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Hope in Shenzhen after Landslide; Iraqi Troops Fight ISIS over Control of Ramadi; Trump Turns on Clinton as Numbers Fall in National Polls; Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Appears in Military Court; Items Stolen from Secret Service Agent in Another Agency Embarrassment; Afghan Forces Struggling Against Taliban Militants; Sandra Bland Family: No Faith in Grand Jury System; Susan Sarandon Welcomes Refugees on Lesbos Island; Above-Average Snowpack in California Mountains; U.S. Politicians Spoof Themselves after Being Butt Jokes on TV. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 23, 2015 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:46] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: A big welcome to our viewers in the United States and those of you watching from all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett. I appreciate you joining me for the next two hours. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Rescuers in China have found the first survivors and bodies from a landslide in Shenzhen. A 19-year-old man was pulled out alive from under a building at the industrial park early Wednesday. He had been buried for more than 60 hours, which is just incredible. A second person who was rescued later died. State media reports four bodies were pulled from the rubble. Still, 73 people are missing.
CNN's Matt Rivers joins us live from Shenzhen with the latest on the rescue efforts.
Matt, just how was the 19-year-old man able to be pulled out alive? That is incredible.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is incredible, Errol. Just a lot of hard work from the thousands of rescue personnel that have been here since late Sunday morning when this happened. That young man buried for almost three days before he was discovered very early this morning around 3:00 a.m. It took rescuers nearly four or five hours to get him out of that rubble. He was trapped, buried underneath lots of different things. Eventually, they were able to pull him out, put him on a stretcher and unbelievably, he is in stable condition at this point. The best news we have heard in the last 24 to 36 hours.
That said, with his rescue, there remains so many more people trapped in that rubble. And many of their friends, their coworkers, their families have gathered here at this shelter behind me. It's where they are gathering to wait for news for any information that may come out from the government regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones. Their main concern, their main complaint is they're not getting enough information about from the government about their loved ones. That is the case with one man we spoke to. He flew into town late
Sunday, after word that his father might be involved in this landslide. It turns out he was, his father, a man in his 60s, working here in Shenzhen. He said he hopes his father is recovered. But in the meantime, he is upset about what he calls a lack of information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I have not received any updates. No one has called me to tell me anything. The authorities have given us no information.
RIVERS: Despite that, however, he is hopeful that his dad might be pulled out of that rubble. He said this morning's rescue buoyed his hopes that maybe he might experience a similar joy that I'm sure that 19-year-old's family is feeling right now -- Errol?
BARNETT: And, Matt, much of what state media there shows is government censored. But I'm wondering if you've been able to gauge public sentiment. We know that man you spoke with is upset. But is there widespread outrage over this?
RIVERS: At least here locally, in Shenzhen, I think people are very upset about what happened. We spoke to one man not to long ago who said if we can't trust our government, who can we trust to keep ourselves safe in these situations. I think many people are upset. They're not sure who to blame yet. Whether blame the company or a lack of government inspections at the site or, frankly an unsustainable model here in Shenzhen. This has been an incredible boom town here over the last 20 or 30 years. The development here has been off the charts. And the debris, the waste that comes from construction like that has to go somewhere. And so, apparently, this pile got way too large and people here in Shenzhen not happy about the way this turned out. That said, they stopped short of protesting the government. This is China, after all.
[02:04:58] BARNETT: And, Matt, you were citing a report there from state media saying one of the executives at the company that controls that area is now in custody. We'll keep checking in with you in the hours ahead and see if more information is available.
Matt Rivers, live for us in Shenzhen. About five minutes past 3:00 in the afternoon there. Thank you.
Now, Iraqi troops are fighting to wrest control of Ramadi from ISIS. The terrorists have held the provincial capital west of Baghdad since May. Now, this, what you're seeing here is video showing Iraqi troops pressing into the center of the city. Close quarters combat is going slowly, Iraqi commanders say, because ISIS is using human shields.
CNN's Barbara Starr has more on the fight for Ramadi.
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BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunfire and battles now reaching across the city of Ramadi. Iraqi forces on the move to take back the city center from ISIS seven months after they ran away from the fight. Back in May, when Iraqi forces fled, top U.S. officials thought it was a bump in the road.
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: It is possible to have the kind of attack we've seen in Ramadi. But I am absolutely confident in the days ahead that will be reversed.
(GUNFIRE)
STARR: But it's taken months of American-backed training and careful choking off of ISIS supply lines to get Iraqi forces to the point where they finally made their move.
(EXPLOSION)
STARR: A new Iraqi assault began by unfolding a bridge like this one across a branch of the Euphrates River. The U.S. military provided the training for the operation. The Iraqis then pushed into the center of the city with help from U.S. air strikes to begin confronting an estimated 350 ISIS fighters.
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STARR: Optimism from the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad.
UNIDENTIFIED U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: I think the fall of Ramadi is inevitable. You know, the end is coming.
(GUNFIRE)
STARR: The fighting is brutal. The U.S. believes ISIS is using civilians as human shields. The Iraqis tried to get many of them out, dropping these leaflets with instructions on leaving. But ISIS fighters are dug in.
(EXPLOSION)
LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: ISIS has probably laid mines in buildings and laid explosive devices throughout the streets and inside the houses that are going to cause a lot more casualties.
STARR: Just getting control of Ramadi back will not be enough.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Taking back and holding territory is a very difficult operation. It's one thing to clear that area initially. But the problem that you have is actually coming back and making sure that nobody else goes into an area when you move to the next building or the next objective.
STARR (on camera): Getting Ramadi back and holding it, a vital win for the Iraqi forces, but also a must win for the Obama administration trying to prove its anti-ISIS strategy is going to work.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BARNETT: A short time ago, I spoke with CNN military analyst, Peter Mansoor. I asked what sort of backlash we can expect from ISIS as Iraqi troops fight for ground in Ramadi.
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COL. PETER MANSOOR, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It is part of ISIS's modus operandi to attack somewhere else or to try to take the pressure off one battlefield by engaging in another. I would suspect that you would see some ISIS pushback somewhere else, either in Iraq or Syria and to see if they can take the visibility off of what's happening in Ramadi. I don't know how successful they'll be, because they are under extreme pressure up north, as well, with the fall of Sinjar recently, and in the center with the fall of Beiji. So, actually, some significant advances by the Iraqi security forces in the Kurdish wars recently.
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BARNETT: And in the next hour, we'll have a live report on a situation in Ramadi. And you'll hear my full interview with Colonel Mansoor about what's ahead in the ongoing fight against ISIS.
Now, Amnesty International says some Russian air strikes in Syria may amount to war crimes. The group's report focuses on six attacks in homes in Idlib and Aleppo between September and November. The report includes maps that appear to show strikes in civilian areas. It says Russia may have lied to cover up civilian casualties, including bombings of a mosque and a field hospital. Amnesty says the strikes killed at least 200 civilians and only about a dozen or so fighters. Now, CNN is working to get Russia's reaction to this report but Russia has said its forces are only striking terrorist targets. As soon as we hear official word from the Kremlin, we'll bring that to you.
Health officials in Cardenas, Mexico, say at least 30 people are injured after a gas pipeline exploded. But the gas company, PEMEX, denies the pipeline itself exploded. There's scarce information on this story right now, but it says the blast happened after an accident with a stolen fuel tank. This took place in a residential area about 60 kilometers or 37 miles from the capital of Tabasco State. Health officials say several people are hospitalized with severe burns. The company says no employees were wounded.
[02:10:28] The Republican front-runner of the U.S. presidential race is slamming his Democratic rival with language so raw it's considered vulgar. But while Donald Trump has turned his attention to Hillary Clinton, his lead has shrunk in a new national poll.
CNN's Dana Bash has more.
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DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Hillary, that's not a president.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: There's down-and-dirty campaigning and then there's this, Donald Trump using a Yiddish word for a certain part of the male anatomy to slam Hillary Clinton for losing to Barack Obama in 2008.
TRUMP: She got schlonged. She lost. I mean, she lost. But I watched her the other night. It was hard. It was really hard because there were a lot of things better, including reading books and reading financial papers, which actually I enjoy read.
BASH: And that's not all. That moment in this weekend's debate when Clinton was late returning from the commercial break --
HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
BASH: -- apparently, nature was calling, that clearly grossed Trump out.
TRUMP: I know where she went. It's disgusting. I don't want to talk about it.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: No, it's too disgusting. Don't say it. It's disgusting. We want to be very, very straight up. But I thought that -- wasn't that a weird deal? We're ready to start. They were looking. They gave her every benefit of the doubt because, you know, it's ABC and she practically owns ABC. She really does.
BASH: To add to the bizarre nature of all that, Hillary Clinton's campaign responded with a response prefaced by insisting they would not respond. A spokeswoman saying, "We are not responding to Trump, but everyone who understands the humiliation, this degrading language inflicts on all women would, #I'mwithhere."
And Hillary Clinton herself took this not-so-subtle dig of Trump when a little girl asked about being bullied.
CLINTON: You are looking at somebody who has had a lot of terrible things said about me, and I am well aware of the fact that it's really easy to do that. And, you know, you just say it and you send it around the world. Luckily, I'm old enough that it doesn't particularly bother me.
BASH: Clinton also continues to say "hell no" to Trump's call for an apology for making a claim about Trump and ISIS that independent fact checkers call false.
CLINTON: They are going to people showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims --
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: -- in order to recruit more radical jihadists.
TRUMP: She's terrible. Donald Trump is on video and ISIS is using him on the video to recruit.
(BOOING)
TRUMP: And it turned out to be a lie. She's a liar.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: It turned out to be a lie. Turned out to be a lie.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: And the last person that she wants to run against is me, believe me.
BASH: Sparring with Hillary Clinton, a common GOP enemy, is a way for Trump to try and solidify his front-runner status among Republican primary voters, even as one of his rivals is now nipping at his heels.
(CHEERING)
BASH: A new national poll has Ted Cruz now just four points behind Trump. A big jump for Cruz to 24 percent. He was at just 16 percent in the same poll earlier this month.
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): Donald Trump said a couple of days ago that he thinks this race will come down to him and me. I think Donald may well be right.
BASH: Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Now, Trump is defending his use of that controversial word after the uproar it's caused. Is anyone surprised by that? Here is a message he sent out on Twitter. He essentially blamed the mainstream media for being dishonest and said his choice of words was not vulgar, but meant, instead, that she was beaten badly.
Republican presidential hopeful, Jeb Bush, took a jab at Trump saying there has to be a level of decorum to win the White House. He also said, "It's not a sign of strength to insult people with profanities." But Bush grabbed the moment to take his own swing at Clinton. He said Clinton is, quote, "Great at being the victim. This will enhance here victimology status. That's what she loves doing."
A U.S. Army sergeant accused of deserting his unit in Afghanistan goes before a military court. Coming up, we'll explain how Bowe Bergdahl's words could be used against him in trial.
[02:14:51] Plus, another embarrassment for the U.S. Secret Service. Apparently, someone stole the most important thing an agent has to protect himself and the people he guards. More when CNN NEWSROOM continues.
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BARNETT: Two more men are now facing terror-related charges in Australia. Police in New South Wales say they were caught in their homes Wednesday morning. One is 20 years old, the other is 24. The arrests are part the of an ongoing counterterrorism investigation. In all, 12 people have been charged with terror offenses since September of last year in this operation.
A U.S. Army sergeant who spent five years in Taliban captivity and was later released went before a U.S. military court on Tuesday. Bowe Bergdahl entered no plea on charges of desertion and endangering fellow soldiers.
Emily Schmidt reports.
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EMILY SCHMIDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In military terms, Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl appeared for an Article 39A arraignment hearing, in translation, his first hearing for charges that could put the 29-year-old in prison for life.
Bergdahl said little, mostly, "Sir, yes sir," in response to the judge.
UNIDENTIFIED MILITARY OFFICER: Sergeant Bergdahl deferred all of these decisions to a later hearing.
SCHMIDT: Bergdahl said more publicly in interviews with the filmmaker, which are the basis of the "Serial" podcast. He says he walked away from a combat outpost in Afghanistan in 2009 to try to bring attention to what he called poor leadership in his unit.
[02:20:11] SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL, U.S. ARMY (voice-over) The lives of the guys standing next to me were literally, from what I could see, in danger of something seriously going wrong.
SCHMIDT: The Taliban captured and held Bergdahl until President Obama secured his release last year as part of a swap for five Guantanamo Bay detainees. Since then, the Army has debated what to do with Bergdahl, ranging from no jail time to the general court-martial which was recommended December 14th.
UNIDENTIFIED MILITARY OFFICER: To military investigators --
SCHMIDT: Military experts say Bergdahl's words will be closely reviewed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inevitably, he's saying things that are going to hurt him.
SCHMIDT: In short, Bergdahl's recent words could be used against him, instead of the 2009 actions Bergdahl says he had hoped would send a message instead. I'm Emily Schmidt, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Patrick McLain joins us from Dallas, Texas, to discuss all this. He's a criminal defense and military law attorney.
Patrick, thanks for your time.
Bowe Bergdahl did not enter a plea on these charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, and he does not decide whether he wants to face a judge and jury, or just a judge. What does all of that tell us?
PATRICK MCLAIN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE & MILITARY LAW ATTORNEY: It tells us it's a pretty unremarkable day. This is the way most court-martials begin. An arraignment hearing is primarily to notify the accused of what he's charged with, ensure he has counsel selection and set a schedule. Typically, one does not enter pleas nor select the form of judge alone or members at that time. Not too unusual for this day to go as it did.
BARNETT: But the worst-case scenario here is he could face life in prison on the misbehavior charge. You've got many observers seeing that as unlikely. But you have two forces at play here, as well, political pressure and public opinion. What is the political pressure on this case as you see it?
MCLAIN: Certainly, Senator McCain, of Arizona, symbolizes the political pressure. He stepped down and, in my opinion, interfered with the military justice process by saying that if he wasn't satisfied with the result, he would hold his own hearing. That is a big verboten in military justice. And this is going to be perhaps something helpful to Sergeant Bergdahl should the case not go in his favor.
BARNETT: There's also Bowe Bergdahl's version of defense, described in his own words on the "Serial" podcast, where he essentially says this was about getting the attention of higher ups to highlight leadership problems that were endangering troops. So he's turning it around from what has been said about what he did. There are more episodes to come. Could that create a wave of sympathy for him?
MCLAIN: Well, certainly, it was investigated by Major General Kenneth Dahl, who is not an attorney, but a commander, and he came away after hearing the full Sergeant Bergdahl story and said he should not even go to a court-martial. Then it was later investigated at General Abram's, the convenient authorities behest, and an Article 32 hearing, a preliminary investigation by a Lieutenant Colonel Mark Visgar (ph), a lawyer, who, unfortunately, said it should go to a court-martial. But he said it should go to a lesser lower court-martial, a special court martial, which is equivalent to a misdemeanor court. General Abrams ignored both of those fairly thorough investigations and chose to send it to the highest level court-martial, a general court- martial, and it is my opinion, based on the information I have read, that he did it because there's a lot of political pressure out there.
(CROSSTALK)
BARNETT: So if General Abrams is doing this because of political pressure and if those who know more about this case than we do don't even think it should be at this level, how do you think this ends?
MCLAIN: I think it's going to be indicative of the way they present their case. I will tell you, military members are extremely conscientious and very fair. And I think once they hear the full Sergeant Bergdahl story, they're apt to come to the same conclusion that Major Lieutenant Dahl and Lieutenant Colonel Visgar (ph) came to in their investigations, as well.
BARNETT: I appreciate you giving us your insight on all this based on your experience.
Criminal defense and military law attorney, Patrick McLain, joining us for Dallas. Thanks for your time.
MCLAIN: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: In Washington, someone stole items from a Secret Service agent that are so important he would never want to be without them. It is the latest in a string of embarrassments for the agency, as CNN's Joe Johns reports.
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[02:25:03] JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The U.S. Secret Service, charged with protecting the president and first family, facing another blunder. This time, an agent said to work in the Presidential Protective Division had his service weapon, badge and other items stolen from his car. It happened in broad daylight outside Secret Service headquarters about a mile from the White House.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a total violation of basic security rules involving any law enforcement to allow a gun, a badge, to be locked up in a car and left unattended.
JOHNS: The D.C. police report reveals what was taken, the black Sig Sauer handgun, his radio, handcuffs, a flash drive, a black bag and a badge.
The Secret Service declined to comment on the incident but a law enforcement official said the USB is encrypted and password protected and its theft does not appear to be a threat to the agency.
But it's still fresh fodder for critics who had been harping on the agency's record.
REP. JOHN LEWIS, (D), GEORGIA: They are supposed to be guarding the president of the United States of America. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It goes back to a really rotten management culture
in the Secret Service, which condones corner-cutting, laxness.
JOHNS: The incident adds to a long list of Secret Service breaches and embarrassment in the last few years. Just last month, a man was taken into custody after jumping over the White House fence while the first family was inside celebrating Thanksgiving. Also in November, a Secret Service officer assigned to the White House was arrested after he was caught in a sting, allegedly sending naked pictures of himself to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Last September, a man jumped the White House fence with a knife in his pocket breaching the mansions doors and much of the main floor past a stairway that leads up to the family's residence.
(on camera): We understand from talking to law enforcement that there is a way to disable the Secret Service radio that was stolen, so there's not a lot of fear that someone could be using it to listen to proprietary Secret Service communications. The D.C. police report said the agent saw someone reach into the vehicle, but did not see that person take anything out.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Taliban militants are close to taking control of a key district in Afghanistan. Still to come, the challenge Afghan forces are facing.
Also ahead, the sister of the woman found dead in a Texas jail cell says she doesn't have faith in the U.S. justice system. Hear what she had to say after this short break.
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[02:30:56] BARNETT: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S. and those of you watching all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.
We're half an hour in. Let's update you on our top stories.
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BARNETT: Afghan forces are trying to hold off Taliban militants in a battle for a key district in Helmand Province. The soldiers defending the district now are running out of weapons and supplies. British troops have deployed to offer support. Helmand Provence is home to roughly 879,000 people and of the country's 34 provinces, at least 778 coalition members have died in Helmand in the 14-year war. That is the highest of any Afghan province.
CNN's Alexandra Field has been following developments for us and joins us live.
Yesterday, you were telling us how intense the fight against the Taliban is and what is the latest that and what is the Afghan government saying about why it can't keep its forces supplied?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are intense concerns right now, Errol, about the fate of this important district in Helmand Province. You've had these local officials on the ground asking the central government for help because they say, if it falls to the Taliban, that all of Helmand Province could fall to the Taliban. We have heard from the central government that relief is on the way that could be used to help repel the Taliban forces, but really the situation is considered dire, very urgent by those on the ground. They say the Taliban has overrun all of the area except for a police chief's compound and another compound housing a military battalion.
But, again, all eyes are on this district because of its significance in Helmand Province. First, it's a Taliban stronghold. It's an opium center, a place where the poppy trade has flourished. So it's important economically. And it's important strategically because of its links to the provincial capital. If the Taliban is able to take control, they can control these supply routes to the north.
Beyond, this has a lot of significance for the coalition forces, particularly the U.S. forces and the British forces. The British-led operations there which involved some of the most intense fighting that they saw over the course of those years with that war in Afghanistan, it's a place where more than a hundred British servicemembers lost their lives. It's a place where U.S. and British officials worked for years to try and establish some sense of security, which according to locals on the ground, has crumbled entirely in the last few days.
BARNETT: And elsewhere, Alexandra, what about the six victims of that motorcycle suicide attack? What have we learned about them?
FIELD: We are learning a little bit more about them. The name of all six of the Americans killed in the motorcycle suicide bombing and a little bit about the families that they leave behind. We know Joseph Lemm is a retired NYPD detective who was a father of two. He had deployed to the region three times. Adriana Forderbrugen (ph) was a gay rights activist who had protested against the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. She was one of the first openly gay servicemembers to marry after that policy was repealed. She now leaves behind her wife and son. Also Lewis Boncasa who had deployed to the region some four times. Also killed in the attacks Chester McBride, Michael Synco and Peter Talb, whose wife is pregnant. He also leaves a child behind.
So a lot of families very much grieving the loss of these six Americans who were killed in that attack. Three other Americans also injured.
[02:35:38] BARNETT: Afghanistan remaining a violent place.
Alexandra Field, live for us, thank you.
Now, the woman accused of running over dozens of pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip is now facing three felony charges including murder and child abuse. This is our breaking news a few days ago. One person was killed and 37 others injured in the crash. Prosecutors say Lakeisha Holloway could face more charges as the investigation continues. In 2012, Holloway was honored for turning her life around. Investigators say it's not clear why she ran downs those pedestrians.
The family of Sandra Bland says they don't have any faith in the U.S. grand jury process. Bland was an African-American woman who was found dead in a Texas jail cell in July. She had been arrested three days earlier for allegedly not using a turn signal in her car. Her family claims excessive force by police. Officials say Bland hanged herself. This week, a grand jury failed to indict anyone in connection to her death but is expected to reconvene next month on other charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON COOPER, SISTER OF SANDRA BLAND: The hope is dimming with regard to the aspect of any charges being brought against the officer. And the reason I say that, Don, is simply this is it's been five months since this incident occurred and what is crystal clear and what is the easiest thing in this case is that Sandra should have never been arrested in the first place. The same dash cam video that you have access to and that I have access to and that the world has access to is what the opposing side and the especially prosecutors have had access to for the last five months. So the fact that there is even a notion that there's more time prolonging the grieving process for this family, dragging it out through the holidays to say they need more time to bring up charges on the officer, there in the 52 minutes that you see the encounter with Sandy, it is clear that her civil rights were violated and that the officer acted in gross professional misconduct.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Sandra Bland's sister there.
The officer involved in Bland's arrest says she was combative. A special prosecutor has not said what charges will be considered in January.
Still to come this hour on CNN NEWSROOM --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN SARANDON, ACTRESS: Welcome. Welcome.
(CROSSTALK)
SARANDON: What a difficult landing you had, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: That is Actress Susan Sarandon welcoming refugees ashore. Hear what she says is driving her activist on this use.
Plus, Actor Nicolas Cage gives up his skull. We'll explain, next.
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[02:41:21] BARNETT: Welcome back. A New Zealand judge has ruled that a high-tech entrepreneur and three associates can be extradited to the U.S. Kim.com and the others were arrested in 2012 at the request of the U.S. government. They're accused of racketeering and copyright infringement. Kim.com is the founder of the file-share website, Mega Upload.
The number of refugee and migrants entering Europe has topped more than one million, 1,000,054 to be precise. And that includes those coming by both land and sea in 2015 according to the International Organization for Migration, which is more than four times the arrivals in 2014. The vast majority of them, more than 800,000 refugees and migrants, have landed in Greece. Nearly 3700 people are dead or missing after trying to cross the Mediterranean.
Actress Susan Sarandon is on the Greek island of Lesbos greeting refugees. The activist and UNICEF goodwill ambassador is also shooting a documentary there. She hopes the film will help raise money to help deal with the crisis.
Sarandon told CNN why she decided to spend her holidays with the refugees.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARANDON: Welcome. Welcome.
(CROSSTALK)
SARANDON: What difficult landing you had, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. It was very difficult.
SARANDON: I came to listen and learn, to hear people's stories, to try to pass them on firsthand. When I talked to refugees and I find out what their situation was and is and what their hopes are.
And I'm also here to owner my grandparents who were both immigrants and came to the United States. My grandfather, at 15, fled Sicily because they were rounding everybody up because there was a war going on. So I understand, you know, this is a repetition of that.
One of the questions I've been asking myself is I talked to women with babies and small children. That's the heartbreaking thing because you know that it must be an impossible situation to think that getting on a rubber boat with someone that doesn't even know how to drive it, not knowing what's going to be at the other side, you know, to make that choice that that is a good alternative, you have to be quite desperate. So I suppose would it -- you know, would I get on a boat with my small children if I was that desperate? Yes. There's no alternative. That's what I think people have to understand is that this is an expensive, dangerous venture in many, many ways and I don't think anyone understands. It seems like such a short trip, but they don't understand how rickety the boats are and how the weather can change and how difficult the landings are. Often there are people in wheelchairs or very old people and it's very, very dangerous.
(CROSSTALK)
SARANDON: I think the moment that made me just call and try to find a way to get over here quickly was more the rhetoric that was suddenly emerging in the United States. I was keeping tabs on what was happening and I was, you know, watching and I was very upset. But then when I started hearing this hatred being normalize because of political climate, you know, that Donald Trump, this really simplistic, racist, ignorant narrative that was being repeated over and over and over and was growing, I just said someone has to start to tell these stories and counter that framing of this, one of the largest crises that I think we'll have in our lifetime. And so I just said, I'm going. I'll spend Christmas in Lesbos.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:45:20] BARNETT: Now, if you feel compelled to help, you can find out how you can get involved with helping those suffering in the refugee crisis. Head to CNN.com/impact. It's a great resource to find information on organizations. CNN has vetted all of them working to help those in need.
Now, they say if you can't beat them, join them. Coming up next, how some U.S. politicians are spoofing themselves after being the butt of jokes on TV. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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[02:50:03] BARNETT: For the first time in years, the mountains of California are showing an above-average snowpack as of today.
Our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us with more on this welcome news for skiers on the West coast.
[02:50:17] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. It's been a long time coming. This is big news, Errol, when it comes to the skiers, snowboarders when it comes to winter weather activity and when it comes to melting that down examine providing the reserves we need for the following spring season out there. We know 30 percent of the drinking water comes from California and the Sierra snow melt.
You take a look at the perspective in 2013 as of this day, we were sitting at about 24 percent snowpack up to 56 percent. Last year, you can see the area indicated in blue. As of today, 111 percent of normal. So certainly good news. We're in a five-year drought, of course, and this is three months into getting some improving conditions across this region. Certainly, a lot more where that came from, but you see the ski resorts, Squaw Valley, up to 80 inches of snow across this region. More moisture streaming in across portions of California. Much of it at this point is going to come into Washington State, as well. There is nothing at all like a white Christmas in the forecast for the
eastern side of the U.S. where 20 different states with potential record temperatures across the state. Look at these readings, some 31 to 32 degrees above the normal in the east. In Atlanta, in Little Rock, Arkansas, temperatures more than 21 degrees above what is considered normal. This is in line with what you would expect during an El Nino with mild temperatures locked across the eastern part of the country. In January and February, historically speaking, you'll begin to see the cooling trend come in for the southern tier while the northern tier stays mild. That's what's happening weather wise.
I want to talk about the something that folks have been reporting across portions of California. And also, really, into parts of Nevada, as well, as far away as Cedar City, Utah, people see images like this, this particular video in the Las Vegas area where, just a few hours ago, they were seeing a meteor like object in the night sky. We now know this is space debris coming out of a Russian rocket that crashed down somewhere in the Nevada desert. I want to show you the perspective of how this all works. You see how slowly this meanders across this region. Take a look. We know some 22,000 objects that are about 4 inches in diameter or larger are circling our planet at any given moment. Millions of other objects smaller than a screw driver are loose out there. So it literally is a junkyard. I want you to see how this works. When you see the piece of video come in, you see the street in a very slow pace. These meet years are traveling at a much faster pace. Video shows them streaking across the sky, as high as 160,000 miles per the hour or so. They also come in at an oblique angle. With any space debris objects, you see at a much flatter angle somewhere about 50,000 to 20,000 miles per hour, and it glides across the sky. This was something seen across Bakersfield, parts of Las Vegas, Nevada and into parts of Utah as well. And it was part of space debris, and many of them up there will eventually fall down somewhere. Our planet is 70 percent water, will usually do the trick there.
BARNETT: Be sure to duck.
(LAUGHTER)
Pedram, thanks a lot. See you next hour.
JAVAHERI: Yeah.
BARNETT: Actor Nicolas Cage has agreed to give up his Tyrannosaurus skull. Federal prosecutors say the dinosaur fossil had been removed illegally from Mongolia before Cage bought it for more than $250,000. The star of "National Treasure" made the purchase around the same time he bought 15 mansions, two castles, four yachts, nine Rolls-Royces, and a partridge in a pear tree, apparently. He's since lost some of those properties though due to foreclosure. Perhaps it was the skull.
Some U.S. politicians are poking fun at themselves instead of leaving it to satire shows. From Sarah Palin's "30 Rock" parody to Ted Cruz's bedtime Christmas stories, they're telling the world the joke's on us.
Here is Sara Sidner. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For political candidates, being parodied on "Saturday Night Live" is almost a right of passage.
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Look at this guy.
UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Great, great, great, great.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Isn't it fantastic?
SIDNER: But former vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, is turning the tables.
ANNOUNCER: She's a TV writer who left a small town for the big city.
SIDNER: Yep, that is Palin. Smoothing her TV-look-alike Tina Fey instead of Liz Lemon, Sarah is Len Melon. Instead of the hit show "30 Rock," this is Palin's version, "31 Rock."
SARAH PALIN, (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR & FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Nerds!
SIDNER: Tackling the all-important subjects like the missing snowflakes on Starbucks cups --
PALIN: No snowflakes? Brrr.
SIDNER: -- and bashing political correctness.
PALIN: The only P.C. I need is right here.
SIDNER: Clinton and Palin have been fodder for years.
UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: I believe democracy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.
TINY FEY, COMEDIAN: And I can see Russia from my house.
(LAUGHTER)
SIDNER: And the two are still favorite targets of the show.
[02:55:09] FEY: Oh, god, that was real fun election. I was paired up with that cute little John McCain fellow. May he rest in peace, I'm guessing.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: He's alive.
SIDNER: But Palin isn't the only one enjoying the last laugh. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R), ARIZONA: Melon. OK. Here is what you do.
SIDNER: Senator John McCain tweeting, "I think I like Sarah's impression of Tina better."
Senator Ted Cruz is also getting in on political satire. Remember that time when he read Dr. Seuss to stall a vote on Obama's health care bill?
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam, I am.
SIDNER: Now he has an SNL-style commercial about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Imagine the greatest Christmas stories told by the Senator who once read "Green Eggs and Ham" from the Senate floor?
CRUZ: T'was the night before the shutdown and all through the House --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Looks like Republicans are taking the old saying to heart, if you can't beat them --
FEY: Oh, geez, it looks like I went through time and space again.
SIDNER: -- join them.
PALIN: Nerds!
SIDNER: Sara Sidner, CNN, New York.
PALIN: "Star Wars" didn't actually change cinema.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: A sense of humor, always a good thing.
I'm Errol Barnett. Remember to keep in touch with me on social media anytime. Bring your jokes if you wish.
One more hour to go with live reports from Russia, China, and more after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
