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Isa Soares Tonight

Syrian Civil War Reignites As Opposition Forces Enter Aleppo; Notre Dame Cathedral Restored After 2019 Devastating Damage; U.K. Lawmakers Vote In Support Of Assisted Dying; First Look Inside Restored Notre Dame Cathedral; U.N. Officials Speaks To CNN After Recent Trip To Sudan; Prepping For Christmas At London's Santa School; Black Frida Kicks Off Huge Shopping Weekend. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 29, 2024 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00]

ZAIN ASHER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, I'm Zain Asher in for my colleague Isa Soares. Today, Syria's civil war

reignites as opposition forces enter Aleppo and push ahead with a major attack on President Bashar al Assad's government. Plus, glory restored to

one of Paris' most famous landmarks.

We will tell you inside the newly-restored Notre Dame Cathedral. And U.K. lawmakers vote in support of assisted dying. We'll have the details on the

landmark move which would allow the terminally-ill to end their lives. All right, at this hour, Syrian opposition forces are inside the major city of

Aleppo for the first time since the government recaptured it in 2016.

A stunning scene here, rebel fighters taking down the Syrian flag at the statue of President Bashar al Assad's brother, who died in a car accident

in 1994. Another video geolocated by CNN shows a rebel fighter driving through the deserted streets on the western side of the city.

This video appears to show government tanks leaving Aleppo as rebel forces advance. We should note the video was released by the opposition's military

command. Rebels launched a major attack earlier this week against pro-Assad forces. They claim they've taken control of dozens of villages on the

western side of Aleppo.

Meantime, the Syrian government and its allies are striking back. New video shows the aftermath of attacks in Idlib. The White Helmets say that Syrian

and Russian air strikes hit the rebel-held city of southwest of Aleppo, at least, four people were reportedly killed.

The Assad government has long relied on support from Russia and pro-Iranian militia including Hezbollah as well. CNN's senior international

correspondent Ben Wedeman has reported extensively for us from Syria. He joins us live now from Rome. So, Ben, you and I were speaking earlier,

Aleppo is, of course, Syria's second largest city.

It's a major industrial hub. I mean, this would be major if these rebels were actually able to retake Aleppo.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It would be a major blow to the regime of Bashar al Assad. Now, what we've seen is visual

confirmation that they've certainly entered western parts of the city. There are reports that they've gone far deeper than that. Those reports as

yet unconfirmed.

They even -- they've even entered, it appears, parts of the city that never fell to the rebels while they were in control of the city. Parts of the

city, that is, between 2011 and the end of 2016 when the regime restored complete control of Aleppo. Now, the Syrian army has put out a statement

saying that they are reinforcing all locations along various battle fronts.

But this is an offensive that began on Wednesday, and until perhaps 24 hours ago, there were no battle fronts in the city of Aleppo itself. And

what we're hearing from residents in the western part of the city is that they are seeing regime forces fleeing their positions in the western part

of the city.

So, this is definitely a severe blow to the government of Bashar al Assad, which has been in full control of the city since 2016, has invested a

certain amount of resources to try to rebuild the city and restore normal life. But certainly, if we see this continued offensive by the rebels into

Aleppo, that's definitely a serious blow to the government in Damascus.

Now, this is a coalition of rebel forces. It's calling itself the military operations command. It includes a former affiliate of al Qaeda known as

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and also includes remnants of the free Syrian army that are backed by Turkey, very actively backed by Turkey as well.

[14:05:00]

Now, the Russians and the Syrians do have air superiority. They also have obviously much more artillery than these rebel forces. But what we're

seeing is, even though air strikes have been launched against the stronghold, the rebel stronghold of Idlib, which is southwest of Aleppo, in

terms of actually stopping this rebel advance, we're not seeing much in the way of that. Zain.

ASHER: Ben Wedeman live for us there, thank you so much. And the three-day- old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be fragile at best after the IDF says that it carried out another airstrike in southern

Lebanon today. It follows two other strikes by Israel on Thursday.

Israel and Lebanon have accused each other of violating the conditions of this truce. Israel's Foreign Minister is warning of an immediate response

from the IDF is if Hezbollah does violate the ceasefire. As for the war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying that he's ready

for a ceasefire there, but not for ending the war until Hamas is eliminated.

With Winter coming, the humanitarian conditions in Gaza are making an already dire situation even worse. With thousands of people displaced,

shelter is hard to come by, and food and medicine are scarce. An aid worker described the desperation so many are experiencing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUISE WATERIDGE, SENIOR EMERGENCY OFFICER, UNRWA: People are starving. People are fighting over flour. Bags of flour. That's the desperation. I'm

seeing children going through rubbish. Huge piles of trash, trying to pick out any kind of tin can that might have some scraps in the bottom of it.

They're going through the trash with the dogs.

Children. It's just cruel. It's just suffering. Yesterday I had 10, 15 people come up to me and ask me if I could help find their children. Some

of them haven't seen their children for a year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: From Tel Aviv, let's bring in CNN's Jeremy Diamond. So, Jeremy, let's just start by talking about the ceasefire between Israel and

Hezbollah. Obviously, it's fragile, obviously, there have been violations, but it does appear to be holding at this point in time.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: For the moment, it is indeed, Zain. And we are now in the third day of that ceasefire and multiple

violations have been claimed on either side of this. And the Israeli military itself has acknowledged that it has now carried out at least three

airstrikes that we know of in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire began.

They say that they are enforcing this ceasefire, that they are acting against violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah. In the instance today, we

saw the Israeli military strike a truck that they said was a portable rocket launcher. And what we know is that the Lebanese military is

describing these strikes as violations of the ceasefire.

But this is ultimately the tricky part in all of this and the inherent risk in what Israel is doing, is that they are both a party to the ceasefire,

but they are also trying to put themselves in the position of enforcing the ceasefire through force, through these various strikes. And so, the

question is, is Hezbollah ultimately going to view these strikes as violations and choose to reignite this war?

Or perhaps because they are so weakened by months of war with Israel, will they instead choose to let these slide effectively and allow the ceasefire

to continue. Certainly, for now, it seems like both sides are incentivized to keep this ceasefire going, and it is indeed holding, although it

certainly remains fragile. Zain?

ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond live for us there. Thank you so much. Let's get more now on the conflicts in the Middle East. Fawaz Gerges is a

Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and the author of "What Really Went Wrong: The West and the Failure of

Democracy in the Middle East".

He joins us live now from Istanbul. Fawaz, thank you so much for being with us. I just want to start by getting your reaction to this idea that rebel

forces are now in Aleppo. I mean, this is the first time we've seen this since 2016. Give us your take.

FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Shock. It's really a military earthquake. What's really

surprising, Zain, is that how many Syrian army units have folded in the past three days? You have -- I mean, the reason -- are we surprised? Yes,

we are surprised.

I mean, I don't think we appreciated how vulnerable the Syrian army has been. Israeli attacks in the past few years have really undermined and

weakened the Israeli army considerably. The President, Bashar al Assad's major allies, the Russians and Iran and Hezbollah are preoccupied somewhere

else in the Ukraine, in Gaza, in Lebanon.

[14:10:00]

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and both the Islamists and the nationalist opposition have really used this particular moment in order to strike and strike very

hard. And of course, we have to wait and see. It's been just three days. There are fierce fighting in many parts of Idlib and around Aleppo, but the

first -- this is the first really major reigniting of the Syrian war that really has never ended.

I mean, we have seen a respite, a truce, but the war itself has been really simmering underneath in many parts of Syria.

ASHER: And you mentioned just how preoccupied Russia is with Ukraine. You've got Hezbollah not just preoccupied, but they've also been weakened.

Iran obviously preoccupied with domestic issues. Now that we've seen this sort of significant turning point, I guess, with rebel forces in Aleppo, do

you think the -- these traditional actors who have assisted Syrian Armed Forces, will they now step up their game and come to their rescue again,

and if so, how will they do that?

GERGES: Russia is very much engaged in the shifting sands of the Ukraine. Russia does not really have any ground forces to send to Syria. It has an

Air Force, a very small air contingent. And we know this kind of battle requires boots on the ground because the opposition, the Islamist and the

nationalist opposition are really using Guerrilla tactics.

They're moving very fast, very quickly. A paramilitary fighting skills. Iran and Hezbollah don't really have the resources at this particular

moment because Israel has been hammering Iranian bases and assets in Syria nonstop for the past three years. And Hezbollah is a bit exhausted.

Hezbollah cannot really send any forces to Syria.

So, the question facing now the Syrian government, will Syria be able to really reconstitute its forces? Will Syria be able to really go on the

offensive? Will the Syrian government be able to stop the offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist and the nationalist opposition and

reclaim and recover the areas? Many big "ifs".

But the reality is, I mean, so far, look, you and I were talking about the political and the military tools. More than 20,000 people have been

displaced, hundreds of people have been killed. The Middle East does not really need any -- another warfront. More refugee, more loss, more

suffering.

It seems to me that the Syrian war that has been simmering since 2019 has been reignited. This is really a nightmare, a nightmare for Syria and the

Syrian people.

ASHER: And if the Syrian Armed Forces aren't able to contain the rebel forces, I mean, obviously, you mentioned that, you know, the people that

they would have relied on to assist them just don't simply have the bandwidth to help as much as they had been in the past. If that's the case,

I mean, if the rebel forces completely retake Aleppo, how much of a blow would that be to President al Assad?

GERGES: No, a huge blow, almost a near fatal blow. I mean, Aleppo is the beating heart of -- economic beating heart of Syria. In fact, in 2015, the

recapture of Aleppo by Syria and Russia and Hezbollah and Iranian forces was really a turning point in the war against the opposition.

So, the recapture, if and when the opposition, both the Islamists and the nationalists recapture Aleppo, this could really reconstitute, mark another

turning point in this particular war. But the reality is, it's just the beginning. We have to be cautious about really generalizing -- about what's

going to happen in the next few days and next few weeks.

But what we are seeing now is really the reigniting of the second and third and fourth phase of the Syrian war, and it means more bloodshed, more

turmoil, more losses, more suffering, more displaced people and more refugees.

ASHER: I just want to switch gears quickly and talk about the ceasefire that's still holding between Israel and Hezbollah. I mean, what is it going

to take and what will determine whether this temporary cessation of hostilities actually ends up leading to something possibly more permanent

after January?

GERGES: Always, Zain, it's the following. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given two major interviews for Israeli television in

the past few days, and he said, quote-unquote, I'm paraphrasing, "while there is a ceasefire, the war has not ended. What he really means by that

is that he's going to really use the same tactics that he has been using in Syria, taking unilateral actions against any target in Lebanon that he and

his coalition deem to represent a threat to Israel.

And what I worry about also is that the Americans seem to have given Israel a -- basically a sacred understanding or a promise, allows Israel to really

take action unilaterally in Lebanon.

[14:15:00]

If this is the situation, I don't think the ceasefire will last for too long. If really, Benjamin Netanyahu and his, you know coalition -- think

that they could really attack at their own, you know, disposition, at their own understanding and estimate, this really means that the ceasefire will

literally last between -- I mean, more than in fact, will not last in the next 60 days.

That's what I fear the most. The question is, what will the Biden administration, what will France do in the meantime? It's too early, as you

know, it's been just a few days. And you have an international committee made up of the United States and France that will oversee and do the

oversight. So, we have to be a bit cautious to -- and wait a bit to see what's going to happen in the next few days and next few weeks.

ASHER: I mean, the ceasefire is already beyond fragile, and there has been violations, multiple violations as you know, we're only a few days in.

Fawaz Gerges live for us there, thank you so much. All right, still to come, British lawmakers have just approved a bill to legalize assisted

dying. We'll look at what that means for people with terminal illnesses coming up.

Plus, a gothic gem restored to its full glory. We'll go live to Paris for a first look at the newly-invigorated Notre Dame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, British lawmakers have just approved a bill to legalize assisted dying. After hours of debate today, the House of Commons voted 334

and 275 against supporting the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM LEADBEATER, LABOR LAWMAKER: I want to pay a huge and heartfelt tribute to those families, and to every single person who has contacted me about

this issue. And in many cases shared their own very personal stories of loss and death. I know from my own personal experience of grief, that

telling your story over and over again takes energy, courage and strength. And I'm incredibly grateful to you all. It is your voices and your stories

which have inspired me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Over the years, high profile figures have given emotional, firsthand testimony on the subject. Under the legislation, terminally ill --

terminally ill people would be able to take a substance to end their lives. The bill must still pass the House of Lords and parliamentary committees.

[14:20:00]

For more, let's bring in Gareth Owen; he's a Professor of Psychological Medicine, Ethics and Law at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and

Neuroscience at Kings College London. Thank you so much for being with us. I'm going to start by reading a quote from Esther Rantzen, and for our

international audience who don't necessarily know -- who might not know who she is, she's a British former talk-show host, "BBC" journalist, and she

was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.

And what she said was, "what is happening at the moment is compelling people to have really agonizing deaths. That memory of someone in agony

becomes a tragic memory that overwhelms other happy memories for the family left behind. The law at the moment" -- before today, obviously, "is a mess,

and it is cruel."

Obviously, this bill was quite controversial, but for those of us who are fortunate enough to be healthy, it is really difficult to understand what

people who are terminally ill go through at the very end stages of their lives. Just give us your take professor.

GARETH OWEN, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE, ETHICS & LAW, INSTITUTE OF PSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOLOGY & NEUROSCIENCE, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON: Well,

thank you for having me. I mean, the end of life -- in the last six months of life is in my experience of working clinically in palliative care

settings.

Actually, remarkably similar to the rest of life. It's actually quite similar to how we live our lives. People live terminal illnesses or have

terminal illnesses of very different types, and they're often very well looked after in medical social care provisions in hospices and so forth.

But there has been a lot of anxiety, I think within the population at large, about end of life.

And a concern about wanting to be able to exert or have control over those final periods, to be able to put -- exert control and choice over death.

So, the question of choice and autonomy is very much at the forefront of this discussion and debate. And in the research group I'm involved with at

King's College London, the complex life and death decisions group.

We had some public opinion polling research which showed that about two- thirds of the public do want legislation of the type which Kim Leadbeater in the Westminster parliament introduced today. So, we know that there is a

good amount of popular interest or public opinion interest in this -- in this legislation.

There is concern about how it can be implemented, and even in people who support it. There's concern about the issue of pressure and coercion. So,

what we found in our research is that amongst those who support it, the majority actually would potentially revise their support of it if cases

involving coercion and pressure were to come to the fore.

ASHER: Yes, you know, just touch on that point, there were a lot of people who were concerned about coercion and pressure. And that it would be

expanded, not to just include people who have a terminal illness, but those people who might be, for example, disabled, vulnerable, elderly people,

other people beyond those who are terminally ill might feel pressured, might feel coerced to possibly end their lives before they were ready.

I mean, that was some of the fear and concern. What do you say to that? What are your thoughts on that?

OWEN: Yes, that, those concerns were expressed very well in the debate today. Five hours of really very high quality debate in the Westminster

parliament. They were also expressed in the -- in the public opinion polling that we did. So, when people are thinking about vulnerability,

they're thinking about people with mental health problems, they're thinking about people who've got, let's say cognitive impairments.

They're thinking about the elderly and so on. Now, coercion or pressure is a very subtle thing. It can be sometimes extremely difficult to detect, and

it's not only external coercion, i.e., you know, obvious cases of putting of -- other people putting pressure on somebody. It can sometimes have an

internal source.

So, you internalize a sense of yourself as not worth it or having a duty to, in fact, end your life for the benefit of others. Those internal forms

of coercion are incredibly difficult to be certain about and to assess. So, one of the concerns that I think will have to be continued to be debated

here is what does the change in the law mean?

What sort of effect does that have culturally and societally on -- what -- the sorts of questions that people ask themselves. And those were points

that were very well made in the -- in the Westminster debate today.

[14:25:00]

Diane Abbott made some very striking points about that, I thought today.

ASHER: Yes, I mean, you bring up a really good point that coercion is very subtle, it's not something that is always just sort of said outright. It

can be sort of implied. It can be intimated. And it's also about people who might just feel that they're a burden on loved ones, on family members.

There are those who also worry that palliative care will get worse under this bill. I mean, what do you -- what do you make of that? Your thoughts

on that.

OWEN: Well, I think a very heartening thing of the debate today was that across all of the differences that were being expressed, there was a shared

view that palliative care needs to be developed in the United Kingdom. It needs to be -- it needs to be strengthened. A lot of it occurs within the

hospice movement, which really a charitable organization.

So, they depend on the sort of goodwill really, of public giving. And so, there was a lot of discussion about how palliative care needs to be

improved. If we're to go forward with this legislation. And I thought that was positive.

ASHER: All right, Professor Gareth Owen live for us there, thank you so much. All right, still to come tonight, a first glimpse at a restoration

project more than five years in the making. Next, we go live to Paris to see the makeover of Notre Dame Cathedral after that horrific fire in 2019.

Plus, Sudan faces a humanitarian crisis at an alarming scale. We speak with a U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs about the urgent

challenges being faced in the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, celebrations in Paris today as one of the city's most famous landmarks, Notre Dame Cathedral is restored to its full glory. We're

getting a first glimpse inside the historic cathedral more than five years after a devastating fire caused catastrophic damage.

[14:30:10]

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron toured the cathedral for a final inspection a week before its official reopening. He told restoration

workers that they have transformed ashes into art.

The blaze in 2019 was a major setback for the monument, which has stood tall for some 860 years. As you might imagine, work has come with quite a

hefty price tag. It's estimated to cost around 700 million euros. That's about 738 million U.S. dollars.

Let's go live now to Melissa Bell in Paris. But the thing is, Melissa, that was money well spent. I understand that it's stunning inside.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's absolutely stunning. Look, it was on this very bridge just over five years ago that

April of 2019 that I stood. There were many crowds, thousands of people had gathered when their first images on social media had appeared of the flames

came out of the roof of Notre Dame. And you can see that tower on the right-hand side of the building. The flames were way above that.

And as we watched in horror, the fear was that that tower, and perhaps much of the rest of the cathedral, might collapse. There were people chanting.

There were people praying. It was quite a powerful moment. And now, more than five years on, we've had a chance to see what those many hundreds of

millions of dollars have achieved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (voice-over): A new dawn for Notre Dame Cathedral, more than five and a half years after a fire tore

through parts of the Gothic structure in the heart of Paris. Sparkling stonework highlighting the stunning results of the estimated 737 million

dollar restoration as it was unveiled to France's President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

After the 2019 blaze, the president had vowed to rebuild Notre Dame even more beautiful than it was. Entering the cathedral with his wife, Brigitte,

on Friday, it was clear that France had achieved just that.

It was at the same time repaired, restored, and rebaptized, Macron said. Millions had watched in shock and horror as Notre Dame's 96-meter spire

tumbled into the church during the 2019 blaze. Now, its renaissance is complete. Touring the epicenter of the blaze, the medieval roof structure

known as the Forest, Macron saw the beams rebuilt by hand from 1,200 oak trees from across France.

Among the highlights of Macron's tour, a mural in the north enclosure of the choir that was badly damaged in the fire, and the Virgin of Paris, a

14th century statue that became a symbol of resistance when it was found standing resolute, surrounded by burnt wood and collapsed stone. And the

beautiful Saint Marcell's chapel, one of 29 chapels that have been lovingly restored. Viewing the 12-meter-wide grand organ, Macron described it as

sublime.

More than 1,300 people involved in the restoration were invited inside as the French president wrapped up his final visit to the site before its

former reopening.

You have transformed ashes into art, he told them. The whole planet was upset that day in April. The shock of the reopening will be as big as that

of the fire, he said, thanking the crowds.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (on camera): Zain, just that at timber rebuilding that roof, the Forest as they call it, at the very top of Notre Dame, such an

extraordinary feat. Those oaks, the 2,000 of them that were involved, many hundred years old each, it was through the River Seine -- by the River

Seine, that they were brought to Notre Dame in order that they could be rebuilt.

Again, this has always been considered the beating heart of Paris. And what was so moving today was to see a glimpse of it, because the public won't

get in for another week, but a glimpse of what the public, not just Parisians, but the French and visitors as well, will be able to rediscover

for themselves shortly. The beating heart of Paris open once again, Zain.

ASHER: All right, Melissa Bell, such a great story. Thank you so much for being with us. I appreciate it.

All right, we're tracking a new night of protests in Georgia after police clashed with demonstrators on Thursday. Pro-E.U. protesters are furious

over the government's decision to suspend membership talks with the E.U. These are live pictures in Tbilisi, the capital. It's just gone 11:30 at

night. Police were seen using tear gas and water cannons overnight while men wearing balaclavas were seen running into the crowds and beating

people.

[14:35:04]

The country has been in turmoil since last month's disputed elections. The pro-E.U. opposition has said the vote was rigged under Russian influence.

The polls before the election showed that more than 80 percent of Georgians wanted to join the E.U.

All right, still to come tonight, we'll speak to a U.N. official in charge of humanitarian and emergency relief. He was just in Sudan and will join us

for an update about the crisis in that country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, welcome back. We continue to track the dire situation in Sudan. A little more than a week ago, Russia vetoed the U.N. Security

Council resolution on protection of civilians in Sudan. Critics claim Russia is trying to play both sides at the expense of Sudanese lives. This

comes as the power struggle continues between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary rapid support forces. The U.N. reports the conflict has killed

at least 20,000 people and injured more than 33,000.

Our next guest has been to the region. Joining us live now is Tom Fletcher. He's the UN's new Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and

Emergency Relief Coordinator. Tom, thank you so much for being with us. Obviously, this war has been going on for far too long.

TOM FLETCHER, UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR, UNITED NATIONS: Thank you for having me on.

ASHER: Of course. This war has been going on for far too long, and one of the major concerns is famine. The fact that there is simply -- aside from

the conflict and aside from the people who are dying from bullets and bombs, just the sheer fact that there is simply not enough food to go

around, especially in the harder-to-reach areas. Just walk us through what you saw on the ground when you visited Sudan.

FLETCHER: It's unrelentingly grim. And I've been in the mad of Sudan for the last week. I was in West Darfur today, a region that we're not normally

able to get into in that way. As you say, there is mass starvation, sexual violence being used as a weapon in the war. You've got millions displaced

in need of shelter, food, essential medicine. You've got the threat of the conflict continuing. And so, for children, for women, for civilians, this

is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world right now.

[14:40:00]

ASHER: Absolutely. And just in terms of what the international community can do -- I mean, obviously there are so many crises happening across the

world right now. I mean, Gaza, southern Lebanon, Ukraine, of course, you know, the world's attention has not been on Sudan. The world has absolutely

been distracted, not to mention there was an election here in the U.S.

But just walk us through what the international community should be doing to step up to really assist those who are in dire need of assistance.

FLETCHER: Well, you're right. I mean, too much of the world, this does seem like an invisible crisis. And of course, it's not invisible to us as

humanitarian workers or as the U.N. And so much of my work this week was negotiating, meeting by meeting, checkpoint by checkpoint, border by

border, so we could get more support in more lorries across the border. And I was there on the border yesterday watching that essential aid get in.

But of course, it's not enough just to provide that support. And that support is nothing like enough for the 25 million who need help. What we

need is for the great powers of the world to step up and stop this conflict, to say enough is enough. And people keep telling me, as you say,

that they're distracted. They're too caught up in their lives at the moment, that there's too much else going on to really care or show

compassion for these people who are in such dire need.

But I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that we've lost our sense of human solidarity. I think we've got a call time on this era of

indifference and impunity.

ASHER: And so, if the world doesn't step up here, if the world continues to look the other way, which happens a lot, by the way, when it comes to

crises in Africa, as I'm sure you know, what is your biggest fear? What is the risk here?

FLETCHER: My biggest fear is that this crisis gets even worse. It's hard to imagine how it could. You know, having heard the stories of the survivors

of sexual violence, having met the kids displaced multiple times and now suffering from starvation, having seen the scale of the conflict inside the

country. But it could get even worse. It could drag even more people into starvation.

It could mean that the country becomes even harder to reach because of the level of conflict by our humanitarians who are out there in the field

marching towards the sound of gunfire in order to try to stop it. All of that could get even worse. And that crisis could also explode. Explode

outwards and drag in other countries in the region as well. It's already becoming a regional crisis, but it could become even worse.

ASHER: Yes, it is a regional crisis because, you know, you've got countries like Chad who are taking in

thousands of refugees every single day. And Chad doesn't really have the -- I mean, Chad is not a wealthy country, you know. Chad does not have the

bandwidth to absorb a lot of these refugees. The camps, the refugee camps in Chad, as I understand it, are extremely overcrowded. They're

underfunded.

Just talk to us about what the Sudanese refugees in Chad are having to deal with at this point.

FLETCHER: Well, you're exactly right. Chad is bearing a huge part of this burden. And I've spent a lot of time with refugees here. I'm in Chad right

now. But also, with the host communities who are hosting them with incredible generosity. You know, we all talk about the international

community being the donors here, but it's actually the biggest donors here are the local populations who are bringing people into their homes, but

also facing the consequences of having a massive influx.

You know, as one person described it to me yesterday, it's like a whole country arriving in your town, you know, in the course of a few days. So,

that's creating massive inflation. It's creating instability. And this is a country which is already very vulnerable. It's the poorest country in the

world. It's the country that's most vulnerable to climate change. It's suffered from terrible floods, terrible drought.

And so, they're saying very clearly, we need much, much more help. We cannot cope alone with this crisis. And yet the funding appeals that we've

run for Chad are only half met. We've got to go so much further. We really need to scale up in Sudan. We need an avalanche of support and avalanche of

solidarity. But we also need that for Chad too.

ASHER: That's such a good point. And just in terms of children, children specifically in Sudan, you know, obviously they are dealing with severe

injuries just in terms of gunshot wounds, from explosions and shrapnel. What is the state of access to health care for a lot of these kids in

Sudan? What have you seen from that perspective?

[14:45:00]

FLETCHER: Well, we're doing our best and we're getting trucks of health care through. But it's just the tip of the iceberg really, because as I

say, 25 million people are in need. And I met many of those kids who were getting access to that care. But of course, there are millions who I didn't

meet. And it's utterly heartbreaking as a parent to see kids going through this, and seeing them displaced multiple times, but also seeing them miss

out on their education.

And the single biggest thing those kids said to me was, we want to go to school. They want the same things we do. They want to build their lives of

dignity and opportunity. They want to live in the security. And instead, they're in this inferno. We're deeply traumatized by multiple waves of

conflict and multiple crises.

ASHER: Yes, the kids, I mean, not going to school. I mean, that is -- obviously, we talk a lot about the famine and not having access to food and

the inadequate health care. But of course, you know, without education, there's a lot of children in both Sudan and parts of Chad who are refugees,

who risk becoming part of a lost generation.

Tom Fletcher, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

All right, still to come tonight, the holiday shopping season has officially kicked off in the U.S. What's to know about this year's Black

Friday bargains? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, it is Thanksgiving weekend in the United States. And that means that Christmas is around the corner. So, Santas are ironing their

suits, and combing their beards, preparing for a jolly holiday season by going to Santa's school. Anna Stewart shows us what it's like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some people prepare for the holidays with Christmas lights and decorations. But these Santas have a

more detailed preparation ahead.

JAMES LOVELL, CHIEF SANTA TRAINER: Welcome to the 2024 Fiji Mermaid Santa training.

STEWART (voice-over): As you can imagine, being Father Christmas is a big feat. But at Santa School in London, they start their training months in

advance.

These jolly fellows are given the tools needed to be the most authentic Santa Claus.

LOVELL: This year, there are a lot of not-very-nice things going on in the world, and I think people are looking for Father Christmas to bring them a

little bit of joy. People just need more jollity this year. They need more magic in their lives. That's what Santa brings.

LOVELL: He started life as --

[14:50:02]

STEWART (voice-over): James Lovell has been a chief Santa trainer for over 25 years and says his bookings this year are up a merry 20 percent.

From learning all the reindeers' names --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donner, Dasher, Cupid, Vixen, Dancer, Prancer, Comet and Blitzen. And Rudolph!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donner, Dasher, Cupid, Vixen, Dancer, Prancer, Comet and Blitzen. And Rudolph!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donner, Dasher, Cupid, Vixen, Dancer, Prancer, Comet and Blitzen. And Rudolph!

STEWART: -- to the history of Christmas and even how to interact with your elves. These Santa students are taking notes, making sure kids and adults

have the best Christmas experience. Lovell even has a surprising rule: don't ask kids what they want for Christmas.

LOVELL: You shouldn't actually ask them what they want for Christmas, because most children have written you a letter. And if you're asking them

what they want for Christmas, you're basically saying you haven't read their letter, which is rude. You read the letter, and you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho, ho, ho, ho!

STEWART: And you can't be an authentic Santa without the perfect "Ho, ho, ho!"

LOVELL: Give them a "Ho, ho, ho!"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho, ho, ho!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho, ho, ho!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho, ho, ho!

LOVELL: Give them a bigger "Ho, ho, ho!"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho, ho, ho!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho, ho, ho!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho, ho, ho!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can go "Ho, ho, ho," and some people can go, "Ho, ho, ho." But it's when you go, "Ho, ho, ho!" that you find that it sounds a

bit more authentic. Because that's what people hear on Christmas eve when they're looking up at the sky.

STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: I learned so much about the perfect ho, ho, ho, there in Anna Stewart's piece. All right, the race for the cash register is on. The Black

Friday shopping is well underway. And as usual, it's shaping up to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. 180 million shoppers expected to

hit stores in the U.S. this weekend, both in person and online. They're hoping to pick up some bargains. But Black Friday is also hugely important

for the stores themselves, helping them, of course, boost their bottom lines.

CNN's Meena Duerson joins us live now. She's been out with shoppers in East Rutherford, New Jersey. What are you seeing? What are people seeing? What

sort of deals are they nabbing up there?

MEENA DUERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the days of people lining up in the middle of the night and having these stampedes to get Black

Friday deals might be over. But this season is shaping up to be pretty healthy. We've seen a pretty crowded mall today. And people are telling us,

you know, they're coming in person to get deals that they can take advantage of in the stores versus online. A lot of people really still

prefer to shop in the mall and pick things up.

We've talked to a lot of shoppers who are out buying things for themselves, as well as, you know, gifts for other people. So, we can take a little

listen to what some of them told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we came for the deals because we're trying to save money.

DUERSON: What --- did you find a good deal?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we actually bought a lot. Yes, we spent a good amount today.

DUERSON: What kind of stuff did you guys get?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got clothes, we got makeup, we got hair products.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUERSON: We saw a lot of younger shoppers out in the mall today, and that is a big trend this holiday season. You know, a lot of younger shoppers, 18

to 24, are taking advantage of deals this weekend. You know, a lot of people told us they're out here buying electronics. You know, some people

are stocking up on big TVs.

Those are items, you know, that people are in America potentially purchasing, you know, right now while they're thinking ahead a few months

maybe taking advantage of sales right now while tariffs that may go into effect in the -- in the new year, while those haven't hit consumers yet. So

that's another thing on shoppers' minds, potentially, as we head, you know, into the next administration.

ASHER: It looks really busy behind you. I'm not a fan of long lines. I'm not the most patient person, so I'm doing a lot of my shopping online.

Meena Duerson live for us, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

All right. America has a new top dog, Vito. The pug has been crowned winner of the National Dog Show. It's the first time in two decades that a pug has

won the title. And Vito faced some tough competition. Roughly 2,000 K9 competitors took part in the contest and were judged on their appearance,

temperament, and their structure.

At only 2-and-a-half years old, Vito has already racked up 25 Best in Shows. Vito's owner says that she is so proud of her pug.

All right, the first North Atlantic right whale calf of the season has been spotted off the coast of the Carolinas. The young whale was seen alongside

three potential mothers, with researchers unsure which of the older whales the calves belong to.

For wildlife advocates, the sighting is caused for hope, given the species is nearing extinction, mainly due to human interaction. It's estimated that

only about 370 of the massive creatures remain, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females.

[14:55:12]

And coffee lovers at Starbucks will now have a chance to see something at one new location. That none of the others can offer a view into North

Korea. This Starbucks just opened in South Korea inside an observation tower that's near the Demilitarized Zone. From the deck on a clear day like

this, you can actually see some low-rise buildings and farms across the Jo River on the North Korean side.

One customer says the Starbucks in his neighborhood feels very different. And as he sips his coffee here, he only wishes he could share it with the

people living in North Korea.

And before we go today, we want to go back to Georgia. It's a live picture for you where police have unleashed water cannon and tear gas on pro-E.U.

protesters. These are out of the capital Tbilisi where it's almost midnight. Protesters are really angry. They're furious about the government

suspending talks with Brussels about joining the E.U. This after last month's disputed elections. The pro-EU opposition has said the vote was

rigged under Russian influence.

All right, thank you so much for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. I'm Zain Asher. "NEWSROOM" with Richard Quest is up next.

END