backgrounds very similar to andrew urdiales. they do it because they like doing it. they like doing it, and more importantly, they're going to keep doing it. there is no cure for this. they're human predators, and they'll keep doing it as long as they're drawing breath. >> a major drawdown. thousands of u.s. troops could soon be pulled from afghanistan. u.s. senator lindsey graham makes it clear he's not trying to be fair about donald trump's expected impeachment. also, snow, ice, and rain spreading can oeft to coast across the united states. derek van dam will have that with us. it's all this hour. welcome the our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. live to you from atlanta g.a.

i'm gnnatalie. "newsroom" starts right now. thank you for joining us. our top story, new developments and america's longest war. thousands of u.s. troops are expected to be withdrawn from afghanistan. that's coming to us from a senior trump administration official. the move has been in the works for quite some time and is being welcomed by the taliban as a good step. here's white house correspondent jeremy diamond with more about it. >> reporter: well, the trump administration is preparing to announce the withdrawal of about 4,000 troops from afghanistan. that would take the total number of u.s. troops, which is currently estimated to be between 12,000 and 13,000, to the range of 8,600. that is the number that the president himself floated back in august when he said that the

u.s. was likely going to be drawing down the number of u.s. troops in afghanistan. so this is something that has been in the works for quite some time. now a senior administration official is indeed telling me that is a plan to move forward with this troop withdrawal and that it could happen as early as next week. of course the timing is very much in flux. that was the note of caution i got from this senior administration official. all of this of course coming as the u.s. has resorted peace talks with the taliban following president trump's visit to afghanistan over the thanksgiving holiday. that was the president's first visit to afghanistan during his presidency. and while he was there, he suggested that the taliban were now open to a cease-fire. that is not something that the taliban leaders have so far admitted to. and, in fact, they were quite caught off guard by the president's comments. the question of course is how this will all play in the negotiations. the withdrawal of 4,000 troops could be viewed as a unilateral

concession by the united states. certainly it will have an effect with the peace talks. let's talk more about this with sam kiley following developments from us from abu dhabi. first up, can you elaborate how the withdrawal may affect the peace talks. >> well, there are two different alternative scenarios. the first is they clearly could affect peace talks in a positive way. as a sign of good faith coming from the united states, given that the taliban's demands are that the united states withdraw entirely as part of any long-term settlement with the central government in afghanistan, which i stress is not part yet of these talks. the flip-side of that argument, as jeremy was pointing out, this could be seen as a sign of weakness, a sign that the americans want to get out after

an 18 years of a highly expensive deployment, come what may, and may be prepared to abandon the afghan government. the truth probably lies between the two different alternatives. natalie, i have been covering afghanistan since 2001. there hasn't been a senior officer from nato that i have spoken to there any time since 2008 who hasn't been firmly of the view that essentially it was pretty much a waste of blood and treasure to be there. the essence has been how to extract foreign forces from afghanistan without causing the collapse of the central government at worst-case scenario, or a civil war which could easily follow if there isn't a coherent peace process. this is very much at the early stages of what the americans hope will be a way to extract themselves from this very costly

engagement without leaving utter chaos behind themselves. >> of that potential utter chaos, the taliban are popular in some parts of the country. the question is will they try to move into other areas? >> reporter: that would be an interesting strategic decision that the taliban might face. they are popular. some would even argue almost dominant in the south and east of the country. and indeed parts of the southwest down onto the iranian border in iraq. elsewhere in the country, they are located for their ideological and for their ethnic differences. but they would be aware that they have no natural constitu t constituency in the north of the country. there are substantial government forces that have been relatively well-trained and equipped since they were able to topple the various war lords when they took over back in the day.

so i think ultimately the taliban would be pretty circumspect about the idea that they could take over the whole country but get themselves into position, which indeed they have, and which they are a serious contender for the power sharing in the future of afghanistan. the nature of the power sharing, whether they would be prepared to subject themselves to democratic oversight, for example, remain a very distant issue in peace talks that are really in their infancy. >> sam kiley with the late e. sam, thank you. one of u.s. president's donald trump is pushing for a quick impeachment trial in the senate. republican lindsey graham said he will do everything in its power to ensure that it, quote, dies quickly. this is what he told becky anderson at a conference in qatar. >> i want this to end as quick as possible for the good of the senate, for the good of the

country, and i think the best thing for america to do is get this behind us. we know how it's going to end. i have tried to give a pretty clear signal that i have made up my mind. >> well, we will have more of becky anderson's interview with senator graham later this hour. before we get to a senate trial, of course, the u.s. house of representatives still has to vote on two articles of impeachment. or instruction of congress and abuse of power. that vote likely to happen in the coming days. cnn's lauren fox reports from washington. >> reporter: another big week in washington as the house of representatives is poised to vote to impeach president donald trump as soon as wednesday. that's putting pressure on moderate democrats, some of them who won in districts president donald trump won in in 2016. answer van drew is expected to

switch parties soon. that's according to one senior democratic source who said van drew has told fellow members that that is his plan moving forward. van drew said he was not going to be supporting the articles of impeachment, but it just shows the pressure that the democrats are under. another democrat in a swing victim, mal now sky held a townhall where he heard from supporters and opponents of president trump. here's what happened when he said he would support the two articles of impeachment. >> based on the evidence i have seen in the depositions, in the hearings, in the documents i have seen, i believe that on the two counts of impeachment that have been put before us, the vote should be yes. and i will be voting yes. >> reporter: plans are still planning in the senate.

meanwhile, president trump has been telling his allies privately that he would prefer a longer trial, more of a show to defend himself. where that goes will be uncertain until democrats and republicans in the senate return from their holiday break in january. for cnn, lauren fox, washington. much to talk about. joining me now is the head of the u.s. and the americas program at chatham house international think tank. leslie, good to see you. >> thank you. >> let's start with lindsey graham. he doesn't have to be a fair juror. and mitch mcconnell saying he will cooperate with the white house in the senate trial. what do you think of their approach here? . >> welsh i think you have to remember the context. this is a major international conference with leaders and thought leaders from all over the world listening to this.

so it's a very strong statement. and clearly lindsey graham is making it clear that he has no doubt which way this vote should go. but i guess what's also interesting here is that, you know, lindsey graham, mitch mcconnell, as we have just seen, differ from the president who might like to see witnesses called when this goes to the senate, assuming this goes to the senate. but lindsey graham, mitch mcconnell, they want it short. it suggests perhaps they don't trust what might happen if there were a longer trial. but it's been intensely political the entire time. and i think it's -- it is surprising to see. now, there's norm when you talk about a trial of this kind that you would have a fair trial, that it will be deliberative, that views would be aired, evidence would be aired, that it would be taken very seriously. and those making a decision would not come out in advance of that kind of trial. but this is a different

political situation. and i think what we have seen is the republicans very much on the offensive when it comes to capturing and controlling that narrative because they know it has high stakes politically and in the public imagination. . >> right. and to your point, republicans call the impeachment inquiry from the house democrats a sham. and it kind of seemed like they might be making the senate trial the same. because when they took the oath, it was during an impeachment to be an impartial juror. it doesn't look like that's going to happen. >> well, and of course. if you go back to the hearings in the house, of course both sides have the opportunity to raise questions. if you keep a trial short that you restrict that ability of democrats to speak obviously of witnesses if you don't call them. so it's really very much about controlling the narrative. and what we are seeing right now, of course senators and members of congress are looking

back to the public, to their constituents. that public remains very, very divided. but it also remains skewed on partisan lines with well over 80% of republicans opposing impeachment. and the reverse on the democratic side. so i think reading the tea leaves, they are wanting to move forward. nobody wants this to have a negative impact on their electoral prospects. it is interesting that the president seems to have a different view on this. >> right. so this week it is expected that he will be impeached. the headlines will be in bold print and i tal sized. this will be historic. some americans have been tuned out during the process. but what effect do you think might the official impeachment of a u.s. president have on the american psyche right now? . >> well, again, it comes down a lot to how this plays out in the

media, on social media. we have seen millions of dollars spent on facebook ads that are anti-impeachment. there's a lot of money now being spent on ads on mainstream news. so part of it will come down to the influence of the campaigns that are being waged. but public attitudes, i think there is a sense in which people have their views. they're relatively fixed. and they would like to move forward. and that is what politicians are counting on. but when it comes time to go and vote, i think this is where we will see, you know, how people really feel. this is where it will play out. >> yeah. i wanted to ask you how might his impeachment affect the dynamic on the campaign trail for both democrats and republicans? >> well, we are clearly seeing a number of -- a few individuals who feel that pressure. because, you know, as we have just seen, there are some

democrats in the house who are in constituencies that previously voted for donald trump and the republican party. there are some races where it might have a significant impact. the american electorate remains divided. again, it hasn't shifted. in the very beginning, when the decision to impeach, the decision to hold hearings was announced, there was a spike. about 9% spike in those who were really supportive of this. but since then that same change hasn't snow-balled. it's not clear how it will play out. it will be in part on how this week is handled and the first couple of weeks, if a senate trial really is that short, how it is handled. >> right. and how will it affect the presidential campaign trail, that is something that we'll be also waiting to see.

leslie, thank you so much for your insights. . >> thank you. >> well, another sign of progress in resolving the u.s.-china trade war. china is stopping additional tariffs on u.s. goods that were set to kick in today. this follows the announcement that both countries had reached an interim trade deal. the u.s. also hit pause on tariffs on chinese goods that were set to go into effect. next here, a 13-year-old suspect is talking to police about the fatal stabbing of this young college student in new york. more about this tragedy coming up here. >> also, in the u.s., winter storms, harsh winds. a look at which states are under a winter weather warning and how ice could play a dangerous role. that's also next from derek van dam.

new york prosecutors are deciding if a 13-year-old boy should be charged as an adult in the stabbing death of a college student. 18-year-old tessa majors was killed just blocks away from her school. the suspect, again, just 13,

reported told police he watched as his two friends grabbed her. polo sandoval is following this for us. >> reporter: it includes students from 57 different countries. as you can imagine, the cold-blooded murder of one of their own is sending shock waves here in new york. but also throughout the international community. police do say that the teen they have in custody was found with a knife and admitted to being involved in wednesday's attempted robbery and deadly stabbing. but the question prosecutors are asking, to what extent? see, according to the "new york times", the 13-year-old faces felony murder charge, meaning he is not accused of stabbing tessa majors but of taking part in the robbery. the "times" also reporting that detectives testified during the 13-year-old's hearing yesterday, he reportedly told the court that the teen and two other teenage accomplices walked into that manhattan park specifically to rob people. the boy told detectives he

watched his two friends grab the college freshman and put her in a choke hold. they removed items from her pockets and slashed her repeatedly with a knife. a second person, also a young individual is in custody but not been charged. there is no allegation against her client claiming that he touched the victim, rather he was merely present when this took place. we have reached out to prosecutors who ultimately decide if this teenager will be charged as an adult. in a statement yesterday her family wrote, we lost a very special, very talented and well-loved young woman. tess shone brightly in this world and our hearts will never be the same. new york authorities are trying to get to the bottom of this, trying to find out if they can prevent something like this from happening again. they are increasing patrols in the park. the mayor called this an

unacceptable reality. polo sandoval, cnn, new york. >> such a horrific, senseless killing. >> authorities in new zealand are starting to release the names of some of those skilled in last week's volcanic eruption. police named five victims. one of them is 21-year-old crystal browitt from australia. the eruption killed at least 16 people. police are continuing their search for victims, contaminated waters, low visibility and the threat of another eruption are slowing down recovery efforts. parts of the u.s. are getting slammed with some wicked winter weather right now. derrick is here to tell you about it. >> from coast to coast, actually. heads-up, if you're in d.c. monday morning, the commute will be horrific. the storm system is headed your way. ice, snow, and you'll feel the impacts in new york city as well. first, let me take you to the

west coast. this is some video of what motorists had to deal with just yesterday in the lake tahoe region, south tahoe region. it is all part of the larger storm system. you can see individuals skidding out on the roadways, putting chains on their tires. let's get to the lighter side and bring you to lambeau field in green bay. i love this. the community is coming together. the snowfall they saw, they had to shovel it to have their classic football game outdoors for the green bay packers. i like to see that participation. this is a storm system responsible for the snowfall across the sierra nevadas. it will clear up today. the moisture is moving eastward. it will impact the plains and the ohio river valley here today and into the day on monday. then we look towards the mid atlantic and the east coast. winter weather advisories and watches in place. trying to put this in perspective for you. the green of course being red.

the red or pink color being ice. and the blue indicating snowfall potential. this is the storm system sunday to monday. there is two parts to the storm, actually. if you see the first edge of that snow and ice mixture into d.c. moving in just in time for rush hour to start off the workweek. then they start to focus along the new england coastline. north of new york, you will have a rain/snow mix. some of our computer models into west virginia have half to three-quarters of an inch of ice on top of what will fall as snowfall across this region. so this could be a real mess for travelers across the ohio and tennessee river sraerblgs all the way to new england. here's the evolution of the first part of the system. d.c. area, moving into new york. the second part starts to form across the plains. temperature swings for new york city dropping to the near

freezing mark. nobody wants to see that right now. especially with precipitation in the mix. we could see slick spots coming home monday and once again on tuesday. it's very complicated long duration event. one thing you need to pay attention to is local authorities, what the roads are telling you. if it's too slick to drive, stay home. >> it's been kind of rough across the country. . >> it really has. testing out the winter driving skills. . >> we have december, january, february to go. . >> three more months. . >> a historic vote looms in washington this week after the u.s. house judiciary committee voted on two articles against president trump. nearly 21 years ago to the day, the house judiciary committee approved articles of impeachment against another u.s. president, bill clinton. cnn's tom foreman looks at the differences between the two. >> reporter: start with the evidence. >> this is something very, very serious. >> reporter: the impeachment of bill clinton began with the

investigation of the whitewater land deal in arkansas. it turned into a wide-ranging four-year probe by ken starr. >> the president, in the course of those efforts, misused his authority and his power as president -- >> reporter: starr's massive report laid out the complete allegations for clinton for congress to consider. with donald trump, the ukraine scandal has been unfolding in realtime with new witnesses and testimony day by day. compared to the clinton case, it is moving at lightning speed. next, the charges. when asked about his relationships with a white house intern bill clinton under oath misled investigators just as he had the public. >> i did not have sexual relations with that woman. >> the important thing is that bill clinton lied to a grand jury. that is a crime. >> reporter: but trump -- >> this president isn't even accused of committing a crime.

>> reporter: still democrats say clinton lied about a personal matter, while trump used taxpayer dollars to strong-arm a foreign ally for his own political ambitions >> there is no higher crime than for the president to use the power of his office to corrupt our elections. >> reporter: and then there is congress. clinton and trump each faced a house of representatives controlled by the opposition party. both arguing the investigations were partisan hit jobs. both resisting participation. clinton, by insisting on specific terms for his testimony. trump by going much further, instructing his team to ignore subpoenas, claiming absolute immunity. >> this president has achieved a new low. >> reporter: and belittling his accusers. . >> these people are stone-cold crooked. >> reporter: as for the likely next step, a senate trial. even the republicans held a solid majority during clinton's

impeachment. several gop senators crossed over to help democrats defeat the charges. for trump, the republicans are n charge again. but this time, while democratic leaders say their members should vote as they wish, republicans -- >> my hope is that there won't be a single republican who votes for either of these articles of impeachment. >> reporter: and here is one more stark difference. at the height of impeachment, 60% of americans thought bill clinton was doing a good job as president and they wanted him to stay. donald trump has never enjoyed that kind of approval. and about half of the american public wants him to go. tom tomorrow, cnn, washington. despite the polls, republicans are sticking with the president ahead of a likely senate trial. >> is it appropriate to be voicing your opinion even before this gets to the senate as a trial? . >> well, i must think so because

i'm doing it. >> we'll have more on why senator lindsey graham said his mind is already made up no matter what, as he speaks with our becky anderson. back home in his home state of south carolina, republicans are trying to use the impeachment narrative against their democratic rivals. but will it change voters' minds? much more ahead here. you're watching cnn "newsroom".

welcome back to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. you're watching cnn "newsroom" live from atlanta. i'm natalie allen. here are our top stories this hour. a taliban spokesman said an expected u.s. troop drawdown from afghanistan is a good step but that all u.s. forces must

ultimately lead to resolve the conflict. the departure of 4,000 troops will be announced in the coming days. while the u.s. house of representatives is set to vote on articles of impeachment in the coming days, one of mr. trump's closest allies is already pushing for a quick senate trial. republican senator lindsey graham said he will do everything in his power to make it die quickly. his words. >> and a senior republican official says democratic congressman jeff van drew is expected to become a republican. the congressman previously said he would vote against all articles of impeachment. more now on the rather frank comments from republican senator lindsey graham we mentioned a moment ago. he's making it clear under no circumstances would he ever vote to remove president trump from office. here's how he put it to our becky anderson.

. >> i want this to end as quick as possible for the good of the senate, for the good of the country. and i think the best thing for america to do is to get this behind us. we know how it's going to end, so we can focus on the problems we talked about today. if you don't like president trump, you can vote against him in less than a year. it's not like a politician is unaccountable if you don't impeach him. so i think impeachment is going to end quickly in the senate. i would prefer it to end as quickly as possible. use the record that was assembled in the house to pass impeachment articles as your trial record. i don't want to call anybody. i don't need to hear from hunter biden. i don't need to hear from joe biden. we can deal with that outside of impeachment. i don't want to talk to pompeo. i don't want to talk to pence. i want to hear the house make their case based on the record they established in the house,

and i want to vote. >> the senate has a constitutional duty in holding this trial and comprehensively evaluating the case. agreed? >> no, it doesn't say that in the constitution. it says that the senate will -- i am trying to give a pretty clear signal i have made up my mind. >> i wasn't in any doubt at this point. >> i'm telling you right now if mueller had found something against trump, i would have been his loudest critic and would have told the president to his face. what i see happening today is just a partisan nonsense. >> you have voiced strong opinions about this impeachment piece. but you are, along with the rest of your senate fellows, jurors. is it appropriate to be voicing your opinion even before this gets to the senate as a trial. . >> well, i must think so because

i'm doing it. so this is a political exercise by politicians. when you look at the history of why you have impeachment in the constitution, what i am saying is that i view this as a political exercise. i view this to be more about nancy pelosi's speakership than wrongdoing by president trump. and i like speaker pelosi. i want to congratulate her on negotiates the usmca trade deal. that is a feat for her and president trump. so i see the whole process and how it's dangerous to the presidency. every other impeachment by this one was generated by outside counsel, people who were nonpartisan. this is being driven by people who are partisan politicians. no real ability to defend yourself. most of it is hearsay. closed-door hearings. no right to confront the witnesses against you. i want to make sure that this

process is soundly rejected in the senate because i think it's a danger to the presidency himself. >> can i just underline what we have been talking about here. whether or not the president is impeached and removed, you clearly tonight think that's going to happen. is it ever appropriate for a president to ask a foreign leader to get involved in a domestic --. >> if you read the phone call, i'm okay with it. you ran against corruption. some people believe, and cnn and other groups, have not lifted a finger to look -- if mike pence's son had done this, i think you may have a little more looking by the media. can you imagine if mike pence's son was on a board in the ukraine making $50,000 a month not knowing anything about gas and the prosecutors fired of mike pence's state government, you might want to know more about that. i love joe biden, but nobody is

above scrutiny. we're not going to have a country where only republicans are looked at. i would suggest that donald trump and his family have been scrutinized. so to my democratic friends, it's okay i guess to look at everything trump all the time. it never ends. don't complain when it comes your way. >> lindsey graham giving us his feelings there for sure. as the democratic-led house advances articles of impeachment against president trump, republicans are trying to turn the move back against the democrats heading into the election year. and nowhere is that more evident than in lindsey graham's state of south carolina. here's cnn's martin savidge. >> reporter: stretching from charleston to hilton head, south carolina's first district is home to representative joe cunningham, a first-term

democrat in a long-time republican stronghold. >> thank you so much. we love you, folks. >> reporter: trump won the district by 14 points. mitt romney by 18. in 2018, he became the first democrat to represent the area in nearly four decades. >> ran good ads, good campaign. it was a clean campaign too. he didn't throw all the trash. >> reporter: instead of attacking trump and republicans, he dealt with local concerns like the environment and opposition to off-shore oil drilling. it is what drew donna to cunningham. >> what can i say? he cares about us. he cares about our city. >> reporter: national rentals are waging local republicans will care about something more, the impeachment proceedings. >> president trump has been fighting for us. now it's time to fight for him. >> reporter: attack ads targeting cunningham that began airing locally aimed at peeling away as critical moderate

republican support. >> telling congressman joe cunningham to stop impeachment now. >> reporter: did that register with you? >> no. >> reporter: donna and andrew both oppose impeachment. but that hasn't impacted their support for cunningham >> no. because he's real. we need real. we have to get away from all of this there's influences from everywhere else that are guiding our politicians in making decisions. >> reporter: for now mod rats and independents we talked to are sticking with cunningham, especially as long as he keeps his focus and his message close to home. >> i don't think he's hammered, especially not at this point. >> reporter: do you think he will be re-elected? >> yes. . i think he will. >> all right. cnn reached out to democratic congressman joe cunningham. he says he hasn't decided yet how he will vote on impeaching the president. all right. next here, supporters of italy's

sardines movement says there is a whiff of fascism in the air. they are appealing for tolerance. >> also ahead, lebanon's economy in big trouble. protesters are back on the streets of beirut as businesses feel the pressure from the country's deepening financial crisis. what they are doing about it, it's all next.

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♪ ♪ thousands of protesters crammed into rome to send a message to the nation's far right. the demonstrators are part of a grassroots movement and they say it is time to promote tolerance. we have more from the italian capital. >> reporter: these are the sardines, the latest political movement to try to swim against the current tide in italy.

it is not a political party. they wanted to protest against the far right party leader. they sent out a message to fill the piazzas and pack them tight like sardines. and it worked. but the movement isn't just against him. it is against misinformation and fake news. if nonviolence is the core message, anti-fascism is the logical consequence. it is a defense clearly in the constitution which is the reference point of all the people here in the square. it is very unifying, going back to the roots of political participation as something that everybody should feel as something that matters to each and every single of us. >> reporter: they hope the message resonates with voters in regional elections in january where he stands to make ground. this isn't the first time a grassroots movement has tried to swim against the political stream. the five-star movement, which is

currently in power with the center left, also won support through demonstrations just like this. but ariana, who has a young son, tells us that this movement is not like the five-star movement she said is chaotic and hard to understand. she said the sardines are hoping to spread their message of values and solidarity. she hopes the sardines can push these values forward. she's here because she wants a better future for her son. this is the largest demonstration the sardines have been able to gather since the movement started just one month ago. by the energy and enthusiasm among the old and young in this crowd, it looks like they are starting to turn the tide. the lebanese red cross and civil defense say dozens of people have been injured in the latest clashes between prote protesters and security forces in beirut. they say 46 people were sent to hospital saturday.

dozens others were treated on site. demonstrations have accident the country since october. tensions are running high as politicians fail to agree on forming a new government. and that is making lebanon's economic crisis even worse. lebanese business leaders say they are so fed up with government inaction over the crisis, they're taking action of their own. cnn's ben wedeman brings us the story from lebanon's capital. >> reporter: lebanese business leaders declared they won't pay, they can't pay taxes any more. after almost two months of mass protests over official corruption and incompetence, the private sector is in deep crisis. the lebanese economy is beginning to go into freefall. in the last two months, the currency has lost a third of its value. last week the care taker

minister received requests from 60 companies to dismiss their entire staff. supporters of the tax strike say they can't do business as usual. >> my biggest problem, my biggest fear nowadays is not to be able to pay salaries to my staff. >> my number one problem are the ministers, the government that is not doing their job, so they should leave. >> uncertainty is killing this country. we don't know what's next. >> reporter: he runs a chain of sporting good stores. with banks severely restricting access to dollars, importing goods is nearly impossible. . >> we let go all the recently joined staff members which joined for less than three months. we basically let them all go of. >> reporter: how many? >> 25 to 30. on top of that, we had to decrease 25% salaries to everyone in the company. from our ceo down the hierarchy. >> reporter: it's not so much a crunch as a crash. >> if we continue to ignore the

problem and stay in denial, that means we're going to run out of basic stuff. >> reporter: financial analyst dan ozzy says lebanon needs to learn to live within its means. i currently imports almost everything, from food and medicine to high-end items, and produces very little. >> one of the things i suggested is big tariffs on things like v-8, v-6 cars. if you go to paris you don't see range rovers. if we cut down by making them very expensive, we have 350,000 domestic helpers in our houses. how about we start doing our own dishes? >> reporter: some are already starting to leave. at the philippine embassy, hundreds of domestic workers are applying for government financed flights back home. employers are paying in the devalued lida which they can't wire home to families without a

major loss. . >> i am getting one-fourth of what i used to get before due to bank problems. stkpr winter discontent is going to be a stormy one. ben wedeman, cnn, beirut. we are also hearing the lebanese president is supposed to hold parliamentary consultations monday to choose a new prime minister. there is speculation that the prime minister could be named again to lead the government. all right. we turn now to the u.n. climate conference in madrid. it is finally coming to an end after a marathon session aimed at forging a final declaration to curb global warming. closing statements are expected momentarily.

two weeks of among the participants. the event has drawn large numbers of climate activists to madrid. one protester told reuters news service even if they reach an agreement it is still not enough. this is the 25th cop they have had and nothing has really changed. when will that change? impeachment hearings are serious business except when, well, they're not. ahead here, see how a lawyer's reusable bag stole the show. - 10 years ago, we started legacybox.

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there is a certain fashion sense to the impeachment hearings of u.s. president donald trump. in the room of power suits and power dresses, expensive ties and traditional brief cases, one person kept it really basic. here's jeanne moos with that. >> reporter: you may use them to carry groceries, but counsel for the republicans used one to carry impeachment documents. you would think he committed a high crime and misdemeanor from the action.

hey, you're bringing your briefcase today for your nationally televised impeachment hearing, right? no, no i'll be fine with this. he was pulling out documents as if he were yanking out sandwiches and milk. at least we know what he needs for christmas. instead of a monday grammed. >> hearsay, presumptions and speculations. >> reporter: or. >> bribery, extortion and whatever. >> reporter: someone tweeted it should read recycled wacky conspiracy theories. the bag's maker, the fresh market, is now calling itself the official briefcase maker of steve castor. some said my ukrainian husband would call this his ukrainian suitcase. but amid all the mockery, some

came to the defense of the bag. don't shame reusable bags. maybe castor should have used one of the be best bags melania trump was handing out that same afternoon. castor could have worn his impeachment documents backpack style. castor sipped from a lessee co friendly plastic bottle. >> he is badgering the witness. >> badgering the bag, literally on the floor of the house judiciary committee. this impeachment brought to you by the fresh market. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. i'm all about the bag. love it. thanks for being with us this hour. please don't go anywhere. i'll be back with another hour of cnn "newsroom". ♪

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