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CNN International: Florida GOP Chairman Censured Amid Rape Investigation; U.S. Official: Israel Flooding Some Hamas Tunnels in Gaza; Hong Kong Activist Jimmy Lai Faces Trial Under National Security Law; New Rooster Installed atop Notre Dame Cathedral's Spire. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 18, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, due to -- well, he's en route to Tel Aviv to meet with his Israeli counterpart and members of the war cabinet. The U.S. is hoping to get a clearer assessment from Israel on its military operations in Gaza.

Donald Trump doubling down on his attacks on illegal immigrants during a Nevada rally on Sunday. His comments drawing condemnation from the White House and some GOP opponents.

NOBILO: The Florida Republican Party has voted to censor its chair, Christian Ziegler, who's accused of raping a woman with whom he and his wife were planning a sexual encounter. In an emergency meeting on Sunday, the state party stopped just short of removing Ziegler, but they are stripping him of nearly all authority and cutting his salary to one dollar. Ziegler and his wife, Bridget, are being denounced for hypocrisy and accused of scandalous sexual behavior.

Bridget Ziegler is a co-founder of the conservative group Moms for Liberty, which calls itself a defender of family values. Christian Ziegler has not been charged with a crime and he says he's innocent.

FOSTER: Sunday's vote was the first step in likely removing Ziegler from office.

Marc Caputo, a national political reporter with The Messenger, explains how the next steps could play out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC CAPUTO, U.S. NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE MESSENGER: They're going to come back in a month and vote to officially kick him out of office. They had to do it in this two-step fashion, according to their rules. All of the Republican members that I spoke to and that the other media spoke to, were just surprised that Ziegler just didn't quit. He showed up at the meeting. He apologized.

Sorry for putting you guys through this, but I'm staying, he told them. And so, then they started the motions censoring him, stripping him of his authority, taking away his ability to get reimbursed for travel. So, like the mileage driving between Sarasota, where he lived, and Orlando, where they held the meeting. He's not going to get that. Sending his salary to a dollar. One of the members, Rep. Michelle Salzman, the state rep, said, I don't know what he's doing here. No one really does. But he is. He says he's innocent and that if he resigns, it'll look like a sign of guilt. And therefore, he's saying you're going to have to kick me out. And so, the Florida GOP is saying, OK, we'll take that deal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The Israeli military says it plans to destroy what it calls the biggest Hamas tunnel in Gaza. Israel says it was secured a few weeks ago, but the discovery was just announced today.

FOSTER: The IDF claims the tunnel was used for Hamas troop movements and a launching point for attacks. Israel says it's about four kilometers long or roughly two and a half miles and has electricity, ventilation and communication systems.

[04:35:00]

NOBILO: Meanwhile, U.S. officials says the IDF has been testing out ways to degrade the vast Hamas tunnel system by flooding some of those tunnels with seawater. But it's a risky operation, as CNN's Nic Robertson explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): The tunnels themselves are big, big enough for fighters and their weapons. Seen here in this Hamas propaganda video, which was also posted by the Israel Defense Force. They are reinforced with concrete, too.

Two years ago, Hamas claimed to have built 500 kilometers, more than 300 miles of them. The tunnels are spread all over Gaza. This map over two years old. The IDF says they've discovered 800 tunnel shafts so far and have destroyed 500 of them. The entrances are often well hidden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a 20-meter tunnel.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): As I was shown by the IDF near a Gaza hospital, really well hidden, which means the tunnels can be really hard to find.

ROBERTSON: The idea of flooding the tunnels using the abundant seawater that's along the many miles of Gaza's Mediterranean shore is apparently a creative idea, not just to destroy Hamas and quite literally flush them out, but also to reach the parts of tunnels that might never be discovered from above ground.

Now, it's not without its risks. There could be hostages in those tunnels. There are very few details about how precisely the water is getting into the tunnels. How much water? How fast it's going in? Or what you do if you suddenly discover you're flooding hostages? Other than the IDF say they have begun carefully testing it and that this method is being trialed on a limited, limited basis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a tunnel.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Some of the tunnels are thought to be five floors deep. Some of the hostages who were freed have described them.

This elderly hostage helped by her daughter.

YOCHEVED LIFSHITZ, FORMER HOSTAGE (through translator): We began walking inside the tunnels with a wet ground. It was moist all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are a huge, huge network of tunnels underneath. It looks like a spider web.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The IDF says it will proceed cautiously to make sure they are not flooding tunnels where the hostages are being held.

ROBERTSON: It's significant that more than six weeks into the ground campaign, the full scale of the tunnel problem is only now really becoming apparent. Even controlling the streets above is not enough to locate all the tunnels. So, flooding seems to be the new best option to really probe the extent of the invisible subterranean network, both destroying Hamas, hiding that, and denying it their use.

Of course, a key caveat in success here is if you can't find the tunnel and it's not connected to a system you're already flooding, how effective can you be about flooding it and knowing that you're hitting, destroying the whole of the tunnel network?

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Police have arrested a man in Washington after he allegedly sprayed an unknown substance at two people whilst shouting an anti- Semitic phrase.

NOBILO: The 33-year-old suspect appears to have been arrested near the Kesher Israel congregation synagogue. Washington police have confirmed to CNN that multiple synagogues in the city have received threatening emails, but there's currently no credible threat.

Still to come, Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai appears in court on charges of violating the city's national security law. We're live outside the courthouse with more on this landmark trial.

NOBILO: Plus, a decisive win for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night football. What the victory means for their postseason plans.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: A trial is now underway in Hong Kong to decide the fate of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a supporter of the city's pro-democracy movement and founder of the now shuttered Apple Daily newspaper. Lai's anti-Beijing newspaper was forced to shut down back in 2021 following his detention in 2020.

FOSTER: He's been tried under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law, facing multiple charges of colluding with foreign forces and a separate charge of sedition. The maximum penalty, life in prison.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout following this for us outside the court in Hong Kong. And it has become a very symbolic case or example that many people point to for China's clampdown on Hong Kong.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and for press freedom in Hong Kong, judicial independence in Hong Kong as well.

Max and Bianca, I'm standing outside the West Kowloon Magistrates Court. It has been day one of the national security trial of the China critic and media mogul Jimmy Lai. Now, court has adjourned today. It adjourned just over an hour ago. We will hear opening statements tomorrow.

Outside the court today, security has been tightened. Authorities warned against any form of disruption.

And inside the court, Jimmy Lai was seen wearing a gray suit. He appeared calm. He was surrounded by four corrections officers who were guarding him. He was also seen smiling and waving to supporters who were also in the court.

A number of people here in Hong Kong and around the world are watching this case, watching this trial very closely because it is seen as a test of Hong Kong's freedoms, especially in the wake of the national security law being imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT (voice-over): Considered by many as a father figure to Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, Jimmy Lai always knew his actions might attract the ire of authorities, but he didn't let it faze him.

JIMMY LAI, FORMER CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER, NEXT DIGITAL: I think it's a good idea anytime, any situation that you are in to fight for your freedom. Because without freedom, you have nothing left.

[03:44:55]

LU STOUT (voice-over): In a recent media briefing, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not holding back in their criticism of Lai, calling him, quote, one of the most notorious anti-China elements bent on destabilizing Hong Kong.

After numerous delays, the former media mogul returning to court to finally face trial under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law.

[04:45:00]

Since that legislation was imposed by Beijing in response to massive social unrest and anti-government protests, authorities have cracked down on dissent. Today, most of Hong Kong's political opposition are either in prison, like Lai, or have fled the territory.

As the founder of the "Apple Daily," once Hong Kong's largest pro- democracy newspaper, which regularly challenged the government, Lai is the most high-profile critic of Beijing charged under the national security law.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on multiple counts of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security, as well as a single charge of sedition under a law that dates back to Hong Kong's colonial past.

76-year-old Lai has been in custody for the last three years, and his son is concerned that incarceration is taking its toll.

SEBASTIEN LAI, JIMMY LAI'S SON: I think psychologically he's very strong, but there is -- there always is that element. There's nobody escapes the gravity of age. And at his age, he is at a tremendous amount of risk being in maximum security.

LU STOUT (voice-over): For its part, the Hong Kong government says that all cases concerning offenses that endanger national security, including Lai's, are handled in a fair and timely manner.

In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson said, quote: Without commenting on individual cases, the Hong Kong SAR law enforcement agencies have been taking law enforcement actions based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the acts of the persons or entities concerned.

Lai was a fixture at the student-led pro-democracy and anti-government demonstrations that brought central Hong Kong to a standstill in 2014. When millions of people took to the streets in 2019, Lai was there once again.

Just months later, Lai was marched out of his own newsroom when more than 200 police officers raided the "Apple Daily's" headquarters. A year on, Lai's printing presses fell silent as the paper shuttered, a blow to media freedom in Hong Kong. Lai's legal challenges have mounted ever since, his lengthy rap sheet worn as a badge of honor after a lifetime of demanding democratic reform.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT (on camera): The governments of the U.S., the U.K., as well as the Committee to Protect Journalists have all criticized this trial and called for the immediate release of Jimmy Lai. And this afternoon at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefing in

Beijing, the spokesperson slammed Jimmy Lai, calling him, quote: an agent and pawn of the anti-China forces, unquote.

Back to you, Max and Bianca.

NOBILO: Kristie, in your piece, you mentioned the lengthy rap sheet that Jimmy Lai has. What other legal challenges is he facing?

LU STOUT: He is facing a number of legal challenges. In 2021, he was sentenced to 13 months in prison for his role in the vigil to commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. And last year he was convicted for fraud. But now he faces serious charges, not only the single charge of sedition, multiple counts of colluding with foreign forces, including the United States. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. Back to you, Bianca.

NOBILO: Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong for us. Thank you so much.

FOSTER: Dozens of popular breakfast and snack foods are being recalled due to a possible salmonella contamination. More on that after the break.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: The NFL's Baltimore Ravens have secured a playoff spot with a decisive win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, 23 to 7 on Sunday night. And that is the fourth straight win for the Ravens. And they're now one step closer to securing home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

For the Jaguars, it's their third consecutive loss. They're still squarely in the playoff hunt, but their quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, was put in the league's concussion protocol after the game.

People around the world watched Notre Dame Cathedral burn nearly four years ago. You were actually there.

FOSTER: Four years, time flies.

NOBILO: The restoration may not be on schedule to meet the original goal of opening before the Paris Olympics, though.

FOSTER: But an event over the weekend symbolizes the enormous progress that workers have made. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flying high over the Paris skyline, a golden rooster is hoisted to its new perch, on top of the newly rebuilt spire of Notre Dame Cathedral, scheduled to reopen in a year.

The rooster, made of gold-colored copper, is a crowning milestone in the church's reconstruction, after a blazing fire destroyed the roof of the historic structure four and a half years ago.

PHILIPPE JOST, PRESIDENT, REBUILDING NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS (through translator): The rooster now means it's the very end of the rebuilding of the spire. It stands 96 meters tall, and once the roofers will have covered the spire, we'll be able to take the scaffolding off, and that's when Parisians and everyone who walks past will be able to see this flamboyant rooster.

HOLMES (voice-over): The rooster is a long-time symbol of France, but this one, shining in the sunlight, is more like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Its predecessor, a weathervane that sat atop a wooden spire, crashed through the ceiling of the cathedral in 2019 when it became engulfed in flames.

Workers say it's been a labor of love to help this new bird get off the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's something I'm really proud of because you only do it once in your life. You don't do it twice. So, it's going to be engraved in my memory for a very long time.

[04:55:00]

HOLMES (voice-over): Before it was sent aloft, the rooster was blessed by the Archbishop of Paris, who placed a tube inside it listing the names of hundreds of people who took part in the reconstruction.

Just over a week ago, the French President Emmanuel Macron visited the construction site and said work was on track for the cathedral to reopen on December 8, 2024.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We saw the advancement of this work site that seemed impossible come to reality. And for the first time, we came here not to mark the anniversary of the fire, but to mark one year before the reopening.

HOLMES (voice-over): The old rooster found battered and dented in the debris of the fire will be displayed in a new museum. The new one will watch over the final stages of Notre Dame's restoration and hopefully the many years that follow.

Architects say they have installed a range of fireproof features in the cathedral, so this venerated church is never again reduced to ashes.

Michael Holmes, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: And some stories in the spotlight this hour. One that might make you a bit queasy. Popular breakfast brand Quaker Oats is recalling dozens of granola bars and cereal products due to possible salmonella contamination. FOSTER: Just dozens or dozens of different types?

NOBILO: Well, that's true. I would imagine it's dozens of different types.

FOSTER: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a list of the recalled items, which includes Quaker's classic chewy granola bar.

NOBILO: So, I like a big chewy, but I haven't had one for a while, mercifully.

FOSTER: Normally tasty, less so now. Granola bars included in some Frito-Lays snack boxes, too. The FTA says Quaker has yet to receive a confirmed report, though, of illness related to the recall.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art says it'll return more than a dozen ancient artworks to Cambodia and Thailand.

NOBILO: One of the artefacts is a 10th-century sandstone statue of a goddess from Cambodia. Another is a statue of Buddha's head from the 7th century that will be returned to Thailand. There it is. The works were linked to a British art dealer accused of trafficking artefacts looted from South Asia.

FOSTER: They'll be pleased to have them back.

Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.

NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" is up next, right here on CNN.

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