Return to Transcripts main page

CNN NEWSROOM

Paris Deal is Aimed at Slowing Climate Change; Negotiators Finalize Climate Plan; Geneva Security Remains High after Terror Alert; U.S. Senator Visits Mosque with Message of Solidarity; Saudi Women Vote for the First Time; Kabul Comes Back Days after Kandahar Siege; U.S. Treasury Trying to Block ISIS Money; French FM Set to Release Climate Plan; Inside U.S. Weapons Forensic Hub; Lupita Nyong'o on Role in New "Star Wars" Film; Agreement Aims to Limit Global Warning. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired December 12, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The talking is over. Now it's time for action. This hour in Paris representatives from almost 200 countries have the chance to alter the future of our planet. We're live from the French capital as the climate change conference comes to an anxious close.

Taking on the check with senator at home and Saudi royalty overseas, all the latest on Donald Trump's tiff and battles his way toward the White House.

And this galaxy far, far away is getting a whole lot closer for cinemagoers. We hear from one of the star of "The Force Awakens."

And they are very well welcome to our viewers in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares in London and you are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SOARES: Now in just about half an hour from now we expect to find out what's inside a much anticipated climate plan. That's when foreign French -- I should say that again.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius will present the deal in Paris. The details how the world will work together to slow global warming. Negotiators have been working on the draft for two weeks and finally came to an agreement earlier this morning. World leaders will vote on it later on today.

Our senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann is in Paris and following all the details, waiting for that announcement to come out.

And, Jim, after two weeks it seems the debates we are getting closer to finding out the details of the proposed global climate change agreement. Talk us through the next step and that is the vote.

How likely is it that the agreement will pass with no hiccups?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a big question. I don't think that it's a question of any hiccups appearing right now. It's just an up-or-down vote. It's all or nothing.

The delegation from the 195 countries just have simply that, whether they're going to say do you approve this document or not?

One scenario we heard in fact is that the delegates would be asked to stand. Those who oppose the agreement would be asked to stand. Now of course that would be a really obvious symbol to the world.

If you are a head of a delegation and you've decided not to accept this agreement as it stands and you stand up in a room that where everyone else is sitting down, that's a lot of obvious sort of negativity going on there, that other people in the world might look down on.

So that's -- if it happens that way -- and we're not sure it's going to happen that way -- but it's going to be within two hours or three hours or so of the release of this document, which is right now being translated into six different languages and distributed to the various delegations. So we'll see how it unrolls. But it's -- there aren't -- at this point along the line, there's no possibility for any hiccups. As you said, the fact is, it's either you like this thing or you don't -- Isa.

SOARES: Like you said, Jim, we don't have the details or the agreement as of yet. And of course the devil will be in the detail once we get in 25 minutes or so.

But is there a sense that you're getting on the ground that this finally will be a legal binding agreement?

What are you hearing?

BITTERMANN: Well, that was one of the intentions all along and the United States kind of caved in its position, saying that it would be legally binding, President Obama himself saying that when he was here.

So I think that issue has gone away. The question is to what extent it will be legally binding.

I mean one of the things that we know for sure is that this is not the be-all and end-all agreement. This is really just a first step. And they have said that from the beginning, that there are going to be -- there's going to be a review process.

One -- in fact, one of the last points of argument that we understand from the questions that were raised overnight here is exactly when there would be a review of the countries' various targets and whether they've made those targets, would it come in one year or five years or how frequently this document would be reviewed. And hopefully each time, at least as far as the environmentalists are concerned, hopefully the bar would be raised each time to say, OK, you set this target back in 2015; what are you going do in 2016, '17, '18 and down the line?

And that's the way that it's meant to work.

Legally binding? Well, it's a question of naming and shaming. There's nothing, of course, there's no mechanism to constrain the nations of the world to obey and to follow this agreement. But it's a question of pointing out before the world audience that this or that country is not living up to expectations -- Isa.

SOARES: Yes, and then after that, the implementing and then the monitoring, isn't it, a lot of hard work still ahead. Jim Bittermann, we will catch up with you I about 25 minutes or so once we hear news of --

[05:05:00]

SOARES: -- the details of this proposed agreement. Thanks very much, Jim. Good to see you.

Now scientists say if we keep the average global temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels, we may be able to avoid some of the worst aspects of climate change. But environmental policy experts say that if the global average temperatures warm more than that, well, life on Earth will fundamentally change. Now, for instance, let's break it down for you.

Melting ice would cause sea levels to rise, swamping lands and forcing millions of people to migrate further inland. Droughts in other areas could damage crops and cost thousands of animal and plant species to go extinct.

There would be an increased amount of attrition as well as infectious diseases and there would be more deaths from heat waves as well as floods. Scientists say the Earth's surface temperature has warmed 0.85 degrees Celsius since 1880s and that's since the Industrial Revolution.

With news of a potential agreement, it's important to remember significant climate milestones reached this year. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now to break those down for us -- Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Isa, a couple of different milestones that we've reached in 2015. One of which was average global temperature, pre-industrial levels now above 1 or just about to reach that 1 degree Celsius. That's halfway to the 2 degree cap that they're trying to hold onto at the Paris climate talks as we speak.

And the notorious 400 parts per million. That is the level of average carbon dioxide emissions in the Earth's atmosphere and this record was actually reached in March of 2015 and it's astounding because this has ramifications on our global climate system, from the sea level rise, as you mentioned a moment ago, to how warm our atmosphere can actually become.

Let's talk a little bit about sea level rise and put a few things in perspective. Of course, this is an artist's rendition of what the world could look like, some of the popular cities, if we have that 2 degree and above warming scenario that we're so desperately trying to prevent.

This is London, the River Thames. There's Westminster. Let's look at 2 degrees, well, warming and you can see some of the suburbs being infiltrated by some of that water, just streaming line into our day- to-day lives across many populations. Now it's not just London, it's lots of coastal cities to contend with.

Remember, we have upwards of 44 percent of the world's population live roughly about 100 miles from the ocean within that space. So we have got the Sydney Harbour House and surrounding areas as well as the Shanghai financial district susceptible to sea level rise and overall climate change and global warming. Something scientists are trying to prevent.

Now as we look to the United States, North America, some interesting information coming out from the National Climate Data Center just recently that this fall or this autumn has been the warmest on record for the contiguous United States. That's the lower 48 breaking records across many states. And that warm weather is going to continue into this weekend.

I am not going to say that's directly related to climate change because there's several variables out there. We're currently underway with a strong El Nino season. But, Isa, it certainly has the fingerprints of climate change and global warming all over it. Back to you.

SOARES: Derek Van Dam, thanks very much, Derek.

Now, heavily armed guards are watching over the United Nations building in Geneva. That's after the U.S. warned the Swiss city may be the target of a terror attack. The warning comes as U.S. authorities there search for at least two people linked to the Paris killings. Geneva's police chief says it's possible that ISIS has a terror cell in the city.

CNN's Nic Robertson is there and has more on this developing story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: To that heightened threat level here already leading to one security situation on Friday at Geneva airport. Part of the airport in a security lockdown for about 20 minutes while police investigated two suspicious pieces of luggage.

One was discovered to be a piece of lost luggage. The other one was destroyed by a controlled detonation. That really gives you an indication of the heightened security alert that this area is under right now.

Why is this happening?

Because Swiss authorities have received three pieces of information, one of them coming from U.S. intelligence saying that they picked up chatter among four ISIS operatives inside Syria, indicating they were potentially planning an attack in Geneva. Those four ISIS members, their whereabouts now are unknown.

Also in the past few days a vehicle, a van with Belgian registration plates driven into Switzerland; when the Swiss authorities investigated it they found that the owner of that van was associated, connected with some of the Paris attackers from last month. That's given them additional cause for concern.

And also another one of the Paris attackers, his identity is now clear. He was recruited to ISIS by a radical --

[05:10:00]

ROBERTSON: -- who lived in this area. That radical is now in jail in France. However, another associate of his in Syria went to join ISIS, is now back, his whereabouts unknown. He's a Swiss national.

So all of these three pieces, do they add up to anything?

Are there connections?

That's what the authorities here are looking at. U.N. right behind me there, the biggest U.N. headquarters outside of New York. The guards there, bigger automatic weapons in their hands today than you would normally see. So this is a city very worried right now about its security -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Geneva, Switzerland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: That was Switzerland. I want to take you to the U.S. because U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump isn't backing down from his call to ban Muslims from entering the United States. However, a CBS News poll shows 58 percent of Americans don't agree with the Republican's proposal. You're seeing the numbers break down -- broken down there for you.

Just 38 percent of Republicans are against it, meaning a slim majority support it. Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed at 73 percent as you can see on your screen.

Well, Trump had a few targets -- a few targets -- a new target, I should say, the Friday right night rally in Des Moines in Iowa followed that (INAUDIBLE) Ted Cruz. CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny is on the campaign trail with much more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SR. WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump came to Iowa as the leader of the Republican pack and he had plenty of bravado. He said if we win Iowa, we will win the rest of the contest.

Now of course he is leading in every national poll and most state polls. But with 50 days remaining before the Iowa caucuses, some candidates are coming on stronger than others. And Ted Cruz is one of those.

The Texas senator is right in Donald Trump's crosshairs. And it was clear that that was on Donald Trump's mind. In the opening minutes of his event in Des Moines Iowa on Friday night, Donald Trump mentioned Ted Cruz and the fact that he is opposed to ethanol subsidies, a key political issue in Iowa. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, ENTREPRENEUR: But with the ethanol, really, it's -- he's got to come a long way because he's right now for the oil. But I understand it. Oil pays him a lot of money.

He's got to be for oil, right?

The oil companies give him a lot of money so -- but I am with you. I am with everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: With Trump saying that Senator Cruz is beholden to oil companies, it's clear that this Republican race is entering a new phase. Now as Republican candidates gather in Las Vegas next week for the final debate of the year, of course, Donald Trump will be front and center, Ted Cruz as well.

It's the final opportunity for many of these candidates to have an impression with voters. But there are so many of those voters who are still undecided. We talked to those here tonight. So Donald Trump certainly has a lot of support, as does Ted Cruz.

But voters often change their minds in these final two months. That's why this campaigning and the debate next week is critical -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Des Moines, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Now Trump isn't just picking fights at home. The U.S. billionaire is now in a Twitter feud (ph) with Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. The prince is blasting the U.S. Republican front-runner, tweeting -- and I'm quoting here -- "You are a disgrace not only to the GOP but to all of America. Withdraw from the U.S. presidential race as you will never win."

Trump then shot back with this tweet -- and I'm quoting. "Dopey Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal wants to control our U.S. politicians with daddy's money. Can't do it," he says, "when I get elected."

Well, Donald Trump's international detractors certainly aren't limited to the Muslim community. Here's just a taste of what others have had to say about his controversial proposals. British Prime Minister David Cameron dismissed Trump's statements on

Muslims entering the U.S. as "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong."

In an online petition to ban the billionaire from Britain current has more than -- get this -- 540,000 signatures.

Trump postponed a trip to Israel after that country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement rejecting the tycoon's remarks.

And the Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders joined the throng, calling Trump's proposals, quote, "very unhelpful and very discriminatory," and condemn even came from the French far right with Marine Le Pen telling a journalists she defends all French people regardless of religion.

"Have you ever heard me say something like that?" she asked the interviewer. We'll have much more on that story.

Now, U.S. Senator Jeff Flake has tried to show that Republicans aren't all like Trump. He and his family visited a mosque on Friday in their home state of Arizona. Amanda Goodman (ph) from CNN affiliate KPHO brings us the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA GOODMAN (PH), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Afternoon prayers at the Scottsdale mosque looked a little different today. You see Senator Jeff Flake, his wife and two of his children were in attendance.

SENATOR JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZ.: We have much in common with our brothers and sisters in the Muslim faith. We have much to learn from them.

GOODMAN (PH) (voice-over): The senator says given the events of last week in San Bernardino and the resulting anti-Muslim rhetoric, he wanted to share a message of solidarity. He also addressed Republican presidential --

[05:15:00]

GOODMAN (PH) (voice-over): -- front-runner Donald Trump's push to ban all Muslims from entering the country.

FLAKE: It's just the antithesis of all we stand for here in America and freedom of religion that we all embrace so much in this community and others.

GOODMAN (PH) (voice-over): Those in attendance today were grateful for the support and the show of faith.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully it will open eyes to fellow Americans that we're all in this together. We're all in this to fight extremism and combat terrorist activities. GOODMAN (PH) (voice-over): The religious director of the mosque, Yaser Ali, says that he can't remember the last time a sitting U.S. senator attended service at a mosque, making today's visit that much more powerful and uplifting.

YASER ALI, RELIGIOUS DIRECTOR: This is really an opportunity with Senator Flake being here to show our city and our nation that the more we talk to each other the more we find out about these similarities and commonalities that we have, not as just Americans but as human beings.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: That was Amanda Goodman (ph) reporting from Scottsdale, Arizona, for CNN affiliate KPHO.

Now a Syrian town is shattered by ISIS. Now its people have their turn back and they say they'll rebuild it brick by brick. We'll go inside Kobani.

Plus, why does the climate change summit really matter? We take a detailed look at exactly what is at stake here. We expect an announcement in about 15 minutes or so.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe in our future. I believe in our (INAUDIBLE) other females (INAUDIBLE) our country.

SOARES (voice-over): Well, for the first time ever, women in Saudi Arabia are voting in the country's municipal elections. That's happening right now. There are also women running for office. This milestone is being marked as a significant step toward equal rights in the country.

However, critics say several restrictions make it difficult for the female candidates and indeed voters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: In the Afghan capital of second Spanish police officer has died after a siege in the diplomatic quarter. Officials in Kabul say Afghan forces killed the attackers. Here is more from our Nima Elbagir.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Explosions and gunfire heard in the heart of Kabul. As darkness fell on the Afghan capital. Sources tell CNN the Spanish embassy was hit by an apparent car bomb, the Taliban quickly claiming to have begun suicide attacks in the area.

An eyewitness described a massive explosion --

[05:20:00]

ELBAGIR (voice-over): -- saying the powerful blast shook the ground. Afghan security forces cordoned off streets in the area amid reports gunmen may have been holed up in one of the nearby buildings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one of the most secure areas of the city but also a place where there's a lot of high-profile targets and the Taliban and other insurgents have carried out attacks in this part of the city before.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Friday's attack comes on the heels of another just days ago in the southern city of Kandahar, where Taliban gunmen stormed the city's airport, killing at least 50 people and leaving dozens more wounded.

At the same time, leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan met in Islamabad in an effort to repair strained relations as they battle increasing attacks by Islamic extremists in their respective countries.

But this latest attack serves as a reminder of the ongoing war, the challenge facing Afghan security forces and the fact that the Taliban are still a force to be reckoned with -- Nima Elbagir, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Now Russian president Vladimir Putin has vowed to, quote, "immediately destroy any threat to Russian forces in Syria."

He issued the thinly veiled threat to Turkey at a defense meeting in Moscow. That's two weeks after Turkish military forces downed a Russian jet on the Syrian border. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): It's extremely tough. Any targets threatening Russian armed forces group or our ground base infrastructure are to be destroyed immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Meantime, U.S. secretary of state John Kerry plans to meet with Mr. Putin Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Syria.

Now, last year the Syrian town of Kobani came under siege from ISIS for months, if you remember. Kurdish forces fought back and retook the town with the help of coalition airstrikes. Kobani was left in ruins but the people there are determined to rebuild it. CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman went inside Kobani.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventeen-year-old Hamula (ph) sends his pigeons flying over his hometown of Kobani, flying over a town of ruins and rubble but where hope lives on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

WEDEMAN (voice-over): "What makes me happy now is that I am home, despite all the destruction around us," he says.

For five months, from September of 2014 to January of this year, an intense battle raged between ISIS and Kurdish fighters, accompanied by heavy airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition. ISIS is gone and many of the town's residents, like Mustafa Kouaz (ph), have returned to find homes damaged almost beyond recognition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

"Daish fighters were upstairs on the second floor," he tells me, "and the Kurdish fighters came in from below. There was a battle here."

He lived here with his wife, married sons and their families, 19 people in all. Now he's hoping just to make one room livable.

But there is life among the ruins. Kobani took a beating, but shops are open. Some areas are a wasteland or, to the children, a very rocky playground, where they reenact with stones the battles of just a few months ago.

WEDEMAN: More than 70 percent of the buildings in Kobani were either damaged or destroyed. Despite that, there is a will to rebuild this town. The challenge is finding a way to do it.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Abdulrahman Hamul (ph) is the general coordinator for Kobani reconstruction.

"We're building this new neighborhood for people who have lost their homes," he says, "but as you can see, we've stopped because we can't import any cement from Turkey."

Wary of Kurdish ambitions to build a state on the ruins of Northern Syria, Turkey has closed the nearby border crossing. As a result, desperately needed building materials are in short supply. Rebuilding this town could take a very long time, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it will rise again -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Kobani, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, fighting ISIS isn't just about dropping bombs. It's also about blocking cash. As CNNMoney senior reporter Alanna Petroff explains, the U.S. Treasury is taking steps to cut off ISIS' money.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALANNA PETROFF, CNNMONEY SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: ISIS is by far the wealthiest terrorist organization on the planet. We're talking billions of dollars here. To have a shot at stopping it, you have to go after its money. The U.S. -- [05:25:00]

PETROFF: -- Treasury Department outlined Thursday that it's working with a coalition of more than 30 partners to block ISIS from amassing more money and spending it.

ISIS made up to $1 billion in 2014 by stealing from local banks when it took control of new territory. It ransacked the money and that helped it become more powerful.

So the U.S. has worked with the Iraqi government to shut down 90 banks in the region. This cuts off ISIS from the international financial network, making it harder to move money. Iraq has also tried to stop paying salaries to civil servants that live in ISIS-controlled regions.

They know that ISIS often takes a chunk of this money and calls it a tax. In another move the Treasury issued sanctions against more than 30 individuals who are helping ISIS shift money around. And it's trying to find new ways to stop money smuggling across borders. Turkey's border is a top priority.

The Treasury also wants to slow down the production, movement and sale of ISIS oil, which is a critical money maker. It's working with military forces to shut this down. The ultimate goal is to strangle the ISIS cash flow so fighters can't buy new military equipment and other critical items -- Alanna Petroff, CNNMoney, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. CNN got exclusive access to the place where the U.S. keeps weapons that's taken from its enemies. We will take you there next.

Plus in a moment we expect the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius to hand out a final draft of a climate plan that could change our future for the better. We'll be live in Paris for you just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A very warm welcome back to our viewers in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares. Let me bring you up to date with the top stories we're following for you this hour.

(HEADLINES)

SOARES: Now any minute now we expect the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius to present the final draft of a global plan to slow climate change. You're currently looking at live pictures of delegates gathering at the venue in Paris hoping for that presser to start shortly. Now this comes after, you can imagine, what's been two weeks of really

intense negotiations. A vote on the deal is expected later on today. Of course, we'll bring you the announcement as it happens. As you can see, the delegates taking to the auditorium, waiting for that press conference from Laurent Fabius.

And let me tell you the Paris climate conference called COP 21 matters. Delegates hope to produce the first-ever legally binding plan to combat global warming. Now the agreement would essentially be a more comprehensive and legally enforced successor to what is known as the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2020 and excludes top greenhouse gas emitting countries.

Now attempts to reach a similar agreement in Copenhagen in 2009, well, that failed meaning all eyes really have been on COP 21 for a lasting solution. I want to go now to John Sutter, who joins us now in Paris. And John, you have been there from day one. You've been listening in to some of these discussions. And because we know from previous occasions that a deal like this tends to be watered down.

What are you hearing on the ground this hour?

JOHN SUTTER, CNN DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: So I think that tensions are really high here in Paris as everyone is waiting for this text to come really any moment. We have seen several iterations of this over recent days.

This is expected to be the first clean version, meaning there won't be any places marked in the text with the brackets saying that this is a disputed piece of the agreement. And then later today we're expecting to see a meeting with all 196 parties here coming together to decide whether or not to adopt this agreement.

As you mentioned, this is just hugely important, the stakes are so high. This is the chance for the world to sort of turn the corner and move out of the fossil fuel era towards a cleaner economy and really fight global warming.

The moral stakes also are quite high and the Marshall Islands has emerged as an important delegation, even though it's a very small country out in the middle of the Pacific.

But they have sort of had the moral call to action, saying that if we allow warming to increase above 2 degrees Celsius, or even above 1.5 degrees Celsius, that their country could basically be wiped off the map.

So the stakes are very high and we're waiting for these details to become clear as this draft text is released here very soon.

SOARES: And as you and I talked, John, just bring our viewers up to date, those are live pictures you're looking from Paris delegates taking to their seats, waiting for Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, to address them in the final details of the global climate change, the global proposal we need to know the details on that we're waiting for. John, there have been of course as we know in these past two weeks

significant issues that have been raised throughout and then particulars that of funding. Talk us through some of the disagreements that we've had.

SUTTER: So we have seen sort of similar fault lines emerge here as it happened in other U.N. climate discussions, essentially there are the groups of countries that have been causing global warming in the long term, mainly the U.S. and the E.U.

The U.S. has done more to contribute to the climate change that we're already seeing than any other country. Then you have the more emerging economies like China and India. China is now each year the largest polluter of climate change emissions.

And you see these two blocs arguing somewhat over who should finance the transition to clean energy, who should pay for countries to adapt. There are a lot of countries around the world that are seeing the effects of climate change more droughts, more floods, things that are very expensive for them.

And there's the issue of who should pay for that, who should basically pay for that adaptation to take place and for resilience to be built into those systems. So I think --

[05:35:00]

SUTTER: -- that's like the fundamental thing here is which parties are really on the hook to fix this and to what degree those commitments are legally binding. I think what is fundamentally new here in Paris is that we've seen all of these parties from around the world, including China and India, come forward with their own plan for tackling global warming and for reducing their own emissions.

I have seen this described as sort of potluck dinner of sorts, with each country bringing its own dish to the table. And that is something that is fundamentally new and is giving people a lot of optimism, that there will be an agreement that can be reached here.

SOARES: And of course not just China and India but I have also seen in the last 24 hours or so Brazil obviously also coming to the table, willing to join the so-called high ambition coalition.

Why is that important?

Talk about that.

SUTTER: So this high ambition coalition is something that just emerged publicly here at the Paris talks. It's an alliance of about 100 countries. It's led in part by the Marshall Islands, that country I mentioned to you, that has sort of this existential threat that it's facing. But also the U.S., the E.U., newly Brazil, as you mentioned. And I think that this is something that has really surprised a lot of people here, including me, the level of ambition that these countries, including some of the biggest polluters in the world, are putting forward and saying that they want to limit climate change to 2 degrees Celsius or even 1.5 degrees. It's something that was sort of unheard of before these talks emerged. So there are all these countries coming together to say this is the moment that the world can really do something about climate change. We need this agreement to be a firm one, a lasting one. And we need it to really turn the global corner away from the fossil fuel era and towards a cleaner economy.

So I think that group is really driving a lot of the conversation here. But notably China and India have not joined that alliance. So we will see what issues they have been able to haggle out as part of these negotiations that have continued overnight.

SOARES: John Sutter there, for us in Paris, thanks very much, John. We will check in as soon as we hear from the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius.

Well, elsewhere in the City of Light a message for climate negotiators and the world, in fact. The Eiffel Tower was emblazoned with short messages, including #HumanEnergy, Decarbonize, No Plan B and 1.5 Degrees. That refers to efforts to keep the planet from warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels which some consider the danger zone.

Of course we're keeping a close eye on Paris and those crucial climate talks. Do stay with CNN. We will bring you much more as we get them. First, a very short break.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:40:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SOARES: Now the U.S. is keeping a close eye on how terrorists are getting their weapons. Our Jim Sciutto got exclusive access to America's own rocket program. And he saw the collection of dangerous foreign weapons, the stash, they say, might come this handy as they try to stay a step ahead of ISIS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A passenger plane headed from the Netherlands to Malaysia suddenly falls from the sky. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 brought down near the Ukraine-Russia border by Russian-backed rebels, using this surface-to-air missile system known as the Buk.

The ramifications of the strike far-reaching and incredibly alarming because of who may be trying to obtain similar missiles now.

SCIUTTO: Is there any concern today that terrorist groups would have their hands on something like this?

MARK CLARK, DIRECTOR, DIA MISSILE & SPACE INTELLIGENCE CENTER: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's probably safe to assume that, at some level, there are efforts underway.

SCIUTTO: Folks back home are immediately going to say, my god, look at that missile.

Can a group like ISIS get their hands on it?

CLARK: It would not be impossible, but we would certainly say that there's going to be some needed training involved.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Mark Clark is the director of the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, a branch of the military's own intelligence operation, the Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA, located far from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan in Huntsville, Alabama, the home of America's own rocket program.

Filling the agency's grounds are a rogue's gallery of dangerous foreign weapons, some captured, some purchased, some acquired by means the DIA won't reveal.

SCIUTTO: So to help train pilots and other warfighters who might come into contact with a weapons system like this in a combat situation, they keep these systems operational.

This is still a fully functioning Scud missile.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Proliferation of missile technology preoccupies analysts here more than any other threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have greater concerns about the smaller missile threats and the likelihood of the proliferation of those.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Small only in size, but not in capability.

SCIUTTO: OK, so this is the SA-7, one of the most common shoulder- fired missiles you'll see out in the world today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, there has been well over a million MANPADS produced, not only of this one, but of other kinds and there's still hundreds of thousands of others of them out there.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Today shoulder-fired missiles have targeted some 60 civilian aircraft and you can buy them on the black market for just a few thousand dollars.

SCIUTTO: One of the main dangers of a missile like this is both speed but also ease, that someone like me with no experience can put it together and acquire a target in less than a minute.

Sights go up, power goes on, you find your target in the air and you fire your missile. It's incredible.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Often the agency here comes into action after rather than before an attack. This is the first time a reporter has been allowed inside the center's technical analysis room.

SCIUTTO: So it's a CSI for the combat space? RANDY JONES, CHIEF SCIENTIST, DIA MISSILE & SPACE INTELLIGENCE CENTER:

It is the CSI forensic sort of capability, similar to a crime scene investigation sort of thing, a little bit of DNA here and a fingerprint there begins to piece together a pretty compelling story.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Within minutes of MH17's crash, analysts here sprang into action desperate to as quickly as possible determine the cause of the crash. As luck would have it, they had visitors that day who could help.

JONES: A group of representatives from across the intelligence community who do just this kind of analysis, we had them here in the building.

SCIUTTO: So all those experts happened to be here?

JONES: It just happened, timing wise, to work out that way.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): As the outside world debated the cause, the DIA already had a very likely suspect.

JONES: Within an hour and a half, we were confident that it was a missile that shot it down, a surface-to-air missile that shot it down. We had a fair idea which one, although we still had some homework to do.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Homework done at lightning speed. Within hours they were confident they had --

[05:45:00]

SCIUTTO (voice-over): pinpointed the murder weapon and the perpetrators, telling President Obama that Russian-backed separatists had fired a Russian-made missile that sent nearly 300 people plunging to their deaths.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And that was our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto. Of course we continue to watch events in Paris, where those crucial climate talks are coming to a head after almost two weeks of debating. Do stay with CNN and we will bring you the developments as we get them. These are live pictures for you from Paris.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SOARES: The new "Star Wars" film, "The Force Awakens," has its world premiere on Monday and, as you can imagine, millions of fans can hardly wait to see it. It is the seventh installment of the franchise that started more than three decades ago. And this people has a diverse cast. Our Isha Sesay talked with one of its stars, Lupita Nyong'o.

[05:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA SESAY, CNN HOST: What on Earth is it like to be joining the "Star Wars" mega franchise?

LUPITA NYONG'O, ACTOR: It is a trip --

(LAUGHTER)

NYONG'O: -- to a galaxy far, far away.

It is a trip. It's kind of crazy and beautiful and fun and exhilarating to be a part of this franchise.

SESAY: Tell me about the character you play, Maz.

NYONG'O: Yes. Maz Kanata, she is a pirate and she runs a bar. And she's been around for a while.

SESAY: Tell me about playing her and the actual experience of playing the character, the technology and just what that experience was like for you as an actress.

NYONG'O: Yes, I had wanted do it because it was a unique acting experience, I thought, that not many actors get to have, where you are not restricted by your own physical circumstances. The opportunity to play something completely different than yourself, than how you experience the world physically.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

NYONG'O: I was very lucky to be a part of principal photography, though. So I was actually on the real set.

(CROSSTALK)

SESAY: -- ask you that.

Did you actually get the opportunity to engage with the other actors?

NYONG'O: I did.

SESAY: Or were you just on a green screen?

NYONG'O: No, no, no. I was a part of principal photography, which was really, really a blessing because I got to be part of the galaxy far, far away.

I remember being on set and looking around at the set and just feeling like I was on another planet because there was so much artistic detail to everything, even to the way things felt was specific to that world.

It's been an interesting journey, very different from what I did right before, which was "12 Years a Slave."

For me, why I wanted to be a part of this is because it was a complete departure from Patsy in "12 Years a Slave." That role was so much about my body and here is a role that is completely not.

And I like that departure. It offered me a new challenge, something to really sink my teeth into and learn about a totally different thing that is motion capture.

SESAY: Another thing that J.J. is getting a lot of praise for, if you will, is the fact that it is such a diverse cast and there are so many strides being taken in this film.

NYONG'O: That is a reflection of who J.J. is and what he's interested in. He's interested in the spectacle of the truth and that's what it is.

The world we live in is that colorful. It is that diverse. And J.J. very organically -- it's not effort for J.J. It's just the way things are. And to have that kind of matter-of-fact casting culture is great. It's beautiful. It's what we need.

So true to what George Lucas created, you know, and it's a seamless continuation of that story.

And it embraces the old and the new and integrates new technology and new cultural ideas, you know, or more accepted cultural ideas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: We're going to take you live to Paris now because of course we're expecting the details of proposed climate change agreement. Let's listen in.

LAURENT FABIUS, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Here we are, almost at the end of the road and without a beginning of another one. I would first of all like to thank you, all of you, for your work not just of the past few days but the past few years but all these last few months and for many of you the last two years.

The final draft agreement which has been put before you this morning and which will be distributed in this -- when this session is over does a lot, shows a lot for the progress that has being carried out here. But none of us forget what has been obtained in particular since Durban.

I would like to thank in particular the secretary-general of the United Nations and the president of the French Republic who's -- show us -- give us the honor of their presence and who both of them have shown their very great personal determination at the service of success of this COP 21.

For four years the group --

[05:55:00] FABIUS (through translator): -- has been able to implement considerable work. I would like to show my respects to the presidents of the different groups, the facilitators and different negotiators of the groups. I would like to thank affectionately the Peruvian presidency of COP 20, in particular our friend, Manuel, who gave us the necessary impulse.

(APPLAUSE)

FABIUS (through translator): He gave us the necessary impulse and impetus before our Moroccan friends take over next year.

I have a particular thought finally for all of those ministers, negotiators, activists, who would have wished to be here in these probably historic circumstances but who acted but were not able to know this day --

(APPLAUSE)

FABIUS (through translator): -- who were not able to see this day.

During this Paris conference we wanted the conditions for receiving you, for preparation were the best possible. I had announced two methods, ways of listening, transparency, ambition and research and seeking for compromise, a compromise at COP in which each party can feel heard and understood. I hope that collectively we achieved this.

Dear friend, following the exceptional political impulse given by the 150 heads of states and government who met at the beginning of our conference, the ADP group then carried out its work during the first week.

Last Saturday, which always seems -- already seems a long time ago -- after putting forward the ADP texts by the copresidents, we set up an informal body for consultation open to all of this Paris committee.

We have all worked a lot, slept relatively little and a number of ministers and facilitators have helped us in bringing about compromises. I have to thank them.

I thank you very warmly.

(APPLAUSE)

FABIUS (through translator): Several meetings in formats of debates took place on the difficult circumstances. There have been no less than two successive versions that have come from the work of the parties this week before proposing to you today the final text.

At each stage the objective was to bring us closer together so that the agreement could be wished by all. At each time the parties were consulted on the best methods to move forward as well as on substance. All of this was done in a constructive atmosphere and I particularly want to emphasize this and today we are close to the end of this process. We reached -- and this is my deep conviction -- to an ambitious draft

balanced agreement which reflects the positions of the parties. It will be distributed in a few minutes.

I am not going in this moment to go into all the details but I would like to nevertheless emphasize a few details. This text is necessarily balanced. It contains the principal advances which, when it -- many of us were thinking would perhaps be impossible to obtain. The proposed draft agreement is differentiated. It is just, fair, sustainable, balanced and legally binding. It is loyal to the Durban mandate.

(APPLAUSE)