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More Than 100 Dead After Earthquake Hits Northwestern China; Iceland Volcano Erupts On Reykjanes Peninsula; U.S. Defense Secretary Visits Israel For High Stakes Talks; Yemen Houthis Attack Two More Red Sea Cargo Ships; U.S. Says It Will Run Out Of Funds For Ukraine This Month; Russians In Rare Public Protest Ask Putin To Bring Soldiers Home; Jonathan Majors Found Guilty of Assault; Vatican: Same-Sex Couples May Receive Inform Blessing; Non-Profit's Links to Anti-LGBTQ Laws in Africa; Trump Ramps Up Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric on Campaign Trail. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 19, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN, a deadly earthquake strikes China's northwest province of Gansu. Spectacular but no surprise a long awaited eruption of a volcano in Iceland sends lava into the night sky and releases dangerous amounts, toxic gas. And why Donald Trump's hidden like language is resonating with so many Republican voters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: We begin this hour in Northwest China where earthquake has left more than 100 people dead, nearly 600 injured. According to the U.S. Geological Survey a 5.9 magnitude quake struck Gansu Province just before midnight Tuesday, local time.
Well, earthquakes are common in the region. It is mountainous in parts and right now temperatures are below freezing. For more details like now who is CNN Steven Jiang in Beijing.
So what are we doing right now about rescue efforts and this death toll which I guess I refuse it will rise?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, John, since we last spoke the authorities in Ching Hai Province, which is a neighbor of Gansu already revised up their death toe slightly upwards as we expected. And this of course, is likely to happen in the coming hours as rescuers reach more remote parts of the quake zone.
Now, that is one of the two key challenges they were facing the location of this quake zone even though on paper, the epicenter is only some 100 kilometers away from Gansu provincial capital city Lanzhou where residents by the way also felt strong tremors overnight. But because this area is mountainous, and mostly rural, and sparsely
populated, it really is hampering the speed of the rescuers getting to some of the far flung corners of this area.
And the other challenge, of course, is the weather as you mentioned, much of northern China, including that part of the country has been experiencing a cold snap in the past few days. Overnight temperatures in this quake zone reaching minus 15 minus 16 Celsius, that is only five degrees Fahrenheit. So this kind of bitter winter cold, obviously, impacting the rescuers efforts as well.
And also, it could shorten the so called golden window that it's 72 hours of golden window for survivors to be pulled out of the rubble, according to experts. So that's why the clock is literally ticking here.
But already of course, we've seen the authorities both in the central government and local governments sprang into action, the Chinese military joining the effort as well as sending a large transport aircraft carrying 14 tons of goods including vehicles and other supplies as well as personnel to Lanzhou the provincial capital city and also the central government here in Beijing already releasing 30 million U.S. dollars worth of emergency release funds to the two provinces affected.
And already we have seen 1,600 firefighters on the scene that with more reinforcement on the way but still, this is on course to become the deadliest earthquake in China in nearly a decade and because of the remote location and because of the weather condition. Time is really of the essence here. John.
VAUSE: Steven, thank you. Steven Jiang there in Beijing with very latest. Appreciate it. Well, after weeks of seismic activity warning and eruption was imminent, a volcano in Iceland is now spewing fountains of lava and releasing potentially dangerous amounts of toxic gas.
These live images right now local time just after six o'clock in the morning, 6:04, and the eruption has opened a fissure about three and a half kilometers long. The nearest town is the fishing port of Grindavik where 4,000 residents were evacuated last month.
So far no reports of injuries and authority say the intensity of the eruption has been waning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALLGRIMUR INDRIOASO, NEWS REPORTER, RUV ICELAND: Last maybe two hours the power of eruption has diminished a bit but that that is kind of what has happened in the previous eruptions.
[01:05:00]
The danger is still in the town of Grindavik that that town was, of course evacuated a few weeks ago when the earthquakes took place. So no one has stayed overnight, at least not with permission. But as the latest information is that the southern end of the long
crack the four kilometer crack that lava is spewing out of is only three kilometers from the edge of the town. So that is the main worry, but right now, the flow is more in the north and in the south. So it's not the lava is not flowing towards Grindavik as it is right now.
VAUSE: Is there any expectation or timeline on how long this eruption is expected to continue? How long will we see these sort of spectacular images from this volcano?
INDRIOASO: Well, it is impossible to say the and that the previous eruption kind of show that the first eruption lasted for some months, I think six months. We have also had eruptions that have only lasted three weeks.
But this is the most powerful eruption yet. But that -- but according to geologists, that really is no indication for how long this will stand. So it's unfortunately for the inhabitants of Grindavik, it's impossible to say how long this will last.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Iceland's capital, Reykjavik is about 40 kilometers from the volcano, the International Airport remains open with no flight disruptions.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Monday, amid ongoing concerns over Israel's military offensive in Gaza.
Secretary Austin says he discussed the pathways towards a future for Gaza after Hamas, as well as protection for civilians right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: This is Israel's operation. And I'm not here to dictate timelines or turns. Our support to Israel's right to defend itself is ironclad. We also have some great thoughts about how to transition from high intensity operations to lower intensity and more surgical operations.
YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: We will continue to operate in different levels of intensity according to the situation in the region. So all in all, there is no -- there is not -- no clock that is running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And there's confirmation from Israel that three hostages or young men being held by Hamas were killed by friendly fire from the IDF. And there are new questions about Israeli intelligence before the October 7 Hamas attacks.
After the discovery what's been described as the biggest Hamas tunnel in Gaza, not far from the border with Israel. Details down from CNN's Will Ripley reporting in from Tel Aviv. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beneath the bombed out rubble of Gaza, a massive underground labyrinth. Newly released videos from the Israeli military claimed to show the biggest Hamas tunnel in Gaza, two and a half miles long, up to 164 feet deep with electricity, ventilation and communication systems.
The IDF says the tunnel is wide enough for a large vehicle even a makeshift railroad. CNN cannot independently verify these videos claiming to show what the IDF calls Hamas's strategic infrastructure.
Hundreds of terror tunnel shafts throughout the Gaza Strip, the IDF on a mission to locate and destroy dozens of attack tunnel routes.
Hamas made the unverified claim of building more than 300 miles of tunnels under Gaza, tunnels for smuggling goods, launching attacks, storing rockets and ammunition and Israel says Hamas command centers hidden beneath homes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under this child was caught, one of the baby is caught is the (INAUDIBLE) that was used for terror by Hamas.
RIPLEY (voice-over): For three Israeli men held hostage in Gaza, a sign of desperation to the end, a white sheet and a plea for help scrawled in Hebrew with left over food. It reads help three hostages, a message either missed or ignored by Israeli soldiers who shot them down from a distance all three shirtless, waving a white cloth.
The man holed up in a building and the embattled Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. It's not clear if the hostages were abandoned or managed to escape before the fatal confrontation.
The IDF admits the killings broke their rules of engagement.
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Adding pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of around 129 remaining hostages amid growing international calls for a ceasefire, a truce Israel says would only strengthen Hamas.
As everyday people suffer on the streets of Gaza, social media images show crowds climbing on aid trucks. The sign of growing desperation, amid amounting humanitarian crisis, as the number of dead in Gaza approaches a staggering new milestone of 20,000.
RIPLEY: As those pictures show the situation in Gaza growing increasingly dire as the death toll ticks upward and now you have these new questions about how the IDF is operating on the ground when they encounter civilians, like those three Israeli hostages who are shirtless, waving a white flag and shot and killed.
We were close to the Gaza border today we saw a huge plume of smoke and every few minutes, the loud sound of outgoing artillery. It was rattling for us on the Israeli side. You can only imagine what it must have been like for those in Gaza. Will Ripley, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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VAUSE: Authorities are warning of a growing threat to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Suez Canal from Houthi rebels in Yemen. U.S. Central Command reports a U.S. warship responded to a distress call from a chemical oil tanker, the Swan one Atlantic, which have been targeted by an attack drone and anti-ship ballistic missile.
At the same time another commercial ship the Clara also came under attack. There were no injuries reported in either incident. Houthi forces claimed responsibility saying both vessels were attacked because they linked to Israel.
The days after Israel declared war and was around back Houthi is declared their support for Palestinians in Gaza. So now to counter those sea attacks, the U.S. has announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new multinational taskforce aimed at securing the key waterways.
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AUSTIN: regarding the Houthis these attacks are reckless, dangerous, and they violate international law. And so we're taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat. And I would remind you that this is not just a U.S. issue. It says -- this is an international problem and it deserves an international response.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: BP is the latest major company to pause Red Sea operations, as others include the shipping giant Maersk and Evergreen.
Live now to Berlin, David Sanger, CNN political and national security analyst as well as White House and national security correspondent for New York Times old. Thank you for getting up early. Good to see you.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to be with you, John.
VAUSE: OK, so when Israel declared war Hamas, one of the big concerns was this conflict spreading beyond Gaza, some regional escalation, at the time, you know, with the Houthi rebels in Yemen considered among those groups, which might actually get involved, they didn't seem to be a major player, were they?
SANGER: They didn't at the time, John, that the focus at that moment, or you may recall, was on Hezbollah, and really on their operations out of Lebanon. And at one point early on, the United States had to intervene with the Israelis, because they were afraid that Israel would respond to some mid-level attacks that were coming at Northern Israel, from Hezbollah.
But the Houthis declared at that very moment that they would retaliate for the action in Gaza. And it's taken them now over the better part of two months. But they are in fact, responding. The question is how far the United States and its allies want to go in
reaction. They have created this new task force, as you said, but they've been very restrained about firing back at the location where these attacks are emerging from for fear of further inflaming a second confrontation. So it's a really delicate balance between deterrence and retaliation here.
VAUSE: So in terms of the threat posed by Houthis in Yemen, listen to the former CIA Director David Petraeus. Here he is.
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DAVID PETRAEUS, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Well, this is one of the most important arteries in the world when it comes to maritime shipping. If you have to go all the way around, say Africa or something like that, and obviously adds a considerable amount of time and expense. So this actually will have a real impact on the global economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: There's a shift to be two parts to this. There's clearly a threat to a global disruption in shipping, but then there's also the direct military threat to Israel. Our clip -- so what is that threat to Israel? How capable of Houthis and it seems like the global threat to shipping is by far the more far reaching and consequential one.
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SANGER: I think that the threat to shipping is and not the first time that we've had, you know, a crisis around the Suez Canal. We've seen them before. You're already seeing this in the oil price jump, modest but noticeable that's happened just in the past day or two.
But I think that General Petraeus is correct. That there is also a threat to Israel here is a somewhat modest threat, given the missile capability that Houthis. They could reach Israel, but we haven't seen them do much real damage there.
In some ways, though, this is an easier fight for an international coalition to come into because everyone has got a piece of this, because we're all dependent on the oil treatments.
How to go deal with the Gaza, as you could tell from Will Ripley's report is far more complex. We're now at that remarkable number of 20,000 dead, I mean, allowing even for some wiggle on the number. It's a horrific figure in reaction to a -- also horrific terror attack that killed 1,200.
VAUSE: Yes, well, he's a little more now for the U.S. Defense Secretary on what's been done to counter the threat from the Houthi forces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUSTIN: In the Red Sea, we're leading a multinational maritime Task Force to uphold the bedrock principle of freedom of navigation. Iran, support for Houthi attacks on commercial vessels must stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Just on that last part here, what role would Iran have played here in these attacks, but they've directed the Houthis to go ahead with this or just give their tacit approval and sort of a new kind of wink and a nudge, if you like?
SANGER: Well, it is interesting that he said that, because until now, U.S. officials have done a little elliptical, they have referred to the Houthis as Iran back. But they have never said that Iran was commanding them to go ahead with these attacks.
And that's a critical distinction. Because if the U.S. comes to the conclusion, these are actually being ordered out of Iran, then they're going to have to take on the question of how do you respond directly to Iran.
And that's exactly the kind of escalation President Biden has been trying to avoid. It may become unavoidable. And what we don't know right now, John, is what that intelligence does show up. Whether or not the Houthis are operating mostly on their own, certainly with tacit approval. And then the question is, is there explicit instruction?
VAUSE: David, good question to send on. David Sanger. Thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.
SANGER: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: When we come back, Moscow is invasion of Ukraine is taking a toll on Russian families. Some are making a rare plea to Vladimir Putin himself. But is it falling on deaf ears? That's next on CNN.
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VAUSE: U.S. financial aid for Ukraine will run dry in 11 days according to the White House unless Congress approves a new funding package. In a letter to lawmakers, the Defense Department argued that additional aid is in America's interest. And the assistance is vital for Ukraine to fight for freedom.
And now there are delta the E.U. funding special summit has been scheduled for February to address the budget for an aid package for Ukraine was blocked last week. For Russian President Vladimir Putin wavering Western support for
Ukraine might just be a game changer in a war which began nearly two years ago. But Putin is facing some growing unrest at home. Some of the families have drafted soldiers speaking out against the war and pleading for their relatives of the soldiers to return home and move not without risk in a country where dissent is not tolerated. CNN's Matthew Chance has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On state television, Russian troops are shown on the rampage, advancing in Bakhmut in Ukraine seizing land they say pushing Ukrainian forces back,
The new soldiers don't seem to know what to do, says this Russian commander.
The concern over the plight of Russia's own mobilize troops is beginning to study ordinary families with men serving in Ukraine and I pleading for them to return.
We just want our husbands and sons to come home, says this woman. A brave call in a country where dissent is barely tolerated.
But the partial mobilization of Russians which began last September was always an unpopular move. As men were bused into military service, hundreds of thousands more fled the country to avoid the draft, if those sent to Ukraine are still there.
Men like Alexandr from Voronezh who says he was drafted in January this year. Now he wants home. We're all so tired, he says, with his social media post, backs and knees hurt. No one cares about the money or the benefits, he says. We just want to be allowed home. Everyone really wants that.
The Kremlin is in no mood to ease off this war. With U.S. aid to Ukraine blocked in Congress, there's a feeling here, Western resolve may crumble. Vladimir Putin registers to stand virtually unopposed for yet another presidential veto.
That which divides us must be put aside, Putin insist in his first campaign speech, Russia will be sovereign or not there at all, he add.
Among Putin's hardline supporters, and there are many, the prospect of his continued reign is being celebrated. We don't need any other president. One of them shouts.
But New Year's celebrations elsewhere are muted. Bring my husband back, bring my dad home, say the festive messages on this tree. The year is drawing to an end. But Russia's conflict in Ukraine drags on. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
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VAUSE: Additional break here, you're watching CNN. Back in a moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN Newsroom.
North Korea's latest missile test is raising new concerns with Japan's defense ministry warning it could reach anywhere in the United States. According to state media leader Kim Jong Un attended Monday's launch of the Hwasong 18 intercontinental ballistic missile, which reportedly flew more than 1,000 kilometers for 73 minutes.
Kim's daughter was there as well take her daughter to work day. Kim Jong Un said the launch would send a clear signal to quote U.S. imperialists and their vessel forces. Missile eventually fell in the sea west of northern Japan.
Well, Israel may be under growing pressure to scale down its military offensive in Gaza. There are growing fears that fighting with Lebanese Hezbollah militants in the North could escalate to a full out war.
The IDF says Hezbollah has carried out hundreds of attacks on Israel since October 7. More details downward CNN's Ivan Watson reporting in from Beirut, Lebanon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A funeral for fighters killed in action in the streets of Beirut thousands gathered to honor three militants from the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, all casualties organizers say of an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon. Hassan Salman is a 23-year-old Hezbollah fighter. He's just still raw from a fresh tattoo of his dead friend's name.
WATSON: What was your friend fighting for?
HASAN SALMAN, HEZBOLLAH FIGHTHER: Fighting for our county. For our countries to protect our country.
WATSON: Do you think the war will continue?
SALMAN: Yeah, it will continue till we disappear them.
WATSON (voice-over): The crowd chants Death to America. Death to Israel.
WATSON: Why are you proud?
SARAH, HEZBOLLAH SUPPORTER: Yes, because we stand beside Palestine or stand beside the pastor to let all the world know about what is it that you're doing.
WATSON: Are you afraid that more people may be killed in this war?
SARAH: That make us more strong.
WATSON (voice-over): Hezbollah is an Iranian backed Shiite Muslim militia officially labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S., the U.K. and the Arab League. It's also a sworn enemy of Israel.
Soon after Hamas fighters attacked Israel from Gaza, Hezbollah began launching cross border rocket and mortar attacks on Northern Israel depicted in this Hezbollah propaganda video.
Israel retaliates with artillery and airstrikes. The deadly cross border conflict has continued for more than two months, United Nations peacekeepers deployed here say both sides seem to be holding back. LT. COL. STEPHEN MCEOIN, U.N. PEACEKEEPER: Our assessment is that for the time being, neither side wants to escalate to full war, but again, that's a question I suppose for the belligerent, belligerent parties.
WATSON (voice-over): In his speech last month, Hezbollah's leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said his fighters are essentially a diversion, drawing Israeli troops away from Gaza.
HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH SECRETARY-GENERAL (through translator): The Lebanese Front traduced a large part of the forces that were used to attack Gaza and attracted them toward us.
WATSON (voice-over): Israel's Prime Minister recently issued a stark warning.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If Hezbollah decides to open an all out war, then within its own hands, it will turn Beirut and southern Lebanon, which are not far from here, into Gaza and Khan Younis.
WATSON: How much appetite do you sense within Lebanon for a new man major conflict with Israel/
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MICHAEL YOUNG, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Absolutely zero. No one wants to contemplate conflict in Lebanon.
WATSON (voice-over): Lebanon is still reeling from a years long economic crisis.
[01:29:39]
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If Hezbollah decides to open an all at war, then within its own hands it will turn Beirut and southern Lebanon which are not far from here into Gaza and Khan Yunis.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How much appetite do you sense within Lebanon for a new major conflict with Israel?
MICHAEL YOUNG, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Absolutely zero. No one wants a conflict in Lebanon.
WATSON: Lebanon is still reeling from a years' long economic crisis thought it is the most powerful political force in this deeply divided country, analysts argue even Hezbollah can't afford a wider war.
YOUNG: I think Hezbollah realizes that Lebanese society could absorb a greater conflict and on top of that I think they realize that their own power in Lebanon would be greatly diminished.
WATSON: So far Hezbollah says it has lost around 100 fighters in this border conflict. Any mistake could make this war much, much worse.
Ivan Watson, CNN -- Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Still to come here on CNN.
Welcome to the 21st century, Catholic Church. A landmark decision from the Vatican about same-sex couples.
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VAUSE: A jury has found actor Jonathan Majors guilty of assault and harassment of his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari during a domestic dispute. Majors pleaded not guilty. His attorney says he still looks forward to fully clearing his name. The actor was present in court Monday, had a straight face while the verdict was being read.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jonathan, what do you think of the verdict? How are you feeling? Jonathan?
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VAUSE: Majors is considered to be a rising star, has appeared in in Disney's Marvel franchise as well as "Creed 3". A source tells CNN, Marvel will not be moving forward on any future projects with him.
It has long been expected and now it's official. The Vatican announced Monday that same-sex couples can receive blessings, notably the individuals not the relationship.
A notable reversal of a 2021 ruling by the Vatican which declared God cannot bless sin. The Catholic Church has not changed its opposition to same-sex marriage but the cardinal who wrote the declaration explained when people ask for a blessing, and it goes to moral analyst, it should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it.
To New York now and joining us this hour is faith and religion commentator Father Edward Beck. It's good to see you. It's been a while. Thanks for being with us.
FATHER EDWARD BECK, FAITH AND RELIGION COMMENTATOR: Nice to see you John. Thank you.
VAUSE: Ok. So let's start with what this decision means or what it doesn't mean. The church still defines marriage as between one man and one woman which gets us to the difference here between a sacramental blessing and a pastoral blessing.
So Catholic Ed 101 is now in session, take it away. What does this all mean?
BECK: Well, sacramental blessing would be like marriage or blessing the union. Matrimony is one of the seven sacraments and the church teaches that can be only between a man and a woman.
[01:34:47]
BECK: So this blessing is not a blessing of the union but of the couple themselves, in other words, the individuals who are striving to be walking in the path of God, who want to grow stronger in God's grace, who want their lives to be more centered.
And so it's interesting, John, because it's really not that surprising to me that this is finally coming through. Because, I mean we can bless motorcycles for God's sake -- I mean inanimate objects. He blessed dogs on October 4th, the feast of St. Francis.
So the fact that we are saying we can now bless actual people who are in a love relationship and want to have God's aid and protection and strength in that, I mean it's pretty self-evident to me although the church has just gotten there.
VAUSE: Yes. In terms of why now, here's part of a report filed by CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: This ruling is part of the Pope's long-running attempts to offer a more pastoral and more sensitive and more compassionate approach by the church to same-sex couples. And it marks a significant and important development in the church's ministry in this area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So what do you say to those people who are critical of this decision by Pope Francis who say it leaves the door open to the church blessing same-sex unions and marriages?
BECK: Well, to those who are critical I would say it is very clear that the Pope and this dogma and this doctrine do not say anything about blessing the unions. To say it leaves the door open, who knows in the future? I mean it could in fact change.
But what it says right now is not that and Francis is getting a lot of pushback on many things that he wants to do. He's talking about communion for the divorced and remarried. He's talking about things people don't seem to want to do, especially some conservative cardinals, some in Rome, some here.
And so I don't think it's a valid critique to say that it opens the door. I think it opens the door to say we are a welcoming church and we shouldn't be excluding people.
All should feel welcome. And we should extend ourselves. And that includes those who feel marginalized like many in the gay community.
VAUSE: One of the arguments against all of this comes from Life Side News, and it quotes instructions from the congregation for the doctrine of the faith from almost 40 years under the leadership of Cardinal Ratzinger. He who had a liking for Prada (ph) who went on to be pope. And he argued that offering pastoral care to those in the LGBTQ community was in fact not caring, nor pastoral and instead he wrote this, "Special concern and pastoral attention should be directed towards those have this condition -- the gays -- lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not."
I'm wondering does this all just get back to what Francis said back in 2013, "Who am I to judge"?
BECK: In many ways it does and there is a news sheriff in town. I'm not talking about just the Pope but the head of that same office that Ratzinger who became Pope Benedict was head of is now friend of Francis. He put him in there and this head of the doctrine of the faith is saying something very different at the behest of Francis and others who believe the church has to move forward. It's a field hospital, it's for the wounded, it's for the struggling. You try to make the tent bigger not smaller.
So Francis is all about inclusion. He's accepting transgendered people who can be baptized and be godparents. And so it's right in line with what he is trying to do towards a wider acceptance of more people.
VAUSE: Last word here to Pope Francis. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): People with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God loves them, God is with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: That seems to be the belief held by the majority of Catholics at least in the United States which (INAUDIBLE) leadership of the church.
BECK: Most definitely, and some of the leadership -- I don't think the leadership would say that God doesn't love them but I think some of the leadership would say they have to recognize their wayward words, that they are in sin, repent and change.
And again, that would be the official teaching still of the church, that homosexuality in the action, in the acting out is still not permitted and is still sinful. The church teaches however that homosexual persons are inherently good, loved by God, loved children of God. That's what we do with it.
But it's no different from saying if you are not married, the church teaches you can't have sex either -- heterosexual or homosexual.
[01:39:49]
BECK: What it's all about is the union of marriage present and that opens the door for sexuality as far as the church because pro-creation is possible then between the man and the woman who are married. The church teaches outside of that, no one should be having sex. So it's really not that different from what the church is teaching since it says that gay people can't be married.
VAUSE: What do they say, "hate the sin, love the sinner".
Father Beck, good to see. Merry Christmas.
BECK: Hopefully we love and love more. Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Well across Africa though the LGBTQ community is facing state- sponsored discrimination and bigotry. Some of the harshest anti-gay laws have been passed recently in Uganda, Ghana, and Kenya all in the name of protecting so-called family values. Behind these homophobic wars is a U.S. nonprofit group.
CNN's David McKenzie has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are in Nairobi tracking the impact of hate.
We are heading to a safe house that has been arranged for Ugandans that have fled Uganda into Kenya, trying to get asylum. We are shielding their location, hiding their identity for their safety.
How are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm fine.
MCKENZIE: Thank you for having us. No one is sure how many have fled, but the numbers have surged. In safe houses like this, their wounds are still fresh.
ADRIAN, ASYLUM SEEKER: He can cut me into pieces.
MCKENZIE: Adrian's own father tried to kill him, he says, for being gay.
ADRIAN: These are the knives, he stabbed me.
In Uganda, when they kill someone in the LGBT community, it is not a big deal.
SYLVIA, ASYLUM SEEKER: My mom came herself and she told me, you are not welcome here. You are not a part of our family.
MCKENZIE: Betrayed by their families, pursued by the police, they fled into Kenya on foot or by bus often in the dead of night.
Now, they are afraid to go out. They keep their curtains shut from prying eyes.
Since 2021, politicians have pushed a new generation of disturbing homophobic bills in Uganda, Ghana and Kenya. Some even calling for hefty jail terms, including life in prison for same-sex relationships and identifying as queer. All of them to protect so called family values.
For months, CNN has been investigating the influence of American charity Family Watch International, headed by this woman, Sharon Slater. For years, the organization has been advocating across Africa for family values and against educating young people about LGBT issues and sexual health.
ALI, RESEARCHER: This is Africa, and what it takes to be close, to just stand next to the president of an African country in Africa, it means it's not random.
MCKENZIE: The president is Yoweri Museveni of Uganda at a sex education conference in Entebbe in April. The conference included politicians pushing the homophobic laws.
This opposition researcher has tracked Slater's organization for years. We agreed to conceal his identity to protect the ongoing work.
ALI: She presents herself as an expert. She presents herself as a consultant.
MCKENZIE: A source with direct knowledge of their involvement says they were much more instrumental than just consulting. The source says a Family Watch International representative made repeated changes to draft versions of the homophobic bill, together with members of parliament. Even suggesting clauses that should be added to the text.
A CNN producer found Sharon Slater at the United Nations in New York.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sharon Slater, there are allegations that Family Watch International is pushing homophobic laws in Africa. What do you have to say in response to that?
SHARON SLATER, FAMILY WATCH INTERNATIONAL: It's absurd -- totally, totally absurd. I've got documents I can send you later to show that I've not been involved in any of this -- period. This is absurd.
MCKENZIE: Family Watch International provided this document to CNN. An extraordinary endorsement of Slater's work by President Museveni. He says she played no part in, quote, "originating, canvassing or supporting the law, instead suggesting a safe haven for homosexuals".
The primal law allows for the rehabilitation of offenders, including widely-discredited conversion therapy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People and lesbian people are human beings like me.
MCKENZIE: We tracked down a youth leader in Nairobi with close ties to Family Watch International.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would not be happy for them to be punished but what I recommend is to respect and uphold those laws.
MCKENZIE: Family Watch International said he is not authorized to speak for the organization.
So you are happy with these laws being pushed, is what you are saying?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm happy for the laws being pushed.
MCKENZIE: I have seen people who are fearing for their lives on this continent because of these laws.
[01:44:49]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are very minor cases.
MCKENZIE: The awful reality is this. CNN has tracked a severe spike in abuse of LGBTQ Africans. Often put on social media, often too graphic to show.
It is an epidemic of hate inspired by the laws. In Kenya, human rights groups say that attacks on the community have at least doubled in the last two years, with more than a thousand incidents up until August.
The proposed law here is the most sweeping yet.
PETER KALUMA, KENYAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: When you engage in those acts of LGBT, which are prohibited in Kenya, you become a criminal.
MCKENZIE: The MP sponsoring the bill has Sharon Slater's book on family values on his shelf.
Family Watch International is not specifically helping with the drafting of these.
KALUMA: No, no, no. They can't. That would be to say I don't have my own brain.
MCKENZIE: In the safehouse as the hate spreads, they fear their space is running out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel, at any point, I'm left with nowhere to go. If I go outside there, they'll notice that I am LGBT, sooner or later I'll be dead.
MCKENZIE: David McKenzie, CNN -- Nairobi, Kenya
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back here, quoting Putin and echoing both Hitler and Mussolini, Donald Trump's warm embrace of dictators. We'll explain why.
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VAUSE: The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter is now under investigation by the E.U. for disinformation and a lack of transparency. The E.U. commissioner posted the allegations on X on Monday. And X has already been warned over disinformation and illegal content linked to the Israel-Hamas war and how X dealt with that content as well as the effectiveness of the community (INAUDIBLE) fact-checking system will be under investigation. So too the verification system unveiled under its owner Elon Musk. X has promised to cooperate with investigators.
In the United States, the first vote in the Republican race for the party's presidential nomination is less than a month away. The Iowa caucus is seen as a must-win and now Donald Trump is ratcheting up his rhetoric against immigrants. Many comparing his remarks to Hitler because they sound just like Hitler.
CNN's Omar Jimenez has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're poisoning the blood of our country, that's what they've done.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former president Donald Trump is talking about undocumented immigrants in more extreme terms, echoing language used by white supremacists and promising unprecedented action if he's elected.
TRUMP: It is only common sense that when I am reelected, we will begin, and we have no choice, the largest deportation operation in American history.
JIMENEZ: With just four weeks into the Iowa caucuses, the GOP front runner is leaning into rhetoric that has traces of Adolf Hitler's or writings, "foreigners poisoning the blood of the nation".
But it's just among the themes the Trump campaign's appears to be focusing on in the final weeks to Iowa and New Hampshire.
TRUMP: Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. He's a threat.
JIMENEZ: Over the weekend Trump quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin approvingly to attack Joe Biden.
[01:49:46]
TRUMP: Vladimir Putin of Russia says that Biden's, and this is a quote, politically-motivated persecution of his political rival is very good for Russia because it shows the rottenness of the American political system.
JIMENEZ: The Biden campaign responded, "Donald Trump, channeled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong-un and quoted Vladimir Putin while running for president on a promise to rule as a dictator and threaten American democracy."
Trump's rhetoric and evolution of his 2016 message on immigration.
TRUMP: They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime, they're rapists -- and some I assume are good people.
So far, no signs that such talk will have a negative impact on his standing with GOP voters even as his Republican rivals campaign to stop his march to the nomination.
NIKKI HALEY, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to leave behind the chaos and drama of the past with a new generation and a new conservative president.
JIMENEZ: Nikki Haley has been rising in new polling with a new CBS/YouGov survey showing her in a solid second place in New Hampshire at 29 percent behind Trump's 44 percent among likely GOP primary voters.
That same poll has DeSantis in second place but in Iowa behind the former president. DeSantis has been critical of Trump's recent rhetoric, saying it distracts from the real issues at the border.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you give them an ability, the opposition an ability to try to make it about something else with some of those comments, I just think it's a tactical mistake.
JIMENEZ: Now both DeSantis and Haley still trail Trump significantly according to the polls, but the dynamic between DeSantis and Haley, and between Chris Christie if he can surge will be interesting to watch because a strong second place could send a message to the type of rhetoric we've been seeing from Trump is at the very least vulnerable politically.
That said, we're four weeks out to Iowa and the "poison in the blood" type phrasing is something the former president has doubled down on even on social media. So clearly he feels it's a winning message.
Omar Jimenez, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Ron Brownstein is CNN's senior political analyst and senior editor for "The Atlantic". He's with us this hour from Los Angeles. Good to see Ron.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, John.
VAUSE: So here's a little more of what can be expected from a Trump presidency 2.0 -- here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We must use any and all resources needed to stop the invasion of our country including moving thousands of troops currently stationed overseas in countries that don't like us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, the level of racism and bigotry and all the rest of it has been dialed right up -- this is typical Trump. And right now it seems a large part of the country likes what they are hearing. They like what he is saying. BROWNSTEIN: Yes look, I mean you know, there used to be a saying in
American politics. I remember for really decades of covering American politics, people used to say on both sides of the aisle, that you never win by comparing anyone or anything to Nazi, Germany. It always seems like a bridge too far to borrow a World War II analogy.
But in this case Donald Trump is directly quoting "Mein Kampf" on the American campaign trail. Talking about poisoning the blood of the country is an argument that Adolf Hitler specifically used in his rise to power.
And there is an audience for it and there is a broader audience for a redirection of policy at the border. And this really goes to I think the central issue from all the extremism, authoritarianism, open racism that you are hearing from Donald Trump.
There are a lot of Americans unhappy with the way things are going in the country. A lot of Americans unhappy about the economy, unhappy about crime, certainly unhappy about the border and the question whether Joe Biden can do his job for another term at his age.
But it is another issue, another question, whether there is ultimately a majority that is willing to put in power an American president who is approvingly quoting, not only Vladimir Putin but Adolf Hitler.
And in many ways, Donald Trump every day is throwing Biden lifelines, because we saw in 2022 that there were a significant slice of the voters who are disenchanted with Biden who still would not vote for Trump-shaped Republican alternatives because they view them as too extreme. And that is a door that he is leaving open if he becomes the GOP nominee.
VAUSE: Well here's how Republican lawmakers are responding to questions about Trump's Hitlertarian (ph) type language. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We're talking about language? I could care less about what language people use as long as we get it right.
REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): It's campaign bravado, you get up onstage, you're feeding off the audience and you just let it rip.
That's exactly what he does and that's -- frankly that's why a lot of people like him.
[01:54:49]
MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MIKE PENCE: I think it's highly unlikely that Donald Trump's ever read "Mein Kampf".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, maybe not "Mein Kampf", but in 1990's his ex-wife Ivana told Vanity Fair that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler's collected speeches, "My New Order", which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed.
You know, it seems, you know, what we just heard then were the same excuses that we heard back in 2016. You know, don't take it literally, take it symbolically that kind of stuff.
This time, we know what we're getting. We know who Donald Trump is, and we're going into this election with eyes wide open in many ways.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Look, I mean Donald Trump want to recognize, took the measure, if nothing else he has kind of a feral sense of human weakness and vulnerability. And he took the measure of the leadership of the Republican Party and recognized there was no line he could not cross that would cause a critical mass of them to oppose him because they both feared him in terms of his ability to turn his base against them and also because they thought that he helped them gain the power they needed to do other things they want to do primarily appoint justices, ban abortion, cut taxes.
So you know, what we have seen from almost everyone again, other than Chris Christie who on CNN yesterday not only called out his language but called out Nikki Haley in particular for dodging it with the clip, you know, Omar ran from Ron De Santis, opposing this on sort of tactical grounds, that this kind of is a distraction, rather than a moral offense. That is where we are.
And you know, to some extent, you know, it's a circular logic. Republican leaders say they can't stand up to Trump because the base supports him so unwaveringly. But one of the reasons that is the case is because they are not hearing from anyone that they truly trust that this is objectionable behavior.
So in many ways they've painted themselves into the corner that they are now experiencing.
VAUSE: Ron, great to have you with us. Ron Brownstein there in Los Angeles. Good to see you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me John.
VAUSE: And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. The news continues with my colleague and friend Rosemary Church after a very short break.
See you right back in a day or so.
[01:57:03]
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