[Gorani:] Well, as the U.S. Senate prepares for the historic impeachment trial, President Trump is heading off to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. He'll deliver a special address tomorrow when the conference kicks off, hoping perhaps to shift the attention, maybe, a little bit more on Switzerland and a little bit less on Washington, D.C. The other headliner, Mr. Trump's adversary? Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. Well, one has to wonder if they'll interact, cross paths, whatever. They are likely to have very different messages, though. I'm pretty sure we can bet on it. Richard Quest is in Davos, right in the middle of the action. And you spoke to the founder of the World Economic Forum about what to expect this year - Richard.
[Richard Quest, Cnn Editor At Large:] Yes. I mean, everybody's attention is on Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg, for the simple reason that this year at Davos, the usual agenda of economic stuff isn't quite so important. There's nothing burning on the agenda. However, what is burning, of course, is the climate. And when I spoke to Klaus Schwab, he made it quite clear why the environment is the number one issue.
[Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum:] The world is in a status of emergency. And certainly, the time is running out to address those issues, so we cannot just talk about those issues, we have to find fast solutions, so that's what we are doing this year.
[Quest:] Hasn't the world always been in a state of emergency?
[Schwab:] Yes, but the time pressure to act hasn't been as great as it is now.
[Quest:] And, you know, Klaus isn't just speaking hyperbolically. If you look at what's actually happening here, you've got CEOs, you've got government leaders, you've got people coming here with real commitments on what they're going to do about climate change. And so when Donald Trump comes in tomorrow, he will find an audience much more on Greta's side. So he'll have to probably come with something of his own.
[Gorani:] But did they did they fly in on their private jets? Because last year, that was obviously something that raised eyebrows, you know, flying in to talk about climate change on your private jets. But the other thing is, Oxfam released a new statistic. I mean, the wealth inequality on this planet is just mind-boggling. The 26 richest people on the planet own as much as the poorest 50 percent. So 26 people own as much as 3.8 billion in the bottom half of the world. Is there any talk about how to address this inequality?
[Quest:] Constantly. I don't think CEOs come here
[Gorani:] But are they doing
[Quest:] without being aware of it.
[Gorani:] are they willing to pay a wealth tax? Because that's the big question. Are they willing to pay a wealth tax?
[Quest:] No. Some are, some aren't. But it's but it's they're not willing to pay a wealth tax. It's not because they're frightened of their own fortune. Many of the people here have got so much money, they've got more money than God and they can't spend it in several lifetimes. If they don't want a wealth tax, it's because they don't believe that will actually improve the lot of those at the bottom. It's a nuanced argument, perhaps. But, Hala, here in Davos, there is a sea change. It's not just the rich and the elites, there is a broad base and the agenda is extremely wide.
[Gorani:] And what about Greta Thunberg? Because she makes a point of traveling to places without using air travel. Do we know how she's getting to Davos?
[Quest:] Well, assuming she's come from her native country, it's won't be that difficult. A boat over the water, and then a couple of train journeys and you'll soon be up the mountain. I don't you could even drive if she was so minded. So I can imagine, yes, I took a plane trip from London and there are lots of people here who all did most people here took a train a plane trip. But I'm guessing Greta didn't find it too difficult to get to Davos without air travel.
[Gorani:] Let's think of ways to offset your carbon footprint, Richard, later, when we can chat about it. Thanks very much, Richard
[Quest:] Oh, Hala Gorani
[Gorani:] Well, you know. That's got to
[Quest:] oh.
[Gorani:] We'll see you in London, we'll give you reusable bags or something. We'll see you at the top of the hour, before that, on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS," from Davos.
[Quest:] We will.
[Gorani:] Let us turn our attention now to Iraq. There is a deadline for leadership change that has arrived. At least three people were killed in widespread protests today. Take a look. Activists burned tires, they clashed with security forces again in several cities, demanding that the government name a new interim prime minister. A U.N. official tells CNN, security forces used tear gas and live ammunition, once again, to stop the demonstrations from spreading to other places. Also, hundreds were injured in clashes between anti-government protestors and security forces in Beirut over the weekend. Demonstrators called it a week of rage, and it follows months of mostly nonviolent demonstrations over the government's failure to save a faltering economy. Staying in the Arab world, the internationally recognized premier of Libya is warning of catastrophe unless foreign powers lean on renegade general Khalifa Haftar. Haftar's forces closed some oil facilities, disrupting production and sending prices higher. His actions came as world leaders tried to broker a ceasefire in Libya. CNN's Nic Robertson breaks it down for us.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] As leaders met in Berlin this weekend, one demand for Libya.
[Antonio Guterres, Secretary-general, United Nations:] First, we need to have a ceasefire.
[Robertson:] The reality? It would have been easier several years ago. The long road to this summit, strewn with lost opportunity, a lack of international consensus and a worsening conflict. Turkey, the latest regional power to escalate the stakes, vowing to send its troops and already helping hundreds of Syrian fighters get at Libya's front lines.
[Guterres:] Until now, we have an escalation of the Libyan conflict with some foreign interference. Now, we were facing the risk of a true regional escalation.
[Robertson:] The route of this crisis and the overthrow of Dictator Moammar Gadhafi, 2011. Gadhafi's forces were poised to crush Libya's Arab Spring uprising. After disagreements, the U.N. backed NATO to intervene. French jets stopped Gadhafi's advance. In the following weeks, British and French jets pounded Gadhafi's
[Gorani:] Egypt's president is in London for a U.K.-Africa summit amid fresh questions about the country's human rights record. Activists say Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has cracked down on freedoms since he took power six years ago. Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Sisi in Berlin and he says that he expressed outrage over the death of an American citizen, detained in Egypt. Scott McLean has more.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn International Correspondent:] Family gatherings can get awkward, and the diplomatic variety are no exception. For the cameras, it's all smiles. But at the U.K.-Africa investment summit, the presence of this man, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, should make plenty of leaders uncomfortable. Sisi's trip to London comes after a week of bad headlines. Last week, four staff members from a Turkish state news agency were detained at their office in Cairo. They were later released on bail. Anadolu said in Egypt, the outlet was described as a terror cell, not a newsroom. That was just a day after the death of 54-year-old Egyptian- American Mustafa Kassem, who was on hunger strike six years after being arrested. He was convicted in a mass trial with hundreds of others, accused of being a spy and for taking part in anti-government protests, which he denied. At a weekend meeting in Berlin, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed outrage at Kassem's pointless and tragic death. But for the cameras, the pair were cordial. Sisi even joked about President Trump's chances in 2020.
[Abdel Fattah El-sisi:] This is a done deal. An assured win
[Unidentified Male:] You will see.
[Mclean:] It's not new for Western leaders to happily rub shoulders with dictators, but many describe Egypt under the Sisi regime as especially repressive, a place where human rights are routinely ignored and dissent is barely tolerated.
[Maya Foa, Director Of Reprieve:] Lots and lots of young people, of people who have been tortured, innocent people are all being swept up in this system of mass trials, this repressive system. And they're being systematically sentenced to death by the hundreds.
[Mclean:] Sisi's government has vehemently denied the allegations. Egypt receives over a billion dollars in U.S. military aid each year. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy says the U.S. has failed to use its leverage to force Sisi to behave.
[Sen. Chris Murphy:] We have influence. We are not using it today. The long-term consequence of this kind of repression is not good for the United States, it is not good for our allies.
[Mclean:] On-stage at the investment summit, the leader of America's most important ally discussed Egypt only once.
[Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom:] The monorail trains that will shortly be conveying citizens through the streets of Cairo, that great and growing city, will be made here. The monorail trains will be made here in the U.K. Celebrating economic success was clearly on the agenda. Downing Street would not say whether Sisi's dismal human rights record would be as well. Scott McLean, CNN, London.
[Gorani:] Still to come tonight, we'll check in on the Democratic race for the White House and see who "The New York Times" just endorsed. A hint? It says, quote, "May the best woman win." We'll be right back. And extremists threatened a pro-gun rally in the U.S. state of Virginia. This is not a war zone, by the way. This is just people, demonstrating in Virginia. CNN is on the ground, where protestors some of them openly carrying weapons, surrounded the capital building. We'll be right back.