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New Israeli Strikes on Beirut Kill at least 11; Russia to Keep Testing New Ballistic Missile; Project 2025 Co-Author to Lead Trump Budget Office; Transgender Athlete Shares Her Story; ICC Chief Prosecutor on Warrants, "Nobody Is Above the Law"; Kim Jong-un Signals Trump Bromance May Be Over; Tourists Die in Laos after Drinking Possibly Tainted Alcohol; African Penguins on Critically Endangered List. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 23, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Israel launches a new round of deadly strikes in Lebanon as the world reacts to the arrest warrant issued for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There's deepening concerns over Vladimir Putin's use of a new ballistic missile and his rhetoric about the war against Ukraine.

And U.S. President-elect Donald Trump unveils a slew of new names to fill key positions in his next administration

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Christina Macfarlane.

MACFARLANE: In Beirut right now, rescue crews are searching for survivors from an Israeli strike that hit a residential building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE (voice-over): This is the scene in the center of the Lebanese capital. Lebanon's civil defense says at least 11 people were killed and 23 were wounded. Israel did not issue a warning before this strike.

And in another attack, one building was flattened. Take a look.

The Israeli military earlier issued an evacuation warning to people in this neighborhood. There are no reports of deaths or injuries from this strike.

Meanwhile there's outrage in Israel over the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister and his former defense ministers are accused of war crimes in Gaza. CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Abu Dhabi following all of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: And, Paula, let's get to those attacks in Beirut overnight. These coming in a densely populated district; reportedly, in one case, no warnings ahead of this.

What more are you learning?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, it just shows that the escalation of the Israeli airstrikes against Lebanon or against Hezbollah in Lebanon continue at the same time as there's talks of a ceasefire.

We heard from the Lebanese health ministry that at least 11 have been killed in one particular attack and 23 wounded. These are the pictures that you can see of the rescue operation underway.

Now the reason this is significant is because this is in central Beirut. This is in a very densely populated area, the Basta area of Beirut. And it's becoming more commonplace that we're seeing these attacks happening, not just in the southern suburbs of Beirut considered to be Hezbollah strongholds but they are more centrally placed at this point.

So we understand from the Israeli military, didn't issue an evacuation order for this particular attack. We have asked what the target of the strike was and we are waiting for a public statement from the Israeli military on that.

Now we also note that there are ongoing strikes, have been this morning, in the southern suburbs and in eastern Lebanon, in the Baalbek area. There was six people killed -- excuse me, seven.

The director general of Dar al Amal University, along with six of his colleagues, were killed in a residence next to the university itself, at the hospital of the university. We're hearing that from Lebanese health officials. It has been criticized by the Lebanese side, saying it's a treacherous Israeli aggression.

What we've heard from the Israeli side is they're looking into the report at this point. So we're waiting for a response to that. We are hearing, though, from the IDF, that there have been, they say, some 16,000 rockets that have been fired by Hezbollah into Israel.

And they say that they are targeting or have been saying in previous strikes they're targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, weapons caches and personnel.

So at the same time as we are hearing murmurs of a potential ceasefire, we are certainly seeing an escalation in the strikes. We heard just in mid last week, Amos Hochstein, who's the special U.S. envoy to the region, he went to Beirut. He then went to Israel as well to speak to both sides and did say that peace was within our grasp. [04:05:00]

But it is ultimately the decision of the two parties -- Christina.

MACFARLANE: And Paula, it's been a few days now since the ICC issued those arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

What has been the fallout of that as it relates to those ongoing ceasefire discussions?

Has there been any impact on that process?

HANCOCKS: It has gone fairly quiet when it comes to the Lebanon- Israel or the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire talks, We haven't heard very much publicly. It doesn't mean that there aren't discussions still ongoing behind the scenes.

We have heard from the U.S. side, though, that they strongly reject the arrest warrants. In fact, President Biden called it outrageous and blasted the court for giving what he believed was moral equivalence between what Israel was doing and what Hamas had done on October the 7th.

We have heard other countries, though, take a different tack and say that they are obliged to follow the ICC rulings. Countries like France, Canada, Italy, Netherlands saying that they would comply with these arrest warrants.

When it comes to the ceasefire talks specifically, when it -- when you talk about Gaza, there really is a sense that that has been stalled for some time now. The focus is very much more on what could possibly be achieved between Israel and Hezbollah -- Christina.

MACFARLANE: As those attacks continue, as you say, Paula, in Beirut. Paula Hancocks there, live in Abu Dhabi, thank you.

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MACFARLANE: President Vladimir Putin says Russia will keep testing a new experimental ballistic missile that was fired at Ukraine on Thursday. It claims the missile cannot be intercepted by air defenses, adding that Russia will begin mass producing the new system.

But a military analyst tells CNN that Western air defenses would be able to shoot down warheads from Moscow's new missile. The Kremlin says Thursday's strike is in response to the, quote, "reckless decisions" of the Western countries that supply weapons to Kyiv.

CNN's Fareed Zakaria explains what message Putin is trying to send.

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FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: He has made a very, very consequential threat. The Biden administration and the British government are now testing that threat. I wouldn't say calling his bluff because we don't know if it's a bluff.

But they are testing the threat and seeing whether or not he will, in fact, follow through on what he's suggesting, which is, A, that he might escalate by hitting actual NATO targets, maybe hitting into Poland or something like that.

And secondly, that he might use tactical nuclear weapons. It is a very consequential moment. I would tend to believe that Putin is -- I wouldn't say bluffing. But he will not carry out the most extreme version of these threats. He may -- he may do some kind of pinpointed strikes on a weapons depot somewhere in Poland.

But it's a very, very significant moment of escalation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, as fears of a broader European conflict grow, NATO and Ukraine are reportedly planning to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss Moscow's strike. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more from Kyiv.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I think it's fair to say that all the different assessments, including Vladimir Putin's, agree this is a hypersonic missile.

And from the video we saw ourselves, one that appears to fire multiple separate warheads from one singular delivery device, a mechanism normally associated with something that would deliver a nuclear payload.

But no sign of this at all. Putin suggested this could fly at three kilometers per second. And in comments today, he said that this was indeed successful in its use and they would continue to test the missile, implying there they continue to test it in combat.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): The weapons system that was tested yesterday is another reliable guarantor of Russia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

As we know, as you know, no one else in the world has such a weapon yet. Yes, sooner or later, it will appear in other leading countries. We know what developments are being carried out there. But this will be tomorrow or in a year or in two. And we have the system today and this is important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: This was a speech that had essentially almost been trailed in terms of significance by a sort of blundering phone call that the foreign ministry spokeswoman took in a briefing, being told not to talk about the missile. And his tone, I think, was different in that he spoke about

essentially the threat of missiles like this toward the West, that these missiles could get through Western air defenses.

All of them, he claimed, because of its speed and from what we saw on that video, the multiple different warheads. I should point out that some Western military analysts say that the U.S./NATO are in possession of air defenses, potentially, that could stop something like this.

[04:10:02]

But it's never been tested one against the other. And the ultimate message here was twofold: to say that Russia still has technical prowess, that it hasn't reached for yet, to potentially remind its adversary which it increasingly views as being Washington, not Kyiv, that it could potentially get around some of its better technology.

And, of course, too, here, to remind people in Ukraine that, even though their air defenses are increasingly advanced week by week from Western help, that they still possess things that could easily get through them.

It certainly made people a lot more anxious. The initial assessment from the Ukrainians, this was an ICBM. And, you know, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was, I think, correct to note the altitude, the speed, many of the characteristics of that Oreshnik or whatever we choose to call it, that flew at Dnipro match that kind of device.

It range simply didn't. And I think we are seeing the Kremlin here after a week in which they feel the Biden administration has rapidly escalated with the use of ATACMS, U.S. supplied missiles, by Ukraine to hit Russia, that they needed to do something back. And this was it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Now a hedge fund manager, a FOX News contributor and a key figure in Project 2025, we'll take a look at Donald Trump's latest cabinet picks after the break.

And we'll hear from a transgender athlete about what competing is like these days as people such as the president-elect threaten to ban their participation in women's sports.

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MACFARLANE: Donald Trump is revealing more key administration roles as the U.S. heads into the Thanksgiving holiday. Among them is Trump's anticipated pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent. Experts say he's a safe choice while Wall Street deems it seemed

unfazed. The 62 year old hedge fund manager advised the president- elect on economic policy while on the campaign trail.

Meanwhile, Trump has chosen a more controversial figure for his first term to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Russell Vought is the president-elect's former budget director, who oversaw a widespread deregulation push but is also one of the key authors of the controversial Project 2025 document.

Trump distanced himself from the proposal on the campaign trail. But many see it as a conservative blueprint for sorts, of sorts for the incoming administration to overhaul the federal government.

Mr. Trump's other picks include secretaries for Labor and Housing and Urban Development, the surgeon general and the leadership positions for the Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration.

Sources tell CNN Trump's pick to lead the intelligence community, Tulsi Gabbard, was briefly placed on a TSA watch list earlier this year. It appears Gabbard's overseas travel patterns and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm, which usually leads to additional security screening by air marshals before flights.

But Gabbard was quickly removed from the list after she publicly claimed she had been added to the, quote, "secret terror watch list." The TSA says Gabbard was placed on a little known list called Quiet Skies, which they say is most definitely not a terror watch list.

Well, here to discuss all of this with me is Thomas Gift, the director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London.

Good to see you again, Thomas. Let's begin with the flurry of late Trump picks we saw on Friday, multiple Trump picks.

Just to get your sense first, what did you make of selections like billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary and, controversially, Russell Vought, one of the key authors of Project 2025?

THOMAS GIFT, DIRECTOR, CENTRE ON U.S. POLITICS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Well, thanks so much for having me, Christina. It's great to be with you.

I think when you talk about all of these appointments, there's one word again that defines the Trump selections and that's loyalty -- or maybe, more specifically, fealty.

You know, Trump really perceives that the main mistake he made during his first administration was relying too much on Washington insiders inside the Beltway, officials who had spent their entire careers in Washington.

Many of those officials ultimately abandoned him. And so Susie Wiles, who is Trump's incoming chief of staff, is determined to run a more disciplined White House and to put individuals in key cabinet positions that are going to do largely what Trump says.

I do think that the Bessent choice in particular for secretary was one that was a little bit more establishment, a little bit more kind of traditional, one that wouldn't surprise people much like Matt Gaetz did or Pete Hegseth or some of these other kind of more controversial names.

MACFARLANE: But perhaps one that is raising eyebrows, as we say, is Russell Vought, one of the key authors of Project 2025.

And it appears there are actually a number of Trump picks so far who, in some way, are aligned to Project 2025. So I just want to take a moment to remind our viewers of what Trump himself was saying about that during the campaign trail. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Like some on the Right, severe Right, came up with this project 25 (sic). And I don't even know. I mean, some of them, I know who they are. But they're very, very conservative, just like you have -- they're sort of the opposite of the radical left. OK.

You have the radical left and you have the radical right. They are extreme. I mean, they're seriously extreme. But I don't know anything about it. I don't want to know anything about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: So I guess, Thomas, we're seeing here Trump's real ties to Project 2025 being laid bare with some of his picks.

But the question is, how far do you think he will go in adopting Project 2025 proposals?

GIFT: Well, you certainly understand why Donald Trump didn't want to attach himself to Project 2025 during the campaign because it took a number of right wing positions, like on abortion, for example, where Trump was trying to tack more toward the center in a general election.

But I think that this does raise real questions about the extent to which this is going to be a blueprint for the Trump administration. I still think that Trump is more transactional than ideological.

And so many of the kind of more right-wing positions that have been espoused in this document, which again, was written by many of Trump's associates or former Trump associates and the Heritage Foundation, which is a Republican or right-leaning think tank.

[04:20:00]

I think ultimately there are going to be some things that Trump takes some that he doesn't. I think when it comes to tax cuts, for example, deregulation, all of those are included in Project 2025. And I think that they will be top of mind in Trump's first 100 days.

MACFARLANE: Yes. But there are some issues on which they diverge., of course, abortion being one of them. It'll be interesting to see if there's any shift in ground on that in his new administration.

Now with Gaetz out, there are still some controversial picks left in.

We were just mentioning there, Thomas, Tulsi Gabbard, who was briefly named on a TSA watch list just yesterday, which is kind of adding concern around someone who is going to be in charge of national intelligence.

Someone who we already know has held strong views over backing comments from President Putin in the past, Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

I mean, how is she being viewed within the Senate at this point?

What is -- what are your thoughts around her selection, whether she would make it through?

GIFT: Well, that's a big question with Tulsi Gabbard, because, you know, she used to be a Democrat. She's obviously shifted very significantly. And some of her comments, particularly as they relate to Vladimir Putin, I think do raise eyebrows.

Add to that the fact that she has no intelligence experience and is going to be expected to sort of lead national intelligence of the United States is a real question mark. This is where we come to recess appointments, you know.

Will Trump use them?

They are constitutional but they were designed when Congress met less frequently and the president needed to fill spots on an emergency basis.

But still, given some of Trump's selections, he may choose to go down that route. And I think it's particularly the case for ones that, you know, are quite controversial.

MACFARLANE: Yes. And just briefly, the other Trump pick that had a sexual assault allegation against him, as well as Matt Gaetz, was Pete Hegseth. I'm curious as to whether the Republicans who signaled they were against Matt Gaetz might also use this moment to -- or feel emboldened to do the same with Pete Hegseth.

What's your feeling on that?

GIFT: I think that Pete Hegseth is maybe a little bit less controversial than Matt Gaetz. But still, this is all relative. I mean there's controversial. Then there's off the wall controversial. I would categorize Matt Gaetz as off the wall controversial.

Pete Hegseth is still a very unorthodox choice. You know, of course, he's been a FOX News anchor, very involved in Trump's first administration, was kind of lobbying behind the scenes for U.S. service members who have been accused or convicted of war crimes.

Talked to Trump on his show, "FOX and Friends." Trump would tweet back at him. So I'm not sure if this is an individual that Republicans on Capitol Hill in particular would be willing to push back.

I mean maybe some of the more establishment old guard would say, this is just not our pick. We need someone who's a bit more establishment. But Trump is really coming in with a mandate.

And I think it's going to be a bruising struggle and a dilemma for GOP politicians, especially given that many Republicans on Capitol Hill, you know, don't want to challenge what they perceive as just this juggernaut of Trump coming into his second term with sort of a, you know, a groundswell of support behind him.

MACFARLANE: Thomas Gaetz always great to have your analysis. Appreciate it. Thank you.

GIFT: Thanks, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Now in the 2024 U.S. election, Republican campaign ads on transgender issues dominated the airwaves.

Some focused specifically on transgender athletes. For Sadie Schreiner, a trans woman track star, there's a real concern about the backlash. CNN's Brynn Gingras sat down with Schreiner and has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SADIE SCHREINER, TRANSGENDER ATHLETE: When you transition, you experiment with your look a lot. I think I look best when I have this kind of makeup on. It feels most authentic to how I want to look.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sadie Schreiner is three years into her transition.

SCHREINER: I take about eight pills a day to help regulate both estrogen and testosterone, among other things. Everyone who goes through a medical transition does this to some extent. I have to be a bit more strict about it.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Strict because Schreiner submits her hormone levels in order to compete. She's a star sprinter, a two time all- American and has broken numerous school records on the women's track team at a Division 3 New York college.

GINGRAS: Every time you get on that track and field, what's it like for you?

SCHREINER: It's stressful. There's an extra level of nervousness and caution because there's always someone outside who's kind of rooting against me. Sometimes there's a group of protesters. It's a bit of a mixed bag because I like to celebrate when I do better but then I have to immediately prepare myself for the backlash.

GINGRAS (voice-over): That backlash was front and center this election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kamala even supports letting biological men compete against our girls in their sports.

GINGRAS (voice-over): With Republicans reportedly spending more than $200 million on anti-trans ads.

[04:25:00]

Now President-elect Trump promising his administration will prioritize a federal ban.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: We will keep men out of women's sports.

GINGRAS (voice-over): According to an organization that advocates for LGBTQ equality in sports, fewer than 40 of the NCAAs more than 500,000 athletes are known to be openly transgender. Even fewer are trans women athletes.

SCHREINER: There are so few of us that are actually setting any records that are actually doing anything of worth that people will take those individual moments and blow it up and out of proportion to create fear out of nothing. And my biggest fear is that someone's going to try and attack me while I'm on the field.

GINGRAS (voice-over): But some Democrats are also wrestling with what rights they should have. Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton telling "The New York Times" recently. I have two little girls. I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.

GINGRAS: What do you say to the people who maybe have complete empathy for your situation, right, want you to be your authentic self but have a daughter that they don't want competing against you?

SCHREINER: You want me to be my authentic self, then you probably wouldn't also be scared to have your daughter compete against me. No one's at risk. Part of the problem is it's been so politicized that being trans is not different than being a cis man.

GINGRAS: What do people not realize taking that medication does to your body?

SCHREINER: My body conducts itself, produces muscle, produces body fat. Even just how my bones work. It is fundamentally changed because of my hormones. I'm now slower than I was in middle school.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Schreiner says she tries to tune out the critics and is hoping to transfer to a Division 1 school. But with more states banning trans women from competing, it's proving nearly impossible.

SCHREINER: This isn't like I just can't go to Texas. This is like I can't go to half of the country.

GINGRAS: What is your hope to actually get accomplished?

SCHREINER: Ideal world is one where we're not even an issue and we're just something that get to exist and get to do as we want without restrictive legislation, without the fear of violence.

GINGRAS: And there's one thing that Schreiner didn't have about a week ago and she does now and that is a passport. She told me that she is worried about the possible direction this country is going to go in the next four years and just wants to keep all of her options open -- Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Many Israelis appear to be standing by their prime minister and former defense minister after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the pair.

But they're not getting that kind of support in other countries. A closer look at the war crime accusations and reaction -- next.

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back to our viewers around the world. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

There's outrage in Israel over the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu. The ICC says the Israeli prime minister and his former defense minister have committed war crimes in Gaza, including using starvation as a method of warfare.

It appears that many Israelis are standing by Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, as the U.S. -- as is the U.S. government. But it's a different story in Europe. Countries like Britain, Italy and France have said they would follow the court's order to arrest both men.

In Gaza, the death toll has now passed 44,000, according to the health ministry there and the U.N. is warning that shortages of food may get worse, leading to famine. Some Palestinians inside Gaza say they agree with the charges against Netanyahu and Gallant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAOUSSA SHAHEEN, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN (through translator): We do not have safety or security or a life or food or drink. This is all a result of Netanyahu. It is due to Netanyahu and the Israeli side because, in simple terms, he does not want these people to live. He wants to displace these people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All those decisions are lies. We are a people whose fate has been agreed upon. We are a people whose fate has been agreed upon globally to end the Palestinian cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, Alon Pinkas is the former Israeli consul general in New York. He joins us now live from Tel Aviv.

Great to see you again, Alon. So as we were hearing there, reaction to the ICC arrests has been somewhat mixed picture, depending on where you sit.

But in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have had a groundswell of support domestically.

Do you expect that support to remain as his restrictions on the world stage become increasingly limited, not just physically but diplomatically as well as a result of these arrests?

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL, NEW YORK: No, not at all, Christina.

I mean, there was a frustration, a support borne out of frustration in the first day -- well, yesterday, when the -- or the day before when the arrest warrants were actually issued. But that did not translate and will not into support for Netanyahu.

Now what Netanyahu, what Mr. Netanyahu was trying to do, not without success, you have to admit, is equate himself with the country. I mean, this is a Louis XIV syndrome. They passed him.

Why?

On the state, the state is I.

So all Israelis have to feel that they've been indicted. All Israelis need to feel, according to Mr. Netanyahu, as if they have been presented with an arrest warrant.

That is not the case. That is not what the ICC is saying. On top of which close to 70 percent of Israelis favor the establishment of a state inquiry commission into the events leading to October 7th, 2023.

And indeed, the prosecution of the war. Had Mr. Netanyahu said, set up, I'm sorry, such an inquiry, then perhaps these warrants would not have been issued. But he chose not to because it's politically expedient for him not to.

MACFARLANE: And now he's in a position of having to weigh the impact of this in terms of the support or the potential change in support that Israel is going to get from its allies.

I mean, we know, of course, that the U.S. has strongly come out and condemned this arrest. They're not an ICC signatory.

But does it signal trouble for countries who have vowed unwavering support for Israel, coupled with the backing of the ICC?

We were mentioning there France, Germany, the United Kingdom.

Do you expect we're going to see fractures in the traditional Western support for Israel over this?

PINKAS: Absolutely. More than a fracture. It's going to be a gulf between Israel and the West because here's the thing, Christina. Mr. Netanyahu is not expected to stand up trial.

[04:35:00]

He's not going to go and defend what he calls -- and perhaps he's right -- ludicrous (ph) accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity and starvation.

OK, if they are so ludicrous, then why would you not stand up to trial?

So since the ICC cannot try a man in absentia, it means that he becomes, for all intents and purposes, a fugitive. Once he's a fugitive that declines to appear to court and declines the arrest warrant, all 124 countries that have signed, that are signatories to or party to the ICC, the Rome statute, need to arrest him if he ever travels there.

Now this includes all of the E.U. I mean, there is a defiant stand by Hungary, which was expected, that president Viktor Orban actually invited him, OK. But look at Vladimir Putin, against whom there was also an arrest warrant.

Since it was issued in 2022, against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he has traveled abroad only once, to Mongolia. Now those countries will not only not allow or dissuade Mr. Netanyahu from traveling -- and that includes Britain and France and Germany and Italy and Canada and Australia.

But they are likely -- because he will refuse to stand trial, they are likely to impose sanctions. Arms embargo is something that that, you know, is a very sexy catchphrase. But it's the economic sanctions that they may impose on Israel that are most alarming. And that is what most Israelis do not yet understand and fully comprehend.

MACFARLANE: So we'll wait to see how they react when they do begin to fully comprehend that. I just want to ask you quickly about the ceasefire deals on the table -- not on the table at the moment. We know that the ceasefire deal over Gaza is largely stalled.

But the one in Lebanon against Hezbollah is apparently making inroads, apparently making progress, even though we are seeing and reporting, even today, on daily missile attacks on Beirut. Israel's targeting of Hezbollah has been incredibly effective in taking out a lot of their top brass.

But we are still seeing the daily missile fire into northern Israel.

Is that sharpening the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to get this deal done, a ceasefire deal done?

Do you expect we are going to see this? PINKAS: Not necessarily. We're certainly not going to expect to see this, Christina, until January 20th, the day that Donald Trump walks into the White House, his inauguration date.

I doubt that Mr. Netanyahu will agree to any kind of a deal with Lebanon, on top of which it may look very optimistic if you read some reports. It's not really. If you look at look, Hezbollah is not the sovereign power with which you can negotiate in Lebanon.

Supposedly the American mediators and others who were involved are negotiating with the Lebanese government. The Lebanese government has proven in the past and cannot prove looking forward that it could actually rein in Hezbollah in the south of Lebanon.

So Israel is insisting on freedom of operation and maneuvering room and military actions at its discretion. This is something that I doubt will be acceptable to the Lebanese. But wait until January 20th, Christina. All of a sudden all these problems are going to be solved.

MACFARLANE: Yes, it feels like everything is pointing to January at this point, doesn't it?

Alon Pinkas, we really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

PINKAS: Thank you, Christina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Now, in his first term, Donald Trump makes a point to woo North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

But as the president-elect prepares to return to power, Kim seems to be signaling that their infamous bromance may be at an end. CNN's Brian Todd has more on Kim's new rant against the U.S. and what it may reveal about the relationship with Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korea's 40-year-old strongman levels pointed jabs at the United States following the fanfare of a military flyover in Pyongyang and a grand entrance in his armored limousine.

Kim Jong-un waves for the crowd to quiet down then starts in.

"The United States is growing more brazen in trying to place the whole world under the sphere of its interests," Kim says, according to North Korean state media.

He tells his comrades his regime has gone as far as it could in negotiating with the U.S. and came away not convinced that America wants to coexist with North Korea but that the U.S. has a, quote, "domineering stand and unchangeably, aggressive and hostile policy" toward Pyongyang.

PATRICK CRONIN, ASIA-PACIFIC SECURITY CHAIR, HUDSON INSTITUTE: This is the current position of North Korea, which is to say we're going to drive a hard bargain.

America's pursuing a hostile power, a policy. But in fact, from an American perspective and even from a second Trump administration perspective, they've already experienced the failure of diplomacy with North Korea.

[04:40:08]

TODD (voice-over): A failure of diplomacy at two summits between then President Donald Trump and Kim in Singapore in 2018 and in Hanoi, the following year. Plus, a short meeting at the DMZ.

Despite their public pronouncements --

TRUMP: Excellent relationship. Thank you.

TODD: -- the two leaders could never make a deal to get Kim to abandon his nuclear weapons program. It didn't stop Trump from gushing about their friendship.

TRUMP: And then we fell in love. OK?

No, really, he wrote me beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love.

TODD: And even recently at the Republican national convention in July, Trump said this about Kim.

TRUMP: He'd like to see me back, too. I think he misses me, if you want to know the truth.

TODD: How will the Trump-Kim relationship unfold in a second Trump term?

CRONIN: I would not expect a rapid move toward a summit meeting but I would expect there to be quiet back-channel letters exchanged in the coming months.

TODD: But now, as we see new images of Kim at a military exhibition featuring long range missiles that could potentially strike the mainland United States, Kim has a new and dangerous partner.

ANKIT PANDA, STANTON SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: They have strategically reoriented toward Moscow, where Kim has a new best friend, now in the form of Vladimir Putin.

TODD: An estimated 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to help Russia fight Ukraine and a Ukrainian military official says North Korean troops have just been spotted in northeastern Ukraine. How will they fare against Ukrainian forces?

CRONIN: North Koreans are tenacious fighters by all accounts but if they're asked to go much farther forward into Ukraine, I suspect they would get bogged down very quickly. I don't think they're prepared for that. TODD: In return, Kim Jong-un is getting weapons from Russia, according to a top South Korean official. He could also get technology and expertise to ramp up his nuclear weapons program even further, an arsenal that one prominent expert told us likely already has between 60 and 100 nuclear weapons -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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MACFARLANE: Tourism turns deadly with six deaths in a vacation spot popular with backpackers. We'll have the latest when we come back.

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MACFARLANE: At an idyllic vacation spot in Laos, six tourists have now died after drinking suspected tainted alcohol. Investigators are underway -- investigations are underway and the government vows to bring any perpetrators to justice. CNN's Melissa Bell has more on the story from Paris.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Six people are now believed to have died as a result of tainted alcohol poisoning in Laos. The

latest victim, a 19-year-old woman from Melbourne, Australia, who'd been backpacking through Asia with her best friend. The two women are believed,

according to the Associated Press, to have been given free shots in the hostel they were staying at before heading out for a night of drinking in

Vang Vieng, a popular hotspot for backpackers in Laos.

In Laos, the other victims include British woman, an American citizen, two Danish citizens as well, with several western consulates saying they're

working with some of their citizens who are believed also to have been impacted by the tainted alcohol. Those countries believe that methanol

poisoning is to blame, although no cause of death has been announced. We spoke to one doctor who told us about exactly just how poisonous methanol

was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRUNO MEGARBANE, LARIBOISIERE HOSPITAL, PARIS: Even a drop of methanol is toxic. It has been estimated that an amount of 10 milliliters of methanol could result in the death of an adult of 70 kilograms. So it is really very toxic. And the fatal amount is very low.

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BELL: According to the Associated Press, several people have been taken in for questioning, including the manager of the hostel where the two young

Australian backpackers were staying, although no charges have yet been brought. What the deaths have triggered are warnings about the dangers of

tainted alcohol and the need to take care.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

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MACFARLANE: A federal judge says he'll rule next week after lawyers for Sean Diddy Combs argued for a third time that he should be released on bail.

Prosecutors say Combs has tried to influence the jury pool and tamper with witnesses. Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution related charges.

His attorneys claim prosecutors altered a version of this video that was submitted to the court. It shows him attacking his then girlfriend at a hotel earlier this year. CNN acquired and published surveillance footage depicting different angles of the assault, which were edited together to help more clearly illustrate the incident.

Defense lawyers say the video shows the end of a, quote, "consensual, long-term and loving relationship."

Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has been found liable for assaulting a woman in Ireland. A civil court jury awarded the woman, Nikita Hand, 250 $7,000 (ph) on Friday.

She said McGregor, quote, "brutally raped and battered" her at a hotel in Dublin after a night of partying in 2018. The fighter says the sex was consensual and his lawyer called the woman a gold digger. McGregor says he'll appeal the verdict.

A lawsuit filed against actor Jonathan Majors has been dropped. His ex-girlfriend sued him in March, alleging assault and defamation. But lawyers for Majors and Grace Jabari agreed to dismiss the case after reaching a settlement, according to a court filing.

Jabari had accused the Marvel star of physical and verbal abuse during their relationship. Majors was convicted of misdemeanor assault and harassment in connection with a New York altercation. He avoided jail time but was ordered to complete a year-long counseling program.

Trouble in penguin paradise: African penguins have officially been added to the critically endangered list. Find out how they're battling the brink of extinction.

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back.

The African penguin has become the latest climate victim. The species was recently escalated to being critically endangered. Habitat loss and overfishing of their main food sources has resulted in rapid population decline. CNN's Elisa Raffa reports on the efforts being taken by activists to save the penguins from the brink of extinction.

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ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Wobbling in warmer temperatures, the African penguin enjoys its days in the sun. This beloved bird is found in colonies along the southwest coast of Africa. But the African penguin is now on the critically endangered list due to lack of food, climate change and other factors.

ALLISON KOCK, MARINE BIOLOGIST, SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS: There's only about 10,000 breeding pairs left in South Africa and Namibia where they occur. Means we've lost 97 percent of the population and the species could become extinct within my lifetime.

RAFFA: Many tourists flock to see these adorable birds and their unique feathers. They have dot-like markings across their chest. These patterns are unique to each penguin as fingerprints are to humans.

RICK JOSACK, TOURIST: The penguins here, you know, are beautiful and it's a shame that they're now critically endangered. And I just hope that there's a lot of activity taking place to try and help them.

ZANDILE CHRISTIAN, TOURIST: Seeing them well, hearing that they are critically endangered actually kind of breaks my heart.

RAFFA: Habitat is one key factor in their population decline. The birds build nests in seabird droppings called guano.

This shelter protects them from the harsh African sun but the guano is often harvested for fertilizer.

KOCK: The actual material for digging their nests was removed. And so artificial nests are incredibly important and the recent science has shown that it does improve breeding success. So we need to keep on doing interventions like that.

RAFFA: Nutrition is one of the biggest threats. According to scientists, penguins are starving and not getting enough food.

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Their diets consist mainly of sardines, anchovies, even squids and crustaceans.

South African authorities have imposed a commercial fishing ban around six penguin colonies for 10 years, starting in January -- Elisa Raffa, CNN.

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MACFARLANE: Well, scientists are showing off the fascinating remains of an ancient feline that was frozen in time in the permafrost in Russia's far north.

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MACFARLANE (voice-over): This saber toothed cat cub was only about three weeks old when it died; 32,000 years later, it's the first of its kind that scientists have discovered with its fur still intact.

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ALBERT PROTOPOPOV, MAMMOTH FAUNA DEPARTMENT, YAKUTIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (through translator): I suspect that this is probably the only one we will see for a long time, this mummy. This is a real sensation.

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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Finders uncovered the specimen four years ago while looking for mammoth tusks.

Before that, their only ideas about the species came from skeletal remains. The permafrost in Russia is melting due to climate change, uncovering ancient remains of all kinds.

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MACFARLANE: And that's it for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. I'll be back with more after this quick break. Stay with us.