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Trump Picks Fox News Host To Be Pentagon Chief and John Ratcliffe As CIA Director; U.S. Says Israel Not Violating Law On Gaza Aid; Antony Blinken in Brussels for NATO Meetings; Beijing and Moscow Grow Closer to Counter U.S. Influence; Doctor Accused of Criticizing Moscow's War Faces Prison; Germany to Hold Snap Elections in February; Archbishop of Canterbury Resigns Over Child Abuse Case; Azerbaijan Defends Oil and Gas Use; Scientists Fear Glacial Melt's Impact on Volcanic Eruptions. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 13, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:13]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead. Donald Trump taps a Fox News host to run America's military. Leaving some Pentagon officials in a state of shock.

The U.S. is not following through on threats to halt arms sales to Israel, despite the dire humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

And China and Russia are growing closer than ever, but are they on a collision course with the United States.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Well, we begin this hour with what many are calling a surprise pick by Donald Trump to be his defense secretary. He is Fox News host Pete Hegseth, an army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. One source tells CNN Trump thinks he has the look.

A Pentagon official says everyone is simply shocked. Hegseth stirred controversy just last week while promoting his new book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETH HEGSETH, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: I'm surprised there hasn't been more blowback, on that already in the book. Because I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective. Hasn't made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, Trump has chosen John Ratcliffe to be CIA Director. The former Republican congressman served as Director of National Intelligence for part of the first Trump administration. Trump has announced Mike Huckabee as his choice for U.S. Ambassador to Israel. The former Arkansas governor has a long history of supporting Israel, including its claims to the West Bank.

And Trump says Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head what he calls the Department of Government Efficiency, their goal to cut bureaucracy, regulations, and wasteful spending.

Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He joins me now from Charlottesville. Good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, President elect Donald Trump is rapidly making his selections for key positions in his transition team as he prepares for his second administration, including one pick that raised some eyebrows, Fox host Pete Hegseth. He was tapped to be the next defense secretary. Other picks include John Ratcliffe said to be the next CIA director and Marco Rubio, Secretary of State. All those selected so far are Trump loyalists.

What do these early picks signal to you about the direction of Trump's next administration?

SABATO: Well, with the possible exception of Marco Rubio, the people that Trump has chosen for his cabinet or key staffers so far have been kind of ultra-loyalists. They're the sort of people that Trump knows he can depend on, not simply for a personal dedication, but also to do precisely what he tells them to do without much independent judgment. I guess you could argue that's good in some ways and bad in others.

But Marco Rubio is seen a bit differently because he is well-tested in the Senate and he's had exposure to many of the issues he would deal with as Secretary of State. On the other hand, Pete Hegseth, that's one that pretty much everybody is shaking their heads about. He's a Fox T.V. morning host on the weekends. Now, you know, he's a smart guy. He's got a good education.

He does -- he has served in the military, has a distinguished record there but this is the Pentagon. It's one of the four top appointments and you're running a gigantic, you know, hundred-billion dollar operation and you've never served in government. It's kind of odd.

CHURCH: So right now, Republicans control the presidency, the senate, and the judiciary, and could very well take the House, with 14 seats yet to be called. Republicans currently have 215 seats, the Democrats 206, and of course, they need 218 to take control of the House. So how do you expect this to play out and what are the ramifications of one single party controlling all three branches of government essentially?

SABATO: My view on it is that they control everything and they will get the House, although by a very narrow margin. And that can be affected by the fact that Trump is drawing members of the House into his administration, which is going to produce special elections and special elections. Take three, four, five, six months. You're going to have the seat empty for that period of time.

[02:05:05]

But since you have Republicans controlling everything, they're also responsible for everything. So, everything that happens during the time when Republicans have, the presidency, the Senate, the House, and let's not forget the Supreme court. They have the Supreme court too. there's no one they can blame. I mean, they'll try to blame Democrats, I'm sure, but it's not credible. So, this is a plus, but also a minus. And it could turn into a big minus for Republicans.

CHURCH: And Senate Republicans are set to pick a new majority leader to replace Mitch McConnell in the coming hours. Three prominent Republicans are vying for that post. Who would you expect to win?

SABATO: Well, Rick Scott is clearly the Senator from Florida and he's the choice of many of the ultra-MAGAs, the strongest supporters of President Trump. But notice that President Trump, at least to this point, has not endorsed Scott or anybody else. I think that's because he knows Scott is not very popular in the Senate and probably, not definitely, but probably will not be selected.

So, as you know, Trump doesn't like losers. And he doesn't want to be associated with losers. I think it'll either be Senator John Thune who's been really the deputy to Senator McConnell for years. He's Senator from South Dakota or Senator John Cornyn, now a senior Senator from, Texas. They are not as MAGA as Rick Scott is, but they have been very supportive of Trump. And I think they'll continue to work with him but they may not be as dependable as Rick Scott would be.

Rick Scott, basically, if Trump says jump, he asks how high. I don't think the other two will ask Trump how high.

CHURCH: All right. We'll see what comes of that. And, Larry, the Wall Street Journal is reporting on a draft executive order that has been presented to the Trump transition team, set to establish what they call a warrior board made up of retired senior military personnel who would have the power to recommend the removal of three or four-star generals deemed unfit for leadership. Could this be a political loyalty test, do you think? What's your reaction to this?

SABATO: Oh, absolutely. When I heard this, I was more disturbed by it than anything else that's happened since Trump was elected. We've all feared that Trump would use various devices in the White House to take control of the military. To put loyalists in charge, not just in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but in all the senior leadership around the world, and particularly for units around Washington, D.C.

He's already talked about potentially deploying troops into American cities domestically to accomplish goals that he would set, or maybe to the border, to help with deportation perhaps. This is -- this is not something that's in the American tradition. It's something in the tradition of authoritarians who have in the back of their mind that they will use the military to enforce their will when they can't have it enforced by Congress or the judiciary.

So, everyone ought to be concerned about this because you can be sure that Donald Trump is going to select this board and he's going to pick the ultimate loyalist to be on it.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato, many thanks for your analysis. Always appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: The United States says Israel is not in violation of U.S. law and has made some progress in improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza. These comments from the State Department came on the 30-day deadline for Israel to have taken steps to improve the situation in the enclave, but not everyone agrees with the U.S. assessment. Eight humanitarian aid organizations say Israel has failed to meet the U.S. criteria.

And they say the situation in Gaza is now at the worst point since the war began last October. One Palestinian mother describes the dire situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHALIA AL-KATARNA, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN (through translator): We spend the entire day on small bites. My children are young. They need food and drink. Doesn't a young child need to eat and drink? We don't see aid, no flour. The school we are in doesn't get aid. It doesn't get aid. There's nothing. We don't know what we'll do if the war stays with us. Today we can put something together from here and there but then what? Today, tomorrow, the day after? We don't know what will happen to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A group of U.S. Officials who resigned in protest of the U.S. Policy towards Israel and the war in Gaza have called on the Biden administration to halt weapons sales to Israel. Here's part of their message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are calling on President Biden to keep his 30- day promise.

[02:10:02]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To uphold U.S. law.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Halt U.S. weapons sales to Israel, stop the spread of the conflict and look out for America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are still the president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not too late for you to do the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, in Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs, with the military saying it struck Hezbollah targets. Those strikes, just some of the attacks that took place across the country Tuesday. Lebanese health officials report that more than 30 people were killed.

In northern Israel, police say Police say at least two people were killed when rockets were fired from Lebanon. Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed to have targeted multiple locations in Israel.

The Dutch Parliament will hold a debate in the coming hours on the violence against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam. Dutch police detained several people on Tuesday who had defied a ban on protests. That was put in place after violent clashes last week between Israeli football fans and pro-Palestinian supporters. Violent protests continued this week with protesters setting a tram and bus on fire on Monday.

Well, there's been a rise in anti-Semitic acts here in the United States as well. Hundreds of posters were posted at the University of Rochester targeting Jewish faculty members. They accused employees of ethnic cleansing, racism, and more. The university denounced the act, calling it disturbing, divisive, and counter to its values.

CNN's Randi Kaye has the details on the rise in anti-Semitism around the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're protecting our rights, sir, but I'm going to trash you because I'm ignorant.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anti-Semitism on full display in Livingston County, Michigan. Masked men waving Nazi flags and shouting anti-Semitic and racial slurs.

ALEX SUTLIFF, WITNESSES ANTISEMITIC DEMONSTRATION: They were sticking their arm up yelling, Hail Hitler and Hail Trump. It was sickening.

KAYE (voice-over): Alex Sutliff recorded this video on Saturday near the American Legion Post 141. At the time, the Legion was showing a theater production of The Diary of Anne Frank which tells the story of a Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis during the Holocaust. One witness told affiliate WXYZ that many people inside were so afraid they had to be escorted to their cars.

MARK EPLEY, WITNESSED ANTI-SEMITIC DEMONSTRATION: They have that much hatred in them. It just -- It's -- it makes no sense to me.

KAYE (voice-over): Sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene and the Detroit News reports the demonstrators left after they were told to vacate the parking lot. The Fowlerville Theatre Company issued a statement saying in part, the presence of protesters outside gave us a small glimpse of the fear and uncertainty felt by those in hiding.

JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: It's no coincidence that this vile, hateful demonstration happened during a performance about this young girl whose story has come to epitomize a kind of heroism in the face of evil.

KAYE (voice-over): This isn't the first time Michigan has seen such hate. In July, white supremacists marched through Howell, about 40 miles northwest of Detroit. Faces covered, signs in hand, some shouting, Heil Hitler. Five months before that, this was the scene in Nashville, Tennessee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raise your [BLEEP] faces. Raise your [BLEEP] faces. Cowards. Cowards. All of you.

KAYE (voice-over): As masked men marched through downtown Nashville displaying swastikas, this member of the Tennessee House of Representatives took notice.

JUSTIN JONES, TENNESSEE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: They are literally having a Nazi march. Literally having a Nazi march here in downtown Nashville. White supremacists talking about-- white supremacists, neo-Nazism, talking about deporting folks and just racial hatred.

GREENBLAT: The global Jewish community is on high alert because anti- Semitism is like a pandemic that seems to be sweeping countries all over the planet.

KAYE (voice-over): The Anti-Defamation League tells us since the October 7th attack on Israel, there have been 10,000 incidents of harassment and violence against Jewish people around the world.

That's more than a 200 percent increase over the period prior. There are growing fears about anti-Semitism in the city of Amsterdam where Anne Frank hid in the attic for more than two years. In July, a statue of her was vandalized. The word Gaza splashed across it in red paint.

And just this past week, fans of an Israeli soccer team were attacked in what Dutch authorities have condemned as an anti-Semitic attack. Before the match, some Israeli fans chanted anti-Arab sentiments. Later, pro-Palestinian protesters charged Israeli fans in what's been described as a hit and run attack. Dozens were injured and more than 60 people were arrested.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.

[02:15:01]

CHURCH: Police in southern China are investigating the country's deadliest known attack on the public in a decade, which left dozens of people dead and injured at an outdoor sports center. We'll have a live report on the latest developments.

And later, Donald Trump's historic reelection celebrated by convicted January 6th rioters. CNN checks back in with one of those rioters, a grandmother now in prison, who's convinced Trump is going to pardon her.

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CHURCH: People in southern China are leaving flowers and candles in tribute to dozens of victims of the country's deadliest known attack on the public in a decade. Police say 35 people were killed and more than 40 injured on Monday when a man apparently deliberately drove an SUV into crowds who were exercising at an outdoor sports center. Police caught the 62-year-old driver as he tried to flee the scene.

And CNN's Marc Stewart is following the story for us. He joins us live from Beijing. Mark, what more are you learning about this horrifying attack?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, the big focus right now is on that 62-year-old man, the driver. According to initial report from police, he was upset over his divorce settlement. Police want to talk to him. But as of last night, he was unconscious. They say he hurt himself. They found a knife in his car in his vehicle. he has severe neck injuries and was receiving emergency treatment.

One reason, one of many reasons, Rosemary, why this case is so upsetting is that in China, with a population of more than a billion, violent crime this are very rare, yet in recent months, we have seen a series of violent attacks often involving large crowds at a time, Rosemary, when the Chinese economy is dealing with a lot of struggles.

CHURCH: Marc, why is news of this attack being censored in China? What's the latest on that?

STEWART: Right. This is a part of the world where it is very difficult to get a gun. Surveillance is high and the government wants to basically control the narrative. This is not a positive light. This also happened during a very high-profile event. There is an air show in Zhuhai in southern China that was taking place at -- around the same time of this attack. So Beijing clearly wants to control the narrative.

We have seen censorship, including social media posts. Dealing with the incident itself as well as some of the reaction after Chinese President Xi Jinping has weighed in on this because of the size and the scope of this, he said that all out efforts need to be made to help people get through this, including the aftermath.

[02:20:07]

And also, is urging officials to try to prevent this kind of violence at the source, which is a very difficult and lofty order, if that is.

CHURCH: Yes. Understood. Marc Stewart joining us live from Beijing with the latest on that. Appreciate it.

Well, authorities in Ecuador say they have regained control of one of the country's largest and most dangerous prisons. Violent clashes between inmates at the penitentiary in the coastal city of Guayaquil left at least 15 people dead and 14 injured early Tuesday. The Attorney General's office says at least nine inmates will face murder charges. In the past three years, more than 150 30 people have been killed at the prison during an uprising and clashes between rival gangs.

The U.S. is grounding all commercial flights to Haiti for a month, after three planes were struck by bullets over Port-au-Prince. One crew member was slightly injured when a Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire while trying to land in the Haitian capital on Monday. JetBlue and American Airlines flights also reported bullet damage after taking off from the island. Haiti has been embroiled in political chaos and widespread gang activity for nearly a year.

The country's transitional council blames the airplane attacks on those gangs, accusing them of trying to isolate Haiti on the international stage. Still to come, CNN speaks with a convicted January 6th rioter and her supporters who are certain of a Trump pardon following his reelection. But will he deliver?

Plus, as China and Russia grow closer, We'll look at their vision for a new world order as they work to counter the West. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Hundreds of Trump supporters arrested for their roles in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol are now waiting to see whether the president-elect will deliver on a promise he made on the campaign trail. Trump has said he would absolutely consider pardoning every one of those defendants, but his team has since hedged a bit, saying any decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis.

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has more.

SUZZANNE MONK, FOUNDER, J6 PARDON PROJECT: Today was amazing. Woke up with the president of the United States, the rightful president back in his spot. And today, after 828 days, we're going to pop some champagne and raise a glass to President Trump.

[02:25:05]

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONEDENT (voice-over): It's the night after the election.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mama Mickey, we love you, honey. And we are so grateful for you bringing this freedom family together.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Trump supporters have gathered here as they have every night for the last 800 nights outside the Washington D.C. jail.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): How did you feel when Trump won last night? SHERRI HAFNER, J6 PARDON ACTIVIST: I knew that meant freedom for our guys. And I was overwhelmed, thankful, and I know that God heard our prayers.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera) Were you emotional?

HAFNER: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: Yes. J6 inmates call in to talk to the organizers nightly.

MONK: This whole journey, this stressful barring journey has finally come to an end with the election of our beloved President Donald J. Trump. I couldn't stop crying last night that you guys are finally going to get pardoned, you're going to be set free, and all of this is going to be behind us. But I'll tell you, brother, I am so blessed to be part of this J6 family.

O'SULLIVAN: Trump has repeatedly promised to give pardons to some people serving time for their actions on January 6th.

MONK: And now, we have to continue to put pressure on the president to make that right decision to fulfill that promise. And I know that he will. But I also know my president understands trust, but verify.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): One person who certainly hopes to be pardoned is Rachel Powell.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): How do you feel when you watch this?

RACHEL POWELL, SERVING A MULTI-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR TAKING PART IN THE JAN. 6 RIOT: You know, I think I, I'm more numb when I look at this stuff. It's like surreal to me. I mean, look how angry I look.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): I met Rachel back in January of this year, right before she was about to go to prison for crimes she committed at the Capitol on January 6th, while protesting what she believed was a stolen election.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Have you ever had a moment where you're like, you know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Biden actually won the election. Maybe I'm the conspiracy theorist.

POWELL: No. Not at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This call is from a federal prison.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Rachel and I stayed in touch throughout the year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like I just need to be home with my family.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Rachel has eight children, ranging in ages from eight to twenty-eight, along with seven grandkids. We spoke to three of Rachel's older daughters, Ada, Rebecca, and Savannah.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Wait, this is you and your mom?

POWELL: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): When was this taken?

POWELL: Yes, this is in the prison. This is Adah, our mom. This is Gideon, me and my husband.

SAVANNAH HUNTINGON, DAUGHTER OF RACGEL POWELL: The only thing I could think of when I heard that Trump won the election was that my mom is coming home. She's going to be able to come home now. And it just -- I was so excited, you know, just we're going to have our mom back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just, know she's freaking out.

HUNTINGON: She's so excited. She's so happy.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Their mom was found guilty of engaging in physical violence and of destruction of government property for breaking a window at the Capitol with an ice axe.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Do you ever just think, Mom, I wish you didn't go to Washington D.C. that day?

ADAH POWELL, DAUGHTER OF RACHEL POWELL: I feel like that's a pretty normal thought to have when there's so many consequences to the actions, but ultimately she was going to support something she believed in, and she is our mother, so we support her in whatever she decides to do.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Yes.

A. POWELL: I don't blame her for going. Kind of wish she had a little, like, held herself back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe a little more restraint would have been nice.

A. POWELL: Exactly, yes.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): You guys are not of the opinion, your mom went to Washington D.C. chasing a conspiracy theory. Chasing a lie.

S. POWELL: No.

A. POWELL: No.

S. POWELL: No.

GIDEON POWELL, DAUGTHER OF RACHEL POWELL: You know, she had a strong belief, she wanted to go support it, and we all share her belief that it was definitely stolen, in our opinions.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): You're certain he will pardon your mom?

A. POWELL: Yes. S. POWELL: Yes. Yes. He will -- he will keep to what he said, he will keep his word. He is going to pardon her.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): While we were at Rachel's home, she called from prison.

R. POWELL: Oh, man. When Trump won, it was amazing. It was, which I knew, I knew that that's what the American people wanted, so I had no doubt. As everybody knows, I believe there was election fraud last time, and so I just wondered, are we going to have a fair election this time? And, it appears that we did, because Trump got elected.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): And do you think he's going to pardon you?

R. POWELL: I know he's going to pardon me.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera) There's already some media talk about Trump shouldn't pardon people, Trump shouldn't pardon J6 people. What do you say to those people?

R. POWELL: I'm not worried about what they say because I believe that Trump's a man of his word. And I believe that he's going to do what --

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): And we got cut off. That's how it normally is, is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's what it does. Fifteen minutes, you're done.

[02:30:09]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Donie O'Sullivan with that report. Well, as Donald Trump works on building his new administration, Europe is bracing for what his next presidency could bring. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken is in Brussels right now where he's expected to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of a wider meeting with European officials in the coming hours. The agenda will undoubtedly focus on future support for Ukraine, the NATO Alliance, and the issue of tariffs.

Mr. Trump has suggested he would only support NATO's mutual defense commitment for countries he feels are contributing enough of their annual budgets to defense. Well, China and Russia are drawing closer together, both militarily and economically in order to counter what they see as growing threats from the West. And they're trying to capitalize on the uncertainty that the new Trump Administration in the U.S. will bring. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Jet fighters streaking across the skies at China's largest air show, aiming to show just how fast the People's Republic is modernizing its massive military. China's main partner is Russia, the Head of the Russian National Security Council, Sergei Shoigu in Beijing praising ever closer ties. We are not a military political alliance like the ones formed during the Cold War, he says. Relations between our countries are superior to those forms of interstate ties.

This as China shows off its brand new stealth fighter called the J-35A for the first time ever, while the Russians were showcasing their own stealth jet, the Su-57 which has already been used in combat operations. Russia and China have dramatically expanded their military cooperation in recent years with regular exercises like these major naval drills, the Russians say were the largest in more than 30 years.

This as Vladimir Putin says, he wants what he calls a new world order with less U.S. influence and more power in the hands of countries like Russia and China.

Russian, Chinese cooperation in world affairs acts as one of the main stabilizing factors in the global arena, he said. And China's Xi Jinping added in the face of the turbulent international situation and external environment, the two sides should continue to uphold the original aspiration of friendship for generations to come.

All this as relations with the U.S. grow evermore adversarial. Washington concerned about Chinese territorial claims and military expansion in the South China Sea. President-elect Donald Trump vowing to rein Beijing in.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are certain countries, I can tell you everyone, I can give you from top to bottom. China's the toughest of all, but we were taking care of China with the tariffs.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the U.S. now also faces an emboldened North Korea. Kim Jong-un heavily courted by Russian President Vladimir Putin recently conducting another round of ballistic missile tests. The U.S. also believes more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers are currently fighting on Russia's side in its war against Ukraine.

Russian political analyst, Sergei Markov telling me the alliances forged by Vladimir Putin will be a major issue for the new administration.

SERGEI MARKOV, RUSSIAN POLITICAL ANALYST: All this coalition has a major goal, to support each other in the only one thing, sovereignty. And because the challenge to sovereignty comes first of all from United States and the Western coalition. It moves them automatically to anti-American. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (on camera): And Russian President Vladimir Putin has made clear that he wants to remain on the forefront of building what he calls this new world order. And therefore, for the Russians, their relations both with North Korea and with China, they say will continue to only go in one direction towards deeper cooperation.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A Moscow court has sentenced a doctor to more than five years in prison for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian military. The 68-year-old pediatrician was reported to authorities by a patient's mother who had accused her of blaming the Kremlin for the war. The mother also claims the doctor criticized her child's father, who was apparently killed in Ukraine.

The doctor denies all that, and her lawyers say there's no evidence the alleged conversation ever took place. A Russian rights group says more than 1,000 people have faced criminal charges related to speaking out against the war.

Germany's main political parties have agreed to hold federal snap elections on February 23rd. The date was a compromise after the collapse of the Chancellor's coalition last week due to the country's weak economy.

[02:35:00]

Chancellor Olaf Scholz leads a government that has grown increasingly unpopular in Germany, with a September opinion poll naming him as one of the least popular chancellors ever.

The most senior leader in the Church of England, Justin Welby is stepping down. A report felt that Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was responsible for covering up child abuse in the church. The main perpetrator, a British lawyer named John Smyth was reported to authorities in 2013.

But the review found that his physical, sexual, psychological, and spiritual attacks, which began in the 1970s were allowed to continue until his death in 2018. It's unclear when Welby will leave his post.

And still to come, climate concerns in the land of fire and ice. Why scientists fear melting glaciers in Iceland could impact volcanoes and make their eruptions even more dangerous. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The third day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 29 is underway. Tuesday kicked off the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, where the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a dire warning on the urgency to act.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS: The sound you hear is the ticking clock. We are in the final countdown to limit global temperature rise to 1.5-degrees Celsius, and time is not on our side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, the President of Azerbaijan, the host country, pushed back on what he called the West's double standards, rejecting the label of a petro state and defending his country's right to use any and all available natural resources, including oil and gas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ILHAM ALIYEV, PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN: It's a gift of the God. Every natural resource whether it is oil, gas, wind, sun, gold, silver, copper, all that are natural resources and countries should not be blamed for having them and should not be blamed for bringing these resources to the market because the market needs them, the people needs them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The impact of climate change on Iceland's rapidly melting glaciers is well known of course, but what about on its volcanoes? CNN Meteorologist, Elisa Raffa reports on the scientists working to find out whether melting glaciers can make for more explosive volcanic eruptions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISA RAFFA, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A land of ice and fire. Iceland is renowned for both its stunning volcanoes and glaciers, but scientists are now studying whether climate change is affecting the balance between these two natural wonders.

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Around 2 million tourists visit Iceland each year, many hoping to see an active volcano showering red hot lava or get a glimpse of a cool blue glacier thousands of years old. But researchers say there could be a connection between melting glaciers, which are shrinking because of rising global temperatures, and the frequency of volcanic eruptions.

MICHELLE PARKS, VOLCANOLOGIST: Iceland is essentially one of the best places in the world to study this. It's a natural laboratory because we have both volcanism and glaciers. So at the moment, about 10 percent of Iceland is covered by glaciers and we have over 32 active volcanoes here.

RAFFA (voice-over): Scientists say the Askja volcano in Iceland's Central Highlands has risen about 80 centimeters in the past three years because of pressure building underneath it that's pushing the ground upwards. The theory is that magma or pressurized gas under a volcano increases as glaciers melt because the heavy ice no longer weighs down the earth's crust, allowing magma to move more freely underground.

And those subterranean pressure changes can permeate to areas which aren't directly under glaciers like Askja, which is just north of the country's largest glacier. But with recent eruptions in Grindavik, a town in Southwest Iceland which not only put on a spectacular lava show, but also forced the evacuation of the town's residents, scientists are eager to learn more about what is triggering such volatility. FREYSTEINN SIGNMUNDSSON, GEOPHYSICIST, UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND: There are many benefits of volcanoes. All the geothermal, geothermal heat, we heat all the houses with geothermal, so loss of benefits. But now, with the activity in Southwest Iceland where a lot of property has been destroyed and people were needed to move out, we are again reminded about how hazard (ph) these volcanoes are.

RAFFA (voice-over): Preliminary results in one study show that in the last three decades, magma beneath Iceland was produced at a rate two to three times what it would have been without ice loss, a possible pressure cooker lurking in one of the world's most picturesque places.

Elisa Raffa, CNN.

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CHURCH: I thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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