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Violence Puts Damper on Holiday Celebrations in West Bank; Iraqi Christians Mark Holiday Far From Home; Evangelicals and the Battle for the White House; Warmest Christmas Ever Recorded in NYC; Tornado Victims Share Survival Stories; Pope Delivers Annual Christmas Message. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 25, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:02] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In case you're wondering, it's 14 degrees in Anchorage this morning. The real feel, five.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, dreaming of a white Christmas? Tough luck, East Coasters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was going to be snowing and really cold, but I'm, like, sweating.

COSTELLO: Sixty degrees and climbing in Manhattan today. No wonder this guy is skating in shorts.

Also new reports of plans to deport Central American families. Raids expected to start next month. And Donald Trump is taking credit for it all.

Plus retaking Ramadi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): None of them are still in east district. That's it. We retook it and it's over for them.

COSTELLO: Iraqi troops optimistic they can drive ISIS out and soon.

Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Merry, merry Christmas. Good morning to all of you, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Bethlehem is tense this Christmas morning. Two Israelis have been killed by Palestinian attackers in the past two days. A wave of violence nears its fourth straight month and many people in the Holy Land don't feel so joyful. Christmas caught in the middle, and tourism, the lifeblood of places like Bethlehem, is suffering.

Oren Liebermann live in Jerusalem this morning to tell us more. Hi, Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. There was very much an emptier feeling in Manger Square right in front of the Church of the Nativity for Christmas eve celebrations than there has been in previous years. Still for the faithful that came, for foreigners and tourist that came to Bethlehem on Christmas eve, they did do everything they could to give it a festive atmosphere. And having been there, there was that festive atmosphere, but that doesn't hide the realities of the difficulties of Bethlehem on Christmas. The crowds simply not there as they have been in previous years.

We spoke with vendors and tour guides who say what's really missing are the Americans and the Europeans who normally come and that gave it a bit of an empty feeling. Here's what one store owner had to say when we spoke with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIAS SALEH MICHEL, STORE OWNER: You imagine and see, how is this Manger Square by yourself? Please. You look. Show me a group coming. Show me a family coming to the square. I don't have any American or European burst to my store. I didn't make $10 for a week. Can you believe that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: It still was. And it still did have that festive atmosphere but it didn't feel like it came as easily this year. Still it was a beautiful night there. A beautiful Christmas tree. The Latin Patriarch delivering midnight mass. It got a little colder towards the end of the evening but many of the faithful stuck around for that mass.

Still, everyone is very aware of the political situation here. The violence that has continued. We've seen attacks on Israelis not only over the past few days, but today as well, and that's stretched to the beginning of October, and we've seen clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces.

In terms of the numbers we're looking at since October 1, we've seen some 20 Israelis killed, about 130 Palestinians killed, some 70 of which Israeli authorities say carried out or were killed carrying out attacks on Israelis. And those clashes continue to this very day and aren't expected to end.

Many Palestinian Christian communities in the West Bank scaling back the Christmas festivities as a show of Palestinian solidarity because of what we've seen here over the last three months. Continuing now into its fourth month. Unfortunately, Carol, that is the reality that hangs over Christmas in the Holy Land.

COSTELLO: All right. Oren Lieberman, reporting live from Jerusalem this morning.

This has been an especially tough Christmas for Christians who fled ISIS in Iraq. Many lost everything, and now live as refugees.

CNN's Sara Sidner is here with more on that. Good morning. SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Yes, you know,

it is awful to see for the numbers of people who are leaving their country and while it is so devastating in places like Iraq and Syria, for Christians in particular, but also for Muslims, but Christians have been targeted in the past as well. And so they are leaving their homeland with the hope of returning, but they want to make sure they can keep their Christianity as part of their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice-over): A Christmas celebration in a land that is not their own. They fled for their lives fearing death, but nothing could kill their faith.

Nearly 2,000 miles from Mosul, Iraq, where ISIS murderers have tormented their people, including their Muslim neighbors, these Christian refugees have found a place to celebrate the birth of their lord and savior.

"My last Christmas was in my family's house. It was me, my mom and dad, and my brother. We were all together. And we hope to be united as one family in one place just once more," she says. But for now they're refugees in Istanbul, Turkey, praying and singing, a family torn apart.

They sing Christmas carols in an old wedding hall that has been converted into a church for Christmas. They grieve for their losses, but pray for their homeland, hoping one day to return to Iraq as proud Christians with no fear of reprisals, simply because of their faith.

[10:05:10] They come from one of the oldest, longest-standing Christmas communities in the world, but even their priest had to flee his church there.

"What gives us patience, solace, and hope is the words from the holy book, the Bible," he says. "The Lord said you will face persecution, but take courage. I conquered the world. Christianity is under siege in the very region where it was born."

Iraq's Christian population used to be about 1.5 million a decade ago. Now only about half remain. Syria is even worse. Of the 1.1 million Syrian Christians who once lived in the country, about 600,000 have fled.

In the Middle East, they call themselves by many names, Assyrians, Syriac, Chaldean, but they are all Christians.

JOHNSON RAZGIN, REFUGEE: It's sad to be far away from our country. It's sad to be far away from our neighbors, from our friends, from our families. It's not easy. But anyhow, something is better than nothing. And thanks for God that we have a priest here, that we're gathering here. I hope everything could be OK.

SIDNER: On this day, these Christians humbly offer their thanks, grateful that they have survived to celebrate one of the most joyous days on the Christian calendar. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And Carol, some has openly asked, is this the end of Christians in the Middle East, the place where Christianity originated. And to that many have said, you know what, no, we know that one day we'll be able to return and practice our faith the way we want to.

COSTELLO: I talked to a Catholic nuns who are living in the Kurdish controlled areas of Iraq. And they say the same thing. They want to go home and they have hope that one day they will, but they also wonder why someone isn't helping them do that, as in maybe the United States or some other ally of the United States.

SIDNER: They're praying for help. That is true. That is true.

COSTELLO: Sara Sidner, many thanks.

All right. Let's talk politics and a group that's wielded considerable influence over Iowa for years. I'm talking about social conservatives or evangelicals. In the past they've thrown their support behind Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, helping them win the 2008 and 2012 caucuses, and now with the 2016 contest just weeks away, Ted Cruz is hoping their votes will propel him to the White House.

And while Cruz has rolled out some high-profile endorsements from this group, that support comes at a time when the number of Christians in America has dipped. That's according to a new Gallup poll. Look at this. It shows that 75 percent of Americans identify with the Christian religion. That's down slightly from seven years ago when the number was at 80 percent. And of course, we've all heard that the millennial generation doesn't adhere to any religion. They identify with many religions. A lot of them call themselves Christian, but they don't worship in the same way as evangelicals.

Joining me now to discuss all of this is Marc Lamont Hill, professor at Morehouse College, and Tara Setmayer, former Republican congressional communications director. Both are CNN political commentators.

Welcome to both of you.

TARA SETMAYER, FORMER CAPITOL HILL GOP COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Thank you.

COSTELLO: And Merry Christmas.

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, good to see you.

SETMAYER: Merry Christmas.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Merry Christmas. Thank you so much for being with me this day. So, Marc, I'll begin with you. George W. Bush is the only

evangelical-backed Iowa caucus candidate in the past 30 years to win the nomination and go on to win the White House. So why does Ted Cruz think the evangelicals could take him all the way to the White House?

HILL: Well, I think it's about establishing momentum. If you win Iowa, all the headlines say you're a winner even though there aren't that many electoral votes, and even though the last two -- on the Republican side, the last two Iowa winners didn't even win the nomination.

So Ted Cruz wants that momentum to start. Particularly when he's now in somewhat of an interesting race with Donald Trump as a second place figure in Iowa. So I think it's a big deal. It's what gave Rick Santorum's campaign life. People weren't talking about Rick Santorum until this. People wouldn't talk about Mike Huckabee's chances before that until Iowa. So I think it's a smart move. I'm just not sure if the evangelical vote means as much now in 2016 as we thought it did before.

COSTELLO: Because couldn't you argue, Tara, that one of the reasons Rick Santorum also survived was evangelical support, yes, but he also had a big money donor that kept his campaign rolling.

SETMAYER: Right. I wouldn't diminish the evangelical vote. Particularly in the GOP primary. During the Senate -- last year during the midterms, in the Senate races, evangelicals made up 30 percent of the primary voters for the Senate race. This time around you have both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz making up about 50 percent plus of the evangelical vote, and in Iowa that is very crucial.

Santorum won Iowa partially because of the importance of the evangelical vote. So this has been an interesting constituency. And even though maybe in national election they may not have as much of a role as they did in the past, but they definitely do in primary states. Particularly in the south.

[10:10:03] So when you have -- when you go into March and you have the Super Tuesday primary coming up in March in the southern states, the evangelical vote is going to be crucial there.

COSTELLO: OK. So let's talk about the -- you know, you talked to the evangelical vote split between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

SETMAYER: Yes.

COSTELLO: But it's split between more than that because this is a recent Quinnipiac poll. It shows Cruz with 33 percent evangelical support. Trump with 22 percent. Marco Rubio and Ben Carson have 13 percent and 12 percent respectively. So how will that play? I mean, it's all over the place. Isn't it, Marc?

HILL: Yes. I think evangelical voters haven't made up their minds. On the one hand, there are people -- as most voters, this isn't particular to them. Most voter have it. What's interesting, of course, is that evangelicals want to win just like everybody else. And Donald Trump seems to be the person to hitch your wagon to right now. But then there are other candidates whose values are more in line with traditional evangelical values so you may look at a Ted Cruz, you may look at even a Ben Carson or say, hey, wait a minute, this guy represents my values more. Same thing with Rick Santorum four years ago. He represents my values more but Mitt Romney has a better chance of winning.

And so this becomes a tug of war that all voters go through. But particularly evangelicals who are probably tired of seeing fairly moderate Republicans go into the general election and not represent their interest, and on top of that, they're not winning the elections. But the last thing I wanted to add real quick is that I think the problem with -- with appealing the evangelical voters in the primary is that you move so far to the right to win their vote, that when you get to the general election, you know, suddenly there are independent voters or swing voters who say, hey, wait a minute, you're a little too extreme for me.

COSTELLO: And something else interesting, and I want to bring this up because it's so interesting, Tara. Franklin Graham, a prominent evangelical, says he's fed up with both parties, and he did say Republicans. Listen to what he told me just a few weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, PRESIDENT, THE BILL GRAHAM EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION: I used to be a Republican. I have renounced the Republican Party. I'm an independent because I have no confidence in the Republicans or the Democrats. We need I think new leadership and we need I think God leading men and women in politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Franklin Graham is fed up. He says no candidate reflects his Christian values. And he's talking specifically about Planned Parenthood. He said nobody went the extra mile to defund Planned Parenthood.

SETMAYER: Yes, that was a huge issue. And it will continue to be as we go into the election season. People start to actually vote. But I think what we're seeing now is more evangelicals are coalescing around Ted Cruz. As Ben Carson starts to fade off pretty quickly, Cruz has been the beneficiary of that, clearly, and that's why you see his lead in Iowa. He is pulling in closer with Trump in some national polls.

It's because he's getting those voters that were Huckabee, Santorum an Caron because they recognize that yes, like Marc said, they may share their values but they don't have a chance of winning. So the next likely person is Ted Cruz. And Marco Rubio is not that far behind either. Since we're talking about electability, those conversations happen in evangelical circles also.

Franklin Graham is one of many leaders in the evangelical community that is probably troubled by a Donald Trump candidacy. I think that he is a little bit more diplomatic in the way he would say it, but the "Washington Post" did a story in December about that, how evangelical leaders are trying to figure out how we get rid of Trump because he doesn't represent our values per se from the arrogance and the gambling and the way he acts and behaves.

That's not what they think is becoming for a presidential candidate. So it's going to be interesting to see what happens, but we'll see when they start voting.

COSTELLO: To say the least. And thanks again for both of you for being with me on Christmas Day.

HILL: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: Marc Lamont Hill, Tara Setmayer, I'll let you get back to your families.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, if you're on the East Coast, you might notice a few things are missing this Christmas. You know, like hats and gloves and even coats. I'm heading outside to check out the holiday heat wave next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:17:24] COSTELLO: I didn't even realize I was on air. I was momentarily stunned by how warm it is outside in New York City. I don't even need this jacket. It's like in the 60s already. In fact we've already broken the record here in New York City. It hit 66 degrees in Central Park at midnight. It's absolutely crazy.

If you want to contrast with that, out in California it's actually cold. In fact I got a tweet from John Vause, he's an international anchor, he lives in Los Angeles. He was complaining because I was complaining it was so warm here. He said, "It's 44 degrees here in Los Angeles. You could have this cold back. Thank you very much."

Oh, cry me a river, John Vause, because I know it's going to get cold later. Anyway, let's talk about the warm temperatures because temperatures like this are something Santa is maybe used to while surfing in south Florida, but New Jersey? Isn't this an awesome picture? The beaches weren't quite packed, but surfers were out on the Jersey Shore. Temperatures climbing into the 70s yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's warm. There's waves. So I'm going to surf. I'm happy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's fantastic. Any time you get out in the water, it's always great. Especially on Christmas. Extra Christmas surprise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: New York already hit 66 degrees after midnight. I told you that. That's 25 degrees higher than normal. Temperatures like this have not been seen in the last 33 years. The city's last record of 64 degrees set way, way, way, way back in 1982. Beach volleyball in Central Park yesterday. Temperatures actually soared into the 70s. Ice skaters in shorts in Rockefeller Center. That's like Armageddon, isn't it? And all 50 cities across 19 states could make heat history.

Chad Myers, I have to show you the tabloids again because it's so weirdly funny.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

COSTELLO: "Ho, Ho, Ho, Hot" in the "New York Post." And "Sauna Clause" in the "Daily News."

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Look at all the people out here, Chad.

MYERS: I know.

COSTELLO: Some of them are in winter coats, and they're really hot. Like, look at that woman in the winter hat. Does she know it's 66 degrees already? I think people are just confused.

MYERS: Well, she knows that you lose 90 percent of the heat out of the top of your head. Isn't that -- isn't that what your mom said, right?

COSTELLO: No chance of that today.

(LAUGHTER)

MYERS: I have you on the shot, over your shoulder, too, the Central Park ice rink. Now the only probably skating when it's 60 is when you fall. You get very wet. So make sure you stay upright today or skate in some kind of waterproof pants because I've skated when it's this warm and it gets cold after you fall down. Anyway, I digress. It is warm across the East Coast. It's hot across the deep south, and there's some potential still for severe weather.

[10:20:05] Now last night at midnight New York City already broke their record. We're not even trying to do it in the daytime. It broke it at midnight as we finally turned into today. Santa lost two pounds of sweat just getting through the East Coast by the time he finally got to the West Coast, he was much better.

But we're going to get to 75 in Atlanta today. We're going to get to 78 in Jackson. And there's still the potential for severe weather. So the severe weather continues today. Just like we had yesterday. In fact, there's one storm that I'm actually a little bit concerned about. Not that far from Calhoun City in Mississippi. I believe it's rotating, and there's a new tornado warning on the cell. It's right there.

So this is maybe the first of many. This is still early. Early in the day to get tornado warnings already going. So we'll watch for the potential. What I really want you to watch for, though, is the flooding. There's flooding everywhere across the Deep South. Even here in Atlanta there are roads that are flooded with barricades up. Do not drive around those barricades. Some spots, Carol, have picked up between four and six inches of rain in 48 hours. And more to come.

COSTELLO: Oh, I know. There's nasty weather in other places, right? Especially as you mention down south in Mississippi and Tennessee.

You know, a lot of people are counting their blessings there because some have lost everything, but their families survived. Others were not so lucky this Christmas season.

Let's check in with Nick Valencia. Hi, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. Unseasonably warm weather there in New York. It's more of the same here down south with tornadoes being a big issue especially across three states. Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia, where at least 14 people lost their lives. We hopefully are out of the worst of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (voice-over): This Christmas, scenes of devastation in parts of the south and Midwest. Heavy rain causing widespread flooding across North Georgia and tornadoes tearing across several states.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Started here, real loud, roared, just started to get louder and louder, and I told her, I said, we need to get in the house now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded literally like a freight train. Sounding of the horn. It was coming.

VALENCIA: In Ashland, Mississippi, all that's left of Teresa McKay's (PH) home is the porch. She and her husband were inside when they saw the tornado coming. They ran and hid in this truck.

TERESA MCKAY, SURVIVOR: Nothing left of my house. Not one thing. Nothing but all that debris.

VALENCIA: This building may have saved Tony Goodwin's life when a tornado hit Perry County, Tennessee.

TONY GOODWIN, STORM SURVIVOR: I had my grandson in my arm, under my arm, and everybody got in except for my sister-in-law and I'm yelling at her, come on. You know? And she got in. As soon as she did, I shut the door.

VALENCIA: A tornado knocked his house off its foundation, but he and six others survived by taking cover in the storm shelter.

CAPT. BART ROSSON, PERRY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: You'll never know how important it is to seek shelter immediately however you can because it's a lifesaver.

VALENCIA: Two of those killed in Tennessee were husband and wife, Ann and Antonio Isaguerre (PH). According to the Storm Prediction Center, at least 14 tornadoes hit Mississippi on Wednesday, but a single twister did most of the damage. DR. PATRICK WASHINGTON, ASHLAND RESIDENT: This is a miracle. There's

no way that three individuals were in this house at this time and they were able to walk away.

VALENCIA: Communities coming together, thankful to be alive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went and bought toys for kids because I also have a little girl, and for them not to have Christmas and toys and stuff, there's -- it's not a holiday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Now the Storm Prediction Center says the chance for violent weather has dropped dramatically, but as you heard our meteorologist Chad Myers say, the chance for flooding is still a big concern. Especially if you are in the south. So be careful out there this Christmas -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Will do. Nick Valencia reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a partnership over before it even started? The Taliban smacking down a claim by the Kremlin about a working relationship. That bizarre story just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:27:23] COSTELLO: Queen Elizabeth has just released her annual Christmas Day address. In it she quotes from the bible and talks about finding hope after a year that's seen a number of terror attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEEN ELIZABETH, UNITED KINGDOM: It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the "Gospel of John" contains a verse of great hope often read at Christmas carol services. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The queen's Christmas message is just one of the rare occasions when she voices her own views.

In Vatican City a holiday tradition as Pope Francis delivers his annual Christmas message. Part of the message included a prayer for Syria and his desire that a recent U.N. peace deal would end the suffering of the people in that war-torn country.

Our senior Vatican analyst John Allen has more for you from Rome.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Pope Francis today delivered the traditional Christmas Urbi et Orbi message. That's a message directed to the city, meaning Rome and also to the world.

Now Popes traditionally use this platform to issue a kind of 360- degree review of the global situation and that's very much what Pope Francis did today. The top note was a strong plea for peace in a series of global hotspots. The pontiff mentioned the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The war going on in Syria. He talked about Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine.

Also called for a breakthrough in the peace talks in Colombia, currently aiming to try to end the world's longest running civil war. And these are all, of course, situations in which the pontiff has been personally involved, either out front or behind the scenes.

As Europe grapples with the most significant refugee crisis it's faced since the Second World War, the Pope also issued a strong note of solidarity with migrants and refugees calling for compassion, for people fleeing violence and conflict, and calling on host nations to be generous in receiving and integrating them.

The Pope also in the context of a year in which terrorism has been one of the major themes around the world, denounced what he called brutal acts of terror, including the November terrorist attacks in Paris. He ticked off a series of other social ills that kind of occupy his heart. He talked about child soldiers. He talked about unemployment, trafficking in human persons.

And in the context of a special Jubilee Year of Mercy that he's decreed for 2016, he also issued a strong plea, special dose of mercy for prisoners. Visiting prisoners has been one of the hallmarks of his papacy.

So essentially what you saw today was a pontiff who very much aspires to be a peace pope, using the visibility afforded by one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar.