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Connect the World
CNN International: Syrians Reflect on Loss of Loved Ones Under Assad Regime; Suspect Luigi Mangione Fighting Extradition to New York; Accuser Says he was Blacklisted as a Security Guard after Alleged Sexual Assault by Sean Diddy Combs; Saudi Arabia Poised to Host Tournament for First Time; Students Lead Day of Action to Save the Planet; Franklin Fire Forces Thousands to Evacuate in Malibu. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired December 11, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: This is the scene in the Syrian capital of Damascus at this hour as rebel forces, make new gains around the
country. And this time in Kurdish areas, we're going to take you to the Middle East for the latest developments on that. It is 09:00 a.m. in
Washington D.C., 05:00 p.m. in Damascus.
I'm Jessica Dean, and this is "Connecting the World". Also coming up today, in the hour ahead, Saudi Arabia will be named as host nation of the 2034
World Cup. We have a full report on this historic moment for the region and the tough questions being asked about the Saudi bid.
Plus, urgent action to help the environment. CNN goes around the world to meet people making a difference on this call to Earth Day. And the stock
market in New York will open in about a half hour. The indices are on the green premarket, as you see just a few minutes after the Bureau of Labor
released the consumer price index.
Prices were up 2.7 percent in November, showing U.S. inflation is heating up slightly, but analysts say not so high, to keep the Federal Reserve from
cutting rates next week. After rebels ousted the Bashar Al Assad regime, the turmoil in Syria is now reaching areas controlled by Kurdish forces.
The rebel coalition says it's taking control of the Eastern City of Deir Ezzor, and you can see many camouflages outside the administration building
there. Deir Ezzor had been controlled by the U.S. backed and Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF. It comes just a day after the SDF agreed
to withdraw from Manbij, which is near the Turkish border, following attacks from a group allied with Turkey.
And for more on all of this, I want to go to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who is in Abu Dhabi. Paula, two Kurdish control cities have now fallen, one of the
rebels, as we noted, one to the attacks by a Turkish backed group. What does it tell us about the many players who were involved in Syria? It's not
just a single rebel coalition.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, exactly, Jessica, and this really does highlight just how many groups you're talking about here. And they
were all united up until very recently, by a common enemy. They were all considered anti-Assad groups. And so, they were united in their quest to
topple the dictator that has happened.
And now, of course, they have to find a new reason to unite, and we are seeing that is simply not happening. In some cases, we're seeing Turkish
backed factions fighting against Kurdish fighters in Northern Syria in a number of different locations of over the past week.
We also heard from Turkish state media, they say that a Turkish drone took out a convoy, as they believed that Kurdish fighters had taken control of
some weapons. They say there were about 12 trucks filled with ammunition, which they took out and provided images of that as well.
So, you have these different groups, for example, the Turkish backed groups. It isn't just one group. There are dozens of groups within that
umbrella itself with many different ideologies, and they are fighting against the U.S. backed group, SDF. We heard from the U.S. Defense
Secretary, in fact, Lloyd Austin, talking about this, saying that they are conferring with the SDF.
They have been working with them in the past, as they say that they have been helping in the fight against ISIS, and they mediated a cease fire in
another area, a City of Manbij, that the SDF evacuated and withdrew from so it is highly complex. There are many different factions in Syria at this
point.
Before they were in different geographical areas. They certainly have different interests. But the fact that they were united against the common
enemy, that common enemy has now gone. So, it is being -- it's very interesting to see just how the main rebel group, HTS is going to be able
to try and create some kind of unity amongst them, if it will even try, Jessica.
DEAN: All right. Paula Hancocks, thank you so much for joining us this hour. We appreciate that reporting. As the dust settles more evidence of
the atrocities committed under the Assad regime is coming to light as many Syrians search for loved ones who disappeared into the prison system. CNN's
Jomana Karadsheh talked with a woman whose husband never made it out.
[09:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What's left of Daraya 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 Daraya and its people
are finally free.
This was for our children Anfiras (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 the siege starved and bombed into
surrender.
KARADSHEH: Anfiras 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 cruelest 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 on to the hope he would be released and her 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 Raith (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, Anfiras (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 Daraya.
KARADSHEH: She says, I'm just one of thousands and thousands of stories, and that's just in Daraya 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 in New Syria emerges from the rubble of their broken lives.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Daraya, Syria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: The Israeli military says it's carried out nearly 500 strikes across Syria in the past two days, hitting weapon stock piles. And according to
the defense minister, destroying the Syrian naval fleet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israel would act to protect its own
security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We have no intention of interfering in Syria's internal affairs. However, we do intend to do what
is necessary for our society. As such, I have approved the air force bombing of strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian military so
that they will not fall into the hands of the jihadists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: The Arab League is accusing Israel taking advantage of the rapid changes inside Syria, while Egypt says it's exploiting the situation to
take more land. The Israeli military admits its forces are operating in Syria beyond a long-established buffer zone. Here's CNN's Jomana Karadsheh
again at the site of an Israeli air strike on Damascus a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARADSHEH: That 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 have carried out hundreds of air strikes 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 air strikes or if this was some sort of secondary explosion, so we're
triggered by those past strikes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Jomana, thank you and joining us now CNN Political and Global Affairs Analyst Barak Ravid, who is also a Politics and Foreign Policy Reporter for
Axios. Barak, thanks so much for being here with us. I just want to start first with walking us through what Israel is trying to achieve here?
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Hi, Jessica. What Israel is trying to achieve is, you know, basically to destroy what's left
from the Syrian army. I think that's we can say it very clearly. The number of strikes over the last few days, I think, crossed 400.
[09:10:00]
The Syrian air force, I think, is gone more, mostly gone. The Syrian Navy is mostly gone. Syria's weapons depots were bombed. Syria is what's left of
Syria's chemical weapons program. Almost all of it was bombed. Some of it wasn't bombed yet, but I think it will be bombed in the next few days.
So, all in all, I think the Israelis are trying to take advantage of the situation to make sure that whoever controls Syria in the next few years
will need a lot of time to rebuild its military, and therefore will be less of a threat to Israel.
DEAN: And Barak, obviously there's Golan Heights there, and Israel has said that it has gone beyond kind of that buffer zone now. Do you think that
they will want to extend that border zone, make it larger geographically? Ultimately that, that might be --
RAVID: Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me at all. I think you know, at the beginning, the first day or two after the IDF went into the buffer zone,
the Israelis said, even in the letter for a letter to the U.N. that this is only a temporary measure. That's when I started to be suspicious, you know,
because in Israel, in the Middle East, everything temporary becomes a long term, and everything long term becomes permanent.
And therefore, what I hear from Israeli officials in the last few days is that when they say temporary, they don't mean two weeks a month, two
months, they're talking about years. And when something because they say there's going to be instability in Syria for years, and who knows who's
going to be on the other side of the border, we need to secure our border.
Therefore, if something happens, if this thing will continue for years, then I think it could turn into something which is actually permanent.
DEAN: And what do you know about the communication or is there communication between the Israeli government, or Israeli officials and any
of the rebels, or anyone that's in Syria right now? Are they talking at all?
RAVID: Yeah, they're talking all the time. First when it comes to, let's say, Kurdish groups in you know, the Northern Syria, Israel has very close
relations with them. When it comes to Druze groups in near in the Golan Heights and the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. And in Southern Syria,
there's also very close relationship, because there is a big Druze community in Israel.
Israel even told the Druze community in Israel that if the Druze community in Syria will be under threat, Israel will intervene. But when it comes to
HTS, I think that's the most interesting thing. And the Israelis have sent messages to HTS through third parties that they -- and they warn them not
to get anywhere close to the border with Israel, and that if they get close to the border with Israel, the IDF will take action.
So, I think there's a lot of suspicion in Israel about HTS, much more than the Biden Administration or in European countries. And I think the Israelis
are going to be very, very careful when it comes to this group.
DEAN: Yeah, more to play out there. All right. Barak Ravid, CNN's Political and Global Affairs Analyst, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.
RAVID: Thank you, Jessica.
DEAN: Still to come, the suspect accused of killing a Healthcare CEO is trying to fight extradition to New York from Pennsylvania. We are following
his case very closely. Plus, for the first time, we hear from a male accuser who says Sean Diddy Combs drug then sexually assaulted him during
one of Combs infamous white parties. We'll have more on the exclusive interview that's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:15:00]
DEAN: Right now, Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO, is fighting his extradition to New York, where he
faces a murder charge. CNN has just learned from two sources that fingerprint comparisons made between prints collected at Brian Thompson's
murder scene compared with prints taken in the arrest process of Mangione show a positive match.
Mangione being held without bail in Pennsylvania after prosecutors convinced a judge Tuesday, he's too dangerous to be released. His lawyer
denies his client's involvement in Thompson's killing. The CEO's death has even inspired a growing number of people frustrated with the health
insurance industry to support Mangione online and offer to pay his legal bills. Here's how his attorney is responding to those offers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS DICKEY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don't know. I just don't feel comfortable about that. So, I don't know. I haven't given that much
thought, but I'm not looking --Obviously, my client appreciates the support that he has, but I don't know. I just -- look in but it just doesn't sit
right with me, really.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: CNN's Brian Todd has more on the suspect, his well to do family and what former classmates are saying about him.
(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.
LUIGI MANGIONE, SUSPECT IN UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO KILLING: Thank you for the all the time and love you 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.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- and an insult to the intelligence of the American people.
TODD (voice-over): Tom Maronick Jr., worked for the Mangione's for over 20 years as a radio host at their family own station, WCBM. He says the
suspects 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 masters and bachelor's degrees in computer science.
He was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, social media photos show. He later worked as a software engineer for the online car sales company
True Car according to his LinkedIn page, his most recent address was in Hawaii.
FREDDIE LEATHERBURY, FORMER CLASSMATE OF LUIGI MANGIONE: 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, quote, 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 from that was firmer, and I
know it was really traumatic and difficult. You know, when you're in the early 20s and you can't, you know, do some basic things.
TODD (on camera): Luigi Mangione was the subject of a missing person's report filed in San Francisco by his mother on November 18, according to
"The New York Times".
[09:20:00]
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)
DEAN: Brian, thank you. And John Miller is CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst. He spoke to my colleague, John Berman about the
evidence that investigators are compiling in this case against Luigi Mangione, including a notebook with a chilling to do list. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: In the notebook. There are the to do list that talk about things he's going to
need, or things he's going to need to obtain, or things he going to need to do. For instance, when he arrives in New York, he doesn't go to the hostel
to check in to get rid of his backpack.
He goes straight to the Hilton Hotel to begin reconnaissance, which is one of the things on his list. But what have we been asking about for the last
week? Which is, how did he know to position himself between the Hilton Hotel and the Marriott locks across the street and slightly down the block
where the CEO was actually staying?
How did he know where to wait for Mr. Thompson? And he gives us a clue by saying some of this was social engineering, meaning assuming somebody's
identity in a pre-text, phone call or an email. So, he hints at gathering intelligence. But he also muses about modes of attack.
And he talks about Ted Kaczynski, who he has, you know, some kind of Unabomber worship, you know, bleeding through in his other online posts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: All right. John Miller there. Meantime, Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has spent the past few days on Capitol
Hill here in Washington, looking to sway any Senate Republicans still skeptical of his nomination. And now the odds of him getting confirmed seem
to be somewhat improved. Manu Raju has the latest.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hegseth had a critical meeting with one swing Republican vote. That's Lisa Murkowski of Alaska,
someone who often breaks ranks with her party leadership, someone who breaks ranks with Donald Trump, including voted to convict him in his
second impeachment trial, someone who opposed the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to sit on the Supreme Court over his own sexual assault
allegations with, of course, Kavanaugh also denied.
Here, Murkowski met with Pete Hegseth, they had what she called a good exchange of ideas, but she refused to say if she would back him, and went
to lengths to try to avoid reporters' questions she did and respond to some, including mine, but would not say if she would vote for him on the
Senate floor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): I had a good exchange with Mr. Hegseth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready to support him?
MURKOWSKI: I had a good exchange, and we'll see what the process bears.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: But ultimately, Pete Hegseth can only afford to lose three Republican votes. The question is, are there more than three who could scuttle the
nomination? At the moment, no republicans are opposing him, which is why Republicans are confident they can ultimately get there.
Now, there are other controversial picks who Republicans believe are falling in line behind what Donald Trump wants, including replacing the FBI
Director Christopher Wray, who has got three more years serving his 10-year term, replacing with Kash Patel, someone who is a mag of Firebrand in line
with Donald Trump's politics.
I caught up with Senator Lindsey Graham, who is a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I asked him about Donald Trump's apparent
threat to get rid of Christopher Wray, fire him from the job, and replace him with his pick to lead the FBI Kash Patel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Do you think that Wray should be fired?
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think he should. I think it's pretty obvious he wants a New FBI Director so.
RAJU: Would you be OK if Wray --
GRAHAM: Yeah, I like Director Wray, but I think the big -- it's time for a fresh start at the FBI.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: So, there is a belief that a lot of Republicans are falling in line behind, ultimately, what Donald Trump wants, but these confirmation
hearings will take place early next year. They can be complicated. The process can be thorough, the -- can be rigorous, and if allegations of past
controversies come up, it can always lead to a problem for any given nominee.
So, a lot of questions still about if any of that will come up, particularly with Pete Hegseth, but at the moment, Trump and his team are
pretty confident that Trump will get his cabinet in place and his senior officials in place early next year. Man Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
DEAN: For the first time, we are hearing from a male accusing Sean Diddy Combs of sexual assault in an exclusive interview with CNN. The anonymous
accuser filed his complaint against the embattled music mogul in October in a civil suit. And now the accuser is speaking out about what happened to
him during one of Combs' white parties nearly 20 years ago.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister sat down with this accuser, and Elizabeth joins us now from New York with more on this. What did he tell you, Elizabeth?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jessica, so this was the first time that this John Doe has sat down to tell a story. In
fact, this is the first accuser of Sean Combs to sit down for an interview with the media ever since Sean Combs has been hit with a series of
allegations and lawsuits over the past year.
[09:25:00]
Now this John Doe told me that he has never told anyone about what he says happened to him, other than the night that he alleges this occurred when he
says that he told his supervisor. Other than that, he never told his wife who he was married to at the time. He is no longer married, he tells me.
He has not told family members. He has not told coworkers. And that is part of the reason why he has filed his suit as a John Doe and why he wanted to
be concealed in our interview. Now I sat down with him yesterday at his home in New Jersey, and in his lawsuit, he alleges that in 2007 at one of
Combs' infamous white parties that he was given an alcoholic drink from Combs, which he believes was spiked. Let's take a look at what he told me.
And I do want to warn our viewers, this is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN DOE, SEAN "DIDDY COMBS' ACCUSER: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: Now, there have been over 30 civil accusers who have filed suits, Jessica, against Combs, and many of them have expressed similar
patterns of allegations, including having a drink or two that they believe was spiked because they felt woozy or couldn't stand after.
This, John Doe tells me that he couldn't stand. He says that is when Sean Combs then came over to him, he thought that he was trying to help him,
since he didn't feel well. But then he alleges that Combs brought him into a vehicle, and that is when he sexually assaulted him. He tells me about
that moment. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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 VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: Now I asked him what compelled him to come forward when he filed his lawsuit about two months ago in October. And he told me that he
actually didn't know that there were other alleged victims of Combs until he started seeing news reports. And there was one report in particular that
really hit him hard.
And that was an accuser who alleges that they were nine years old at the time that they say that they were abused by Sean Combs. This John Doe told
me, when he saw that, he said, if a nine-year-old could come forward, then I certainly can come forward. And he says that he actually felt badly.
He was wondering, if he came forward earlier, could he have prevented some of these other alleged incidents from happening over the past two decades,
Jessica.
DEAN: Oh, my goodness. All right. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thanks so much for sharing that with us. You're watching "Connect the World" live today from
Washington. And still ahead where the 2030 and 2034 World Cup to be held, and why one of those host nations is facing intense scrutiny.
Plus, coral reefs provide some of the most important ecosystems on the planet, and they're in trouble. We'll hear from a coral gardener, looking
to turn things around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
DEAN: Welcome back. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington, and you're watching "Connect the World", some quick checks of the markets that just opened up
on Wall Street off the back of a 2.7 percent rise in Consumer Price Index. Take a look. That is what we are tracking right now.
And we'll continue to keep an eye on it as well. Any time now, FIFA will formally announce the host nations for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. It
will happen during an extraordinary FIFA Congress underway in Zurich, Switzerland. The 2030 tournament will be held in Spain, Portugal and
Morocco, while the 2034 World Cup will go to Saudi Arabia.
Those nations were the only candidates for each tournament. Amanda Davies joins us now from London. A lot of eyes on these announcements, Amanda.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, very much Jessica, that was the FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressing this extraordinary Conference, which
is being held remotely. And this is a day that is normally filled with suspense and anticipation, ultimately joy and heartbreak over the awarding
of football, if not sports, biggest prize, the biggest event in sport, the Football World Cup.
But there's two issues really this time around, one, over the process and the way these events have been awarded, and then the questions about, at
what cost. These have been the worst kept secrets in football, really, and it says so much about the state of play, where we are with World Football
that we know already, without a vote, that it will be Morocco, Spain and Portugal hosting the tournament in 2030.
And then, as you rightly mentioned in 2034 Saudi Arabia, that is the addition of this tournament that is really getting the most of the
headlines, the biggest spotlight shone upon it. It will be the second World Cup to be held in the Middle East, after Qatar, of course, in 2022. And
this is being awarded despite a host of concerns that have already been flagged from numerous human rights organizations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FIFA to host the 2034 World Cup Saudi Arabia.
DAVIES (voice-over): Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman have made no secret of their desire to become the world sporting
destination of choice. Now it's set to host the biggest prize of them all, the FISA World Cup.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Qatar.
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 learnt any lessons, Steve, good or bad, from the Qatar experience?
STEVE COCKBURN, HEAD OF LABOUR RIGHTS AND SPORT AT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: My fear is that the lesson they've learned from Qatar is that they can
write 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.
[09:35:00]
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, quote, natural causes.
There have 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 lost a huge opportunity here.
DAVIES (voice-over): FIFA has told CNN it has implemented, quote, 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.
HAMMAD ALBALAWI, HEAD OF SAUDI WORLD CUP BID UNIT: We're very proud of what we've achieved. We're very hungry to do more, and that is a commitment that
we have in the areas of human rights across all areas.
DAVIES (voice-over): 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 moment in the spotlight in 10 years' time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIES (on camera): Well, somebody who has been embracing the spotlight in recent times is the FIFA President Gianni Infantino, not being afraid to be
photographed, to be seen shaking hands with the likes of MBS in Saudi Arabia, much like he did with Vladimir Putin in the build up to 2018 in
Qatar.
And as he has been doing with President Trump of around 2026 that he promised to be the face of the new FIFA when he came to become president in
2016 but from what we've been seeing, perhaps not immune to make the same mistakes of the past once again.
The FIFA extraordinary congress is taking place as we speak, is item eight on the agenda, which is going to be the official awarding of these two
tournaments to Morocco, Portugal and Spain, and then Saudi Arabia. But it says so much of where we are, the state of play, the engineering of this
process.
There's not going to be questions asked by the media, there's not going to be a press conference. It's very much a done deal, quite literally,
Jessica.
DEAN: All right? Amanda Davies with the latest. Thank you very much for that. The Kremlin says ensuring security at Russian military bases and
diplomatic missions in Syria is, of quote, paramount importance. Moscow saying it has contact with the new leadership in Syria, but some in Russia
are acknowledging challenges Moscow could face under this new government.
Russia, of course, was a major ally of ousted President Bashar Al Assad. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports,
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Syrians embark on a new era after ousting long-time 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 good will in the Middle East is perceived as weakness. Weakness is unacceptable, he says. What should be done in this situation,
he's asked? Talk from a position of strength, he answers. But how much power does Russia still hold in Syria?
[09:40:00]
Kremlin control 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.
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. 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 have
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)
DEAN: And coming up, dedication to conservation for one student, it involved picking up thousands of cigarette butts on the beach. It's part of
our special "Call to Earth" coverage, and it's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: And welcome back. We're 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're inheriting -- correspondence filing reports from around the world, including Beijing, London and Los Angeles.
And our theme this year is connected generations. We'll be looking to the wisdom of our ancestors for sustainable living practices and how we can use
them in our daily lives. So first we go to London, where Anna Stewart met students who have been traveling the world to learn about the environment
even help clean it up. She's at the Southbank International School Westminster campus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Thank you for joining us for "Call to Earth Day" 2024.
[09:45:00]
You have already been to Tenerife. What did you do there? And what's your project about?
MARTIN, SOUTHBANK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENT: Well, we collaborated with marine biologists to learn about the importance of sustainability and
climate change. And we went on, for example, we went clean beaches. We picked up over 5000 cigarettes in one hour on single beach.
And the trip itself served as a holistic educational experience for me and my classmates that taught us the importance of taking care of the
environment.
STEWART: Going to Tenerife sounds pretty great, but aside from the fun of it, is it really important to get hands on experience and to see climate
related projects in action?
MARTIN: Of course, because before going to Tenerife, I didn't realize the scale of the problem when I actually went and picked up that many
cigarettes and saw the effects of tourism, both on land and in the water, and how it affects the marine life. It really did change how I saw and it
was important to have a first hand and hands on experience.
STEWART: Let's look at some of the pictures you've got here.
MARTIN: So here, for example, we're tracking the number of whales and the groups also in the pier, which is around there, we're tracking the number
of boats that went in and out of the harbor over varying hours, to see the change in the number of boats coming in and out.
STEWART: Thank you very much for sharing your project with us.
MARTIN: Thank you.
STEWART: And over here, we have a group of students who haven't gone on their trip yet. You're all off to Kenya. Is that right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right?
STEWART: Walk me through what you going to be doing in Kenya.
VIOLET, SOUTHBANK INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENT: So, a group of 42 students from our school are going to Kenya with a focus on environment and
sustainability. So, we're going to be doing draft conservation as well as partnering with two schools and collaborating with them to provide them
with what they need.
So, for example, school equipment and water pump, which we're working on fund raising for now, for example, then they had charity night, and we were
working at international night to raise money.
STEWART: Oh, talk to me about the charity night you had. Show us that picture.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here's the volunteers for international night. So, as well as all the cultures being able to have a table and representing
themselves. We also had a table to talk about our adventure and our expedition to Kenya, and to possibly raise funds for it.
And then for my charity event, I chose to throw a concert because that's something that I'm very interested in, and I did it outside of school so I
could raise money to be able to help the students.
STEWART: I hope you have the most incredible time. Hope you learn lots, and we will catch up with you again, maybe next year, once you come back. That
is all we have time for here, from the students at Southbank International School in North London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: And our thanks to Anna Stewart and the students for that report. The oceans coral reefs are under threat from climate change in French
Polynesia, we find a young man who is trying to replant the world's coral reefs as part of the Rolex perpetual planet initiative. CNN's Isabel
Rosales spoke with Titouan Bernicot, the Founder of Coral Gardeners.
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Titouan Bernicot, thank you so much for joining us and for talking about this very important topic. Let's start
with gardening. When I think of gardening, my mind goes to pruning and planting. What is a Coral Gardener?
TITOUAN BERNICOT, FOUNDER AND CEO OF CORAL GARDENERS: A Coral Gardeners is a new job. You know, we have been planting trees on land since thousands of
years, but it's only couple decades that we are now planting things in the water. So, we are growing and planting resilient corals to restore life in
our lagoons.
ROSALES: And tell me about your organization. What does it do exactly, and where does it operate?
BERNICOT: Coral Gardeners is an organization. I started seven years and a half ago, and it was straight out from my bedroom when we, with my
childhood friend. Now it's operating globally. We have operations in French Polynesia, where I am based right now, but also in the islands of Fiji, in
Thailand, and soon, little bit all around the world. And we're trying to have that global impact here.
ROSALES: And I think you're 25 years old, right?
BERNICOT: Yeah, exactly.
ROSALES: You were just 18 years old when you started Coral Gardeners. What inspired you to act at such a young age?
BERNICOT: I always grew up with the water around me. I grew up on a pearl farm, and so the ocean. It always been my school, my playground. And it's
really when I was 16, 18 years old, that I realized that life in our water was something so important, not only for me, but for the entire planet.
I mean, we call this planet, we live in the blue planet, and some of the lungs of our blue planet are the ocean with a healthy coral reef. And when
I was 16 years old, I went surfing, and I realized we were losing one of the most important ecosystems on the planet, the coral reef, and I wanted
to do something about it.
ROSALES: On the vein of what you were just talking about. This year, the scientific community reported the fourth global mass coral bleaching event
ever, the second in just the last decade. How is climate change harming the reefs?
[09:50:00]
BERNICOT: It's getting more and more serious every year. We have lost half of the coral reefs fall white in the last 30 years. But the corals are on
our planet before the dinosaur. So, it's quite alarming. And this year, especially with El Nino, with the rising temperature of the water due to
global warming, a lot of the coral reef fall white, the bleach, like from the Great Barrier reef in Australia, from Tahiti, Indonesia to the Florida
Keys.
So, the corals are being just so stressed, they are bleaching and then dying. And so, all the scientists and practitioners around the world are
trying to find solution to do what we call climate change adaptation methodology and planting heat resilient corals, but also trying to inspire
the world to take action and reduce our carbon footprint globally. We need healthy oceans here.
ROSALES: What are the short-and long-term goals for your organization? Where do you want to be?
BERNICOT: So Coral Gardeners, the big idea behind is that everyone can adopt corals -- was like, OK, how do I connect the world to the coral
nurseries growing in front of my house. And so, we thought we saw that people were adopting stars, et cetera. So, I was like, why can someone in
New York or in LA or Paris can go online and in 32nd adopt their own coral that we plan with the team?
And so, my goal is to have a maximum of people all around the world either coming with us to plant coral hands on, or planting corals online and
trying to reach the new generation and tell that story of the reef so we can restore like hectares of reef all around the world and create that
global movement.
ROSALES: Good for you, good for me, good for the world. Keep up that great work. Titouan Bernicot, thank you so much for this discussion.
BERNICOT: I will do that work. Thank you so much.
DEAN: And thanks to Isabel Rosales there with the Founder of Coral Gardeners for great interview. You can learn more about "Call to Earth Day"
and how students around the world are taking action at cnn.com/call to Earth. Will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: Officials in the Malibu area in California have issued nearly 20,000 evacuation orders to try to keep people safe from a fast-moving wildfire
there. The Franklin fire exploded on Monday, consuming an area larger than five football fields per minute. Strong winds and dry conditions have
fueled the wildfire.
Local officials say no deaths or injuries, though have been reported so far. CNN's Nick Watt is in Malibu, and he sent us this report just a short
time ago.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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 1500 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.
[09:55:00]
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.
DEAN: All right, meanwhile, along the U.S. East Coast, high wind alerts are in effect from Maryland to Maine, where damaging winds could gust up to 50
to 60 miles per hour. That's strong enough to knock down trees and power lines. The winds are part of a slow-moving storm system, which is also
expected to cause flooding and major travel delays in the northeast, including New York and Boston, today.
Almost all of the East Coast will see rain fall, with two to four inches possible in some areas. Parts of New England should expect rapid snow melt,
which could add to the flash flooding concerns. I'll be back with more "Connect the World" in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
