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CNN International: Israel Strikes Syria 480 Times, Accused of Land Grab; Luigi Mangione Denied Bail and is Fighting Extradition; Franklin Fire Forces Thousands to Evacuate to Malibu; Accuser Describes Alleged Sexual Abuse From Sean Combs; John Kirby Says U.S. Not Considering Delisting HTS Terror Designation; Turkey to Open Border Gate for Return of Syrians; Future of Russia-Syria Ties Uncertain After Assad's Fall; Students Lead Day of Action to Save the Planet; Saudi Arabia to Host 2034 World Cup Despite Human Rights Concerns. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired December 11, 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]
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello and welcome everyone to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom." Just ahead, Israel expands airstrikes in Syria as key players push and pull for their own interests amid Syria's political transformation. Also, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO is defiant, entering court as he fights extradition to New York. And a wildfire ravaging a southern California coastal community is threatening thousands of homes. We are live in Malibu.
We begin with the leader of the rebel forces that toppled President Bashar al-Assad's regime saying Syria is not ready for another war. Mohammad al-Jolani says the country is exhausted and foreign governments should not worry. He vows that Syria is moving towards development and reconstruction. This, as the Israeli military says it has carried out nearly 500 strikes across the country in a matter of days, hitting strategic weapons stockpiles and destroying the Syrian navy fleet.
Meanwhile, Syrians are greeting their newfound freedom with hope and anxiety. Although thousands of prisoners have been freed from notorious regime jails, for many, the search goes on for missing loved ones, believed to be held in secret prisons. The Syrian civil defense says at least 200,000 people are missing after more than a decade of civil war. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh talked to one woman whose loved one disappeared in Syria's notorious prison system.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What's left of Darayya tells of the horrors that unfolded here, every corner scarred by a ruthless regime's fight for survival. This Damascus suburb rose up peacefully, demanding freedom. More than a decade on, a shattered Darayya and its people are finally free.
This was for our children, Infiras (ph) tells me. It's so they don't have to live under the tyrant's rule. Her story of loss and pain so unfathomable for us, yet so common in this place that for years endured some of the most brutal tactics at the Assad regime, besieged, starved and bombed into surrender.
KARADSHEH: Infiras (ph) says they came out asking for freedom, and they were met with bullets and tanks. She says we're not terrorists and they did this, and imagine, she says, there were women and children living in these homes.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): So many men like her husband, Mazen (ph), detained and disappeared. Two years later, a released prisoner told her he saw him in jail. They beat him so much. His wounded leg was infected. He was in so much pain, she says. There was no medical care in prison. And because of all he was going through, he lost his mind. The prisoner last saw him taken away crying and screaming hysterically.
She went from one detention center to the next searching for him, until they broke the news to her in the most cruel of ways. They handed her his belongings and told her to register his death. There are no words to describe how I was feeling when I left, she says. I was holding onto the hope he would be released and our family would be reunited. They didn't even give me his body.
This is the last photo she has of Mazen (ph) and his youngest boy, Reith (ph) doesn't remember his dad. Noor (ph) was six and so attached to his father. Every day, he would wait by the door for him to come back.
When I would hear someone calling Baba, dad, it was torment for me, Infiras (ph) says. What did these children do to be deprived of their father? She has to be strong for her boys, she says. She is all they have. Her father also disappeared into the black holes of Assad's jails like her husband. Their only crime she says was being from Darayya.
KARADSHEH: She says, I'm just one of thousands and thousands of stories, and that's just in Darayya. And just imagine how many more there are across Syria.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): With the end of this dark chapter in their history, a new life, a new Syria emerges from the rubble of their broken lives.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Darayya, Syria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Just one heartbreaking story among the tens of thousands who've suffered so much under that regime. More now on those Israeli airstrikes on Syria. We received this report from CNN's Jomana Karadsheh just a few minutes ago.
[08:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KARADSHEH: Thick plume of smoke that you're seeing there, that's rising from the Mezzeh Military Air Base. This was a regime strategic military site here in Damascus, and over the past couple of days, it was among the targets that have been hit by the Israeli military. They've carried out hundreds of airstrikes on different Syrian regime military sites, installations, weapons depots, and others.
Now, as we were approaching it, we heard a couple of blasts. It's unclear if those were fresh airstrikes or if this was some sort of secondary explosions that were triggered by those past strikes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Well, for the first time, we are hearing from the man accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. These are new pictures of Luigi Mangione, just before police captured him inside a Pennsylvania McDonald's where he was eating a hash brown there. In court Tuesday, he was denied bail and he is now fighting extradition to New York where he faces five charges, including second degree murder. On his way to court, he had this message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUIGI MANGIONE, MURDER SUSPECT: It's completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Luigi Mangione's family is well known in the Baltimore area, and he was the valedictorian at a private all school -- all-boys high school there. As CNN's Brian Todd found out, people in the community are just shocked by his arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a suburban Baltimore community, people who know the family of alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione, are struggling to come to grips with what the 26-year-old is accused of. They believe his family is traumatized as well.
THOMAS MARONICK JR., FORMER RADIO HOST FOR MANGIONE FAMILY-OWNED STATION: They're shocked. That's what they said in their statement. They're horrified.
TODD (voice-over): Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, comes from a background of wealth and influence. He grew up in an affluent Baltimore family whose local real estate empire included nursing homes and two country clubs, attending the exclusive Gilman School near Baltimore, becoming valedictorian of his class in 2016.
MANGIONE: Thank you for the all the time and love you'll put into our lives.
TODD (voice-over): On Tuesday, about 150 miles away, a much different picture. In handcuffs, under arrest, and charged in a brazen murder, seen yelling and struggling with police as he was taken into court.
MANGIONE: -- an insult to the intelligence of the American people.
TODD (voice-over): Tom Maronick Jr. worked for the Mangiones for over 20 years as a radio host at their family-owned station, WCBM. He says, the suspect's family has enormous influence in the Baltimore area.
MARONICK JR.: They carry a lot of weight. Mangione family is one of the prominent families of Baltimore County. They own a lot of real estate. They own golf courses. They're just a very well respected name.
TODD (voice-over): A family that includes Nino Mangione, a Republican state delegate in Maryland, who is the suspect's cousin. Luigi Mangione attended the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated in 2020 with Master's and Bachelor's degrees in computer science. He was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, social media photos show. He later worked as a software engineer for the online car sales company, TrueCar, according to his LinkedIn page. His most recent address was in Hawaii.
FREDDIE LEATHERBURY, FORMER CLASSMATE: There was -- nothing came off weird about him. He had great friends. He had a lot of female friends as well. He was a relatively unassuming kid. He was down to earth. He was smart, well adjusted socially.
TODD (voice-over): He maintained an active social media presence for years, posting smiling photos from his travels and gatherings with friends. Then suddenly his social media went cold. Posts from X this past October show concern from friends. One says, "Hey, are you OK? No one has heard from you in months and apparently your family is looking for you."
In recent years, Mangione suffered from back pain and underwent surgery for treatment. His injury grew worse after an accident at a surfing lesson in Hawaii. Details emerged from his former roommate, R.J. Martin.
R.J. MARTIN, FRIEND AND FORMER ROOMMATE OF LUIGI MANGIONE: He was in bed for about a week. We had to get a different bed for him that was more firm, and I know it was really traumatic and difficult. When you're in your early 20s and you can't do some basic things.
TODD: Luigi Mancini was the subject of a missing person's report filed in San Francisco by his mother on November 18th, according to "The New York Times." CNN has reached out to the San Francisco Police Department. The NYPD says that Mangione did have ties to San Francisco, but the exact time that he was there is unclear.
Brian Todd, CNN, Cockeysville, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Brian, thank you. And since his arrest, Mangione has been garnering sympathy and support, a lot of it, on social media and online, partly due to public discontent with the health insurance industry. But authorities are pushing back, focusing attention on what they say was an execution-style killing. CNN's Jason Carroll has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAR ORTIZ, ONLINE SUPPORTER OF LUIGI MANGIONE: This Ivy League hottie named Luigi is the Robinhood that we never knew that we needed.
[08:10:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I listened to Luigi's manifesto this morning three times and I cried. Honestly, it's beautiful and I agree with him.
DIPESH W., ONLINE SUPPORTER OF LUIGI MANGIONE: At least he left a very powerful message and he highlighted how terrible the healthcare system is in America. I think he'll go down as a hero in history.
JASON CARROLL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He'd been a named suspect for less than 48 hours, and yet, within a fraction of that time, many in the world of social media had already made up their minds about Luigi Mangione.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just eating it up because this is like regular everyday person becoming our hero, our vigilante.
CARROLL (voice-over): These types of comments angering law enforcement and public officials.
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL, (D-NY): I don't care of your views about healthcare companies because I don't think they're great right now either, but you do not celebrate the assassination of another human being who was just doing his job.
CARROLL (voice-over): But interest in Mangione just continues to grow. On X, before his arrest announcement, he had just 64 followers. Now, more than 320,000 and counting. His initial 827 followers on Instagram grew exponentially Monday as we watched, by three o'clock, more than 32,000; an hour later, 53,000; by five o'clock Monday, more than 71,000 followers before that account was suspended. Many of the comments calling for his freedom and calling him a hero.
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO, (D-PA): Hear me on this. He is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's.
CARROLL (voice-over): That McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where a worker spotted the 26-year-old eating and called 911 Monday, targeted by Mangione's supporters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What am I going to do? I'm going to stop eating at McDonald's.
CARROLL (voice-over): It got so bad, Google had to remove reviews after that location was flooded with negative comments. Someone hung a banner above I-83 with the words "Deny, defend, depose. Healthcare for all," a reference to bullet casings left at the crime scene.
Amazon pulled apparel and home goods featuring the phrase. Online, Mangione may be a folk hero to some, but offline and in person, no shortage of those condemning him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Healthcare is a mess in this country, but to celebrate somebody's death is sickening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The people in these higher positions like CEOs, they need to look at themselves and their company and ask themselves, why are people so ready to condemn us? Why are they so willing to call someone who supposedly killed another human being a hero?
CARROLL (voice-over): Well, some suspect support for Mangione is not all about rage against healthcare, but instead something far more subjective and superficial.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the halo effect like manifesting in real society.
CARROLL: You really think --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like, I truly believe so. Like people treat people who are attractive like way differently.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are like giving him leeway with this because they are fantasizing him a little bit. But I don't think violence should ever be the answer, no matter the circumstance.
CARROLL: What this could end up being is a case that just captures the attention of the American public for a period of time. I mean, you look at what's happening on eBay, where you can find merch related to the case being sold and the hashtag "#freeLuigiMangione" has been steadily trending on X.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Just a remarkable report. Thank you very much, Jason. U.S. President Joe Biden is facing growing pressure from Democrats to take action to protect immigrants before Donald Trump takes office in January. Sources inside the White House say they're weighing what executive action, if any, the president could take and what the political backlash might be.
Democratic Senators wrote a letter to Biden earlier this week, urging him to protect immigrant families from Trump's planned mass deportations.
Still to come, the Franklin Fire is ravaging Malibu, California right now. Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate. We're going to have a live report from the grounds. And another person has come forward with abuse allegations against Sean "Diddy" Combs. You're going to hear from that accuser and find out why he has chosen to speak out now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:16:20] WALKER: Officials in the Malibu area in California have issued nearly 20,000 evacuation orders as the Franklin Fire, which exploded on Monday, consumed an area larger than five football fields per minute. Strong winds and dry conditions have fueled the wildfire. City officials say no deaths though or injuries have been reported so far. Nick Watt is joining me now live from Malibu with more. We can see that orange glow there behind you, Nick. Are firefighters making progress on this? What's the latest?
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I wouldn't say progress. That is not a word that's being bandied around right here. There are words like stubborn to describe the fire, trauma from the mayor of Malibu about what his city is suffering right now. As you see, these are the hills behind Malibu. Malibu itself is a kind of coastal strip here in southern California, mountains behind the Pacific Coast Highway, which I'm standing on right now, which is closed. And the Pacific Ocean is just 20 or 30 feet to my left.
Now, these flames here getting kind of close to a nice little seafood restaurant on the highway. We've got 1,500 firefighters currently on this blaze. Also fixed-wing and helicopters dropping water to try to contain this blaze. Schools are closed. The college here, Pepperdine, no exams on campus today. The highway closed. The issue, wind -- high wind, low humidity, dry chaparral, a lot of fuel for this fire to burn.
And listen, the people around here, as you said, mandatory evacuations. Some of them have no choice but to leave their homes to fate and the flames. Others we've seen trying to hose down the roofs of their houses because it's the embers on that wind that are the problem. They can fly for miles, they can land on your roof. They can get sucked into a vent and your house can go up in flames. Amara?
WALKER: All right, Nick Watt, thank you very much. Let's talk more about the conditions there with Derek Van Dam. He is joining me live from the CNN Weather Center. So Derek, I mean, I'm from California. I know just how dry it can get there. Of course, the Santa Ana winds causing a lot of the problems there. Just walk us through what firefighters are up against.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, well, you got to remember too that the rugged terrain plays a big role in how the fire travels across this area. There's a lot of mountains, hillsides to travel, and a lot of times, these embers as they get blown around by the Santa Ana winds, can travel over 15 to 20 miles per hour downhill or even uphill as those embers get lofted into the air by several miles or kilometers, just what Nick said as well.
You can see the rugged terrain here and the overnight conditions that firefighters have had to contend with within this extremely rugged part of Southern California. And I want to go in on a topographical look to show you the extent of the fire zone. This shaded area of red is the acreage that has been burned which, by the way, a new update has just come in, 3,800 acres so far. That's roughly 1,500 hectares. And the western side is the newest flank of this fire that the firefighters are actually contending with. So, here's Pepperdine University where the shelter in place was issued for some of the students yesterday at this time. That has since been lifted. The Malibu Canyon area that got burned so badly, but you can see just how mountainous this area is and the wind is coming directly over these mountains, funneling through within the valleys, and of course, picking up speed as they do so.
[08:20:00]
50 to 60 mile per hour winds overnight last night, so not as strong as what we experienced 24 hours ago, but it's still enough to bring those embers into additional spot fires. That's why we have our red flag warning for portions of Ventura and Los Angeles County. The Santa Susanna winds just north of Malibu, here's Malibu where the current Franklin Fire is located. It's these mountaintop ridges that have the strongest winds today.
But notice the wind direction, northeast. It's just like taking wind through two different skyscrapers side by side, and that wind has nowhere else to go but accelerate between them. Think of the mountains just like those two buildings, right, so it's going to accelerate the wind speeds. There is a glimmer of hope here. This is good news. What we're seeing is the relative humidity values, which are low now.
But notice the browns being replaced with green. That is an increase in the moisture within the air. We need that. Maybe it's not going to rain, but at least the increase in moisture will help firefighters on the ground. There is an approaching cold front that will bring cloud cover and that increase in moisture. Maybe we can squeeze out a drop or two of rainfall from the sky, one can only hope. Amara?
WALKER: Yeah. Keep your fingers crossed. Derek Van Dam, thanks so much there at the CNN Weather Center.
All right, well, for the first time, one of the accusers of Sean "Diddy" Combs is speaking to the media. In this exclusive interview with CNN, John Doe talks about his disturbing allegations against the rap mogul. He filed a civil complaint against Combs in October. Our Elizabeth Wagmeister spoke with him about the details of the alleged abuse, which some viewers may find disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: According to your lawsuit, you were hired by a security firm to work security at one of the infamous white parties that was thrown by Sean Combs in the Hamptons. What was that experience like?
JOHN DOE, ACCUSES SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: At first, he was incredibly friendly, very gracious.
WAGMEISTER: So, you had a friendly chat and then, according to your lawsuit, at some point later in the night, Sean Combs himself offered you a drink. This didn't come from staff or someone holding a tray of drinks; it came from him directly? DOE: Correct. The first drink started to have some effect on me. And I just thought, wow, these are really strong drinks. It wasn't until the second drink and it was already too late that I realized that there was something wrong with the drinks. Sadly, Sean Combs was waiting in the wings. He was watching from some sort of vantage point, and once I was in a helpless position and he was sure that he was in a position of power, then he took advantage of the situation.
WAGMEISTER: You alleged that you were forcibly pushed into an SUV by Sean Combs. That act alone, according to your lawsuit, left you in considerable pain. And then once inside the vehicle, your lawsuit says plaintiff was held down by Combs, who overpowered him while he struggled to escape due to the effects of the drugs in his system. And it goes on to say that he sodomized you.
DOE: I was screaming. I was telling him to stop. It was incredibly painful and he was acting like it was nothing, and he seemed to be disconnected from it, but it was abusive beyond belief.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Representatives for Combs declined to comment on John Doe's allegations on Tuesday. Since the lawsuit was filed in October, Combs' lawyers have said their client has never sexually assaulted anyone.
All right, still to come. You just saw the images there. As Syrians struggle with poverty and unemployment, President Bashar al-Assad was living a life of luxury. Ahead, we're going to take a look inside his lavish palace.
Also, Moscow played a key role in shoring up the Syrian government for years. But now that Assad has been ousted, the future in that country is uncertain. We're going to take a look at Russia-Syria relations when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:26:43]
WALKER: Syria's rebel leader says foreign countries should not fear war with Syria and evals that the country is moving towards development and reconstruction. But despite the promise of peace, there is still anger over Syria's recent past. A new image shows rebel fighters standing next to the burning grave site of the nation's late President Hafez al-Assad. Now, this comes as Israel expanded its airstrikes in Syria and deployed ground troops beyond the buffer zone for the first time in 50 years. And desperate families search for missing loved ones after thousands of Syrian prisoners were freed from notorious regime jails known for their brutality.
While Syria was struggling with a deepening economic crisis, their leader was living a life of luxury and opulence. After rebel forces toppled Bashar al-Assad's iron-fisted regime, Syrian's got a peek into just how extravagant his lifestyle really was. CNN's Clarissa Ward takes us inside the now abandoned presidential palace.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WARD (voice-over): Outside the palace of Bashar al-Assad, Syrians gather to pose for photographs and celebrate the removal of its despised former owner. The public is not allowed inside the sprawling compound yet, where the courtyards stretch longer than a city block.
WARD: This is the driveway into Bashar al-Assad's palace, and you can see how enormous it is. There are still casings all over the ground from rebel celebratory gunfire as they swept in here and took control.
WARD (voice-over): At the entrance, an Iranian flag unceremoniously laid out for people to step on -- Iran, one of the regime's staunchest allies. Where once foreign dignitaries roamed the halls, now rebel fighters have the run of the place.
WARD: You can see blankets on the sofas in here. It looks like this is where the rebels are sleeping. And in fact, over here, you can see they've got some kind of a makeshift dining area going, some of their weapons here, a couple of rifles on this sofa. So this gentleman here, who is with the rebels, has just asked that I put on my scarf. It's the first time since we've been here that anyone has asked me to cover my hair.
[Foreign Language]
He says that he's from Idlib and that this is the first time he's seeing the palace.
[Foreign Language]
WARD (voice-over): We feel that the injustice will break down one day and justice must win. This is the idea of justice in our religion, he says. In Islam, it is a must and a promise of Allah that Islam is victorious.
WARD: After nearly 14 years of a vicious civil war, to stand in this palace is a proud moment, capping off a seismic victory.
So the rebels here want to stress, they tell us that it was not their group that ransacked this office when they first swept in.
[08:30:00]
You could see actually some of the graffiti here that those first rebels wrote on the window. It says, "Allah curse Hafez's soul." Hafez al-Assad being the father of Bashar.
WARD (voice-over): When you look at these ceilings and these chandeliers, the marble, the detail, this is the kind of opulence, this lavish lifestyle that engendered so much resentment from so many Syrians who have been struggling to survive for decades while the Assad family lived like this. In a warehouse, rows and rows of luxury cars, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and classic Cadillacs. This was a dynasty that will be remembered not only for its brutality, but its deep corruption. Below the palace in the heart of Damascus, crowds gathered in Umayyad Square. Under Assad's rule, the Syrian people were forced to worship him. Now, they finally have the freedom to celebrate his demise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Incredible reporting, once again, from our CNN Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward, reporting from Damascus.
Well, a White House official says the U.S. is not seriously considering lifting the terror designation for a key rebel group in Syria, which helped bring down the Assad regime. But the Biden Administration says, the U.S. is in communication with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, HTS as it's also known, and the other Syrian rebel groups, following their offensive and monitoring their actions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR: There are no discussions right now about changing the policy with respect to HTS, but we are watching what they do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Wa-el Alzayat is a former U.S. and Mid-East policy expert at the U.S. State Department, and he's currently CEO of Emgage, which is a Muslim advocacy group. He's joining me now live from Washington. Wa- el, thank you for your time.
I first want to get your reaction to what the U.S. State Department is saying there that they're not considering delisting or they're considering delisting the HTS and their terror designation. What are your thoughts on that? And does that need to be lifted at some point, depending on their actions in order for there to be some legitimacy?
WA-EL ALZAYAT, FORMER MIDDLE EAST POLICY EXPERT, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Thank you. It's quite interesting and I've been also meeting with senior officials, some of them former colleagues. And what's interesting is that they recognize that there is a need right now to be supportive of this historic transition, particularly the political process, and also to help the Syrian people with delivery of humanitarian assistance, development aid.
There's all kind of needs, obviously, and the designation as well as the set of sanctions on Syria will hinder that. So it's interesting that they're considering it and I think, as one official told me, they really want to use these designations, in this case, terrorism designation to entice groups to change course. So, rather than look at them as a permanent decision, they're more of a tool to change behavior, and I think that's the right approach.
WALKER: Well, just to be clear, the Biden Administration is saying that they're not seriously considering lifting the terror designation, but they couched it by saying they are watching the actions of this HTS group.
Regarding Israel's airstrikes in Syria, I mean, they've been expanding. Israel says it struck Syria nearly 500 times --
ALZAYAT: Yeah.
WALKER: -- in just the past few days. We also are hearing from a Syrian activist group. This is information that CNN has not been able to verify. But apparently, the report is that there are Israeli troops just 16 miles from Damascus. How does it -- does it complicate things? And also, given the fact that Syria's rebel, the HTS rebel leader has said that Syria doesn't want war.
ALZAYAT: Yeah, this is really a problem. You have a country going through a big transition. They already have a law on their hands from a security, economic, political, you name it, issues. And now, you have a country that is still technically at war with Syria, that has occupied its territory in the Golan Heights, greeting this historic liberation with invasion and mass bombings. And that is just very detrimental really to the prospects of peaceful transition in Syria.
The last thing you want is now to open up another front between the newly liberated Syria and Israel. The Syrian people desperately need to just focus on building their country right now and these bombings, quite frankly, I know that the Israelis have said that they're taking out, for example, chemical weapons.
[08:35:00]
The question is, if they knew about them all this time, why did they not take them out before? And so really, this is while -- while the Israelis maybe have their own legitimate needs to feel that they're more secure. But the new Syrian government, the new Syrian reality really poses no threat to the Jewish state, that the country needs a lot of help rather than bombs.
WALKER: Again, we were saying the U.S., the White House is monitoring the actions of HTS and the rebel leaders there. Are there any signs that you'll be looking for in this new caretaker government and as they try to go about this transition smoothly?
ALZAYAT: Yeah, a few things. One is -- and HTS essentially deputized a caretaker prime minister. That's fine for a while, to make sure there's somebody managing the government. But, the Syrian community and the Syrian people on the ground really expect an inclusive, transparent process that brings in all the various actors and stakeholders, or at least as many of them as possible, to start thinking about the transition, the process of the transition, and the appointments of additional positions, let alone establishing the parameters for free and fair elections. That's going to be one of the biggest tests for Syria moving forward.
WALKER: I do want to ask you, before we go, regarding the Syrian refugees, because we've heard several -- well, the leader of Turkey, he said that he would open a border gate with Syria to allow the safe and voluntary return of Syrian migrants. But, you also have several European countries who've announced that they'll be suspending the processing of Syrian asylum claims. And you have some European countries like Austria, who are suggesting that they'll be pressing Syrians to leave their country. What are your concerns, as this plays out with some Syrian refugees potentially voluntarily returning and potentially being pushed out of the countries where they have sought refuge?
ALZAYAT: Yeah, I think this is premature. We've seen obviously, incredible images of refugees coming back in large numbers and that's great. But clearly, the country is not ready to absorb millions of people. There is massive, massive needs for housing, infrastructure, healthcare, support. The economy essentially has flatlined. And also, we don't know how this is all going to play out, particularly on the security front.
Looks good so far, but it's premature on the part of countries to suspend reviews of these applications. There are people who now are living in other places that just need, at least for the next few months, to know that they'll be safe. And certainly, in the case of Austria or others, to force people to return is actually illegal under international humanitarian law.
WALKER: Wa-el Alzayat, appreciate the conversation. Thank you.
Well, the Kremlin says ensuring security at Russian military bases and diplomatic missions in Syria is of "paramount importance". Moscow says it has contact with the new leadership in Syria, but some in Russia are now acknowledging challenges that Moscow could face under the new government. Russia, of course, was a major ally of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As Syrians embark on a new era after ousting longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, Russia fears the era of its massive military footprint in Syria could be coming to an end. The former commander of Russian forces in Syria, and now Member of Parliament, is already warning Russia's leadership not to make concessions.
Any gesture of goodwill in the Middle East is perceived as weakness. Weakness is unacceptable, he says. What should be done in this situation, he is asked. Talk from a position of strength, he answers.
But how much power does Russia still hold in Syria? Kremlin-controlled TV strategizes over what might come next with maps showing Russia's bases in Syria. A guest acknowledges Moscow was caught off guard again.
Thinking about how it all happened in Syria reminds me about how it all happened in Ukraine in 2014, he says. I want to highlight one universal lesson for world powers, don't take wishful thinking for reality. When a power is crumbling in days and can't protect itself, this is a verdict.
For years, it was the Russian military that kept the Assad regime afloat. Russia's Air Force pounding rebel groups, its Navy firing cruise missiles at ISIS militants in eastern Syria. In return, Assad gave Moscow a 49-year lease on both its main air base near Latakia and a military port in Tartus, allowing Vladimir Putin to project power throughout the Middle East.
[08:40:00]
PLEITGEN: The fact that Russia has its military assets in Syria also makes Moscow a key player in the Middle East. But now, the Russians acknowledge that that status is in jeopardy.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Once a key ally for the Russian leader, Putin now allowed Assad and some of his family members to flee to Moscow. A decision folks in Moscow told us they support.
We don't abandon our men, he says. He is our man. It was the right decision. He has nowhere to go. He would've been killed.
But even here, Syrians living in Russia telling me they're happy Assad has been ousted.
We will be able to live in calm and peace and be able to safely visit our country, he says. We don't have to worry that someone can throw us in prison because they don't like what we said. We're happy that the dictatorship is over.
Moscow hopes the end of Assad's rule will not spell the end of its military engagement in the Middle East, while acknowledging it's still too early to predict.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Still to come. Why playing games in this London school can help the students focus on environmental sustainability. We will explain next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: Welcome back, everyone. We are returning to our 'Call to Earth Day' coverage. Thousands of students around the globe engaged in a day of action to help save the planet they are inheriting. We have correspondents filing reports from around the world, including from Beijing, London, and Los Angeles. Our theme this year is "Connected Generations" and we're going to be looking into the wisdom of our ancestors for sustainable living practices and how we can use them in our daily lives.
Now, we start our coverage in Nairobi, Kenya, where students are learning about endangered animal species. CNN's Victoria Rubadiri is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN REPORTER: Well, I'm at Rusinga Schools in Nairobi. It's one of the leading international schools in the country. So I'm walking into one of the art rooms, if it isn't already obvious with all the art around me. And this is actually one of the clubs in the school called Rusinga Speaks, basically encouraging students to use their voices, to self-advocate when it comes to the major issues of our time, climate change clearly being one.
So, there are two focuses here, are the environment and sustainable development goals. So, lots of artwork when it comes to animals that have been extinct or biodiversity scenes. Let's take a look at one of the paintings here. I can see a rhino. So, why do we have a rhino here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not just any white rhino -- it's not just any rhino, it's a white rhino.
[08:45:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. And this is my favorite animal because of its tusks. And I would like to spread awareness to poachers to stop the hunt for tusks because it's a really special part of Kenya.
RUBADIRI: A very special part of not just Kenya, but Africa as well, a very iconic animal. I can see another iconic animal here, an elephant. Why did you guys decide to paint an elephant?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We picked an elephant because it plays a wonderful and big part in our Kenya culture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The elephant is currently an endangered animal because of the illegal poaching of its tusks.
RUBADIRI: You know, absolutely, and this is why awareness is so important. I can see a poster here that says, "Save our oceans." Why is this important to you all?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because the coral reefs in the ocean are dying and they give a lot of oxygen to the earth. And we need to protect our ozone layer.
RUBADIRI: You know, absolutely, the oceans are the lungs of the earth because of how much oxygen they actually release. So this year, we had students write letters to their future selves, basically talking about the environment that they want to see when they get older. So, here's a young man who wrote one to his future self. So what did you write about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. So, I'm 11-years-old and I wake up every day to a new apartment building and it really worries me. Deforestation is causing global warming because trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. And with the less trees that we have, the less fresh air we have. This is to add onto the air pollution currently being released into the environment.
RUBADIRI: Oh, fantastic. So, he clearly wants to see more green spaces the older he gets and once he has a family in the future. I have to say, if these are the custodians of our environment, we are in good hands. (END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: We sure are, such sharp children there. Thank you so much. Now, let's go to North London where Anna Stewart meets a group of students who are turning environmental sustainability into an informative game. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the South Bank International School in North London. It is 'Call to Earth Day' and I'm joined here by Tom Lenham. It's so great to be here. Walk me through what we're going to do today.
TOM LENHAM, GEOGRAPHY TEACHER, SOUTHBANK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: OK. So today, we're going to be looking at the water, energy, food nexus, and the complexities that exist within it. First of all, we're going to introduce the students to very siloed issues of water, energy, and food. And then we're going to build up in complexity as we go through, ultimately, getting them to think about the sustainable development goals that we have here. OK?
STEWART: It says affordable and clean energy. This is a game?
LENHAM: It is.
STEWART: OK. I think I could do this.
LENHAM: But not really.
STEWART: Is it going to be a hard game?
LENHAM: (Inaudible).
STEWART: Let's see how we get on?
LENHAM: Yeah.
STEWART: Right. I'm going to be joining these guys over here. You're going to have to help me out. I don't think I'm going to be very good at this. What do I need to know?
TESSA, SOUTHBANK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENT: So, the blue cards are very basic issues, like issues with the food, water, and energy nexus. And then the red cards increase in complexity. And so, the challenge I'd say is trying to figure out how they all link and organizing them when they're all so interconnected.
STEWART: Give me an example.
MARI, SOUTHBANK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENT: Yeah. So we looked at this one, which is a blue, a little bit more of a basic issue, which is deforestation leading to reduce water retention in soil. And then looking at the pink cards, we connected it to deforestation reducing water retention and increasing flooding. And then, connected that to the larger issues of like life on land, clean water and sanitation and how all those connect, and how like floods caused by deforestation can then impact land use for agriculture and stuff.
STEWART: You've been working on climate related projects all year round. Is this a good way, do you think, to kind of bring it all together and see the scope of the issue?
RAQUEL, SOUTHBANK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENT: Yeah, I think so because it helps us really bring like, the main issues going on in the world. So here we have like overlapping cards about the sustainable development goals and we overlap them because like, to really understand the complexity of this and that they're all interlinked. And I think it's a good way to understand more about it.
STEWART: Now, I was going to have a go at paying, but I genuinely don't know the rules.
(LAUGH)
STEWART: I think I'm going to get it wrong, but I will learn. But for now, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Everything is interconnected. You can learn more about 'Call to Earth Day' and how students around the world are taking action at cnn.com/calltoearth. We will be right back.
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[08:51:05]
WALKER: In the next hour or so, FIFA will formally announce the hosts of the Men's 2030 and 2034 World Cups. In both cases, there is little drama as there is only one group bidding for each event. Morocco, Spain and Portugal have issued a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup, but it's the selection of Saudi Arabia as the 2034 host that is raising questions. CNN's Amanda Davies has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two FIFA, to host the 2034 World Cup, Saudi Arabia --
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman have made no secret of their desire to become the world's sporting destination of choice. Now, it's set to host the biggest prize of them all, the FIFA World Cup.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Qatar.
(CROWD CHEERING)
DAVIES (voice-over): It's the most controversial awarding of the tournament since that infamous day in December 2010 that saw Russia and Qatar given the nod for 2018 and 2022 amidst corruption scandals and human rights concerns. DAVIES: Do you think FIFA learned any lessons, Steve, good or bad, from the Qatar experience?
STEVE COCKBURN, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S HEAD OF LABOUR RIGHTS AND SPORT: My fear is that the lesson they've learned from Qatar is that they can ride out the criticism.
DAVIES (voice-over): In Qatar, there was unprecedented levels of construction of stadiums and infrastructure. Migrant workers died in the process. Saudi Arabia meanwhile has pledged to build 11 new purpose-built venues.
It was seen as a landmark moment in 2017 when FIFA became the first global sports body to write human rights commitments into the bidding process for its major events. But nearly eight years on, actions are speaking louder than words.
LINA AL-HATHLOUL, SAUDI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I think no organization -- human rights organization has been consulted. And I will even add on that Saudi Arabia has been forbidding human rights organizations from entering the country since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to power.
DAVIES (voice-over): Lina al-Hathloul is a Saudi human rights activist. Hers is one of 11 organizations that recently raised concerns about FIFA's approach to Saudi's World Cup bid. Amnesty International called it an astonishing whitewash, while Human Rights Watch dubbed it an abysmal failure to implement mandatory human rights risk assessments. Their latest report published just last week revealed that in the first six months of this year alone, 887 Bangladeshi workers died in Saudi Arabia.
Citing unpublished Bangladesh government data, the report said the majority were recorded as dying of "natural causes". There've been questions about how many were caused by working conditions. FIFA's overall assessment of the Saudi bid awarded it a higher score than any other that's gone before, judging the human rights risk to be medium based on an evaluation carried out by a Riyadh-based company.
COCKBURN: I think it's impossible to get there unless it was already decided that it was going to be medium risk. I think this has been decided for a long time and it's lost a huge opportunity here.
DAVIES (voice-over): FIFA has told CNN it has implemented "a thorough bidding process" for the 2034 World Cup and its bid report says Saudi Arabia submitted commitments to respecting, protecting, and fulfilling internationally recognized human rights. Saudi authorities haven't responded to our request for comment. But the head of the Saudi bid says that while progress has been made, there's still room to improve.
[08:55:00]
HAMMAD AL-BALAWI, HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA'S WORLD CUP BID UNIT: We're very proud of what we've achieved. We are very hungry to do more and that is a commitment that we have in the areas of human rights, across all areas. DAVIES: The way in which this process has been engineered means the awarding of the 2034 tournament has been a done deal, despite questions over transparency, the path has been cleared for Saudi Arabia to have its moments in the spotlight in 10 years time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: And that was Amanda Davies reporting. And as we mentioned, the announcements will take place in the coming hour.
Thank you so much for being with me here on "CNN Newsroom". I'm Amara Walker. "Connect the World" with Jessica Dean is up next.
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[09:00:00]
