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CNN International: Displaced Syrians Return to Aleppo after Rebels Take Over; CNN Speaks to Main Rebel Leader Amid Shock Offensive; Violence Escalates in Georgia Government Crackdown; Main Rebel Leader: Goal is to Overthrow Assad Regime; Biden Aides Discussing Pre-emptive Pardons for Trump Critics; Tokyo Turns to 4-Day Work Week to Boost Fertility Rates. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired December 06, 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]
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Omar Jimenez, and this is CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, CNN speaks exclusively to the Syrian rebel leader taking the city of Aleppo from the government and vowing to overthrow the Assad regime. We're going to have that incredible interview for you shortly.
Plus, why even party colleagues of South Korea's President are calling for him to be suspended? And in New York City, a fresh clue in the ongoing manhunt after that murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Now, as I mentioned, we're going to begin in Syria, where the leader of the rebel coalition is not holding back about the goal of his group's stunning offensive. Now, in an exclusive interview with CNN, his first with any media in years, Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani said their ambitions are to ultimately overthrow President Bashar Al Assad. We're going to have more, really, the extraordinary sit down with our Jomana Karadsheh in just a moment.
And it comes as the opposition continues its advance south towards the city of Homs. Now they've also captured an area near the Jordanian border to the south. The move raises the prospect that Damascus is facing assault from both the north and the south. And Friday's gains come a day after the fall of Hama to rebels that it had held during more -- during a long time, really, over years.
All of this as Foreign Ministers from Syria, Iran and Iraq plan to meet in Baghdad today to discuss the crisis in Syria as rebel forces continue their advances. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is the first Western journalist to report from Aleppo since the rebels took over. She spoke to displaced Syrians who are returning to their hometown for the first time in years, despite fears that the battle isn't over yet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are in Aleppo's Old City here by its historic, iconic Citadel, and it's really surreal being in Syria's Second City just days after that lightning offensive by rebel forces, where they managed to capture the city in a matter of days. And you look around here, and it seems like business as usual. Never left Aleppo, and she says their homes were destroyed. Her
children are in Turkey, and she hasn't seen them in years. And she's hoping, now that the city has changed hands that this means that she could see her children again.
Abdul was in Idlib. He's been there since the start of the war, and this is his first time back to a city. He says they trust the rebels who are now returning them to their cities, and he says he's not afraid. Syrians have gone through so much and their resilience.
Just in the last few days, people have painted over this with the colors of the free Syria flag, and this is something you see around the city where people are trying to remove any signs of the Assad regime. This is the Basel roundabout, named after the deceased brother of the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
And one of the first things that people did when rebel forces took over the City of Aleppo, which toppled the statue of Basel, a symbol of the Assad regime. This is an area where there were fierce battles with regime forces, and since then, in the past few days, there's been an air strike that killed many people.
You can still see the aftermath of that, the blood on the floor here, and speaking to people in the city, this is what they fear. They fear that there will be more Russian and Syrian regime air strikes, that they will be back for the City of Aleppo. Mohammed, this is your first time back to Aleppo in 10 years?
MOHAMMED ALI JOUDEH, DISPLACED ALEPPO RESIDENT:10 years, yes.
KARADSHEH: Did you ever imagine this moment possible?
JOUDEH: No, actually, no, no -- we have in our imagination that we were going to come back. Actually, we had a lot of dreams about getting back to Aleppo but we didn't actually believe that this moment is going to be true.
KARADSHEH: But are you worried about what might be coming?
[08:05:00]
JOUDEH: Of course, we are here. All the people here are worried about what's going to happen, because the air strikes always attacked us.
KARADSHEH: But you can imagine living --
JOUDEH: Of course --
KARADSHEH: -- here again?
JOUDEH: I love -- I love my country. I love my actually, all of the Syrian place, the Syrian country, our country, we hope it's going to be clear from the Assad regime. All the Syrian not just Aleppo.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KARADSHEH (on camera): Speaking to people here you get this sense of joy and relief to see the regime of Bashar Al Assad gone. But also, there's this apprehension anxiety, fear of what might be coming. People don't really know what to expect from these rebel forces who have taken over Aleppo, but most people that we've spoken to say that their biggest fear is what the regime and its allies are going to do, a real fear of going back to the bloody days of the civil war in Syria, Jomana Karadsheh CNN, Aleppo, Syria.
JIMENEZ: And Civil War that never formally ended and Jomana, as you just saw, doing great reporting in the country, she also had the chance to sit down for a rare and exclusive interview with the leader of the main group driving Syria's opposition. Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani says the Assad regime is dead and explains how his forces have been able to sweep through Syria. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH: Taking Hama after taking a look. I mean, how significant is this for you right now?
ABU MOHAMMAD AL-JOLANI, LEADER OF HAYAT TAHRIR AL-SHAM (HTS): From a military perspective, what comes after Hama will not be the same as what came before. However, I prefer not to be overly optimistic during the battle. I like to remain cautious and vigilant to avoid complacency and ensure we don't suffer losses while believing we are safe.
KARADSHEH: What comes after this? What's after the Hama?
AL-JOLANI: The course of the battle as for the secrets of the battle, let's leave them to the unfolding events. You will witness them in reality, which is better than discussing them now.
KARADSHEH: In a matter of days, you have taken major cities. What's changed? How are you able to do this now.
AL-JOLANI: In recent years, there has been a unification of internal opinions and the establishment of institutional structures within the liberated areas of Syria. This institutionalization included the restructuring within military factions. They entered unified training camps and developed a sense of discipline.
This discipline allowed them, with God's guidance, to engage in a battle in an organized manner. The progress and execution of plans have been swift with clear communication and adherence to commands. They stop where they should stop and withdraw where they should withdraw. The revolution has transitioned from chaos and randomness to a state of order, both in civil and institutional matters and in military operations alike.
KARADSHEH: Some believe this is happening because the allies of the Assad regime the Russians, Hezbollah, Iran, that they are weakened. They are preoccupied with other wars. And this is why we are seeing this happen right now, and the Syrian regime itself weakened. Is this what is happening right now? Is this why you chose to launch this offensive right now?
AL-JOLANI: As you know, we are still in the midst of the battle, and discussing such details at this time is not wise.
KARADSHEH: But you faced more of a resistance in Hama than you did in Aleppo. What do you think happened? Why did the regime withdraw like it did?
AL-JOLANI: The seeds of the regime's defeat have always been within it. It has been effectively dead since that time. However, the Iranians attempted to revive the regime, buying its time, and later the Russians also tried to prop it up. But the truth remains, this regime is dead.
KARADSHEH: In the last year, it seemed like Bashar Al Assad survived the war. He was welcomed back into the Arab fold, and on the world stage.
AL-JOLANI: The Arab country's evaluation of the situation was mistaken. Some Arab countries try to separate the regime from Iran's project. This is impossible. Even if the regime wanted this, it can't implement it. It's a subservient relationship. Iran can disengage from the regime, but the regime can't.
[08:10:00]
To describe the regime as victorious is deeply unjust to the many children, people, women subjected to rape in prisons, displaced individuals scattered across the world, those drowning in the seas and those living in tents on the borders of other countries. What kind of victory are we talking about?
KARADSHEH: In the past you have talked about strict Islamic rule, is that still the plan?
AL-JOLANI: People who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly. We are talking about something that aligns with the traditions and nature of the region. The most important thing is to build institutions. We are not talking about rule by individuals or personal whims. It's about institutional governance. Syria deserves a governing system that is institutional, not one where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions.
KARADSHEH: Many Syrians are happy and will be happy to see the end of the Assad regime. But they're also worried about what HTS rule would mean, including minorities?
AL-JOLANI: No one has the right to erase another group. These sects have co-existed in this region for hundreds of years, and no one has the right to eliminate them. There must be legal framework that protects and ensures the rights of all, not a system that serves only one sect as Assad's regime has done.
KARADSHEH: You know, listening to you speaking, you've gone through quite the transformation. Once an Al Qaeda Leader, your group has had affiliations with Al Qaeda, with ISIS, and now you are projecting this image of a moderate leader and a moderate group. What is HTS right now?
AL-JOLANI: Hayat Tahrir Sham is one of the factions in the region, just like all the others. Now we're talking about a larger project. We're talking about building Syria. Hayat Tahrir Sham is merely one detail of this dialog, and it may dissolve at any time. It's not an end in itself, but a means to perform a task confronting this regime. Once that task is complete, it will transition to a state of governance, institutions and so on.
I believe that everyone in life goes through phases and experiences, and these experiences naturally increase a person's awareness. A person in their 20s will have a different personality than someone in their 30s or 40s, and certainly someone in their 50s.
KARADSHEH: So, are those days behind you?
AL-JOLANI: Sometimes it's essential to adjust to reality, and because someone who rigidly clings to certain ideas and principles without flexibility cannot effectively lead societies or navigate complex conflicts like the one happening in Syria.
KARADSHEH: People listening to this are going to wonder why they should believe you. You are still a specially designated global terrorist by the United States with a ten million bounty on your head. Your group is a prescribed terrorist organization by the United States, by the UN by the EU and others.
AL-JOLANI: I say to people, don't judge by words, but by actions. I believe the reality speaks for itself. These classifications are primarily political and at the same time wrong. I define a terrorist as someone who intentionally kills civilians, harms innocents, or displaces people, if we being honest, many of the wars waged by major powers in Arab Muslim and even non-Muslim countries have involved the deliberate killing of thousands, the destruction of homes and the displacement of millions even the regime itself is guilty of such actions.
KARADSHEH: But the U.S. and others would say is that you were parts of groups that did exactly that.
AL-JOLANI: Personally, I have not done these things. The situation must be understood in its historical context. There was a massive war in Iraq that deeply stirred people's emotions, prompting many to go there. The circumstances of that war led people to various places, and my path led me to one of those locations.
Given my level of awareness and my young age at the time, my actions evolved to where I am today. I didn't go to Iraq with those intentions. I went to defend the Iraqi people. When I returned to Syria. I didn't want to bring what happened in Iraq into Syria. That's why there were disagreements between us and ISIS.
KARADSHEH: People would be wondering why you've agreed to speak with us? AL-JOLANI: What is happening in Syria is significant for the entire world. This event has positive repercussions globally, because under the regime's rule. Syria became a source of concern and trouble for everyone.
[08:15:00]
Stabilizing Syria will bring many people back today in the liberated areas, about 1/3 of the population lives in camps, approximately 1.5 million people. I believe we can soon reach a point where there are no camps with the rehabilitation of the liberated areas, people will return to their homes. Many refugees in Turkey will likely return, as will a significant number of refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. Even refugees in Europe may return to rebuild their country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: And thank you to Jomana Karadsheh for that reporting in that interview. We want to stay with the Middle East right now because the Israeli military says it has launched air strikes on positions inside Syria. Now, Israel says it targeted routes used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons.
At the same time, the U.S. State Department is commenting on an Amnesty International Report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, the State Department says, quote, the allegations of genocide are unfounded.
Elsewhere in the world in South Korea, new evidence has prompted a call for the president's powers to be suspended. That's the word from the chief of his own party seen here the drastic U-turn comes ahead of an impeachment vote in Parliament.
President Yoon Suk Yeol's party leader says there is evidence that Yoon ordered the arrest of key politicians during the short-lived martial law imposed on Tuesday. Some of the people power party members have criticized Yoon's martial law decree, but don't support impeachment.
Joining us with the latest from Seoul is CNN's Mike Valerio, who has been reporting on this throughout it all. So, Mike, a key distinction there. Some might criticize the president's actions, but not quite support impeachment. Where are we right now, at this point?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, right now, it's past 10:00 p.m. here in the middle of Seoul, and we have lawmakers who are trying to rally members of the opposite party to join the impeachment vote, which right now is set for 05:00 p.m. local time tomorrow on Saturday.
So, you can still hear a couple meters away from us that emotions are still raw, votes are still being whipped. But we want to take you down below where we're standing right now, to show you what is happening? How this building looks and is functioning nearly four days after martial law was declared? Days later, you can still see damage inside South Korea's National
Assembly. In fact, if we look through this hole, this is where a door was kicked through during clashes with soldiers, and you see tables, chairs, fancy sofas, pieces of office furniture that were used to barricade this door. It would only be a short time later that, soldiers left the building.
VALERIO (voice-over): In the aftermath of martial law, a critical question at the heart of South Korea's democracy, will there be enough votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for Liberal Assembly Member Cho Kuk, he's confident there will be.
CHO KUK, LEADER, REBUILDING KOREA PARTY: I think more than eight conservative congressmen will join.
VALERIO (voice-over): Cho was one of the people who rushed to the National Assembly and voted to suspend President Yoon's declaration of martial law. We asked if Cho thinks there's a chance President Yoon declares martial law a second time.
KUK: The possibility is getting decreased, is decreasing, but exists because President Yoon is still there. He is not removed.
VALERIO (voice-over): Still on the job is Lee Myung-Woo, who helped push back soldiers entering the assembly grounds. He took this video of military helicopters landing nearby. We were blocking the store with a big barricade Lee told us. Special Forces soldiers were making their way into the building as I and other officials built a barricade from the inside. The soldiers were barred by the barricade, and the people.
The area was sealed off by law enforcement. Kim Yong Goon shows us how he helped lawmakers climb over a wall so they could get into the assembly and vote to end martial law. I crouched like this. Four of us moved as one team Kim said. We decided to help the lawmakers get inside the building. Two of us made a distraction for the police, and I crouched down for the lawmakers to climb over the wall.
President Yoon's Office released a statement late Thursday saying he declared martial law within a, quote, legitimate framework in order to regulate political activity and confront the forces destroying liberal democracy. As for Cho's message to those across South Korea.
KUK: My fellow citizen, President Yoon will be removed very soon. Do not worry about that. Keep your conviction. Do not hesitate to remove the tyranny, tyrant.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIO: So, Omar -- you know I know that we are broadcasting so, so many of our viewers around the world, from quite a distance, but to be here to just imagine stepping into this building.
[08:20:00]
I want to try to convey that the building is alive. There are so many people who have filled the corridors where we saw military soldiers try to infiltrate and stop democracy working. So, it is quite inspiring to see lawmakers working throughout the evening, and finally, to talk about the man at the center of the Maelstrom, South Korea's President, Yoon Suk Yeol. We still have not heard from him, only that one statement we were talking about in the piece a couple seconds ago that came from his presidential office.
That's not a direct quote from him. Omar, I can't convey to you strongly enough, and for everybody watching us around the world that so many people from Busan to Seoul to Gwangju all across this country want and need to hear from their president, because they still don't understand why he took us down this path Monday night into Tuesday, and we are still dealing with the implications of it today, Omar.
JIMENEZ: So many questions that still need answering as the political process plays out.
VALERIO: Yeah.
JIMENEZ: And so many people in the country have some of the same questions that we do, even watching from afar. Mike Valerio, really appreciate the reporting in Seoul. Thank you. All right everyone, still to come, could this flirtatious moment be the mistake that trips up the man suspected of gunning down a health care CEO?
We're going to bring you inside the growing trail of clues just ahead. And later, protection from Trump, Joe Biden considers issuing pardons to the people on Donald Trump's enemies list. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: Anti-government protests in the country of Georgia are headed into their second week. Pro-EU supporters rallied in front of the country's parliament in Tbilisi on Thursday night. Now they opposed the policies of the ruling Georgia dream party, which had announced last week it was suspending talks to join the European Union.
This video of some of the protests that we've seen that have included lasers at points, the country's former president was at the protests, and he told Reuters, he thought the government would be on its way out because of the political crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGI MARGVELASHVILI, FORMER GEORGIAN PRESIDENT: This moment that we have are witnessing for what the last one week, in physical terms, is the point of non-return. I mean, they are doomed to be taken out of the government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
And CNN's Sebastian Shukla has this report on the escalation of violence from the Georgian government and its crackdown on protesters, including journalists and opposition politicians. We want to warn you, this video does contain disturbing images.
[08:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the middle of this chaos on the streets of Tbilisi's Veteran Journalist, Guram Rogava. He's reporting live on air. The next he's crumpled on the floor, blood pouring from his face. His assault captured from different angles, including this one.
You clearly see the black cloth policeman bludgeon him as he backed away. Rogava tell CNN he fractured a bone in his neck, injuries that could have been life changing, he told me, doctors said.
GURAM ROGAVA, GEORGIAN JOURNALIST: And we don't know how it's possible that you still can speak and move your legs and hands.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Attacks like these have become commonplace over the past week, thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets all over the country, furious at the government's decision to suspend talks joining the European Union and perceived closeness to Moscow. The government's response has been to quash the protests using force these unmarked Men in Black.
ROGAVA: They look like criminals and they act like criminals. They catch them, they hit them, and they swear them. Another beating by police. This time, two brothers swarmed by dozens of faceless officers. Erkele Loladze told CNN his jaw was broken in two places. He could only answer our questions in writing.
ERKELE LOLADZE, GEORGIAN PROTESTER: They shouted, hit him in the head, kill him. Multiple groups of them assaulted me, knocking me down four or five times. They kicked me all over my body, and at one point, someone stood on me with both feet and jumped.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Opposition politicians have also been targeted. Nika Gvaramia, a leader of the coalition for change movement in standoff with more mask policemen before they raided his office, thrown to the ground, beaten unconscious and hauled into detention.
The interior ministry says he was arrested for, quote, disobedience to the police. The prime minister also accusing the opposition of stoking protests.
IRAKLI KOBAKHIDZE, GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER: One thing is confirmed, people were systematically supplied with pyrotechnics and other means by the relevant political forces.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Georgians fear their country slipping back into Russia's orbit. These ugly scenes of violence and political repression have more than the shade of a Russian style crackdown.
LOLADZE: We all understand that now we are fighting against Russia. There is war in Georgia now.
SHUKLA (voice-over): Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: Now back here in the United States, the manhunt for the gunman who killed the CEO of United Healthcare enters a third day. And we're getting new clues about the person of interest, a person of interest, and in some cases, the gunman as well, newly released photos of what officers have called a person of interest show him flashing what we understand to be a flirtatious smile at a woman who worked at the hostel where he was staying.
A law enforcement source tells our John Miller that while this person of interest chatted with the clerk, she asked him to lower his face mask. The source adds the suspect used a fake ID to check in and paid in cash. We also learned the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus that started in Atlanta, but unclear when he actually got on the bus.
Joining us now is CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, John Miller. OK, so John, can you just bring us into the moment that you understand what's happening in those photos that we showed of the unmasked what has been called a person of interest, and sort of the context around where we are in the investigation at this point?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: So that moment the suspect is checking into the hotel, he presents the driver's license, he's got the hood up in his jacket, even though he's indoors and it's warm in there, and he's got the mask up.
And the woman who is behind the counter is talking to him, looking at the driver's license, and she says, let me see you. Let me see your face, pull the mask down. And he pulls the mask down, gives the big smile. I mean, we have to try to go inside his head, because the video canvas teams of the NYPD have been all over the city finding different images of him during the 10 days he's been here, from the moment he got off the bus.
He never takes the hood down. He never takes the mask off. So, he may have just calculated I'm going to stand out as more suspicious if I don't do this. But either way, pulling that mask down, giving her that smile, having that little chat, has yielded what became the single most important clue and has generated valuable tips.
And police are working on, you know, the various tips to say which one of these people might this guy be?
JIMENEZ: I think that's the big question for a lot of the folks right now. It's not just where this person might be, it's who this person actually is, at least publicly, getting that information out there.
[08:30:00]
And John, just before we go, can you just characterize, OK, we are entering a third day where we don't have some of that information again, at least publicly. What sort of areas would law enforcement be focusing on at this stage, when we've got, I mean, really not too much information that is publicly available about where this person might be. MILLER: So, I mean, they're looking at two things. One, they're looking for a person. That's the man hunt, and that's the priority. But two, and in aid of the first thing, they're building a case. They are sending those video canvas teams out, and they are literally recreating step by step, camera by camera, block by block, as much of his time and travels as they can to learn where was he from the moment, he got off that bus on the 24th.
What did he do over these 10 days he was in New York? Do they have a picture of him meeting with someone? Is there an exchange with someone? Do they have him buying a burner phone at a particular store? They're literally trying to string that together while at the same time looking for where is that other moment?
Omar, where is the moment that unguardedly? He took the mask off and put the hood down and there is an identifiable picture of the rest of his head and face. They haven't found that yet. This is as close as they've gotten.
JIMENEZ: Of course, a lot of people anxiously wondering when this will come to a close, but I know John Miller, you'll be on top of it. Thanks for being here.
MILLER: Thanks, Omar.
JIMENEZ: All right, still to come for us, as rebel forces press across Syria, I'm going to be talking to a doctor who works with victims of war. He's been in and out of Syria all week. Our live interview is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: More now on our top story, rebel forces in Syria are advancing south on the way to the City of Homs they've also captured an area near the Jordanian border. That means they're advancing on Damascus, potentially on two fronts. And this comes after they swept through Hama, strategically important city, really, in a stunning military advance.
New drone footage here of Hama after Syrian government troops withdrew. You can see sort of what life is looking like there now. It's been a week since rebels seized Aleppo as well and continued their push across the country. Iraq's Foreign Minister says in the coming hours he's meeting in Baghdad with his counterparts from Syria and Iran to discuss the surprise offensive that caught Syria's President off guard.
And in a moment, we're going to take a closer look at how the fighting is affecting civilians. But first a reminder of Jomana Karadsheh's exclusive interview with the militant leader of the main group driving the country's armed opposition. Take a look.
[08:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARADSHEH: Taking Hama after taking a look. I mean, how significant is this for you right now?
AL-JOLANI: From a military perspective, what comes after Hama will not be the same as what came before. However, I prefer not to be overly optimistic during the battle. I like to remain cautious and vigilant to avoid complacency and ensure we don't suffer losses while believing we are safe.
KARADSHEH: What comes after this? What's after Hama?
AL-JOLANI: The course of the battle, as for the secrets of the battle. Let's leave them to the unfolding events. You will witness them in reality, which is better than discussing them now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And we're hearing from doctors that some health care services are being hit by air strikes, including the maternity children's hospital run by the medical charity, Syrian American Medical Society, or SAMS. The society says it had to recently evacuate U.S. doctors volunteering in Northern Syria due to the escalating violence.
Right now, I want to bring in Dr. Bachir Tajaldin, Turkey Country Director at the Syrian American Medical Society. Thank you for being here, doctor. I really appreciate the time. Can you just explain the nature of what you and your group have been doing in Syria and how maybe that's changed in recent weeks?
DR. BACHIR TAJALDIN, TURKEY DIRECTOR OF SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY: Hello! Good morning and thanks for this interview. Actually, Syrian American Medical Society is medical organization based in the U.S. and established by Syria American physicians who have that world citizenship in the U.S.
It has over 1000 of volunteering doctors, leading the organization, participating in the health care in humanitarian context, most obviously in Syria. Me and my colleagues are providing health services in northwest Syria, it's in a very challenging situation through a network of about 40 health facilities distributed between Idlib and Aleppo Governorates.
We are covering the humanitarian needs and essential needs for the population. We were accessing about 5 million population in northwest Syria during the last couple of years. Last week, we had our medical mission consist of about nine volunteering U.S. doctors were providing services in northwest Syria and but due to the escalation and starting of the military wars, we evacuated them and ended that mission.
And starting from Friday till now, actually, it was very challenging situation as now SAMS among other health care providers, other NGOs, have access to more than double of the population last week. So, this week, we have to deal with a lot of population who been also deprived from many of the essential services, including clean water, food and also essential health services during the last decade.
I was in Syria and Aleppo city during the last week, met with my colleagues, with the community, and actually there are a huge lack of the essential health services, the people who have the non-chronical diseases, or the chronic diseases, like hypertension, diabetes, cancer patients.
JIMENEZ: Yeah.
TAJALDIN: Who have access to the health services, even the women who have to give birth. They don't have access to the hospital so they have been referred outside of the city, and all the road from the city to other governorate were really very crowded with the ambulances who are referring patients outside of the city. I think the --
JIMENEZ: And doctor I just want to jump in really, really quickly, because I want to ask you about some of what you were talking about. Because, you know, I saw your post on Facebook where you spoke. You posted pictures of you and Aleppo and spoke of the indescribable feeling of meeting your city, your family, your home, the places where you studied.
Can you try to describe what those places have meant to you over a period of war, where we have seen 300,000 people killed and millions of people turned refugees in your country? What has it been like being there throughout all of this?
[08:40:00]
TAJALDIN: So, at personal level as Syria medical doctor who have completed my Internal Medicine study and certificate, like many of my colleagues and physicians and other health care workers. Unfortunately, we were dealing during the past years with the government or regime who has polarized the population.
You cannot even provide the services impartially to the population. So, whenever you are providing services to any geographical location, out of the control of the country you are identified as an enemy. We lost a lot of our colleagues, our friends, our classmates, either they have been killed or arrested.
Personally, that I left Aleppo since more than 13 years and 6 months, and I lost the physical communication with my father, with my family. So, when I went to Aleppo city, I saw my father after 13 years and 6 months and 8 days. I was counting them by hour, actually.
So, it was very hard touching feeling I went to my old places, my -- in the city, my old house, my schools. Unfortunately, one of the very sensitive and very concerned that I had seen that one of my schools where I did in the elementary schools, and also the medical school and the University Hospital, who I have learned and trained in. They both have been attacked by air trials and they have been damaged.
JIMENEZ: Yeah.
TAJALDIN: The most important thing also, I met with the -- with the people, with the friends. They have very pale, seeing faces. They are losing a lot of their freshness during the last decade of the provocations, but also the feeling with the population and the inhabitants in Aleppo city and other cities in other elsewhere was the fear.
They were afraid that there will be a revenge attack on the civilians and civilian infrastructure. And that unfortunately happened last Sunday when the Aleppo University Hospital was targeted directly by an air strike.
JIMENEZ: Yeah.
TAJALDIN: And that prevented health care workers access to the hospital in addition to the beneficiaries --
JIMENEZ: And I think to use your words, doctor, I heard some of your comments at a conference earlier this year. You said attacks on health care are a tragic hallmark of the Syrian conflict and doctor, I'm sorry I have to leave the interview there right now, but I really appreciate you coming on and sharing what you've seen.
Dr Bachir Tajaldin, Turkey Country Director at the Syrian American Medical Society. Thank you so much. Everyone else will be right back.
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[08:45:00]
JIMENEZ: Welcome back. CNN has learned that senior aides to Joe Biden are discussing whether the president should issue preemptive pardons to people who might be targeted for prosecution by Donald Trump. Now Trump and many of his closest allies have openly talked about going after those who oppose him.
Among the names being discussed are Congressman Adam Schiff, Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Jack Smith, the Special Counsel who brought charges against Trump, but Biden's aides are concerned that pardons could imply that the recipient has actually done something wrong and needs to be pardoned.
So, let's talk more about this with CNN's Senior Crime and Justice Correspondent, Katelyn Polantz. Katelyn, good to see you. So, can you just bring us into the latest reporting here? What is expected to happen? What are the implications? Just bring us in.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yeah, Omar, they may not want these pardons. They may not even need these pardons, especially if they're members of Congress. But this is a discussion that's taking place in the Biden White House, where senior aides are deliberating, should there be pre-emptive pardons that protect people that Donald Trump and his incoming Justice Department may want to investigate.
There is a lot of concern across Washington, Omar, about what Trump and his administration will do. And there's a lot of fear of investigations, not only those bold-faced names that are so recognizable, but also what might happen to lower-level career people within the Justice Department, within the FBI, in other agencies?
Will they be investigated? Will they face congressional probes? And how all, all of that would play out? So, there's the discussion at the White House separately, Omar, I've talked to quite a lot of lawyers across Washington who are fielding calls from people just getting, trying to get advice on what they should do, what they might want to prepare for with the turnover of the administration and this coming environment.
Potentially of retaliatory investigations, and there are lawyers across town talking about working together, maybe offering low cost or no cost legal services to Biden Administration officials and others who may face investigations. There's at least one progressive group that's trying to put together a more formal program.
So, we are in just a climate of fear and bracing for Trump to come in as president. But Omar, it's the holiday season. It's the end of the Biden presidency. It's also a season of discussion of pardons. We're going to be talking about this until Trump takes office. What does Joe Biden do with pardons?
That discussion extends even into the Democrats in the Senate. Here's John Fetterman on the view yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): It's undeniable that the case against Hunter Biden was really politically motivated. But I also think it's true that that the trial in New York for Trump that was political as well, too. Now is that and in both cases, I think a pardon is appropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLANTZ: So that's the discussion from John Fetterman. But at the end of the day, this comes down to what Joe Biden as president wants to do to exercise his authority of having presidential pardons, and to point out a few things on what Fetterman says there the New York case against Donald Trump, where he was convicted by a jury, that is not something that a presidential pardon could ever spare him from.
That conviction stands, and those federal cases that Donald Trump is facing, or was facing, they have been dismissed by Biden's own justice department. So, Omar a lot of contours here, and a lot of discussion to be had.
JIMENEZ: I was just saying clearly those dismissals came with a calculation that at the federal level they might end up being moot if they end up trying to go through with this Senior Crime and Justice Correspondent, Katelyn Polantz, really appreciate the reporting.
All right. This weekend, Donald Trump will travel to France, his first international trip since his election victory. He's going to attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral after that devastating fire in 2019. Trump was invited by French President Emmanuel Macron. Now back in Washington, though, Trump's controversial pick to run the U.S. Department of Defense is still on the hot seat.
Pete Hegseth has more meetings with senators planned for next week, and he is battling allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct for which he is denied all wrong doing. We'll be back after a short break.
[08:50:00]
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JIMENEZ: All right, we want to bring you an update just into CNN, Romania's top court has annulled the first round of the country presidential election. You may remember far right Ultra nationalist Calin Georgescu, won by a narrow margin. Well, the court said the entire process has to be rerun, which means a second-round run-off, which was supposed to be held on Sunday.
May, what will now not take place. We're going to bring you any updates as they become available. Meanwhile, in the United States, the U.S. jobs report for November was just released moments ago, and it shows a massive rebound after hurricanes and striking workers impacted October's numbers.
CNN's Matt Egan joins us to break it all down. So Matt, what are these numbers show? Or what is the significance of these numbers?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Omar, this is really exactly what we were looking for. It's clear evidence of a significant bounce back from that weakness that we saw in October. So, today's report shows that the U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in November. That was a little bit more than expected.
And the unemployment rate, it did take higher to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent but that remains pretty low historically. Now, remember, a month ago, the Labor Department alarmed some people by telling everyone that the U.S. economy only added 12,000 jobs in October.
That was the fewest that we've seen since COVID. But we knew that was driven by some one-time factors. Notably, there were the back-to-back hurricanes and also striking workers at Boeing. And so, today's report does strongly suggest that, that really was an anomaly. It was a one off, because clearly these are very solid numbers.
Nothing here that would alarm anyone about an imminent recession or anything like that. I mean, really, there was across the board strength. When we look at sectors on leisure and hospitality, those are bars and restaurants and hotels. They added over 50,000 jobs. Health care also added another 50,000 jobs last month alone.
Government had healthy hiring. We also saw transportation significantly increase hiring as a result of the striking workers going back to work. Really the only weakness that we saw in this report was retail, which lost 28,000 jobs. When you put all this together, though there's a lot of positives here, the market seems to like what they're seeing here.
The U.S. stock futures were down a bit before these numbers came out. They've turned around. They're now up modestly. And also, you can see, right there, you see DOW FUTURES up 33 points before the report, they were down around 50 points. So not a massive move, but still a positive one.
And the last point here, Omar, is what all this means for the Federal Reserve, because the Fed is meeting later this month, less than two weeks from now, and they've got to decide whether or not to cut interest rates again. And the latest betting in the market is that today's report increases the odds of another interest rate cut from the Fed, Omar.
JIMENEZ: All right, we will have to see a lot of people looking for this rebound, and it seems like we got at least on this initial release of numbers. Matt Egan, really appreciate it.
EGAN: Thanks, Omar.
JIMENEZ: All right, as the U.S. appears to be working more. I mean, we got new jobs being added. Tokyo is looking to work less. I'm booking my ticket as we speak.
[08:55:00]
The city's government plans to implement a four-day work week. Officials hope it will help working mothers and boost fertility rates. And if you don't know, Japan's fertility rates have been declining for some time, hitting a record low in June. And it's truly the end of an era.
After more than 150 shows across five continents, Taylor Swift's groundbreaking eras tour is coming to an end, which means, yes, if you couldn't go to a show, if you couldn't afford tickets to a show, your chances basically over, except for the final performance, which is set for December 8 in Vancouver.
Now, according to the publication poll star, by the end of 2023 the tour had become the first ever to gross over a billion dollars. That's with a B, and it predicts Swift Hall could reach $2 billion by the time the tour wraps up on Sunday. I mean, the records that were set with this tour truly unbelievable.
Shout out to Taylor Swift, and shout out to you all. Thanks for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Omar Jimenez. "Connect the World" with Erica Hill is up next.
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