Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
State Media Plays Down Attorney General's Comments about Disbanding Morality Police; EU, G7, Australia Cap Price on Russian Oil at $60 per Barrel; Iran Said to be Reviewing Strict Hijab Law Amid Protests; Pro- Democracy Activists in UK Fear Reprisals from China; Trump's Call to Terminate the U.S. Constitution; CNN Near Volcano as Lava Creeps Closer to Roadways. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired December 05, 2022 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNNI HOST: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade - for CNN in for my colleague Becky Anderson. Welcome to "Connect the World", good to have you
with us. We'll have two waves of protests in Iran small signs that change could be on the horizon.
They're being viewed with skepticism by the international community. U.S. State Department saying the reports are ambiguous and vague at best. Well,
it comes up to Iran's Attorney General says the nation's mandatory law that requires women to wear hijabs in public is under public review.
Well, there is confusion over another report that the country's so-called morality police are being abolished. These potential moves come amid
protests that have engulfed Iran since mid-September. And the demonstrations were knighted by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who
has died in the custody of the morality police.
She was detained allegedly for not wearing her hijab probably. Well, let's get some clarification on this developing stories. CNN's Nic Robertson
joins us now live from London, good to have you with us, Nic. So is this hijab law seriously under review, and should this potentially be seen as
some kind of concession to the protesters?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It could be construed that way and that may be the intent of the Attorney General who announced
it and it would be under his purview to be involved in a review of that law. However, it may quite simply be a piece of political theater designed
to try to send a signal that the government is listening to the protesters.
Of course, the protests have moved on way beyond where they began protesting about the hijab months ago to wanting the removal now of the
leadership of Iran. So it's hard to see how what is being perhaps signaled here by the Attorney General can really ameliorate and control the passions
on the street, it just isn't clear.
And I think the only way to understand that properly, is when the review gets published and that's expected in a couple of weeks. And it also when
it's published, it doesn't mean that there couldn't be further reviews. And it doesn't mean necessarily that a review would be implemented, as the
review may lay out.
So I think we're a long way from having clarity. But it does seem to indicate that some in government see this as a potential to control the
anger of people, which just isn't being abated at the moment.
KINKADE: Yes and Nic, the Attorney General said the morality police, known as the guidance patrol will be abolished. He doesn't have authority on this
matter. So how much can we read into those comments?
ROBERTSON: He doesn't have authority, but in his position, it would be likely as part of a review of the hijab law and the morality's police. The
morality police say involvement may not be legal, illegal, direct, explicit involvement in enforcing it, but this is a position that they have come to
adopt.
So is he signaling some knowledge that he has, rather than actual real, you know, control over the mechanism of controlling the morality police because
that's not under his purview. That's under the purview of the Interior Ministry and others.
So it's not clear what's going to come, we have heard from one MP saying that a reformed minded MP saying that there was no future for the morality
police within the hijab law. But again, this just isn't clear.
Is it as vague and ambiguous, as the State Department says, smoke and mirrors, if you will, by the leadership in Iran, or does it lead to
something substantive. And certainly the conservatives in Iran know that the international community is watching know that this will be interpreted
as weakness of their position, if they try to head off some of the discontent through trying to sort of tinker and change with the laws and
the way the morality police work in the country. None of this is clear.
KINKADE: Alright, Nic Robertson, for us in London, thanks very much. We are going to have more on this story on "Connect the World". I'm going to speak
with a senior fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who says the Iranian regime may be entering a new stage.
[11:05:00]
KINKADE: New warnings to take cover and reports of more casualties and damage in Ukraine as the country faces a new round of Russian missile
attacks. Take a listen to what it sounded like in Kyiv a short time ago.
The sound of air raid sirens blaring across the Capitol, Ukraine's president says his air defense forces intercepted and destroyed most of
those Russian missiles. The latest attack appears to be targeting both infrastructure and residential areas. This is the aftermath of the strikes
in the Zaporizhzhia region.
At least two people were reportedly killed there. The cities of Kryvyi Rih and Odesa both report no electricity and no running water. And like
thousands of other people in and around the Capitol, CNN's Will Ripley spent hours in underground shelters; those missiles flew towards the
Capitol.
You see some of them in the metro station. Will, now thankfully joins us now live now back above the ground. But take us back to what it was like,
Will, when you're hearing those air sirens overhead that barge of missiles striking right across Ukraine?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, it's certainly an ominous sound when you hear air raid sirens. We had just
finished a live report from this location. And you heard the sirens very clearly; I grabbed my iPhone and shot that video that you just played.
And then we had to pack up and move downstairs to the underground shelter that they have, in most large buildings across Kyiv, so people who might
have been at work or people staying in various hotels probably went down to the shelters in those respective buildings.
But there were a lot of people thousands of people who had to basically go underground into the subway stations. And it was either standing room only
or a lot of people were kind of sitting on the stairs or just sitting down on the floor. Because that's all you could do.
I mean, you have limited, you know, water, bathrooms, food and this is several hours that people are down there, so clearly not a comfortable
situation. A lot of people yours truly included, grateful to come back up and breathe some fresh air. And even though the majority of these missiles
were reportedly intercepted, the Ukrainian officials say they need a decision from the United States on Patriot missile defense systems.
They've been calling for them for months now. And not just Patriot systems, but other advanced systems manufacturing countries like Germany, because
the power grid has once again been affected here in Kyiv. There are now scores of people that are without electricity, because the power system is
unstable.
The same is true in the east in Donetsk and also down south in Dnipropetrovsk and people who are living through this say, well; it is
unpleasant, it could be much worse.
KINKADE: And of course, we have been speaking about what this is going to mean going into the dead of winter, as you say these missile strikes are
impacting a lot of the infrastructure energy power cuts. What is it going to mean for people who are already dealing with these constant power
outages?
RIPLEY: Yes, well, we've been talking to a lot of those people. And frankly, they you never really get used to it when you have power for 40
minutes or one hour a day. But it does make them much more grateful when the power resumes for longer periods of time.
We visited Bucha which is one of the towns that was terrorized during the Russian occupation where people most people in the town saw things that are
unspeakably awful like seeing the bodies of their neighbors laying in the street for a month untouched or you know, having to live in constant fear
of either cluster bombs or bullet, you know, flying through the bedroom windows of their children.
Or simply, you know, being at the mercy of these Russian soldiers that were acting unpredictably and living just down the street in people's homes that
they occupied. And we wanted to share their stories with you because we want to show you how people are coping and how after enduring things like
that. They say being without power, a minor inconvenience by comparison.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (voice over): In Ukraine, winter is coming, in the capital Kyiv, the foreign minister warns snow won't be the only thing falling from the skies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are anticipating another massive missile attack by Russia. And the goal of this attack is to bring total destruction to our
energy system.
RIPLEY (voice over): Crews are racing to restore power. These tents set up by the government a badly needed break from the bitter cold. At this fast
food place braving below zero temperatures at the outdoor grill, keeps the doors open when the lights are off.
[11:10:00]
RIPLEY (voice over): Some customers said they only want to come when there's no power because the food tastes so much better. We're just
Ukrainians, she says, that's our secret ingredient, another secret for surviving dark times, candles, a good cry and prayer.
RIPLEY (on camera): When you come here, what do you pray for?
RIPLEY (voice over): We pray for peace for the war to be over, she says, describing the hardship of life without electricity. But then I come here
and remember how much time we spent hiding in basements. Hiding from Russian soldiers who occupied and terrorize their town Bucha, the site of
what Ukraine calls unspeakable war crimes.
RIPLEY (on camera): If you didn't know what happened here, this could be any church in any quiet Kyiv suburb until you look closer. And notice the
bullet holes and this cross marking a mass grave for more than 100 men, women and two children.
RIPLEY (voice over): Like five of --Bucha's neighbors, what it sounds?
VIRA GOYCHUK, BUCHA DISTRICT RESIDENT: A cluster bomb.
RIPLEY (on camera): A cluster bomb?
GOYCHUK: A cluster bomb.
RIPLEY (on camera): Bullet holes in her children's bedroom windows. After living through the hell of the Russian occupation, she can handle living
without power.
GOYCHUK: And what is the real problem is where it's not electricity, we don't have any connection. So I have kids and if something wrong, I cannot
even call to the hospital and call emergency.
RIPLEY (voice over): She tells me when the power goes out; she loses cell phone service and internet but then.
GOYCHUK: Oh my God, this miracle.
RIPLEY (on camera): Is that the lights coming on now?
GOYCHUK: Yes.
RIPLEY (voice over): The first place she goes is kitchen.
RIPLEY (on camera): Coffee. That's your number one priority.
GOYCHUK: Yes, it's my number one.
RIPLEY (voice over): She's grateful for the little things in life.
GOYCHUK: It's a moment of happiness.
RIPLEY (voice over): Grateful just to be alive.
GOYCHUK: That's it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: You know, Lynda, that is a feeling shared by so many people here in Ukraine. They are simply grateful to be alive and grateful to be protected
by their Ukrainian military and not occupied by the Russians. But nonetheless, missile strikes like the one experienced here today.
There's also been Russian shelling down south with a civilian killed over the weekend homes and apartment buildings hit. This is nine months of
unnecessary, cruel brutality inflicted upon the people of Ukraine. And they're doing the best they can because really with the winter temperatures
plummeting, they know that it could get a whole lot worse before it gets better even as the United States predicts.
And many people hope that the fighting will take a pause and slow down as these winter months commence here in Ukraine, Lynda?
KINKADE: Yes, Will, great reporting, good to get that perspective from the people there who are grateful as you say, just for a warm cup of coffee in
the midst of everything they're dealing with. Will Ripley, thanks very much and stay safe. Well, we need to do some video now.
Of the Russian president, the Kremlin released images of Vladimir Putin driving on the Kerch Bridge. Now you may recall a large section of that
bridge was destroyed in an explosion in early October, becoming a major flashpoint in the war.
Putin accused Ukraine of the blast calling it an act of sabotage. The bridge is the only land route that connects mainland Russia to the
illegally annexed Crimea. Well, as we have been mentioning, as well, the West is trying to put limits on the Kremlin's ability to fund its war in
Ukraine.
And to that end, a price cap of $60 a barrel on Russian oil agreed to buy the EU the G7 and Australia has just kicked in. And the U.S. ban on Russian
oil imports shipped by sea also now in effect. Be its part the Kremlin says it won't recognize that price cap.
And market watchers say the West's tighter sanctions could spark more uncertainty over the energy supply. Right now oil prices have come off
earlier highs. CNN's Clare Sebastian is looking into all of this for us joining us live from London. Good to have you with us Clare.
So Russia basically saying that it's going to refuse to sell oil at that price cap of $60 a barrel. It already has been working its way around this
right selling to India to China to other Asian countries.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes Lynda, a lot of the sort of reshuffling of global oil supplies has already happened. The IEA, the
International Energy Agency estimates about one to one and a half million barrels a day of European crude or Russian crude that used to be sent to
Europe has now been already displaced to Asia.
So that doesn't leave that much left under this new embargo that came into force today and of course, the price cap itself. But the key question here
is what Moscow's next move will be, that is why you see this uncertainty in the market. Oil prices now essentially in wait and see mode to see what
happens next.
[11:15:00]
SEBASTIAN: Russia has threatened, as you say to not sell oil to countries who comply with the cap, they do have a track record of shooting themselves
in the foot when it comes to their fossil fuel supplies. You've seen what they've done with gas supplies to many countries in Europe, Russia's gas
exports and are significantly down as a result of this.
But we have not yet seen them do this with oil, their most critical export and one that has grown in importance, frankly, as sanctions have eaten in
to the rest of the economy. I think the key thing to look at in this regard is that this sanction is a not a finished product.
This is a mechanism that has been introduced to show that the West can tighten the screws on Russia's energy supply at $60 a barrel. There's not a
lot of damage potentially to Russia's revenue, that there should be a bit according to experts that I've been spoken to, but it could be tightened
going forward.
KINKADE: And that is really it is key, isn't it, as you say, because there was a lot of criticism Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President saying it was a
weak position. And some suggesting that they should have made the price go up closer to $30 a barrel. But as you say they can, it is a step in the
right direction. They can tighten this further.
SEBASTIAN: Yes, absolutely. I think the key to understanding this Lynda is that the West does not want Russian oil to come off the market that has
been apparent all along. Russia is the second biggest fossil fuel producer in the world if Russian oil was to come off the market that could lead and
it would lead to yet more destabilizing price spikes.
So this mechanism is a very delicate balancing act to try to close the loophole in this war whereby Russia has been able to make more not less
money from its fossil fuel exports because of the disruption to the market that the war has caused, while also keeping that oil flowing to the world
doesn't keep paying the price in terms of higher inflation.
I think whether this works, the jury is still out oil prices look pretty steady at the moment. Of course there are demand issues in the oil market
to take into account given that we're looking at recession in a lot of particularly the developed world. So that is something that has been
factored in there along with of course, the potential for COVID lockdowns to be lifted in China, all of those forces playing into the oil markets
today.
KINKADE: Yes, certainly a delicate balancing act as you say, Clare Sebastian for us in London, thanks very much. Well, still to come on
"Connect the World" with Election Day less than 24 hours away, we'll look at the wild twists and turns in Georgia's run-off election. Plus after
playing a crackdown in Hong Kong one activist says he's being intimidated by Chinese agents all the way in the UK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. As we've been reporting a top Iranian official said the nation's mandatory hijab law is being reviewed. At the same time state
media are playing down the same officials claim that the country's much feared morality police force has been abolished.
You'll know that images of women defined the hijab law have become symbols of the ongoing demonstrations. But now the protests are going beyond the
hijab. My next guest is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy
towards the Middle East.
He has been tweeting and I quote, "when dictatorships know they're in trouble, they begin promising their citizens they will change who they are.
These empty promises tend to embolden rather than quell popular demands of fundamental change".
The Iranian regime appears to be entering this stage of its lifecycle. Karim Sadjadpour joins us now from Washington, DC via Skype. Good to have
you with us. So the promise of reviewing the hijab rules you believe might actually embolden the protesters. So tell us what in your view comes next?
KARIM SADJADPOUR, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: I think that Islamic Republic of Iran has entered the classic
dictators dilemma, which is when your population is rising up and it's not been three months that Iranians have been rising up, if you don't promise
them any prospects of change, you're not going to quell the protests against you.
At the same time, given this as a regime, like most dictatorships that lack credibility with their population, if you suddenly promised them vague
offers of change of reform, rather than pour cold water on the protests against you, it could actually project vulnerability to your population and
embolden them to continue to protest.
And the person who understands this dictator's dilemma better than anyone is Iran's current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, because he's
observed, first with the 1979 revolution that helped bring him to power.
And over subsequent years, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Arab uprisings of 2011 that, as some of the great political philosophers of
history have noted Machiavellian Tocqueville, the most dangerous moment for any bad government is when it tries to reform itself. And so Khamenei isn't
this dictator's dilemma that if he doesn't offer change, protests will continue. If he does offer change, the protests may actually accelerate.
KINKADE: Yes, certainly a weak position. We're seeing the protesters, those women there chanting, once again, women, life, freedom, the call from the
protesters since the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of the morality police.
The Attorney General is now suggesting that the morality police could be abolished. What is your take on that comment, given that he doesn't have
authority over the morality police?
SADJADPOUR: I think that that was a very vague trial balloon, which the regime was trying to float in order to, you know, both split the opposition
quell popular unrest. But again, I go back to the Supreme Leader and his fear that if you actually start compromising on your major principles.
And mandatory hijab, I would argue as one of the three remaining ideological pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the others being the
opposition to America and to Israel, if all of a sudden after four decades, the Islamic Republic abandons that pillar.
It's likely not going to placate popular discontent, and people are going to say; OK, now we've gotten the right to choose what we wear. Now we want
the right to choose what we read, what we say, what we eat and drink, whom we love, all freedoms which we take for granted in the West, but which are
prohibited inside Iran. So Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should rightfully be worried that lifting the compulsory hijab could be a gateway freedom for
Iranians.
KINKADE: Karim, you wrote an interesting article in Foreign Affairs magazine earlier this year, you were talking about the collapse of the
regime and this theocracy. And you said for it to collapse, it would require pressure from below, which is what we're seeing with regards to
these protests that are continuing month after month, despite the fact that protesters are dying, protesters are being arrested, protesters are being
sentenced to death.
That is continued but you also said it also requires division at the top. I'm wondering what indication you've seen of division in the leadership at
this point in time?
[11:25:00]
SADJADPOUR: You know, I think to first start; we do, I would argue, have ample pressure from below the popular discontent we have seen in Iran, not
just in the last three months, but over the last decades, I would say, very much mirrors the popular discontent which brought down Arab governments in
2011. So you have pressure from below.
The regime hasn't yet shown signs of splintering either within the security forces are between the security forces and the Supreme Leader. So we
haven't seen public signs, but we certainly do see leaks, kind of hearsay about internal cleavages and how to manage the protests, how to manage the
Islamic Republic moving forward, the more popular pressure and protest you will see, the more you will start to see these regime cleavages emerge.
KINKADE: Yes, the cracks are starting to appear, especially if we take on board those comments from the Attorney General, Karim Sadjadpour, great to
have you on the program. Thanks so much for your time.
SADJADPOUR: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, you can read more on Iran and other news in the Middle East. In our Meanwhile, in the Middle East newsletter just scroll to read what
Iran's regime has learned from its own revolution. You'll also see updates on other major stories in the region this week.
You can sign up for meanwhile in the Middle East by going to cnn.com/mid- east newsletter. Well, still to come a new week at the World Cup and a new appearance by one of Brazil's favorites with NEMA set to return to action
after injury. And the lava keeps flowing from a volcano in Hawaii the new threat to a major worldwide wave.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta. You're watching "Connect the World". Good to have you with us. Well, I want to go to Qatar
now where a thrilling new week of football is getting underway at the World Cup. There is a real David and Goliath style battle taking place right now
as Japan takes on the 2018 World Cup runners up Croatia.
The score currently won all. And later we expect a big comeback on the pitch with Brazil's Neymar set to return from an ankle injury to face South
Korea. Well, Don Riddell is in Doha outside the stadium where Brazil and South Korea will kick off in a few hours from now. Good to have you there
for us, Don, so Croatia and Japan, let's start with this game underway right now Croatia of course with the 2018 runner up. But right now the tide
went on with Japan
[11:30:00]
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, another really exciting game potentially another upset Lynda or at least that's what we thought as this game went
into halftime with the Japanese side taking the lead through Dyson Maida. Croatia equalizing a short time ago through Ivan Perisic, but who knows how
this game is going to go, especially when you consider what Japan have already done in this tournament.
Arguably, they've had the toughest route to the quarterfinals out of all of the teams. They've already come from behind to beat Germany already come
from behind to beat Spain. And now as you say they're playing the runners up from the last time around in 2018.
So the Japanese team doing incredibly well at this tournament. It does feel as though one of the themes of this competition is Asia rising. It will be
fascinating to see what South Korea can do against Brazil here later on this evening. Of course, Brazil are the favorites, but South Korea have
earned their way to this point. Thanks in large part to a win over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal at the end of the group stag.
KINKADE: And Don, it is good for Brazil at least that the Neymar will be returning after his ankle injury.
RIDDELL: Yes.
KINKADE: But of course many people are thinking of Pele right now is still in hospital expected to watch the game.
RIDDELL: Yes, that's what we're hearing. You know, there was a moment on Saturday afternoon when the reports circulating and I guess we can call
them rumors that were circulating was that his condition had seriously deteriorated. But his daughters have made a media appearance on Sunday and
squash quite a lot of that.
They're saying he is in hospital. He's in there as a result of a lung infection. He did apparently test positive for COVID a few weeks ago. And
because of the cancer medication that he's on, he is in quite a vulnerable state. But the 82 year old has been posting comments on social media.
His official Instagram page recently did confirm that he will be watching the game against South Korea from his hospital this evening. And his
daughters have been telling the media that their dad is not prepared to say his goodbyes from hospital just yet.
KINKADE: Yes. And he will be hoping for Brazil to win and hoping that NEMA will be as good as gold after he's returned from injury.
RIDDELL: Yes, I mean, I got to hope so. I mean, he is a marked man, literally in the first game against Serbia. I mean, he really did get, you
know, a fair amount of stuff kicked out of him. And that's why he hasn't featured in his tournament since he had a pretty nasty looking ankle
injury. But it's great for the Brazil side that he's back.
Obviously, they could very much do with him and the team. They've been doing OK without him. But you know, the team and the fans and soccer fans
all over the world, we're thrilled to see Neymar involved in the action again, he is of course one of the biggest stars of the game.
KINKADE: We will be watching. Don Riddell, good to have you there for us in Qatar. Thanks so much.
RIDDELL: All right.
KINKADE: Well, let's get you up to speed on some other stories on our radar right now. And scientists are trying to figure out what caused the death of
about 2500 seals in the Caspian Sea. There was no sign of violence or fishing nets and now samples from the animals are being analyzed.
Caspian seals are endangered when the about 300,000 are believed to be left in the wild. Moroccans are voicing their concerns over their country's
growing economic problems. Hundreds of protesters marched in the Moroccan capital of Rabat that Sunday against high inflation and rising poverty
levels.
The UN is sending a special rapid tour in the coming day to review the situation. China is taking baby steps and loosening some of its very strict
COVID protocols in a number of major cities. Today residents in Shanghai, Beijing and several other cities can ride public transportation without
getting a COVID test.
And in Shanghai, people can enter some public venues without getting tested. Still many restrictions are in place across the country. The
Chinese government is easing COVID rules after the growing frustration and recent protests. And China is also allegedly asserting its power well
beyond its borders.
Some exiles who fled Hong Kong several years ago say China is secretly trying to intimidate them into returning home. CNN's Nina dos Santos
reports from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For three years Simon Cheng has called London home after fleeing a brutal clamp down on democracy
in his native Hong Kong, he sought sanctuary in the UK. But even here he says Beijing's tentacles are never far away.
SIMON CHENG, HONG KONG DISSIDENT: Sometimes I received some factoring letters.
SANTOS (voice over): He shows us an email he received last year with a warning.
CHENG: It said the Chinese agent would come fight you and take you back in just a matter of time.
[11:35:00]
SANTOS (voice over): And then pictures of people he says have been following him. Like this man in Westminster and this car he spotted in
multiple locations. Last year, Cheng says someone offered around $12,000 on WeChat to get hold of his address.
SANTOS (on camera): Do you feel safe in the UK at the moment?
CHENG: I don't think safe in the UK is actually happening, the persecution happening on the British soil. And if you don't protect it, it only shows
to the British public that even the government in here doesn't try to protect their judicial sovereignty and dignity.
SANTOS (on camera): Last year, the UK opened up a pathway for more and more Hong Kongers to gain citizenship on UK soil. And as more people continue to
arrive here seeking shelter, the pressure is on for authorities to make sure that the Hong Kongers rights are protected.
That issue came to a head last month after a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was assaulted on the grounds of the Chinese Consulate in
Manchester. After that, this warning to Great Britain
YANG ZIAOGUANG, CHINESE EMBASSY SPOKESPERSON: Protecting shelter to the Hong Kong independent elements will only in the end bring disaster to
Britain.
SANTOS (voice over): Now, this NGO report says the Chinese police have been operating covertly from three addresses across the UK and elsewhere around
the world, in part to pressure people to return home. China says these centers help nationals with admin, like renewing driver's licenses and are
staffed by volunteers. They say to suggest otherwise would be "a smear". Either way, lawmakers are demanding urgent action.
IAIN DUNCAN SMITH, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: People have fled to the UK because we believe in human rights, the rule of law and democracy so that
they can have free speech. Hong Kong has many students came over the B&O scheme. What did they find when they come here? Chinese unofficial police
stations, that is shocking and under anybody's rulebook should have been sorted out by now.
SANTOS (voice over): CNN wasn't able to independently verify Simon Cheng's allegations. But we have heard multiple similar stories from other Hong
Kongers in the UK.
SANTOS (on camera): What do you think the objective of Chinese authorities is?
CHENG: They try to silence us with fear. If we succumb to fear, the Chinese Communist Party will win.
SANTOS (voice over): Nina dos Santos, CNN London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Still to come on "Connect the World" Donald Trump's call for the termination of the U.S. Constitution. We'll talk with CNN's Stephen
Collinson about what it could signal and why it could be dangerous.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Well, there is just one day left before the final raise to the U.S. mid-term elections. And incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock
and his challenger Herschel Walker are in the final hours of campaigning ahead of the run-off election in the state of Georgia on Tuesday.
The contest has some surprising verbal jousting like the comment from Herschel Walker and the amusing rebuttal when Barack Obama came to Georgia
to campaign for Warnock. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HERSCHEL WALKER, REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: Yes, watch a stupid movie late at night. Hope you're going to get better. Don't get better. But
keep watching the other night, the other night watching this movie or watching a movie on Friday nights, late night, sometime tonight - about
vampires. I don't know if you know vampires who people found out a way to kill a vampire. I don't want to be a vampire anymore. I want to be aware.
BARRACK OBAMA, 44TH U.S. PRESIDENT: Mr. Walker has been talking about issues that are of great importance to the people of Georgia. Like whether
it's better to be a vampire or a werewolf. This is a debate that I must confess I once had myself when I was seven. Then I grew up as far as I'm
concerned he can be anything he wants to me, except for a United State Senator.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, more than 1.8 million votes have already been cast in the race with Wanaque campaigns pushing for early voting. Now we have just
learned that former President Donald Trump is expected to host a Tele-rally for Herschel Walker in the coming hours.
The 2020 poll contender has stayed away from Georgia physically ahead of the contest, with advisors believing that it would do more harm than good
for him to hit the campaign trail for Walker. Well, Mr. Trump's call for the termination of the U.S. Constitution continues to draw some strong
reaction.
It opposed on his truth social network Saturday. The former president pressed his false claims of "massive fraud in the 2020 election", saying it
should allow for the termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution.
Well, I'm joined now by CNN Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson. He says even if Mr. Trump's idea of abolishing the Constitution seems far-
fetched, his behavior needs to be taken seriously because he remains an extraordinarily influential force within the Republican Party. Good to see
you Stephen.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Hi.
KINKADE: So Trump wants to terminate the Constitution. This is a man who vowed to support it time and time again; I just want to play some sound of
Donald Trump over the last few years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, 45TH U.S. PRESIDENT: We're supposed to protect our country, support our country, support our Constitution and protect our Constitution.
In this great chamber, we preserve our glorious inheritance, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Bill of Rights. As
President, I have no higher duty than to defend the laws and the Constitution of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: So as president, he understood the importance of the Constitution. Now for his calls to abolish part of it or some of it or terminate all of
it, is anyone taking him seriously?
COLLINSON: I guess the Constitution Lynda is in the eye of beholder. You know, Trump is all for the Constitution when it allows him to pursue his
political lens. But as we saw repeatedly in office, he often sought to infringe it when, you know, he wanted to get something done some personal
political goal.
I think this is the kind of outrageous demagogic comment that we've got used to from Trump to some extent, he's trying to incite interest, anger
among his supporters, this is his political methods. So I think we should take that into account.
But at the same time, this is the person who is at the moment, at least the front runner for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. And
before that, he's having an extraordinary strong role in the formation of the Republican majority in the new house.
He's a very influential figure there; some of his most committed supporters in the house on the Republican Party are seeking to use that majority to
punish Biden as a weapon for his political campaign. So that, I think is why we need to take this seriously.
As well as the fact that it's yet another indication, not just what Trump's motivation was in inciting the Capitol Insurrection and trying to steal the
2020 election, but the kind of approach he might pursue if he ever got back to the White House after the 2024 election.
KINKADE: Well I wonder what it says about his desperation in the wake of the midterm elections where many of the candidates Trump bat last.
[11:45:00]
COLLINSON: Right. And this comment, of course, seems completely oblivious to the fact that Trump's message and method in the midterm elections, his
sponsorship of election denialism candidates all flamed out pretty much in swing states, although some did quite well in the redder Republican States.
So, you know, that's why I say that it could be an attempt to get some interest to fire up his supporters and to re-launch the kind of political
strategies that helped him win the Republican nomination, first of all. But there are an increasing number of Republican politicians who want to get
away from this kind of circus, even if Trump's strength still makes it difficult for them to say so publicly.
And more significantly, a number of big Republican donors who bankroll GOP presidential campaigns have indicated that they're looking for someone
else, perhaps, somebody like Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, who brings a lot of the ideological currency of Trumpism populist nationalism, but is a
bit more of a controlled character and is far more self-disciplined.
You know, ever since Trump launched his campaign, he's really struggled to make an impact. He's not really laid out a future program. He's carried on,
as you say, on this election denialism that really wasn't successful in the midterm elections, even among some Republican voters.
KINKADE: You know, Stephen, in recent weeks, Trump has hosted a rapper Kanye West, or Ye, as he now wants to be known after he went on his anti-
Semitic rant. He also hosted at his resort in Florida this far right Holocaust denier. He really seems to be going after this hardcore base of
supporters. Is that base enough do you think to give them another real crack at the presidency?
COLLINSON: Well it wasn't enough in 2020; it wasn't enough for Trump star candidates in the midterm elections last month. And this descent into
extremism or further descent into extremism, I think shows that when you're a candidate whose principal political strategy is to shock people and show
your anti-establishment, you end up going further and further towards the Right Wing fringe.
And that is one of the reasons why as you mentioned, Trump hasn't been called in to campaign in the Georgia Senate run-offs. In the 2020 senate
run-offs, he helped lose the Senate for the Republicans in Georgia and this kind of extremism didn't work then and it's not going to work now.
KINKADE: Stephen Collinson, as always good to have you with us joining us from Washington, DC. Thank you. Well, a quick programming note CNN special
coverage of Georgia Senate run-off between Warnock and Walker is set to start at 4 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday. So tune in for that.
Well Netflix has announced it is releasing it's much anticipated - series on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex this week. The first three episodes of
the series called Harry and Megan will be released on Thursday with the next three to drop a week later. The couple has promised the program will
present the full truth about the pressures they faced and their ultimate decision to walk away from the royal family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a hierarchy of the family. You know there's leaking, but there's also planting of stories.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a war against Megan to suit other people's agendas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about hatred. It's about race.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a dirty game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the Sussex's have a multi-year content deal with Netflix. Still ahead on "Connect the World" very slowly but very surely a major
roadway on Hawaii's Big Island faces a threat from molten lava. We'll give you a look from up above when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
KINKADE: Well, nearly 2000 people have been forced in their homes because of volcanic eruption in Indonesia. No casualties have been reported so far,
but the eruption forced people to get to safety any way they could many covered in ash. Mount Semuru in East Java began erupting early Sunday
meeting a plume that reached an altitude of roughly 15 kilometers.
The smoke and fog in the air can irritate the respiratory system and be pretty dangerous. Officials are handing out thousands of masks. And lava
from the world's largest active volcano is barely more than three kilometers from a major highway in Hawaii.
In the wake since Mauna Loa erupted a stream of lava has been coursing through the north east of the Big Island though no communities are at risk.
David Culver took to the skies to assess the threat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We are on the road before sunrise. Quickly realizing we can already spot our destination some 30
miles out. There you see it that red orange glow Mauna Loa erupting. To give you a better view, though, we go up in the morning dark Paradise
Helicopters, Darren Hamilton, our pilot and guide giving us rare access.
DARREN HAMILTON, PILOT, PARADISE HELICOPTERS: I assume we'll know when we see the volcano? Yes it's just off, kind of, the eastern side there at
about the one o' clock position that is the plume there.
CULVER (voice over): Having flown in military hot zones, Darren even admits this is firepower like no other.
CULVER (on camera): What was it like the first time you flew over lava?
HAMILTON: Oh, it was a blast.
CULVER (voice over): It can also be challenging, especially with heavy fog or volcanic smog.
HAMILTON: So there you can see the gasses from Fissure 3.
CULVER (voice over): Those acidic gases are dangerous if the concentration levels are too high. On the ground, officials closely watching the lavas
potential impact on saddle road, the main highway that connects the east and west of the island. Erupting last Sunday for the first time in 38
years, Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano is one of five that make up Hawaii's Big Island.
And it's not the only one currently erupting neighboring Kilauea also active, though no longer shooting lava to the surface like it did in 2018.
DOROTHY THRALL, LIVES NEAR VOLCANO: Were - Lee Street, which is where my house was, and it's that away on the opposite side in the subdivision.
CULVER (voice over): Dorothy Thrall invited us to where her home now sits buried under 60 feet of lava. You can see a metal streetlight fused into
the rock four years after Kilauea did this to her Leilani states community. She still walks it as though she's on her old street with her old
neighbors.
CULVER (on camera): When you have something like this, I assume you're all dispersed after that.
THRALL: Yes, we lost that sense of community and it's what we lost in addition to the homes.
CULVER (voice over): Mauna Loa's eruption and emotional trigger for Dorothy and others is forcing the trauma from Kilauea back to the surface. The 2018
lava flow wiped out more than 600 homes here some untouched but left lava locked an island within the island.
Dorothy showed us this video she captured a few weeks back trekking over lava rock helping friends gather the last of their belongings from their
home. The reminders of devastation here are--
THRALL: This was a home they evacuated the second night and I believe it went under the third night.
CULVER (on camera): And just took their home.
THRALL: Just took their home.
CULVER (on camera): And four years later, it's still steaming.
THRALL: It's still steaming, yes.
CULVER (on camera): And how long will it stay like that?
THRALL: Probably 30 to 40 years.
CULVER (on camera): How is it that you can still see beauty after so much loss?
THRALL: Because lava is beautiful. OK, it's - creation. That's how the island was formed. That's how the island was built.
CULVER (voice over): An appreciation shared by Native Hawaiians leaving offerings on Mauna Loa, and thousands of tourists and locals arriving past
sunset just to witness the lava glow. Nighttime traffic backs up for miles to avoid the congestion. Let's get back to the skies.
HAMILTON: That's 2 to 3 thousand degrees Fahrenheit or about 1000 Celsius. That's molten rock, flowing like water.
CULVER (voice over): Which has already crossed one volcano road power lines in all a searing slice right through it?
[11:55:00]
HAMILTON: It's incredible the heat you feel as soon as you get close to it. And look at this. The rushing flow the river you see the current of lava.
CULVER (voice over): Darren estimates its moving 30 to 40 miles per hour.
HAMILTON: But this, the source of it all. I mean, there's nothing like this just spewing from the top.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: CNN's David Culver reporting there from Hawaii. Well, that does it for this edition of "Connect the World" thanks so much for joining us. I'm
Lynda Kinkade. Stay with us. "One World" with Isa Soares is up after a very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:00]
END
