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CNN International: Macron Tours Restored Notre Dame, 5 Years after Raging Fire; Russia Launches More than 130 new Drone Attacks; Biden Called U.S. Troops During Last Thanksgiving in Office; Notre Dame to Reopen Soon, 5 Years after Devastating Fire; Australia Bans social media for Kids Under 16; Santa Trainer: Don't ask Kids what they Want for Christmas. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 29, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton, and this is CNN Newsroom. Just ahead for us, more than five years after a devastating fire, Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral prepares to reopen to the public. We are live on a glorious day in Paris.

After a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel's Prime Minister says he's not ready to end the war in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. This as there are fresh warnings now about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza heading into winter. And Black Friday madness, we've got the latest on today's shopping frenzy.

Five years after, a catastrophic fire destroyed parts of Notre Dame, the iconic Paris Cathedral, reopened its doors to French President Emmanuel Macron earlier today. You see him there Mr. Macron toured the building, taking in the extensive and painstaking restoration work that has now been completed.

What a marvel it is? The Gothic Marvel opens to the public in one week. Now in 2019 as so many remember, the world stopped to watch in horror as the cathedral's famed spire burned before toppling. Now the cause of the fire interesting here has not yet been determined, but the Paris prosecutor said at the time that it could have been an accident. Five years ago, Marcon vowed to rebuild the cathedral in his words, even more beautifully than before. And today, he had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: You have been the alchemists of this work site, and you have transformed the blackness into art, the flame, was a national wound, and you've been the remedy through determination, commitment and work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: We want to bring in our Melissa Bell, who is just outside Notre Dame Cathedral on an absolutely glorious day for Paris and for France. MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Paula, I've just come from inside Notre Dame Cathedral, just a few of us got to go inside while President Macron was speaking to some of the 2000 men and women who have helped with this extraordinary restoration process. And it really is quite extraordinary.

The light inside the cathedral far greater than it was even before the fire. You will remember when you used to go into Notre Dame Cathedral, there was a sense of everything being slightly somber and dark. The entire thing now very light, and you can see all the artwork in all of its splendor, all of it restored.

The colors are back. The gold is back. The sculptures have been lovingly restored. The entire thing even more impressive and awe inspiring than it was before. This is not the actual opening Paula. This is simply the last visit by the French President of a construct -- of the construction site that's been there for more than five years, his seventh.

And he came to thank those who had been involved, telling them choking up, really, at the end of his speech, and saying that when he had announced at the time of the fire in April 2019 that he would be rebuilt within five years. People had said it couldn't be done. And yet, here we are just a week to go before the full reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.

The first mass will be held on December 8th. But this was a sneak preview of some of that restoration work. As you can see, Paula, the scaffolding is still up outside of it. The full renovation won't be done until 2030 but people will be able to get back inside from next weekend.

And really an extraordinary sense of rediscovering a more than 900- year-old cathedral that we knew already before, but that you really rediscover in all of its detail and its intricacy and its splendor in a totally new way. One of the first questions they'd answered is whether they wanted to rebuild exactly as it had been, or do something completely different.

They've rebuilt it exactly as it was. But it is infinitely more inspiring than it was before the fire. So light is it and so carefully restored has it been so a real sense of wonder as you walk back inside Notre Dame, just over five years after those flames had engulfed it and been watched, not just by the many thousands who gathered here on the banks of the river to watch it go up in flames, but the millions of people who'd watched it live that night go up in flames around the world, Paula.

NEWTON: It really just is such a point of optimism. And who could blame the French President for being emotional as many people in Paris and throughout France are today. Melissa Bell for us in Paris. As I said, what is a glorious day there to watch that scene in front of Notre Dame. Thanks so much.

[08:05:00] We turn now to the Middle East, where a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is now in its third day, and appears to largely be holding. Now both sides are trading accusations. Now, Israel says it will act aggressively and unilaterally against any violations, while the Lebanese army accuses Israel of breaching the truce several times as displaced Lebanese in the meantime try to head home.

The IDF is warning residents of Southern Lebanon against returning to more than 70 now, 70 specific villages, and they want them to stay away for the time being. Meantime, for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza who have been displaced multiple times, the arrival of winter weather is bringing yet more misery. There's no end in sight to their suffering. Here's what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to say about the conflict there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I'm ready for a ceasefire at any moment, but ending the war, I'm not ready for that because we also need to achieve the elimination of Hamas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Tel Aviv, Israel. Jeremy, as we continue to watch this unfold, we're a few days in, what are the prospects for the ceasefire, and crucially here, what is at stake if it fails?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, three days into this ceasefire, it is indeed holding, but that's not despite the fact that there have been multiple violations that are being claimed on both sides of this conflict. Yesterday, we saw that the Lebanese military accused the Israeli military of violating the ceasefire multiple times.

The Israeli military, for its part, admitted that it did indeed carry out strikes in Lebanon, but said it was due to Hezbollah violations of that ceasefire and that it was simply enforcing that ceasefire. And that is indeed one of the critical elements here, that is -- you know poses a risk of complicating this ceasefire going forward.

And that is the fact that the Israeli government and the Israeli military have made very clear that they intend to aggressively, unilaterally enforce this ceasefire wherever they perceive violations by Hezbollah. I actually spoke with a senior Israeli official who described to me two kinds of key criteria through which the Israeli military is going to act unilaterally.

Firstly, if they perceive an immediate threat from Hezbollah, such as militants preparing to fire rockets towards Israel. They will strike unilaterally, without going through that U.S. led monitoring mechanism. The second criteria would be, if the target is time critical, something that they worry they may lose munitions operatives, if indeed they don't take action immediately.

And ultimately, in Southern Lebanon, in particular, Israel believes that it has the right to act against any threat that it perceives. And a lot of this has to do with sending a message to Hezbollah that Israel is going to enforce this ceasefire differently than what happened after 2006 when there was a ceasefire then and Hezbollah in the years since, covertly re infiltrated southern Lebanon and built up this military infrastructure.

And it's also, of course, about sending a domestic political message here in Israel, in particular to those Northern Israeli residents who we've spoken to who made clear that they are incredibly skeptical of Israel's ability to enforce this ceasefire and certainly don't trust Hezbollah's adherence to it.

Now this senior Israeli official who I spoke with said that the U.S. is aware and understands Israel's position regarding how it will enforce this agreement, but it is important to note that that is not part of the official ceasefire agreement signed between Israel and the State of Lebanon.

And so, you know, there are questions about how indeed this will work going forward? And whether or not these attempts by Israel to unilaterally enforce this ceasefire could be perceived as violations by Hezbollah and could ultimately send this region spiraling back into war. But for now, at least, the ceasefire is holding, and all sides seem to want it to continue, Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah, what you outlined there is incredibly complicated. And as you said, the durability of the ceasefire will determine whether or not Israeli residents will return to the north. Before I let you go Jeremy, obviously fresh warnings, given winter is setting in, about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

DIAMOND: Yeah, that's right. I mean conditions are worsening inside the Gaza Strip, where simply not enough aid is getting in Northern Gaza, of course, has been a major flash point of this humanitarian crisis. UNRWA, the main UN agency responsible for delivering aid in Gaza, said yesterday that 82 of 91 UN attempts to send life-saving humanitarian aid to Northern Gaza were denied between October 6th and November 25th.

[08:10:00]

But the problems are also now stretching into Central Gaza as well, where the World Food Program says that all bakeries in Central Gaza have now shut down due to severe supply shortages, and that is, of course, leading to long lines at places where people can get food.

And today, for the second time in a week, actually, there have been stampedes in Central Gaza relating to these long lines to get any kind of basic foods here. Two women were actually killed in a stampede in Central Gaza today, and again, this comes as beyond the lack of aid getting in, the weather conditions are also worsening.

We've seen several storms in the last couple of weeks, and those who are living in tents along the coastline, on the beaches, which was viewed to be one of the safer places that people could go, those tents are now being flooded. They're being battered by waves as well, just leading to increasing misery for the people of Gaza, Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah, incredibly sobering conditions there. Jeremy diamond for us from Tel Aviv appreciate it. Now for the first time in years, Syrian rebels have launched a surprise offensive in the government- controlled city of Aleppo. A statement by a newly formed rebel umbrella coalition says clashes with Syrian forces intensified overnight into Friday morning.

Now, analysts say the rebels are exploiting a vacuum left by a weakened Hezbollah that's set now to advance in Syria. The rebels in the Assad Regime had agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Russia and Turkey in March of 2020. CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now from Rome, where he's following all of this. And Ben, we're going to lean on you just to let us know how significant these attacks seem, because there are varying opinions as to how serious this is.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they do seem to be quite significant Paula. I mean, keep in mind that there's been a relative stalemate since March 2020, when Russia and Turkey worked out this ceasefire in Northern Syria.

Now, according to this military operations command, which is a new umbrella group for these rebel factions based mostly in Idlib Province to the west of there that their forces have actually entered Western Aleppo, the City of Aleppo, since Wednesday, they've been able to take control of around 63 villages,

According to these rebel factions taken them from the Syrian regime, which, of course, is backed by Iran and Russia and Hezbollah. Although Hezbollah is essentially pulled out of Syria, has pulled out of Syria since October of last year, when it focused its fire on Northern Israel.

So, what we're seeing is that it appears to be something of a blitzkrieg by these rebel factions against the Syrian regime, which, of course, does seem to have been weakened, A, because of the withdrawal of Hezbollah B, because Iran, of course, has been under pressure from Israel, and the Iranian media is reporting that a brigadier general with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been killed in Aleppo in recent days.

And of course, Russia, which is the main backer of the regime in Damascus, is distracted by the war in Ukraine. So perhaps the rebel factions in Syria, which in the past, have been fighting among themselves, see this as an opportunity to regain ground. They lost control of Aleppo back in 2016.

So, this does seem to be quite significant in terms of their ability to gain territory and gain it quite quickly. And of course, Aleppo, keep in mind, it's the second largest city in Syria, very much the industrial heartland of the country, and it's a city that had started to recover after more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah, recovery that was deeply needed. And again Ben, of course, it is the civilians here, many now displaced once again, who are bearing the brunt of this. Ben Wedeman, for us, thanks so much. Now more damage and destruction on the ground in Ukraine at this hour after another wave of Russian drone attacks overnight.

Authorities say seven people have been injured in the Southern Odessa region and one in Kyiv. On top of this, Ukraine has been struggling to keep the lights on in a week that saw a massive Russian attack on its energy framework.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Over 90 missiles and nearly 100 strike drones were launched. The targets were energy infrastructure and ordinary civilian objects, many were shut down, and now electronic warfare systems performed well, but unfortunately, there were also hits.

[08:15:00]

Some of the strikes involved COVID missiles with cluster warheads, a particularly dangerous type of Russian weaponry used against civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: The Russian bombardments on Ukraine have intensified in recent months, and now Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening to strike the country with a new nuclear capable ballistic missile. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is on the ground for us in Moscow. And not to be alarming about this, he said it was nuclear capable, but would not carry a nuclear warhead. In fact, we heard a lot Fred from President Putin on Thursday, which I thought was quite interesting, him outlining his thinking behind this escalation.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Outlining a lot of things, actually, Paula, you're absolutely right, outlining his thinking about this particular situation, outlining his thinking about the President-Elect Donald Trump as well, of course, outlining his thinking about the Ukraine war to a certain extent as well.

And we've seen in the past two days those massive strikes that took place on Ukrainian infrastructure. And I think one of the things that we're seeing is, aside from these giant missiles that the Russians do seem to now have a really big capacity for mass production of these strike drones, using 100 yesterday and 130 apparently, overnight tonight.

So, it does appear as though the Russians able to sustain that now. The Russians are continuing to say that the massive strike that took place into Thursday, that that was a reaction to the U.S., allowing the Ukrainians to use those ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia, in other words, once again, a direct message to the United States.

That's something that Vladimir Putin flat out, said while he was at a meeting in Kazakhstan. Of course, overnight, we've had a statement coming from the Biden Administration calling these massive Russian strikes outrageous. The Kremlin reacted to that today, saying, once again, that this was just a reaction to U.S. policies. And then you do have that massive intermediate range ballistic missile that the Russians keep talking about now. And it's really hard to overstate Paula, how much this has become part of the messaging of the Russians. We hear it every day here on state media from politicians.

There was one politician inside the Russian Parliament who actually took the stage and spoke in front of the parliament in a shirt with the likeness of Vladimir Putin and this missile on it as well. It's called the -- of course, which roughly translated, means hazelnut tree. And it's something that Vladimir Putin does say is very much nuclear capable the Russians taking theory, a 900-kiloton warhead, or several warheads, that have about 45 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb.

However, Vladimir Putin saying it would be used in a non-nuclear configuration. However, he then also went to point out that three of these missiles taken together could have about the destructive power of a nuclear weapon. So definitely something where the Russians are really rattling more than just sabers. They are saying this weapon could have massive destructive power, and that they are very much willing to use it again, even though it's still in an experimental phase Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah, very clear message there, not just for Ukraine, but obviously Europe as well. Are the Russians, though, at this point in time, especially Vladimir Putin, waiting out the Biden Administration and its last few weeks, because perhaps they're hoping for a better deal when the Trump Administration comes in?

PLEITGEN: Yeah, I think they're hoping for a deal when the Trump Administration comes in. It's definitely, I think, something that the Russians are doing right now. And I think it also is very -- it's a very important thing for Russia right now to see how exactly they react to the fact that the Ukrainians are able to use these ATACMS missiles.

How much of a reaction is there going to be from the Russians to that? Do they bide their time for the next a little bit under two months until the Trump Administration takes office? There certainly does seem to be the belief here that there is a chance for a deal very favorable to Russia once the Trump Administration takes office.

And we've been speaking to several Russian officials over the past couple of days, really over the past couple of weeks. Yesterday, we spoke to the Head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Federation Council, and he flat out told us that he thinks that the Biden Administration right now is a lame duck administration, that they're trying to cause harm to the Trump Administration once it takes over to their efforts that the Russians believe that the Trump Administration then will conduct to try and end the war in Ukraine.

And so certainly, the Russians very much looking forward to that. And therefore, probably it's no coincidence that yesterday, also Vladimir Putin, when he was at that summit in Kazakhstan, said that he believes that Donald Trump is very experienced, that he is very smart, that he's an intellectual politician, and really praised Donald Trump. And so therefore it certainly does seem as though the Russians are

looking to the Trump Administration taking office and then hoping that they can get a very favorable deal for themselves to end the war in Ukraine, Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah, and the national security officials, the nominees for the Trump transition have already made it clear they are already working on this. Fred Pleitgen, good to have you on ground there in Moscow. Really appreciate it.

Now Donald Trump is promising a slew of new tariffs. We'll look at how they could affect the bottom line for many Americans? And yeah, here's your hint. It's not good.

[08:20:00]

And record numbers of shoppers in the U.S. expected to take advantage of sales today, we'll look at how Black Friday is going so far.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Now for the first time since Donald Trump won re-election, the current U.S. President has issued a warning about his policy plans. Joe Biden says that Trump's threat to impose steep tariffs on America's neighbors would be a mistake. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden weighed in on President-Elect Trump's tariff threats for the first time, saying he hopes he will rethink some of the tariffs he wants to impose on Canada and Mexico, warning that it could jeopardize U.S. relations with some of the country's closest allies.

President Biden was speaking to reporters as he visited a firehouse here in Nantucket, Massachusetts, really offering his first criticism a President-Elect Donald Trump and his policy proposals since the November 5th election. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I hope everybody thinks that, I think is a counterproductive thing to do. You know, look, one of the things you've heard me say before that we have an unusual situation in America, we're surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies, Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: These comments from President Biden are significant and really serve as a reminder that he has very different views from President- Elect Donald Trump about how to approach issues like the economy, trade and also relations with U.S. allies.

The President and Democrats during the campaign had warned that some of Trump's tariff threats would have inflationary impacts back at home, could potentially raise prices on goods across the board for Americans. But President Biden made these comments as he's spending the Thanksgiving holiday here in Nantucket, Massachusetts. This is a bit of a family tradition for the Biden clan, as they have been traveling to this island for decades now to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.

But it is a poignant one, as President Biden is preparing to leave office in January. He placed a round of calls to troops who were so serving overseas this Thanksgiving holiday away from their families, calling into bases across the world, including in Guam, Bahrain and also Saudi Arabia, trying to thank those U.S. service members for their time.

President Biden told reporters that he is most thankful this holiday season for a peaceful transfer of power, for diplomatic efforts, and also a hope that they could try to achieve more progress when it comes to the conflicts in the Middle East, as Biden is trying to work towards a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza, Arlette Saenz CNN traveling with the president in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

NEWTON: Now those tariffs we were just discussing could have an impact on the bottom line of U.S. businesses that depend on imports from Canada, Mexico and China. And especially on days like today, Black Friday, it's one of the biggest shopping days of the year in the United States.

[08:25:00]

Stores are under pressure to bring customers into physical stores at a time when so many shoppers do their gift buying online. CNN's Meena Duerson joins us now from East Rutherford, New Jersey. Black Friday now well and truly under way. I like to say this is not your mother's Black Friday. We just described how this usually happens -- you know online instead. But what are you seeing there on the retail floor?

MEENA DUERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, someone said to me this morning, the days of people lining up at the mall are over. But we're here, and there are a decent amount of people here the energy is up. You know, it was a little quieter this morning, but the crowds are picking up.

There are projected to be, you know, 183 million people shopping this weekend, that is -- you know in person and online. But 65 percent of those people are projected to be in person. And what we're seeing is -- you know stores and malls are still trying to have these door busters in person deals and options.

So, at the mall we're at, for example -- you know they have a big wheel on the floor where there's a big line of people who are waiting to spin for gift cards or promotions or -- you know big TVs the chance to win things. So, we are still seeing -- you know stores trying to attract shoppers in that way, although recognizing that a lot of people are home taking advantage of those sales online.

And -- you know Black Friday has extended, in a way this year to the week, because the holiday season is a little compressed this year because Thanksgiving was so late. So, people have been taking advantage -- you know for a little bit longer this week than maybe normal.

NEWTON: Yeah, we're just looking at his historical footage right now, people arguing during Black Friday lines. We're glad that is over. I want to talk to you though, about these tariffs that could come into effect. We don't know if they will yet, but what kinds of everyday goods would be affected? What would Americans be paying more for if that does happen?

DUERSON: Yeah. So largely -- you know experts are saying to look at items that are maybe manufactured overseas in the countries where these tariffs are likely to target. So, imports -- you know from China, Canada, Mexico, places where -- you know we are to expect that those items might be might cost upwards of 20 percent that the consumer might -- you know end up paying that much more.

So those are things -- you know big household items. If you are in the market for those things, you experts are saying maybe, maybe you should look out for those Black Friday deals, things like -- you know a fridge, a new washer dryer, electronics, things like tablets, smartphones, e-bikes -- you know video game consoles.

Those are items that may -- you know come Inauguration Day; we may see the tariffs impact the consumer pricing. And so -- you know if you are in the market for those things, maybe those are things you take advantage of right now.

NEWTON: Meena, happy shopping there. Thanks for bringing it to us now. Appreciate it.

DUERSON: Thanks.

NEWTON: Now, five years ago, a raging fire left the Notre Dame Cathedral in ruins. Now the iconic church close to reopening. We will have a sneak preview right after the break. Plus, it's official, Australia is banning social media for children under the age of 16. We'll get reaction after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]

NEWTON: Now, just a few hours ago, the world got a first look inside the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as French President Emmanuel Macron turned toward the Gothic masterpiece five years after it was devastated by a fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACRON: Notre Dame is the soul of our country, which belongs to Christian and to all French people and to the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: The cathedral one of the world's most famous landmarks, of course, will officially open to the public next week, with a grand ceremony outside north of them, dozens of artisans, first responders and those involved in the restoration stood and cheered while Macron wrapped up his tour of the cathedral, you see the scene there.

Now, the French President also viewed the Virgin of Paris statue, which survived the fire and was recently returned to the cathedral and became, of course, a symbol of its resilience. We want to discuss more about the significance of this day with Agnes Poirier. She's a journalist and author of Notre Dame, the soul of France.

And she joins me now live from Paris, and good to see you and good to have your input here as we continue to watch these glorious pictures come in from Paris. You know, I do want to start with a quote, that you have in your book, and you explain that if Notre Dame could crumble in front of our eyes and disappear from our lives, you write, so too could those other certainties, democracy, peace and fraternity.

Of course, the slogan that the French Republic is built on. What do you determine to be the significance of this day as it unfolds?

AGNES POIRIER, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR OF "NOTRE DAME: THE SOUL OF FRANCE": Well, today is quite incredible, because who would have thought, you know, five years ago, only five years ago, it feels like yesterday that she could not only be completely restored the spire rebuilt, that the scars would be sort of a, you know, just rubbed out, invisible.

And also, that she could be even more beautiful than before. I mean, this is what President Michael said five years ago, and nobody believed him, because we couldn't possibly imagine Notre Dame being more beautiful. But what happened is that, you know, 42 square meters of stone, of vaults, walls, statues and pillars have been clean.

But not you know, I mean, it doesn't feel I've been inside, and it doesn't feel too bright or too shiny, it just feels original. And this is what, actually, a lot of the artisans that I met over the last five years told me, is that we're going to see, I mean, the public who will be able to step inside Notre Dame, in a week's time, will be able to see the cathedral the way she was 850 years ago.

So that's the original color, if you like, of the stone, and it is a thing of wonder, I can tell you. I was there. I just was lost for words. And I'm not even religious. I just happen to love, you know, beauty, like everybody else, and architecture and this Gothic masterpiece. And it's something that is just even the images don't show the brilliance of it once you're inside.

NEWTON: Well, you're giving us a great reason to actually go to France once again to see it restored, although we are looking at some of the pictures now, and it is stunning. You know, Emmanuel Macron determined you said in the last few hours that the artisans, in fact, turned ashes into art.

I know how closely that you followed this restoration. What do you think were some of the greatest challenges, because the timeline was just so ambitious?

POIRIER: Well, yes, and don't forget, we had a pandemic as well. And of course, there was lead contamination, and they were extremely serious about it. So, the site was closed for six weeks over the first summer and also for two years. I mean, the emphasis was on consolidating, that the big edifice, because at any given point she could have collapsed.

You know, I mean, the devastation was so immense, and because the roof played a big part. You know, in medieval architecture, the importance of the roof and the weight on the walls and the flying buttresses meant that she was extremely unstable.

[08:35:00]

So, it makes that achievement all the more formidable. Look, I traveled France, met the artisans, also met great artisans from across the world who lent you know their help, their hand to their French counterparts, and those are extraordinary people. You know, they know that craft, they are humble, they speak, they are poets.

You know, I was shocked to just to meet them, because they have got so much pride in what they do. And it's thanks to them and to the political will behind it, that is to say, President Macron, and let's not forget the five star general he appointed, and who died last summer, and who really supervised that reconstruction side of the century, as it is known here, with really authority and a lot of humanity. So, you know, it's a team's effort, as you would call it.

NEWTON: Just to hear you describe it all. Really, the enormity of the task and the achievement here is just absolutely stunning. I don't have a lot of time left Agnes, but I do want to ask you, what has been the reaction among Parisians and the French in general.

POIRIER: Well, I think, you know, they're only starting to get used to the idea that she's going to reopen, so it's in a week's time, and the public will be able to go there. So, you know, I think it will take some time for the news and what she is now to sink in.

NEWTON: Lovely. We will look forward to all of it again. Happy to see. It was a beautiful day in Paris. The pictures have been extraordinary, and we wait to see more. Agnes Poirier, thank you so much for your insights there. Appreciate it. Now, does Australia's new social media rule go too far or not far enough?

After the break, parents, kids and social media giants weigh in on the world's first ban. A ban for 16-year-old users in social media.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: One day after Australia's Parliament passed a ban on social media for children under the age of 18. Leading social media companies are reacting. Meta and TikTok say they too want to keep younger users safe, but they say the ban was rushed. Hanako Montgomery has our details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How kids use social media is a problem, millions of parents' face. And Australia says it's now found the solution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: World leading action to make sure social media companies meet their social responsibility. Social media is doing harm to our children.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Under Australia's new law, kids under 16 are banned from accessing social media platforms. And tech companies breaking the rules could face fines in the tens of millions.

[08:40:00]

MONTGOMERY (on camera): But the bill rushed through in just a week is drawing criticism from those not convinced it will keep kids off the internet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it's almost embarrassing. I mean, this is boomers trying to tell young people how the internet should work.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Tech giants, including Meta and X's Elon Musk argue more time and evidence are needed before enforcing the ban. But for some parents, the law couldn't come fast enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will miss your hugs, your kisses, your laugh, your beautiful, beautiful smile.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): 12-year-old Charlotte O'Brien took her own life. Her parents say, after years of being bullied online, cases like hers and Allem Halkic, who ended his life at 17, have driven Australia's push to protect kids from online harm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If that was in place today, and I know he would be alive and that's some the guilt that I have to live with every day.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Australia's new law is divisive, but for grieving families, it's a fight worth leading. Hanako Montgomery, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Melanie Hempe is a nurse that puts her experience to work helping children break the addiction to their screen, something we could all use some advice on. Happy to have you here to get some of your insights. Firstly, you know, we have to deal with the practicalities here. Do you believe that there is a way for this ban to actually work?

MELANIE HEMPE, FOUNDER OF SCREENSTRONG: Yeah.

NEWTON: I just want to put to one side the arguments for or against.

HEMPE: Well, you know, it's going to work a few ways. I'm like you said the nurse. My background is in nursing, and then also I have four kids. So, I have four teenagers, and we have been working for almost a decade with family. So, the ban is good in the sense that it is drawing attention to the issue, because whenever you can raise awareness around the issue and educate parents. So, you know, you may have a lot of parents who really never understood this. And then they hear that there's a band, and they're like, oh, I need to learn more about this. So that is going to be the best thing about this coming into the news and the laws, is the actual awareness.

But what we know about the teenage brain is also very important to understand. And used to be, you could raise kids and not really have to understand about teenage brains, but we have to understand what's happening with teenage brain today when it comes to social media.

And once we understand that, and once we are educated around that, just some basic education around that, then parents will find their way, they will find the path to help their kids. We know that teenagers are not adults. First of all, we know that their brain is not quite fully connected yet with that frontal cortex.

So, we like to say that it's all accelerator and no brace, right? Their risk taking is really high and their impulse control is really low, and they mimic what they see online. Our kids are very intelligent, but they're not mature yet, so they have this dopamine seeking activity going on in their brains.

And we can put a ban on it, and we can try to go to the social media companies and say we have to get the age restrictions and all that, but we then also have to understand what a teenage brain is all about and they're going to want to get around those restrictions. And that's normal.

They're not bad kids. They're just trying to get around it. So, what we have to do is what we do with anything else in medicine or in real life, when there's addiction, when there's a problem, you have to remove access. And so, the solution is really simple. We have to remove access to the things that are hurting our kids the most.

And in this case, it is social media. And the way we do that is we don't ban all things. We don't ban screens. We don't say you can never get on a screen and you know, just can't have any technology. That's not what it is. But we do have to make the thing that's bad for them, hard to do.

And the way we do that is by giving them basic phones, and we try to get them off social media by increasing their social time with other kids.

NEWTON: So, if I hear you, do you believe that the ban in Australia may perhaps usher in more thinking about doing something more drastic? Because certainly a lot of the great advice that you just gave many parents have heard, and yet it is still so difficult to regulate in their own homes.

HEMPE: Yeah. So, the way that we do it, and we're very successful with it, with ScreenStrong it's -- we have a kid's brains and screens book that parents can get for their kids. We have it all through the schools as well it's a curriculum, and they can explain why this is bad for your brain, for your mental health. I think that we have to start with that the first part is to educate. And I know it sounds kind of crazy, because it's like, well, if I educate my kids, they're still going to do it. Well, not so fast.

[08:45:00]

Remember back in the day when we as middle school kids, we're all getting educated about smoking that really helped, and you have to compare this to smoking. So, I don't think we need to throw the towel in and say it's impossible. We have thousands of kids that have gone through ScreenStrong, that actually are not on social media, and they are fine.

In fact, they are more than fine. They are thriving. They are happy. They are learning social skills. So, I think the ban, I don't like that word actually, because what we have to do is replace. I would like to say replace. Instead of banning social media, let's replace social media with other healthy things.

And most of all, our kids really just want to hang out with us, the parents, and then also their friends, but we know that their brain can't handle 100 friends at one time, and this is why they're getting so stressed. So, I love the ban and that it brings awareness.

But then the very first thing that you have to do with any problem that you have with any addiction or any problem in culture is you have to educate and we can't just throw a few little things out there.

NEWTON: Right.

HEMPE: We have to educate our kids.

NEWTON: Yeah.

HEMPE: They have to know why they said that.

NEWTON: Yeah, and as you've explained, you know, certainly they did this with an education campaign with smoking decades ago.

HEMPE: Yes.

NEWTON: Melanie Hempe, we really appreciate your public health expertise, and obviously your expertise as a mom of four as well teenagers.

HEMPE: Yeah.

NEWTON: Good luck with that.

HEMPE: -- it's not that hard. It's not that hard. We can show you how to do it. It's not that hard. It's great.

NEWTON: All right, all right. Thanks so much appreciate it. Now, gold prices have broken record after record this year up about 30 percent in 2024 the West African nation of Ghana is the largest gold producer in Africa. However, illegal small-scale mining has just boomed. Locals fear its impact on health, water supplies and local nature. Reporting for CNN's "As Equals" Series, Larry Madowo explores the potentially devastating impact of Ghana's gold rush.

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of the gold rush in Ghana, where a multi-billion-dollar industry gets around 40 percent of its gold production from small scale mining. But people here are raising the alarm over potentially devastating consequences.

MADOWO: This is the reality of the environmental catastrophe that is galamsey, illegal gold mining. So much of the land is dug up and destroyed hoping to strike gold, and this water makes its way right back into communities that have no alternative.

MADOWO (voice-over): Locals, including female miners here in Western Ghana fear the brown, murky water that now flows in these rivers is contaminated by the mining process. They believe it is poisoning them and their unborn children.

MADOWO: Do you drink that water?

DIANA AGYEIWAA, SAMREBOI RESIDENT: No, seriously, no, because I fear for my life. I fear that if I give that water to her, she may die.

MADOWO (voice-over): Diana Agyeiwaa says other mothers and babies in the community have been affected.

AGYEIWAA: I met one woman when she delivered the baby, the nose was somehow half. I've seen a lot of deformities on babies.

MADOWO (voice-over): Scientists in Ghana have begun studying the potential impact of illegal small-scale mining on maternal health. No definitive links have been found. But across the world, the impact of heavy metals, such as mercury used in mining on maternal health have been documented by scientists.

MADOWO: When you measured the concentration of heavy metals within these fetuses, what did you find?

DR. LAWRENCE AGYEMANG, MEDICAL OFFICER, KOMFO ANOKYE TEACHING HOSPITAL: We found enormous numbers of these heavy metals, including mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium.

MADOWO: And what is the effect of the heavy metals on the actual fetuses?

AGYEMANG: Bad, we saw very bad presentations with babies with gross abnormalities like shrunken head.

MADOWO (voice-over): The World Health Organization says exposure to mercury, even small amounts, may cause serious health problems and is a threat to development of the child. But in Ghana, miners like Sarah Akosua, who wears plastic in an attempt to protect herself, say there's no other option to earn a living. I know very well that the chemicals can be very harmful, but we don't have a choice, she says. We have to force and keep up with what we're doing. When you get sick, you go to the hospital, get medication, and then you come back and continue with the work, because when you stop, there's nothing for you to do. And thanks to an increase in the price of gold, the economic benefits are clear.

MADOWO: How much was this gold you just bought?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 3300.

MADOWO (voice-over): That's about 200 U.S. dollars.

[08:50:00]

MADOWO: And it's very tiny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

MADOWO: Where did you get it from?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get it from galamsey.

MADOWO (voice-over): Protests over the illegal mining have called out the harmful impact on the water supplies, millions dependent. The government says it is working on solutions, including teaching safer mining practices, providing mercury free processing machines and alternative livelihoods.

MARTIN KWAKU AYISI, CEO OF MINERALS COMMISSION OF GHANA: These are things that will not be, you know, achieved overnight.

MADOWO (voice-over): The CEO of Ghana's Minerals Commission agrees there is a problem.

AYISI: A lot of work has been done by our scientists. They've taken samples from some of these water bodies, and there's that report that, yes, heavy metals are all over the place.

MADOWO (voice-over): Ghana's military was deployed recently to shut down illegal mines, but the task is immense. Mining used to legally take place in about five regions. It's now in about 13, he says.

AYISI: So, it's part of our deal. It's like coffee or tea in Kenya. We've been mining over these years.

MADOWO (voice-over): But the scientists leading the research into the impact on women and children towards CNN, Ghana faces an existential threat if illegal mining at this scale continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: And our thanks to Larry Madowo, who's reporting from Ghana there for our CNN "As Equals" series, and we will be right back after a short break.

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NEWTON: It is a Thanksgiving long weekend in the United States. And yes, that means Christmas just around the corner. So Santas are ironing their suits and combing their beards preparing for a jolly holiday season by going to Santa school. Anna Stewart shows us what it's like.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 123.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Some people prepare for the holidays with Christmas lights and decorations, but these Santas have a more detailed preparation ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the 2024 Fuji Mountain Santa Train.

STEWART (voice-over): As you can imagine, being Father Christmas is a big feat, but at Santa school in London, they start their training months in advance. These jolly fellows are given the tools needed to be the most authentic Santa Claus.

JAMES LOVELL, CHIEF TRAINER OF SANTAS: This year, there are a lot of not very nice things going on in the world, and I think people are looking for Father Christmas to bring them a little bit of joy. People just need more jollity this year, they need more magic in their lives. That's what Santa brings.

STEWART (voice-over): James Lovell has been a Chief Santa Trainer for over 25 years, and says his bookings this year are up a merry 20 percent from learning all the reindeer names, to the history of Christmas and even how to interact with your elves. These Santa students are taking notes making sure kids and adults have the best Christmas experience. Lovell even has a surprising rule, don't ask kids what they want for Christmas.

LOVELL: You shouldn't actually ask them what they want for Christmas, because most children have written you a letter, and if you're asking them what they want for Christmas, you're basically saying you haven't read their letter, which is rude. You read the letter and you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho-ho-ho.

STEWART (voice-over): And you can't be in authentic Santa without the perfect Ho-ho-ho.

[08:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get them a ho, ho, ho. Get them a big Ho-ho-ho.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can go Ho-ho-ho. And some people can go Ho-ho- ho, but it's when you go Ho-ho-ho -- it sounds a bit more authentic, because that's what people hear on Christmas Eve when they're looking up at the sky.

STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, London. (END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: And finally, for us, there is a new best in show at the 92nd national dog show. It is drum roll please, Vito the pug. This is the first time in two decades that a pug has won the title. He is adorable, at only 2.5 years old, Vito has racked up 25 best-in-shows over his short career.

His co-owner Carolyn Koch said she is, of course, very proud of her pug. All right, I want to thank you for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Paula Newton. Stay with us though. "Connect the World" with Eleni Giokos is up next.

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