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Proceedings to Impeach South Korean President Underway; U.S. Officials Unable to Corroborate Drone Reports; San Francisco Police Tipped FBI about CEO Murder Suspect's Identity; U.S., E.U. and Middle East Diplomats Meet on Syria's Future; Tech Leaders Curry Trump's Favor; European Countries Pause Syrian Asylum Applications; Sports Highlights. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired December 14, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Ben Hunte. It is so good to have you with me.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, flighty fun or spies in the sky. People in New Jersey are calling for an investigation into a series of mysterious drone sightings.
South Korea impeaching its embattled president today. We'll look at what's next for the country after a failed attempt at martial law.
Plus, another tech titan makes a trip to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald Trump. Who it was and what may have been on the agenda.
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HUNTE: Let's start with those mysterious drone sightings that people on the U.S. East Coast have been reporting for nearly a month now. President-elect Trump is weighing in on the controversy. He posted on Friday that the drone should just be shot out of the sky.
But the Biden administration insists there's no need to take such drastic action. The Secretary of Homeland Security says some of the reports are cases of mistaken identity, echoing a comment from the FBI.
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ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Let me calm those nerves. We have not seen anything unusual. We have not seen any unusual activity. We know of no threat.
That's not to say that there aren't drones, you know, flying in the air. But we have no concern, at this point, with respect to a threat or any nefarious activity.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: That may be the case. But despite that, many Americans suspect the government is not leveling with them. Omar Jimenez has more from New York.
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REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): There has to be some explanation to the public for all this increased activity and they must do so now.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And yet there hasn't been. Even as the federal government says, there's no evidence of any national security or public safety threats. And there have been growing calls for answers as drone sightings continue in New Jersey and now, also the New York metropolitan area.
GOTTHEIMER: They must immediately disclose more information to the public. It's totally and completely unacceptable. New Jersey can't become the Wild West of drone activity. No state can become the Wild West of drone activity.
JIMENEZ: It's now been a month since some of the first drones were reported near a military installation in northern New Jersey. Since then, there have been dozens of reported sightings, as some federal officials throw cold water on some of those reports.
KIRBY: We have not been able to and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities to corroborate any of the reported visual sightings. It appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.
JIMENEZ: And in a joint statement, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said in part they're working to confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.
Despite attempts by officials to calm concerns, videos of reported drones in the skies are still popping up all over social media.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow, they just passed the truck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have never seen that before.
JIMENEZ: Including these from New Jersey Senator Andy Kim as he went out with local police Thursday night. There was even a downed drone that was reported but it was later revealed to be a hobby or toy drone, all the while without a definitive explanation. Questions have filled the vacuum.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, writing to President Joe Biden expressing concern about the reported drone sightings and asking for more federal resources.
Saying in part, existing laws limit the ability of state and local law enforcement to counter UAS or unmanned aircraft systems. It has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what is behind this activity.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirming that drones have also been spotted in New York, posting on X, "At this time, there's no evidence that these drones pose a public safety or national security threat."
JIMENEZ: And that's really what we've heard from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security as well. But as we are now getting these reported sightings in more states and we've seen airspace restrictions over military installations in places like New Jersey, for example, obviously people are wondering what's going on now.
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To give some perspective on the overall market, there are almost 800,000 drones registered with the FAA, about an even split between commercial and recreational.
But I bring up that number because, when it comes to any investigative efforts to try and find a throughline into all of these sightings, all of these reported sightings, it's going to be that much more difficult.
And as I've talked about, these reported sightings started about a month ago. And as we've gone on and as people continue to report, some more accurately than others, those calls have grown for an answer to that single question, why is this happening? -- Omar Jimenez, CNN, New York.
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HUNTE: Well, one New Jersey mayor says he simply cannot believe the Homeland Security secretary said nothing unusual has been seen.
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MAYOR TONY PERRY, MIDDLETOWN, NJ: As one of the mayors and elected officials that are on the ground, obviously, here in the state of New Jersey, it shows you just how out of touch the secretary and Washington, D.C., truly is from the executive side of our government.
Because just as I'm sitting here, you can see clearly three drones sitting outside of our town hall, hovering over what could be our reservoirs, our electrical grid system and, most importantly, our military installation that calls Middletown home.
And for Secretary Mayorkas to diminish that and call it duplicates is just irresponsible on his part. My residents are really fed up. They are tired of the inaction by the federal government. They are concerned as to their safety and security.
And as elected officials, it's our responsibility, first and foremost, to provide a safe place for them to live and for their families. And right now, seeing that in action, you can't help -- you can't blame them for their concern, their serious concern at the fact that these drones continue to fly over their homes and our critical infrastructure. It would be nice if the federal government and the White House would
come here to New Jersey, come to the ground. The president has raised money here in Middletown several times.
But maybe he should step aside from the campaigning part of things and come to the governmental part of his job and perhaps put some of those resources that the federal government has on the ground here, because right now it's our county sheriffs, it's our local police departments, it's our state police that are at the front lines.
Yet the federal government has the jurisdiction. When you have incidents like hurricanes or superstorms, the federal government is on the ground in a matter of minutes.
And right now, when you have a concern that a foreign adversary potentially may be flying drones over top of your town, over top of military installations, you would think that the federal government would be in a little bit of a rush to get on the ground.
And understand what is exactly happening and use all the resources that are in their possession.
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HUNTE: We're learning new details about how Luigi Mangione fled New York after allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare's CEO.
"The New York Times" reports that he took the subway downtown to Penn Station before heading to Pennsylvania, according to police. CNN's Brynn Gingras is following the case for us, including the latest on Mangione extradition, which may happen earlier than expected.
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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're learning that the earliest that Mangione may be coming back to New York is next week.
And we're hearing this from the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, who told the public that he is hearing it's possible Mangione may actually waive his extradition, which would speed up this entire process.
Bragg says that the earliest he's hearing that he could then go in front of a Pennsylvania judge would be on Tuesday. So we'll see if that actually happens.
In the meantime, Bragg says he's continuing with the process on his end. That means securing an indictment, exploring all avenues. And we did report already that he has already started presenting evidence to a grand jury.
Now in regard to this, a tip that came from the San Francisco PD, the FBI here in New York does confirm it received a tip from San Francisco PD that they then passed on to the NYPD.
That tip saying the name of Luigi Mangione as the possible identity of that infamous picture that was all around where, that person at that hostel had that mask down.
Our understanding from the "San Francisco Chronicle" is that it was a special victims unit officer who recognized Mangione in that photo, because he was investigating that missing persons report filed by Mangione's mother on November 18th and then passed that tip along.
Now it's unclear at this point where this tip sort of landed on the NYPD's pack of tips that they were receiving. I know from sources alone, they were telling me there was a number of names that they were chasing down. It's unclear where Mangione sort of was in that list.
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However, we do know it does sound like that they received this tip several days prior to Mangione's arrest -- Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.
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HUNTE: A monumental moment in South Korean history.
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HUNTE (voice-over): Both celebrations and disappointments after the country's parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol in an extraordinary rebuke.
Yoon's own party had turned on him after he refused to resign over an attempt to impose martial law, a move that sparked a political crisis and widespread anger across the country.
Following the vote, Yoon conceded that he will, quote, "stop temporarily" for now, adding that he will not give up. Let's go straight to CNN's Ivan Watson, live in Hong Kong.
Ivan, thanks for joining me again. So good to see you. Today was the day.
We're exactly, well, a couple of hours now on from history being made in South Korea. Just catch me up.
What's actually happened and has anything changed since that moment?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, we have more than two-thirds of the lawmakers in South Korea's national assembly who all voted to impeach their president, Yoon Suk-yeol.
Actually, it was 204 members of the national assembly who did that. And as you just pointed out, it triggered these scenes of jubilation from an enormous crowd of demonstrators who had gathered on the streets and intersections outside South Korea's national assembly.
Let's take a listen to one of the lawmakers who voted to impeach the president today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KANG SUN-WOO, DEMOCRATIC PARTY LAWMAKER: This is the victory of our great people. Still, I have tons of butterflies in my stomach. And it's hard to believe but I think it's only a start. We have a long way to go.
Now while the impeachment proposal goes to the constitutional court, we have to take care of our people, our economy, our defense, our foreign affairs. So our Democratic Party has a big burden on our shoulder.
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WATSON: Kang Sun-woo admitting they're recognizing that South Korea's political system is not out of the woods yet. Let me bring you back up to date. What happened, just 1.5 weeks ago, President Yoon shocked his country and I think much of the world when he announced that he was imposing emergency martial law on the country.
And he deployed soldiers in helicopters to the national assembly as well as police to try to stop lawmakers from gathering there. They ultimately voted to overturn martial law and he had to backtrack just six hours after he declared it in the first place, widely seen as an unconstitutional power grab.
Now, in the last hour or so, he has put out a statement in response to this historic impeachment, saying, quote, "I'll stop temporarily for now but the journey to the future that I've walked with the people for the past two years should not stop. I will not give up."
And he talked about his commitment to South Korea. But his polls are just at a real low. There were surveys that showed the vast majority of Koreans supported impeachment. As for next steps, Ben, well, we could be months away from actually seeing President Yoon stripped from office.
He's been suspended from the powers of the presidency. Those now go to his prime minister, who becomes acting president, though he, too, could face problems and could be implicated in this half-baked martial law effort, which has already snagged a number of other top officials from President Yoon's government.
So beyond that, a constitutional court would have 180 days to rule on whether or not to approve this impeachment. The last time South Korea impeached a president, it was just eight years ago. It took that same court 90 days to get around to that moment.
That president ended up behind bars for crimes of corruption that she was convicted upon. So President Yoon could face a trial down the road if the court does approve this impeachment and completely remove him from office. Again, as you pointed out, history was made in Korea today.
HUNTE: Yes, indeed. I'm sure that history is going to continue into the future over the next few weeks and months. The last election in South Korea was the closest that they've ever had. And I'm sure if things do come around again to that point. [05:15:00]
But we're really in for seeing some major, major history over the next few months. So thank you, Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. We'll be speaking to you again very soon, I'm sure.
Next, the fall of the Assad regime is the start of a new era in Syria. And today, diplomats from the U.S., Europe and the Middle East are coming together to discuss what it means for Syria, the region and the world.
Plus millions of Syrians fled their country since fighting began there 13 years ago. Now they could be forced to leave their adopted homes in Europe.
And the death toll is rising in central Gaza after Israeli strikes pummel a refugee camp. We're following the latest developments just ahead.
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HUNTE: Diplomats are gathering in Jordan right now ahead of a meeting to discuss Syria's future and Middle East stability. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken will join representatives from the European Union, Turkiye and Arab nations at the summit.
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It's scheduled to begin about 30 minutes from now. We're going to bring you the latest as it happens. A short time ago, he met with the United Nations special envoy.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: To talk about the challenges that we face and need to face together in Syria, our determination to work together to support a Syrian-led transition, where the United Nations plays a critical role.
Particularly when it comes to the provision of assistance, to the protection of minorities, to all the work that needs to happen.
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HUNTE: There was at least one large explosion in Damascus on Friday night. The CNN team there says they heard the blast and the sound of jets flying overhead. Israel, Turkiye and the U.S. have all conducted recent airstrikes in Syria.
We are seeing Syrians around the world celebrating the end of the Assad regime. But at the same time, many who came as refugees to Europe since the war began in 2011 are worrying about their status here.
Now several countries have pressed pause on accepting applications for asylum from Syrians. This includes the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany, countries where Syrians made up the largest number of applications this year.
Asylum seekers from Syria made up 17 percent of all applications in the European Union, some 14,000 just through September. That's on top of the massive backlog of pending cases.
Marta Welander is the E.U. advocacy director with the International Rescue Committee and she joins us live now from Brussels.
Marta, it's great to have you on the show. Thank you for joining me.
MARTA WELANDER, E.U. ADVOCACY DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: Thank you very much.
HUNTE: Across the globe -- you're so welcome -- across the globe, we're seeing a real pushback against people seeking asylum. I mean, I'm in the U.K. right now at the moment and we're just seeing -- a few months ago there were riots based on immigration, streets here.
A great number of E.U. member states now deciding to pause asylum applications from Syrian nationals, including Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Poland, lots of others.
What is your reaction to this?
WELANDER: Right, so indeed, we have indeed seen multiple E.U. member states announce over the week that they would be putting aside claims from Syrian nationals.
And while it's still to be seen and understood exactly what the status is proposing here, what their exactly motivations might be, it should be emphasized and foremost that all countries have a legal obligation to uphold the right to seek asylum, regardless of whether --
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HUNTE: Marta, we're just going to see if we can come back to you. I think we've got some sound difficulties there. Apologies. Marta Welander, live in Brussels. Thank you for that.
The Israeli military launched what's being called a catastrophic attack on a hospital in northern Gaza early on Friday. That's according to the hospital's director, who called it one of the most difficult nights.
He says Israeli forces dropped bombs that blew out windows and doors, wounding at least three medical staff.
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HUNTE (voice-over): You're seeing a video here from earlier this month at the same hospital. Meanwhile, a source telling CNN the death toll has risen to 40 after
Israeli airstrikes on a residential block in central Gaza. People searching the rubble recovered seven more victims on Friday.
Health officials had previously reported at least nine children were among those killed. One resident there says Palestinians are losing hope that the war will ever end.
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ALAA AL-BAYOUMI, NUSEIRAT RESIDENT (through translator): Every time they talk about a ceasefire and every time people hope, a new massacre happens. People relapse and are shocked again. One no longer hopes when they say there is a ceasefire, doesn't believe them. There's no more hope and no more safety.
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HUNTE: Gaza's health ministry says more than 44,875 Palestinians have now been killed since the war began last year.
Still to come, Apple CEO Tim Cook is the latest tech leader to make his way down to Mar-a-Lago for a one on one with the incoming U.S. president. Details after the break.
Plus, the polio vaccine has saved lives for decades and Donald Trump has said it's a great thing but he may be on a collision course with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his adviser, who petitioned the government to have it revoked.
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HUNTE: Welcome back.
The U.S. presidential transfer of power is still weeks away but the incoming Trump administration is busy discussing ways to put some of the plans outlined in the conservative Project 2025 into practice.
Sources say they're exploring ways to streamline government agencies that regulate the banking industry by giving the Treasury Department control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It insures consumers' money in case of a bank failure.
Meanwhile, tech industry leaders are looking to shore up their relationship with the incoming president after years of tensions. More on that from CNN's Alayna Treene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Apple CEO Tim Cook dined with
Donald Trump Friday evening at his Mar-a-Lago club, a source familiar with the meeting told me, marking the latest in a string of tech CEOs to meet with the president-elect since his November 5th win.
Now I'm told that the two had dinner on his patio at the resort. And it comes as many tech giants are seeking to boost their relationships with Trump before he takes office in January.
Now we've already reported that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with Trump last month. And Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is expected to visit with him in the coming days. Both Zuckerberg and Bezos, as well as OpenAI's Sam Altman, have also pledged $1 million each to Donald Trump's inauguration fund.
Now remember, Donald Trump was once hostile toward tech giants and claimed that they were biased against him and conservatives. But he's really been warming to them in recent months, boasting of their private conversations and praising the companies for their support after his election win.
But Trump and Cook had always had somewhat of a friendly relationship during Donald Trump's first term, especially when you compared it to Trump's attitude toward other tech CEOs. And the two continued to speak throughout Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.
Now that meeting Friday night comes as Trump is floating new tariffs that could negatively impact Apple.
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It also comes as Apple's facing pressure from European regulators regarding its App Store policies. That's actually something that Donald Trump and Tim Cook discussed last month, something that Donald Trump also later relayed the details to during a podcast.
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HUNTE: Donald Trump has praised the polio vaccine as the greatest thing. But concern is growing over his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, known vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"The New York Times" reports that an adviser to Kennedy petitioned the Food and Drug Administration two years ago to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine because it was not tested against a placebo. Experts denied that's needed or even ethical and say the vaccine is proven effective. Here's what Trump had to say about it earlier this week.
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TRUMP: If somebody told me, get rid of the polio vaccine, they're going to have to work real hard to convince me. I think vaccines are -- certain vaccines are incredible. But maybe some aren't. And if they aren't, we have to find out.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: According to the World Health Organization, polio killed or paralyzed more than half a million people around the world yearly before a vaccine became available in the 1950s.
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, who is a polio survivor himself, warned against efforts to rescind the approval of the polio vaccine. Although he never specifically mentions Robert F. Kennedy by name, McConnell sharply criticized even the appearance of being associated with efforts to block access to the polio vaccine.
In a statement, McConnell praised the life saving treatment, saying, quote, "Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed, they are dangerous.
"Anyone seeking the Senate's consent to serve in the incoming administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts."
Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been transferred to a military hospital in Germany after falling down some stairs. The 84- year-old Democrat was part of a bipartisan congressional delegation in Luxembourg when she was injured. She was taken to a hospital there for evaluation.
A spokesperson said she received excellent treatment and continued to work. The extent of her injury, however, is still unclear.
Returning to one of our top stories today, there are celebrations in South Korea, as you're seeing there now, that embattled President Yoon Suk-yeol has been impeached over an attempt to impose martial law. One lawmaker is calling it a victory.
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KIM JOON-HYUNG, REBUILDING KOREA PARTY LAWMAKER: It is. It is. It is a victory of Korean democracy and the world has been watching this. But we finally won, even if it's the beginning. But it's a good beginning. So we will go through this with people. Thank you very much.
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HUNTE: Yoon concedes that he will, quote, "stop temporarily" for now but he will not give up.
Duyeon Kim is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. She joins us live from Seoul.
Hello. Thank you so much for joining us.
DUYEON KIM, CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY: Thanks for having me, Ben.
HUNTE: You're so welcome. So history has been made. The assembly voted to impeach President Yoon. His announcement of martial law shocked the entire world last week. Can you tell us a bit more about what actually led to this decision
and all of this downfall now?
KIM: Well, you know what led to his decision really remains to be the biggest mystery. He outlined his reasons in an address a couple of days ago. He had a lot of detailed supporting arguments and so-called evidence to support his argument.
But we still need to check all the facts that he presented. And there needs to be, of course, an objective investigation into everything that he's claiming on top of the official investigations that are underway. There are so many right now that it's actually kind of hard to keep track because there are so many details.
But his main theme was basically he claimed that he needed to deal with the opposition, the opposition parties that dominate and control the national assembly. He called them legislative dictators for slashing the budget, for impeaching like 23 or so of his senior officials in government.
So he claimed that they were paralyzing the government, paralyzing government affairs. And he also said that he needs to root out anti- state forces, which implies them, the opposition. And also pro-North Korea forces in South Korea, which he's also implying is the Left, the far left of center.
HUNTE: We see that the 190 lawmakers present at the national assembly voted unanimously in favor of lifting martial law.
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I mean, you could say that that demonstrated a rare display of unity.
So what steps might come next to ensure a return to some kind of stability?
KIM: Right.
So I think the national assembly members who are present, who unanimously voted to lift martial law, them, including other members of his own ruling party that were not present for that vote, I think there's widespread consensus that what he did was wrong in every sense of the word.
But the reason why his own ruling party, their official party line has been to be against voting in favor of impeachment, I've been told by insiders, is because they were worried about government paralysis.
Again, if the country goes through another presidential impeachment process, because it could take weeks and even months to find out what happens and how the constitutional court rules. And so that was their, I've been told, the ruling party's main reason for being against impeachment.
To think about the people and the country, even though they do not condone what he did in terms of declaring martial law, but again, in today's second impeachment vote, we saw that the national assembly passed it. He is impeached now. It's now turned over to the constitutional court.
President Yoon, his presidential powers are now suspended. The prime minister will be acting president and the constitutional court has maximum 180 days to make a ruling to what -- to decide whether to oust him or not. They have to make a unanimous ruling.
But the problem is the constitutional court is not functional right now because they do not have a full bench. They only have six out of nine justices on their bench. So now the national assembly has to scramble to try to fill up the three remaining vacant seats.
HUNTE: Because of the role that South Korea plays on a global stage, this is obviously huge international news. And we have reported that the day after Yoon announced martial law, U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken expressed deep concern. So maybe we could just talk about what this means for South Korea on that world stage.
KIM: Yes. So I think his declaration of martial law exhibited both the fragility and strength of democratic forces in South Korea, fragility coming from him and reportedly his then defense minister, who reportedly was his idea to do this.
But also the strength of South Korea's democracy with the forces like his own party and national assembly members being able to enter the national assembly, to vote to lift martial law, for the media to function normally.
And even the military was quite -- they were relatively passive when dealing with Korean citizens and others surrounding the national assembly in protest. So fortunately there was no -- it did not lead to injuries, fortunately did not lead to any bloodbath.
And so -- but at the same time, clearly, for a president who came into office championing democratic values and rule of law, this certainly puts a major stain, to say the least, on South Korea's reputation overseas as well.
And so this is where, right now, with this impeachment vote passing in the national assembly, it puts another stain on South Korea's image. It's the third presidential impeachment of its kind.
And so, of course, overseas, I would not be surprised if South Korea's foreign partners pause and they will be questioning, there is a power vacuum.
Who do we deal with?
Who is our counterpart?
You know, how do we get our initiatives and our cooperation efforts back on track?
And right now, the South Korean government, the permanent bureaucracy right now is scrambling to try to project normalcy. They're waging a very aggressive diplomatic messaging campaign right
now, calling their key ally and partners and trying to make it clear that they will, the government will still function and engage in foreign policy as usual. But the reality is it's going to be tricky.
HUNTE: Yes, indeed. And we will see what happens. And I'm sure we'll be talking very soon as well with all that's going on. So thank you so much, Duyeon Kim, appreciate it?
After the break, Ukraine is reeling from Russia's latest attack on its infrastructure.
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HUNTE: We want to return to a story we were bringing you a few minutes ago, before some technical problems got in the way, the fate of tens of thousands of Syrians who fled their country's civil war -- those already in Europe and those hoping to get here.
Now that the Assad regime has fallen, several countries have pressed pause on accepting applications for asylum from Syrians. At least one is talking about deporting some migrants.
Marta Welander is the E.U. advocacy director with the International Rescue Committee and she joins us live now, without technical difficulties, from Brussels.
How you doing, Marta?
WELANDER: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
HUNTE: Perfect, perfect.
Across the globe, we are seeing this real pushback against people seeking asylum. In the U.K. right now, just a few months ago, I was seeing riots in my hometown based purely on immigration. And as a result of that, you're seeing far right parties gaining support across the globe.
A great number of E.U. member states have decided now to pause asylum applications from Syrian nationals, including Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Poland, lots of others.
What is your reaction to all of this?
WELANDER: Well, so while it still remains to be fully seen and fully understood, exactly what each individual state is proposing here and what their exact political motivations are, we should emphasize first and foremost that each country has a legal obligation to uphold the right to seek asylum, regardless of where an individual is from. And given the significant uncertainties and concerns regarding Syria's
transition now and its very future and also given the continued grip of deep humanitarian crisis still unfolding in Syria, people seeking asylum here in Europe need clarity and they need certainty.
So it's really vital that European states continue to uphold this right to seek asylum and that they continue to receive new asylum claims from Syrians.
And wherever states do decide to introduce a short pause, they need to really ensure that these pauses are lifted as soon as is practically, practically possible so that we avoid leaving people in lengthy states of limbo and uncertainty about their futures.
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As you know, many Syrians have already been kept in limbo for years, awaiting a decision on their asylum claims. And during this time, many of them don't access their full rights and the services that are accorded to individuals with full refugee status.
And as you can imagine, this, of course, has a negative impact in many cases on social inclusion and prospects for integration. And it can also really compound the trauma that people have already experienced. So it is a big problem.
HUNTE: Yes, it definitely seems like it is a massive problem at the moment. The Austrian interior minister told the media, I've instructed the ministry to prepare an orderly return and deportation program to Syria. I mean, that seems quite extreme.
Now what do you make of this?
WELANDER: Indeed. I mean, given the fact that the humanitarian needs across Syria are at the highest they've ever been and given the great uncertainty for the country that lies ahead, it seems far too soon to suggest that Syria would in any way be safe for returns at the present moment.
And, of course, the events over the last few weeks do offer a potential turning point and a glimmer of hope for Syrians who do wish to return home. But we cannot forget that the conflict has left millions displaced and caused massive damage to the country's critical infrastructure, with more than 90 percent of the population living in poverty.
So while some Syrians are voluntarily deciding to return home, hundreds of thousands remain in displacement and need protection and support. And every single return that happens must be entirely voluntary. It must be safe and dignified.
And it must really be underpinned by full information and knowledge that each individual can access about, so that they can make informed choices about a potential return. There must be no pressure from states of premature or forced returns to Syria in the current context. HUNTE: Well, off the back of that, the forced returns, let's talk a
bit about whether it's actually safe for people to return to Syria.
So if countries are sending them back, what are they actually going to be facing there?
We know that Syria is currently at the center of an intense geopolitical chess game involving the U.S. We've got Israel, Turkiye, Russia, Iran.
Is it safe for citizens to return to Syria?
WELANDER: Well, amongst the Syrians we work with and amongst the Syrians in displacement around the world, there are, of course, those who express a willingness to return. And, of course, that must be respected.
However, given the continuing humanitarian crisis in the country and the absolute uncertainty about the safety there, this is a decision that absolutely must be made by individuals themselves and should be under no circumstances be forced.
There should be no forced deportations. And as you know, the question of returns is not solely about physical safety. It's also about the opportunity for creating livelihoods and for early recovery.
So realistically, there needs to be significant improvements both in the humanitarian and economic situation in the country before returns can happen safely and at scale.
HUNTE: OK. Marta, thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for your work. I'm sure we'll be speaking to you soon.
That's Marta Welander live in Brussels.
Thank you.
On Friday, Ukrainian authorities say Russia has launched a widespread attack on their energy infrastructure overnight. Emergency power outages were implemented across the country. The extent of the damage isn't actually clear yet.
But Ukraine's energy grid operator says power facilities in several regions were damaged. The operator claims Moscow has launched 12 massive attacks on the Ukrainian power system so far this year.
We will be right back.
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(MUSIC PLAYING) HUNTE: Now to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and some live pictures
as parliament has just voted to install Mikheil Kavelashvili as the new president. It happened as pro-European Union demonstrators took in the scene just outside.
Protesters have been venting their anger ever since the ruling Georgian Dream Party announced it would delay Georgia's bid to join the E.U. But the scene right now is still calm, as you're seeing from those pictures there.
The new president was the only candidate. He's seen as anti-Western and supported a controversial foreign agents law earlier this year that was similar to a repressive Russian bill.
Sitting president Salome Zourabichvili is a pro-E.U. critic of the governing party. She argues that Georgian Dream is trying to move Georgia closer to Russia. The party denies that, saying it simply wants to avoid outside interference and a war like Ukraine is enduring.
Pro-European Union activists have been demonstrating in the capital of Tbilisi and other cities for weeks, despite a violent police crackdown. More than 400 people have been arrested.
The annual Army-Navy game in U.S. college football is a rivalry more than a century old. This year, the two teams will go toe to toe for historic 125th game. CNN's Coy Wire takes us onto the field at Washington Commanders Stadium ahead of today's showdown.
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COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: All right, we are here in the NFL's Washington Commander Stadium, where it all will go down, the 125th Army-Navy Game. One of the greatest rivalries in the world, dating back to 1890, this game features some of the best, brightest, most disciplined people fighting for bragging rights of a lifetime. This is America's game.
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And it's said it's the only game where everyone playing would sacrifice their life for everyone watching.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This game represents more than just us, the players, all the people that have come before us have served this country. They've sacrificed their lives for this country. So it's a great honor to play in this game.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It represents a battle between two of the nation's best forces. Honestly, you know, it's always the most physical battle of the year. It's the most intense battle of the year. And that's what it represents. It represents the epitome of football.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's everything for our program and our guys. And, you know, this is the game we'll remember forever.
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WIRE: This game is so important, highlighting the future defenders of our nation that 10 sitting U.S. presidents have attended. President- elect Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the game once again.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance representing U.S. Marine Corps. A Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth served in the Minnesota Army National Guard. And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Navy JAG officer.
America's game highlighting some of this nation's brightest young leaders, who've committed themselves to serving their country. It's a rivalry like no other. Game time is Saturday, 3:00 pm Eastern.
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HUNTE: King Charles was clearly having a good day. The British monarch positively beamed at the annual Crafts at Christmas showcase in Tetbury, England. He greeted students, alumni and tutors from his King's Foundation Programs in specialist crafts.
From hats to wood and metalwork, crafters proudly presented the fruits of their work to King Charles to the sound of a local rock choir. The King's Foundation charity offers education for almost 15,000 students yearly. It aims to strengthen communities and revitalize historic buildings.
Well, that's it. That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's do this again tomorrow. For viewers in the U.S. and Canada, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For those elsewhere, "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS" is coming up. Thank you for joining me.
