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Trump Picks McMahon as Education Secretary, Dr. Oz as Medicare and Medicaid Services Head; Russia-Ukraine War Reached 1,000 Days, Nations Stand for Ukraine. African Penguins Now in the Brink of Extinction. Aired 3-3:45a ET
Aired November 20, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.
Warnings of a potential air attack in Kyiv as the Biden administration makes another major policy shift on weapons for Ukraine.
Israel's Prime Minister offers a $5 Million award for every hostage brought back alive. How the families are responding to this new approach.
And Donald Trump's picks for his 2nd term stir more controversy as he taps Dr. Oz to run Medicare and Medicaid.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us.
It is 10 A.M. in Kyiv, Ukraine where the U.S. embassy is closed for the day after receiving information of a potential air attack. The embassy has told employees to shelter in place, and U.S. citizens elsewhere in the capital are being asked to prepare to take shelter if an air alert is announced.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is making another major change to its policy, sending anti-personnel mines to Ukraine for the first time since Russia's invasion. Two officials say the U.S. intends for Kyiv to deploy the mines for defensive purposes only in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have made slow but steady progress.
That decision comes days after the White House approved the use of longer range weapons by Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory. Moscow says Kyiv fired U.S. supplied ATACMS missiles at a weapons arsenal in the Bryansk region on Tuesday.
In apparent response, Vladimir Putin updated Russia's nuclear doctrine. The Kremlin says Russia now has the right to use nuclear weapons in response to attacks using conventional weapons. So let's bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian who is following developments
live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So the closure of the U.S. embassy in Kyiv in preparation for a possible attack comes after President Biden approved anti-personnel mines just days after allowing these long range missiles to be fired into Russia. What does all this signal?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary. Look, it's not at all rare for us to hear about multiple air raid sirens throughout the night in Kyiv, which apparently did happen, overnight into this morning, especially over the last few months.
The air war has been ramping up pretty significantly. What is pretty rare though, is to hear the U.S. Embassy say that it has specific information of a potentially significant air attack, and to shut down telling its employees to identify their nearest shelter. This is not something that you see every day, so we are, of course, monitoring, for more information on that.
I think, clearly, as you say, this is a very heightened time. This warning comes just a day after Ukraine for the first time according to the U.S. and Russia used U.S. supplied long range missiles on Russian soil, apparently hitting a weapons depot that Russia claims, that it managed to avert in large part, that attack.
And, of course, Russia wasted little time in issuing a very thinly veiled, nuclear warning to the U.S. by updating its nuclear doctrine, something that had been in the works. It's not a wholesale shift in its nuclear doctrine.
And, certainly, according to the Pentagon, it's not a shift in its nuclear posture, but this fits a very clear pattern that we've seen throughout the war when Russia feels that it, may be on the back foot, that it may be unable to deter further western support, for Ukraine, that it does rattle the nuclear saber.
And, of course, the U.S. has signaled very clearly off the back of that that it is not deterred, in providing further support at this point for Ukraine. The Biden administration approving, the supply according to two U.S. officials of anti-personnel mines.
This is a Rubicon that they had ruled out crossing the Biden administration, even several months after the start of the war, signaling that they would no longer be developing or exporting anti- personnel mines. But I think this is a clear measure of two things.
One, that the Biden administration intends to front load as much aid as possible for Ukraine, before they leave office in January, and is, you know, really trying to buy Ukraine time perhaps so that Europe could pick up some slack if the Trump administration pulls back on aid.
And secondly, a measure of what's happening on the front lines. These anti-personnel mines, the CNN understands from these officials, are designed to be used on the eastern front to hold back that Russian advance. They are, according to the Pentagon's own website, a force multiplier,
something that can help in a situation where the enemy has a numerical advantage. So that has a very clear utility for Ukraine at this point in the war. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Alright. Our thanks to Clare Sebastian joining us live from London with that report.
[03:05:07]
Anyone who frees a hostage from Gaza will be paid millions of dollars. That is according to the Israeli prime minister who made the offer during a visit to Central Gaza on Tuesday.
Benjamin Netanyahu also promised safe passage out of the territory for any person and their family who brings a hostage back to Israel, and he issued this warning to the captives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHUY, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I want to say to those who are holding our hostages, whoever dares to harm our hostages, his blood is on his head. We will pursue you, and we will get you.
I also say to those who want to get out of this maze. Whoever brings us a hostage, we will find a safe way for them and their family to get out. We will also give a reward of $5 million for each hostage returned. You choose. The choice is yours, but the result will be the same. We will bring them all back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: About 100 hostages from the October 7th attacks remain in Gaza, and it's believed dozens of them are dead.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is following this live from Abu Dhabi. She joins us now. So, Paula, how effective will this be in securing the remaining hostages? And what are the families of these hostages saying about this plan?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, I think there's a fair bit of surprise, at what the Israeli prime minister has said for well over a year now. He has said that the goal is to destroy Hamas completely.
And yet, here you see him standing, at the Netzarim corridor, which splits north from South Gaza, saying that he potentially will pay certain members of Hamas $5 Million if they return the hostage that presumably they have been holding all this time.
So I think there will be a fair bit of surprise at this change in strategy. Now we have spoken to the families of two of those hostages. So we had Ruby Chen, who is the father of Itay Chen, a U.S. citizen, who Israeli military considers to have been killed on October 7th, but his body taken into Gaza. He has been vocally critical of the lack of movement in these negotiations. Listen to his response to this offer from the Israeli prime minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF ITAY CHEN, A U.S. CITIZEN HELD IN GAZA: It is unfortunate that after 411 days, the prime minister does not have a strategy. That is a tactic, and it is not a way to get all 101 hostages. They might play a few.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Now, CNN also spoke to the mother of another hostage, Matan Zangauker. And she said that the prime minister is trading the hostages' lives. She was very critical of this strategy saying that it could actually put the hostages at risk in trying to, as she put it, divide and rule in Gaza through bribes to the captors.
She's very concerned that this will put the lives of those who may still be alive at risk. And she was, very critical, of the prime minister as well, saying that it was not the way to be offering money to Hamas, saying it's unbelievable the man who funded Hamas is once again offering money to Hamas.
Now this refers back to a controversial deal back in 2018, where Qatar was, giving millions of dollars to Gaza. And it was with the knowledge and tacit support of Israel.
Netanyahu, at the time, had said it was to try and prevent humanitarian disaster in Gaza and to protect the Israeli villages around Gaza. But so far, there has been criticism from those families of the hostages still inside the Gaza strip. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Our thanks to Paula Hancocks, bringing us that live report from Abu Dhabi.
Donald Trump has been busy announcing several more cabinet picks and other positions on Tuesday. He's chosen Dr. Mehmet Oz, a surgeon and T.V. personality, to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Trump also named Linda McMahon to be the next secretary of education. She's been the co-chair of his transition team and formally led the Small Business Administration in Trump's first term. McMahon also is a former T.V. personality from her time with World Wrestling Entertainment.
And Howard Lutnick is Trump's pick for secretary of commerce. He is the other co-chair of Trump's transition team and is CEO of financial services firm, Cantor Fitzgerald.
[03:10:05]
It's still unclear who Trump will pick for treasury secretary. CNN's Kristen Holmes looks at who's in the running. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump's transition team could announce a nominee for treasury secretary as early as Wednesday. I'm told by two sources who say they are meeting tomorrow on Wednesday to discuss those slate of candidates.
This had been held up. This is probably the biggest position that is left to announce. They've been held up because co-chair of the transition, Howard Lutnick, had essentially inserted himself into the race against hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, which really upended the entire thing.
Now on Tuesday, Howard Lutnick was named Secretary of Commerce, taking him effectively out of the running. However, there are still several candidates as Donald Trump had expanded the field in recent days. All of them have met with Donald Trump and the transition team, and I am told no decisions have been made.
However, again, they are hoping to get this out as quickly as possible, specifically given that so many of Donald Trump's policies on day one that he has said are related to the economy. So we'll see if they're able to make that goal of Wednesday night. They are obviously trying to tick through a number of these cabinet positions as we inch through this transition process.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Michael Genovese is a political analyst and president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University, and he joins me now from Los Angeles. Welcome. Good to have you with us.
MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST AND PRESIDENT, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY-GLOBAL POLICY CENTER: Thank you so much.
CHURCH: So let's start with new appointments made by President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday. First to Wall Street banker Howard Lutnik, tapped for commerce secretary. Lutnik, actually wanted but did not get the top spot of treasury secretary.
That position has been proving a bit of a challenge for Trump to fill, although we are hearing that that may happen in the coming hours. But what is your reaction to Lutnick being tapped for Secretary of Commerce but overlooked for Treasury?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, treasury was the gold standard, and Lutnick was so intent on getting it that people around Trump say that he overplayed his hand. There was nothing subtle about it. He was put -- he was really doing the hard sell.
I think that's probably bothersome if not offensive to Trump. And so he found him a hot spot, but he didn't give him the toy that he most wanted.
CHURCH: So he pretty much moved him out of the way, presumably, for that announcement, which we will wait for, of course.
And Donald Trump also named T.V. celebrity and surgeon, Dr. Oz, to head up Medicare and Medicaid Services. That's for 160 million Americans. Is he the right person for the job?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, he is a doctor. He's a medical doctor, so he has that qualification. He ran for the senate with the backing and the hot backing by Donald Trump.
So he's in Trump's orbit and he's loyal to Donald Trump. And one of the things we found in the appointment process now is that fawning loyalty is the first requirement if you want to get into the Trump cabinet or in a top position.
The second one is you have to be good on television, and Dr. Oz is great on television. And so you Donald Trump wants people who will defend him and defend him well on television.
CHURCH: And, Trump tapped Linda McMahon as his education secretary. Your thoughts on her credentials for that task at hand?
GENOVESE: Yeah. She's a businesswoman, a lot of experience, very close to Trump, close to the world of wrestling where Donald Trump seems to be parking himself these days in sort of his rush to manhood. And so that was not a surprise. She's one of the people that Trump really sort of warmed up to very, very early.
CHURCH: And meantime, of course, shock waves continue over Trump's choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz. Trump confirmed Tuesday that he is digging in and will not reconsider his nomination of Gaetz even as the controversy grows over sex and drug accusations against him, which he denies. So, also, online confidential files, including the deposition of a Gaetz accuser, have been hacked.
How likely is it that we will see Matt Gaetz confirmed as the next attorney general for this country given what we know so far and perhaps what we don't know yet?
GENOVESE: Well, at this point, it's highly unlikely partly because Republicans are embarrassed by him and don't want him. You know, Donald Trump started the appointment process with a very promising start.
He nominated Susie Wiles for chief of staff, great appointment. Marco Rubio at state, solid appointment. And then he took a detour into the dark MAGA.
Matt Gaetz is one of the leading proponents of the dark MAGA. He loves Donald Trump. He's a very articulate and forceful spokesperson for Donald Trump. He's a loyalist who really pushes Donald Trump. And so Trump loves him.
[03:15:06]
The problem is very few other people in Washington D.C. even like him. CHURCH: It'd be interesting to see what happens there and how likely
is it that Trump's other controversial picks will get confirmed such as Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, and Robert Kennedy Jr.?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, it's not that unusual for a president's nominees to sometimes be rejected by the senate. In the 1840's, President Tyler lost four votes, for nominees. And so it does happen.
But I think Donald Trump keeps saying he's kind of playing with fire. He's pushing people who really are very controversial, people who are quite often highly unqualified, you know, Robert Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services. That is a perfect example of the putting the inmate in charge of the institution.
And you've got Tulsi Gabbard who has strong ties, perhaps dangerously strong ties to Russia as your national intelligence official, and you can just go down the list.
After a very good start, Donald Trump has been driving the Trump team off the bus, like, he stepped on a rake, and he loves the loyalists and that's why they're in there, but they're going to. It's backfiring on him and he's starting to look, it's starting to look embarrassing for the President-elect.
CHURCH: We shall see what happens in the day ahead. Michael Genovese, always a pleasure to chat with you. Many thanks.
GENOVESE: Thank you so much.
CHURCH: Still to come, media tycoon Jimmy Lai testifies at his own national security trial. We're live in Hong Kong with the latest.
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CHURCH: Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai is testifying at his own national security trial in Hong Kong. It's a high stakes court battle that could see him spend the rest of his life behind bars. The pro- democracy activist was arrested nearly 4 years ago amid Beijing's deepening crackdown on dissent.
In his defense, Lai told the court he had always opposed violence during the anti-government protests of 2019. Hong Kong officials argue that Lai's actions jeopardize China's national sovereignty and security.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is following developments from Hong Kong. She joins us now live. Good to see you, Kristie. So this is, of course, a significant day in the national security trial of Jimmy Lai and a measure of press freedom in Hong Kong. Walk us through his first day of testimony.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, Rosemary. Here in Hong Kong, I'm standing outside the courtroom where the jailed media mogul, Jimmy Lai, has been speaking, taking the stand for the very first time in his national security trial. He has already pleaded not guilty to several charges, including
sedition and colluding with foreign forces. Serious charges that if convicted, he could be sent to life in prison.
[03:20:01]
Earlier today, we witnessed about 100 people, members of the public, standing outside waiting for a chance to get a seat inside the courtroom. Security has been tight all afternoon. In fact, police officers were picking some individuals from the line to search them and to question them.
Inside the courtroom, we heard and we saw Jimmy Lai himself. He's now 77 years old. He appeared visibly thinner. He waved hello to his supporters, including family and loved ones. His wife and his daughter was there in the courtroom as well.
And he also spoke calmly. He said that he always opposed violence and that any advocacy for independence of Hong Kong is, quote, in his words, "crazy." Now this is a trial that is being closely watched and monitored here in Hong Kong and around the world. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT (voice-over): As a father figure to Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, Jimmy Lai has been on a collision course with the Chinese authorities for years, but he never let that phase him.
JIMMY LAI, FOUNDER, "APPLE DAILY': I think it's a good idea anytime, any situation that you are in to fight for your freedom. Because without freedom, you have nothing left.
LU STOUT (voice-over): Last year, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called him, quote, "one of the most notorious anti-China elements bent on destabilizing Hong Kong."
The former media mogul finally getting his day in court on Wednesday, taking the stand in his high-profile trial, which began nearly a year ago. He faces a possible life sentence for multiple counts of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security along with a separate charge of sedition.
And for 77-year old Lai, life would most likely mean life. He has already been in custody for nearly 4 years. His arrest after sweeping national security laws imposed by Beijing, which China said restored stability to Hong Kong after months of anti-government protests in 2019.
At that time, Lai had lobbied foreign governments to apply pressure on China. But his lawyers denied that happened after the new laws came into effect.
In 2020, Lai was marched out of the offices of "Apple Daily", the pro- democracy newspaper which he founded.
Today, most of Hong Kong's political opposition have either fled the territory or are in prison like Lai, who after a lifetime of speaking up for democratic freedoms, may be getting his final chance to speak publicly before spending the rest of his days behind bars.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Jimmy Lai's relationships with U.S. politicians also coming up during questioning today in court, including interactions with the former house speaker, Nancy Pelosi, with the former U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, with the former national security adviser, John Bolton. The list goes on.
It's important to note that these interactions took place before Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong. And Jimmy Lai also said he never directly interacted with then President and now President-elect Donald Trump. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Alright. Our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout, joining us live from Hong Kong with that report.
The U.S. has formally recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez as the country's President-elect. The announcement from the U.S. secretary of state marks a significant change in U.S. policy towards Venezuela.
Gonzales thanked the U.S. for the move. The opposition had collected and published vote tallies receipts claiming Gonzales won more than 70 percent of the vote in the disputed presidential election.
But incumbent President Nicolas Maduro called the opposition's receipts fraudulent. He was declared the winner in July by electoral authorities amid allegations the voting was rigged. Gonzalez has said he intends to return from Spain to Venezuela in the coming weeks for the presidential inauguration in January.
In Brazil, police have arrested five people over an alleged plot to assassinate President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva before he took office. Federal police say the coup plot was conceived in late 2022. It included plans to capture or kill Lula's Vice President and a Supreme Court Justice.
One of the people arrested is a former adviser to ex-President Jair Bolsonaro. The former president was placed under investigation over the alleged plot back in February. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
World leaders are showing their support for Ukraine as the country marks a 1,000 days since Russia's invasion. A look at the battlefield as it stands today. That's after the break.
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[03:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Let's get you up to speed on our top story this hour. The U.S. embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine is shutting down for the day after
receiving specific information of a potential air attack. U.S. citizens in the capital are being told to prepare to take shelter if an air alert is announced.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials say the Biden administration is sending anti-personnel mines to Kyiv to deploy for defensive purposes only in Eastern Ukraine. That decision comes days after the White House approved the use of longer range weapons by Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory. Moscow says Kyiv fired U.S. supplied ATACMS at a weapons arsenal in the Bryansk region on Tuesday.
Well countries around the world are reaffirming their support for Ukraine as Russia's war has now surpassed 1,000 days. The U.N. estimates more than 12,000 civilians have been killed, nearly 27,000 injured, more than six million Ukrainians are living abroad as refugees.
Representatives from dozens of countries stood with Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations as he marked the grim anniversary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGIY KYSLYTSYA, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: 1,000 days of war is a tragic reminder of the need to remain resolute in ensuring the international law prevails, that international law prevails, not just in Ukraine, but wherever it is challenged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Alright. Let's bring in CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Payton Walsh. He joins us live from Kyiv. And Nick, what more are you learning about the closure of the US embassy there in Kyiv in response to a potential attack?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This is an exceptionally rare step, by the United States government. I don't recall, from time here where they previously actually had to shut their facility.
They said to have an abundance of caution, but, essentially, their concerns are around some kind of air assault.
Now look, tell ordinary residents of Kyiv, about the possibility of a threat from the air, and they might chuckle. And they had two and a half hours of the sirens on this morning until 8 A.M., and then a 45- minute window before that. So the threat to this city is not abnormal. It's a nightly thing.
What is different is the Americans being quite so concerned to warn their own citizens to shelter in place and to close, potentially a key target like the United States embassy.
I should point out that the real concern here that since President Joe Biden gave Zelenskyy here, the Ukrainian President, the authorization to hit targets inside of Russia. Indeed, that appears to be negative one in the last 24 hours.
[03:30:00]
Concerns have been high about how Russia might retaliate, and there may be some linkage between this closure of the American embassy.
Let's go to the next steps. At the same time too, the Kremlin spokesperson has told Russian state media that the hotline between the two countries is reserved as a special means of discourse in case of significant emergency preventing nuclear powers here, but that hasn't been functioning for a while.
Sort of a strange comment to make, to be honest. It's been a tool since February 2022 by Vladimir Putin for the fact he's making a reference to this specific means of communication. I think it's designed to possibly raise concerns, on the American side as well.
So, a dark morning certainly here in Kyiv as many are concerned about what form Russian retaliation might take. We've also heard from the Biden administration too, Rosemary, that they're going to give anti- personnel lines to the Ukrainians presumably to assist, with some with the holding any Russian advances back across the eastern front as significantly imperiled at the moment.
But continuing, it seems, Ukrainian bids to hit Russian infrastructure on the other side of the border, and all of this coming after monumental position by the White House to permit longer range missiles to hit targets inside of Russia. Rosemary?
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Alright. Our thanks to Nick Paton Walsh, joining us live from Kyiv there with that report. Appreciate it.
U.S. officials now believe there was no sabotage after two underwater internet cables were cut in the Baltic Sea. European officials have been pointing fingers at Moscow after the two cables roughly 65 miles apart were suddenly disrupted.
But those familiar with an initial assessment say there appears to be no indications of deliberate activity by Russia or any other nation. Weeks ago, the U.S. had warned Russia was likely to target critical undersea infrastructure. However, an early assessment finds this disturbance was likely caused by a passing vessel's anchor.
Joe Biden has wrapped up what is expected to be his final summit as U.S. president with remarks on climate change. As the G20 wound down in Rio de Janeiro, the U.S. announced a new $325 Million investment in World Bank Clean Energy Projects. U.S. officials say that money will be safely deposited before Donald Trump takes office in January.
Left unsaid, the obvious reality that U.S. climate policy will change drastically next year. In his final speech to G20 leaders, President Biden left them with this warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP0
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: History is watching us. History is watching. I urge us to keep faith and keep going. This is the single greatest existential threat to humanity if we do not deal with climate change. Our children, our great grandchildren, our great, great grandchildren, their future is going to be determined by what we do in the next four to six years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: President Biden also told world leaders that they've made remarkable progress together on clean energy, but there's still so much more to do.
At least one person is dead and hundreds of thousands without power in Washington State and parts of Canada as a powerful once-in-a-decade bomb cycle sweeps into the area. The extreme storm system is set to bring hurricane force wind gusts as well as a month's worth of rain and mountain snow.
CNN's Chad Myers has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. Big weather maker for the West Coast of the U.S. Northern California, Oregon, Washington, even a little bit up into British Columbia. But this is an atmospheric river and a bomb cyclone all at the same time coming together.
Now the worm bombogenesis has nothing to do with social media. This is not made up. We've been using the term in literature since 1980 and likely just in talk since World War II. It is a storm that rapidly intensifies. We talk about rapid intensification in hurricanes as well.
This is not a hurricane. It is equivalent, the pressure equivalent to a category 3 major hurricane in the Atlantic, but the good news is the low itself is not going to come onshore.
What will come onshore is wind gusts probably around hurricane gusts. Other than that, an awful lot of rainfall. In fact, an atmospheric river event that's level 4 out of 5. So an awful lot of rain. Some of the forecasters going for 10 to 15. I've even heard numbers up to 20 inches of rainfall because this is a long term event.
It's still going to be raining tomorrow and even some showers still on Friday. So, yes, we are going to see significant numbers here when it comes to rainfall accumulations, but the good news is at least this part of Northern California has not been wet.
So a lot of this can soak in. It may rain too hard for all that to happen everywhere, but there will be some soaking rainfall here coming in.
[03:35:07]
And even with the high risk here of some flooding, that's a possibility for your Thursday from Eureka all the way down to Ukiah. That's the thought process where the floods are possibly going to be the worst.
There will be floods. How bad will they be? We don't know yet.
The good news is the land is not completely saturated. So right now just flood watch is in effect, of course. We still have those snowstorm events here coming in with blizzard warnings just to the east of Seattle in the higher elevations, but you get the idea.
In fact, some spots here with the wind could still pick up 60 inches of snow and that snow getting blown around especially on the top of those peaks. I guess that's some good news for skiing. Skiers will take that. Just don't want to be on the mountain when that happens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: The African penguin is on the brink of extinction. What's putting this beloved animal at risk and how scientists are working to protect it? That's next on CNN.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The close relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk was once again on full display Tuesday as the president-elect traveled to Texas for the latest test flight by SpaceX, which Musk owns.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
This was the 6th test flight for the Starship spacecraft. The launch was a success, but the flight team had to call off its plan to replicate a precision landing for the craft's super heavy rocket booster where it would have been caught by two large metal pincers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Wow.
UNKNOWN: All three, down to two in the water.
UNKNOWN: Wow. Here we have ships splash down in the Indian Ocean.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The booster instead splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico while Starship came down in the Indian Ocean. The ship is seen as crucial to SpaceX's mission to one day carry humans to Mars.
Well, they are one of the most cherished animals in Africa, but their population is rapidly dwindling. And unless something changes, the African penguin is on track to disappear from the wild in the next decade.
Elisa Raffa has details and a look at what's being done to save them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wobbling in warmer temperatures, the African penguin enjoys its days in the sun. This beloved bird is found in colonies along the southwest coast of Africa. But the African penguin is now on the critically endangered list due to lack of food, climate change, and other factors.
[03:39:58]
ALLISON KOCK, MARINE BIOLOGIST, SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS: There's only about 10,000 breeding pairs left in South Africa and Namibia where they occur. Means we've lost 97 percent of the population, and the species could become extinct within my lifetime.
RAFFA (voice-over): Many tourists flock to see these adorable birds and their unique feathers. They have dot-like markings across their chest. These patterns are unique to each penguin as fingerprints are to humans.
RICK JOSACK, TOURIST: The penguins here, you know, are beautiful, and it's a shame that they're now critically endangered. And I just hope that there's a lot of activity taking place to try and help them.
ZANDILE CHRISTIAN, TOURIST: Seeing them well, hearing that they are critically endangered actually kind of breaks my heart.
RAFFA (voice-over): Habitat is one key factor in their population decline. The birds build nests in seabird droppings called guano.
This shelter protects them from the harsh African sun, but the guano is often harvested for fertilizer.
KOCK: The actual material for digging their nests was removed. And so artificial nests are incredibly important, and the recent science has shown that it does improve breeding success. So we need to keep on doing interventions like that.
RAFFA (voice-over): Nutrition is one of the biggest threats. According to scientists, penguins are starving and not getting enough food. Their diets consist mainly of sardines, anchovies, even squids and crustaceans.
South African authorities have imposed a commercial fishing ban around six penguin colonies for 10 years starting in January.
Elisa Raffa, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A Greek pottery workshop is getting global recognition for keeping ancient traditions alive. This family is among the last in the Mediterranean to use traditional techniques to create their pieces.
Now UNESCO has included their workshop in its national inventory of intangible cultural heritage. The family uses clay from local soil and fires the pots in traditional kilns using processed olive pits as a fuel. They also use natural lime to paint the pieces. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMITRIS KOUVDIS, CERAMIST (through translator): Your hands develop blisters. Getting in, having your hands burn from the mallet, stinging. Where should I begin? So many memories. The fire is burning me. But above all, it's a passion. You're trying to create something that fulfills you.
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CHURCH: Beautiful. And they say, they are honored to be recognized by UNESCO, especially now that mass production has overshadowed the old techniques.
I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "Marketplace Europe" is next, then "CNN Newsroom" returns at the top of the hour with our Max Foster.
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