK, MARSHALL ISLANDS MINISTER FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND COMMERCE: We will not go silently to our watery grave. Therefore, we cannot and will not accept an outcome from the COP that does not set us on a course for a future that stays within 1.5 temperature.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The conference is due to end on Tuesday, although regularly has gone past its initial deadline.

Egypt wrapped up the first of three days of voting in its presidential election on Sunday with indications, not surprisingly for many, of another win for the incumbent president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

El-Sisi is going for an unprecedented third term after a change in Egypt's constitution in 2019 permitting just that.

He started serving as president in 2014 and, should he win, he could remain in office until 2030.

One Egyptian voter said she considers the right to vote vitally important.

MOUSHIRA SHAKER, VOTER (through translator): I just came now at the end of the day, but I found large turnout and lines of people waiting to participate. And this is a great patriotic spirit. I'm calling on everyone to go down and participate. You should.

This is our president, and this is our country. And we have to preserve it, because think God, no matter how much trouble in problems we're going through, we're still much better off than others. And we need to preserve the condition we're in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Four candidates are on the ballot, including Sisi. Others were prevented from running. The results are expected to be announced on December 18.

Now this year's winner of the Nobel Peace Prize wasn't able to accept her reward in person. Hear what she said in a powerful speech, written from her prison cell. That's when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [00:40:51]

HOLMES: Former President Donald Trump changed course again on Sunday, announcing on social media that he will not testify in his $250 million New York civil fraud trial.

Just Friday, Trump had declared he would take the stand in the case once again. Against the advice of his attorneys, by the way. But, on social media Sunday, he said, well, he won't testify after all.

Trump, his adult sons, and his company, are accused of inflating the value of their properties to receive better loan and insurance terms.

The children of the Iranian activist, Narges Mohammadi, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf on Sunday. She was awarded the price back in October for her decades of human rights activism, for which she is serving a 31-year prison sentence in Tehran.

At Sunday's awards ceremony, her children delivered a lecture written by Mohammadi from her prison cell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI RAHMANI, SON OF NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE NARGES MOHAMMADI (through translator): "I'm confident that the light to freedom will shine brightly on the land around. At that moment, we will celebrate the victory of democracy and human rights over tyranny and authoritarianism. And the outcome of the people's triumph on the streets of Iran will resonate worldwide."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: In her lecture, Mohammadi highlighted how young people in Iran have been a catalyst for civil resistance, adding, quote, "The Iranian people will dismantle obstruction and despotism -- despotism through their persistence. Have no doubt, this is certain."

Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. I will be back with more news at the top of the hour. Meanwhile, WORLD SPORT after this.

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(WORLD SPORT)

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