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Iraq: Terror Stronghold Ramadi "Liberated" From ISIS; 11 Killed By Storms In Dallas Area; Texas Tornadoes Destroy Hundreds Of Homes; Trump Slams Bill Clinton As "Sexist"; 150,000 South Americans Displaced By Flooding; Force Remains Strong With The New Star Wars Movie. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 28, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:01]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOM HOST: Deadly tornadoes, flooding, now blizzards, large parts of the U.S. on alert for extreme weather at this hour.

Also ahead, ISIS -- Iraqi forces claim a significant victory against the Islamic militants in Ramadi.

Plus, another slew of box office records fall at light speed for the new Star Wars movie.

Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I am Rosemary Church. Thank you for joining us as we kick off a second hour of CNN Newsroom.

And we start this hour in the U.S. where winter storm warnings are in effect from Texas north to Michigan, at least nine states farther east are on alert for flash floods. Parts of Texas and New Mexico are dealing with blizzards or blizzard warnings, and this after Texas was slammed by tornadoes that killed 11 people. Officials are warning people to stay off the roads. Heavy rain caused widespread flooding across Missouri. Officers rescued dozens of stranded drivers but others got swept away by rising waters. At least 13 people have died in flash floods in Missouri and Illinois.

For more now on the deadly storm system in Texas, at least three tornadoes slammed the Dallas suburbs over the weekend. Now the area is expecting freezing weather and snow. As Nick Valencia reports, the state's governor has declared a disaster in four counties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh, big, big, big tornado, big strong tornado.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Residents in Texas are picking up the pieces after a terrifying night of deadly storms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a dark funnel and it was just a big hole. It was really scary. I don't scare that easy but I was scared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have our lives and I thank God for that.

VALENCIA: Sirens warn residents to take cover, as an estimated half a dozen twisters ravaged the Dallas area, killing at least 11 and leaving hundreds more homeless.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The car was in the kitchen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your daughter's car was in the kitchen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Her car was in the driveway. It's in the alley. But her car is in the kitchen. It was in the garage.

VALENCIA: The towns of Garland and Roulette took the brunt of the storms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see it crossing the highway right there. I can see it.

VALENCIA: Lafayette Griffin hid under a mattress and prayed as the tornado hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was terrified. They were terrified. They didn't know if they were going to make it.

VALENCIA: Eight people died when a tornado hit the area around Interstate 30. In some neighborhoods, storms ripped the facades off of houses and in other areas houses were just gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am grateful. My wife works not that far from here. If I didn't call her she would be here right now, my kids would be here.

VALENCIA: Nick Valencia, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Other parts of the world are dealing with their own dangerous weather. In South America, more than 150,000 people have been displaced by flooding. Paraguay was hit the hardest, that's where most of the evacuations were. Days of torrential rain blamed on El Nino caused the flooding. In Argentina, 20,000 people were forced from their homes. Brazil and Uruguay were also affected. And in northern England, hundreds of people have been forced from their homes as the region deals with its worse flooding in 70 years. In some areas, a months worth of rain fell in just one day. Prime Minister David Cameron is sending more troops to help. He calls the flooding "An incredibly serious situation."

And our London Correspondent Max Foster joins us now with more on the situation in the United Kingdom. So Max, unbelievable, a month's worth of rain in one day in some areas, just incredible. What's the situation for those people? How are they coping?

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the city of York, people is still being evacuated as we understand it, 30 severe flood warnings across that region in northern England. No lives have been lost yet but a huge amount of resource going in to make sure that stays the case, so 500 troops deployed. Mountain rescue also being deployed to the area, 1,000 troops on stand by.

[03:05:01]

Good news in terms of that, but what you have here, Rosemary, is a double whammy really. On the 5th of December, storm Desmond came through that region. There were evacuations but the area didn't have time to recover when a second storm came in over the Christmas period, causing mass evacuations across north of England and giving everyone a thoroughly miserable holiday season, thankfully no deaths so far.

CHURCH: All right, our Max Foster bringing us up to date on the situation there from London, many thanks to you.

And for more on this dangerous weather in Britain and here in the U.S. as well, our Meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri joins us again to explain -- some of these communities, when you are talking about a month's of rain in one day, there's no way that any community can absorb that.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You can't absorb it. You can't prepare for it. Max touched on this. This was part of another event that took place a month ago. Now we're getting this on top of what's occurred. Some of these areas are 100 percent saturated. That's a problem when you take a look at these images, Rosemary, literally standing looking at the water at the top of the building across the region, some of the flood warnings still watching that from the high risk zone across higher elevations of northern portions of England. Concerned with the threat dropping off a little bit as well, but here's what's happened so far in the month of December.

The blue bar and the red bar are indicating what's already happened. Similar amounts coming out of Cheswick which has broken records. You bring this down on what's already transpired. The groundwater supply and the water table begin to rise. Surface flooding begins to take place and this is what some of these people are dealing with, the water coming in beneath their feet. Across the United States, because flooding is also a concern across the United States, 300 rivers that are dealing with flooding at this hour in the eastern area, southern area of the U.S., and another 300 plus across the region of the United States, 140 million people dealing with some sort of inclement weather. From blizzard, ice, flood. Still, six million people have a chance for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes come Monday afternoon.

This is a big travel week across much of the United States as well with half an inch and 3/4 an inch of ice expected to accumulate with an ice storm set to accumulate across this region. A lot of people don't think that's a big deal. We're talking about 1/4 inch of rain, widespread tree damage and extensive power outages a probability in this area. People are traveling back towards their original point of starting. This is widespread over this region of the U.S.

CHURCH: Well, thank you so much, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Thanks, Rosemary. CHURCH: Well, Iraqi soldiers plan to hold a flag raising ceremony in

the city of Ramadi. They made the announcement after dealing a major blow to ISIS, seizing control of a key government compound in the city center. Ramadi fell to ISIS seven months ago. Iraq's army has been fighting to try to win it back. They're advancing slowly because they believe ISIS set up explosives and booby traps. Still, the military expects to have full control of the entire city in just a few days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will declare the victory soon by the golden brigade and the Special Forces, god willing. We will announce happy news to the people of Anbar, those who were displaced from their own town and lived in tents. God willing, they will be able to return to their place soon.

CHURCH: And for more we want to go to Robyn Kriel. She joins us live from London. Robyn, as we saw there, the progress has been a little slow at this point because of the possibility of booby traps and explosives. This is significant nonetheless, isn't it?

[03:10:01]

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hugely significant, Rosemary. This city was a massive embarrassment to the Iraqi forces when it fell. They were accused of not having the will to fight by U.S. Secretary of State, Ash Carter. According to them they ran out of ammo and did not have the support from Baghdad and the U.S. that they needed. However, this fight has begun in earnest -- Tuesday and it was going slowly and still is because of not only the possibility of booby traps, but they are dismantling thousands, they tell us of IEDs, improvised explosive devices, bombs planted by ISIS in the ground and in buildings as well.

We understand they have put a number of these in buildings rigged so the whole place explodes. That's why it's taking so long. ISIS prevented a number of civilians from leaving, despite the fact that they were warned that this was coming. The worry was that ISIS was going to use them as human shields.

CHURCH: And Robyn, we're seeing the stronger Iraqi forces. Are we looking at a game changer here?

KRIEL: Yes. You're looking at the counter terrorism force, the elite force trained by the United States. You're looking at cooperation in force that hasn't been used before. U.S.-led air strikes are overhead. There are supposed to be 300 to 500 ISIS militants in the city. They do believe a number have been fled and a number have been killed. Game changer, yes, if Ramadi is successfully recaptured, it is by no means over. There are still pockets of resistance throughout the city, not only at the government compound which is ladened with IEDs we understand. It will be a game changer because Ramadi is the center of the Sunni heartland of Iraq. If they capture it will be such a boost to the Iraqi government, but especially to the Iraqi forces who have suffered some major setbacks from ISIS in the past months.

CHURCH: We will be watching their progress very closely. Robyn Kriel joining us, live from London, many thanks to you for that live report. And a U.N.-sponsored deal between Syrian rebels and Hezbollah is now

underway. Under the plan, Turkey, Iran, and the U.N., Shiites in northern Syria are riding buses into Turkey, while rebels in Damascus are headed in Lebanon. They fly into Turkey and the Shiites into Damascus will fly to Lebanon.

It was the picture that brought the sheer desperation of the Syrian refugee crisis to life. The image of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi washed ashore on a Turkish beach, his family has found the refuge the toddler will never know. Several of Alan's relatives are set to arrive in Canada Monday where they will begin resettlement as refugees. They estimate seven million people have been displaced by the Syrian civil war.

Officials say a suicide car bomb was detonated near the airport in the Afghan capitol of Kabul. An Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said one person was killed by the blast and four people wounded. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, outrage and frustration in Chicago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somebody needs to do something about this! This is ridiculous!

CHURCH: We will tell you how the mayor is responding to the latest police shooting involving a grandmother who authorities say should not have been shot at all.

Plus, a landmark deal between Japan and South Korea over an issue that has plagued relations between the two countries for decades. We are live in Seoul after this short break. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:19:01]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the mayor of Chicago is calling for changes in the way its police are trained after an officer shot and killed two people the day after Christmas. Authorities say the officer shot 19-year-old Antonio Lagreer while responding to a domestic disturbance call, 55-year-old Betty Jones, a neighbor was also killed. Police say Jones was shot accidentally. Family members and activists blame bad leadership and asked why police did not use non-lethal force such as stun guns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beautiful woman. It hurts my heart to see that. It hurts me all over for this tragic day. What's going on, police shooting without asking? Why you got to first and ask questions later! It's ridiculous! You all -- somebody needs to do something about this. This is ridiculous! What about the Tasers? Taser, don't shoot people, innocent people!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The officer has been placed on administrative leave. The incident comes amid a series of deadly police shootings in Chicago.

Well, South Korea and Japan have reached an agreement on the controversial issue of comfort women, a subject that has longed strained relations between the two countries. A comfort woman is the term used to describe women, mostly Korean, who was forced to work in Japan's military brothels during World War II. And for more on this, we want to go to CNN's Alexandra Field who's live in Seoul. Alexandra, this has been a long time coming for sure. Let's talk about the significance of this and what exactly has been agreed upon.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is incredibly significant here, Rosemary is the fact that South Korean officials say this will be resolved and irreversible if Japan carries out the agreement that was reached today. It was reached by the two foreign ministers. It's an issue that's plagued these two nations for 70 years. It seems a resolution has come now. The Japanese foreign minister expressed apology on behalf of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the comfort women who suffered. Also we heard the foreign minister saying that the Japanese government is taking responsibility for the actions of military authorities.

What makes all of this different beyond the many apologies that have been issued is the agreement to set up this fund. The exact amount of the fund has not been announced but it's expected that the fund will amount to around billion yen, which is $8.3 million, which will be paid by the Japanese government to the former comfort women. There are 200,000 women forced to become sexual slaves up until and during World War II. There are 46 comfort women alive and registered with the South Korean government today. For decades, Rosemary, they have stood outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul. They have called for a greater apology.

They are calling for the kind of help that is happening today. It is historic. There are previous apologies by various officials, even the Kono statement back in 1993 which expressed apology to the suffering of comfort women. This is really historic because it supplies this money directly from the Japanese government to these women. Previous funds in the '90s drew heavily from the support of the Japanese and they were from donations.

CHURCH: All right, many thanks to Alexandra Field joining us live from Seoul with details on the historic agreement between South Korea and Japan on the comfort women, many thanks to you.

Chinese authorities say the chairman of China Telecom is under investigation. That's one of China's largest wireless providers. He's drawing scrutiny for what the communist party calls suspected serious disciplinary violations. It comes as China cracks down on alleged corruption in state-owned companies.

China is tightening up its national security laws, but it's raising controversy at the same time. One of the provisions of a new law requires tech firms to handover encryption keys to allow government surveillance. Kristie Lu Stout joins us from Hong Kong with more on this. So Kristie, explain to us just how extensive this legislation is and of course, what the critics are saying about it. [03:24:01]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This anti-terror legislation just passed in China is very extensive with over 95 articles embedded inside it. It's the very first counter terror law passed in China. It was passed on Sunday by the National People's Congress. It will go into effect on January. And China says it will allow the country to better handle and deal with internal security threats as well as boost international security. Earlier, this is what we heard from a senior official from the Public Security Ministry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The violent terrorist cases that happened in China have caused a serious loss of people's life and property. Terrorist activities have imposed severe threat to the national security and social stability, economic development, national unity, and people's life and property.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now the entire counter-terror legislation again has 95 articles. We've scoured them all. Article 18 is the one that captured our attention and is one that details what actions that telecom providers and ISPs should take. Companies and corporations who provide telecommunication and internet should prevent and investigator activities. This law was passed after months of activity. There were months of debate and controversy especially among international groups. This law passed will give the Chinese government far sweeping powers over surveillance as well as censorship. We heard from amnesty international that says this law will be a step towards preventing human rights issues.

CHURCH: So with that, Kristie, how likely is it that the Chinese government will consider this law going too far?

STOUT: Not very likely to be perfectly honest. China said this is necessary to deal with the current security environment, the terrorist threats within its own borders. They're concerned about antique violence in Shin Jen. We've been seeing a loot of tension between the ethnic weaker Muslims who are at odds with the central government. Separately but related on Saturday, we heard from the ministry of foreign affairs in China, saying it would not renew the press credentials from a French journalist, her name is Ursula Goutier because of her reporting on the weaker issue in China. She accused them of stoking violence by the weavers inside China.

What we have here is China taking this zero tolerance policy towards anything or anyone who dares to challenge the national security or national security policies, back to you.

CHURCH: All right, many thanks to Kristie Lu Stout for that live report from Hong Kong.

With travel restrictions being lifted, Cuba will likely see a surge of tourists soon. Later, we've got some tips travelers will need to know.

Plus, you'll hear from a woman who was once exploited on the streets of Germany. Now she's using her experiences to help other survivors of human trafficking. We're back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:32:01]

CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I am Rosemary Church. Want to update you on the main stories we've been following this hour, 20 states across the U.S. are dealing with potentially dangerous weather right now. Three tornadoes ripped apart homes near Dallas, Texas. At least 11 people were killed. That area is now expecting freezing weather and snow just as people try to clean up the tornado damage.

In northern England, hundreds of people have been forced from their home as the region deals with its worst flooding in 70 years. The government issued 24 severe flood warnings on Sunday. The Prime Minister calls it an incredibly serious situation and he's sending more troops to help.

South Korea and Japan have reached a landmark deal on the controversial issue of comfort women, a term referring to women who were forced to be sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II. Japan expressed a deep apology and says it will set up a fund of more than $8 million to support comfort women victims and their families.

Iraqi army leaders say they now control a crucial compound in the center of Ramadi. They expect to recapture the entire city from ISIS fighters in the coming days. Iraq security forces have been engaged in intense fighting to reclaim Ramadi. It fell to ISIS seven months ago.

General Mark Hertling joins me from Orlando, Florida. Thank you for being with us. So I wanted to ask you how significant you think these gains being made by Iraqi forces are and what could this mean in the fight against ISIS going forward?

MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, there are two things to consider, Rosemary. First of all, is this was a military or has been so far a military victory, at least the beginnings of one. We're seeing a resurgence of the Iraqi security forces, the army. They're taking in more troops of the Sunni sect and religion and also having some militias involved that are those other than the mobilization forces, the so-called Shia militias. So you're seeing some re- training of Iraqi security forces that are nationalistic in nature. They are attempting to regain security for all of the people in Iraq. The other more important thing that I was watching is there dependence and is there a generation of trust between a Shia-dominated government in Baghdad with the Sunni and the Kurdish populations in other parts of the country.

I think now that you're seeing a Shia government, a majority Shia government in Baghdad supporting a Sunni province, it gives indications of things to come.

CHURCH: Interesting. We're seeing the resurgence of Iraqi forces. Where do you think this leaves ISIS? Are they on the run or is it just too premature to say such a thing?

HERTLING: It's very premature to say that. This is a very good, tactical victory from the sources in Ramadi. They are connected to the central government. They have the support of not only the government but the people of Iraq. That's important. That's contrary to what ISIS was using to generate support for themselves. They were going into territories and basically telling the people there that government in Baghdad does not care about you. We are trying to establish a caliphate which is counter to what the Shia believes in your central government.

Now, you see the central government supporting the tribes in the Sunni territory, regenerating army and providing security for the people, and that runs contrary to the dialogue that ISIS has been having with the local population. All of that has been very important. As we said from the very beginning, the government is the most important thing. A solid, secure government that takes care of all people is the most important thing to use to defeat ISIS.

[03:37:01]

CHURCH: Interesting. And Iraqi military commanders predict the complete recapture of Ramadi in the coming days. Do you think that's realistic?

HERTLING: Yeah, I have been in situations before where they're claiming quick victory. Not yet. Based on what I know about the city, based on what I know about how ISIS fights, there are still many tough days ahead. You not only have to beat these individuals militarily but you have to quickly get in support infrastructure, re- establishing electricity, ensuring the water are running. The governments established. Police forces are there to secure the people in the local towns. The military is going to quickly leave Ramadi. It will be left up to the local security forces, the police in this province and city to take care of the people.

That will be the thing to watch next. You can defeat ISIS on the battlefield but then you have to follow up with the services to the people to make them understand that the government of Baghdad is taking care of them.

CHURCH: General Mark Hertling, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

HERTLING: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Now to CNN's Freedom Project and the fight against modern day slavery in America. As a teenager, Rachael Lloyd was exploited on the streets of Germany. Now, she heads up an organization designed to support and empower other survivors of human trafficking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RACHEL LLOYD, GEMS FOUNDER: Hi. My name is Rachel Boyd. I am the founder and CEO of GEMS, Girl's Educational and Mentoring Services. I founded GEMS in 1988. We serve girls and young women ages 12 up to 24 who have had some involvement in the commercial sex industry, probably 90 plus percent of the young women we serve have been under the control of a pimp, and we provide housing and counseling in groups and employment and education and really a holistic range of services designed to empower girls to leave the commercial sex industry and escape trafficking, but really to develop into the beautiful young women that they want to be.

Not everybody wants to sit down in the kind of one-on-one therapy session, so therapeutic groups like creative art, creative writing, right now we're doing a memoir writing group, poetry. Ways that young people can connect to being young people and work through some of their healing and enjoy themselves and have fun creating things. I think we've always had a very clear idea of the types of services that we wanted to do, and as a survivor I was always really committed to the idea of survivor leadership was at the heart of everything that we did.

But it's so healthy and important for young people to see those of us that made it out. Made it out successfully, and there is a light after and it doesn't have to define you. Things get better. A lot better. I am very conscious of just the education, the power of education to kind of transform you personally and how you see the world and your confidence. For me, college didn't seem like a reality. People had gone to college so I was like, I need to get my GED and that's it. When I went to college I was like, this is doable. For young people, we've normalized education and achievement and so getting the certificate on the wall is like a big deal.

Now people are like, yeah, I got my GED, tomorrow I am signing up for college. It's kind of seen like a normal given thing now which is really exciting. I am very, very lucky to do this work and the girls are funny. Like really, really -- we have a lot of fun. Oh, my god, human trafficking, this is so sad. Obviously, it's a really painful, poignant moments that happen kind of every day, and yet you're surrounded by teenagers and young people, like, its fun. There's a lot of joy here, and I think we work really hard to do that, and so I am proud of creating that and giving girls that space and I am proud of empowering young people to see themselves as leaders, as confident, strong, fierce young people who can kind of take on the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:42:01]

CHURCH: And our international viewers will see a lot more on this story later on this week. Richard Quest moderates a discussion that examines the battle on the front lines of main street America. What's being done to put an end to this trade and human life, and what about dismantling the international networks that run this global criminal enterprise? That's Thursday, 9:00 p.m. in London, 10:00 p.m. Central European Time only here on CNN. Well, now to Australia where firefighters are still working to contain

a major bush fire in the state of Victoria. Officials warn it could take weeks to extinguish the blaze which started with a lightning strike over a week ago and destroyed over 100 homes. Many people are returning to their neighborhoods to find burned out cars and homes, fallen trees and downed power lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really all you can do is try and support them. We can't bring it back, so just giving them an opportunity to have a bit of a look and just reflect and think about where they go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Firefighters in southern California, meanwhile, continue to battle the Solimar wildfire. They're making great progress with officials reporting more than 75 percent containment. They expect to have the fire under control by Tuesday. Dry conditions helped fuel the blaze that was started by downed power lines and burn some 500 hectares. That's more than 1200 acres.

Next here on CNN Newsroom, some travel tips for Americans anxious to explore the island of Cuba. We're back with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:47:01]

CHURCH: All right. We turn our attention now to the race for the White House and the increasingly bitter feud between front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. This time, Trump is calling out Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton. Trump tweeted Saturday, Hillary Clinton has announced that she is letting her husband out to campaign, but he's demonstrated a penchant for sexism, so inappropriate, seemingly referring to Bill Clinton's extramarital affairs. When asked about it Sunday on Fox News Sunday, Trump added this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's playing the woman's card and its like, give me a break. I have had so many women come up to me, say you've got to keep her out. She's just terrible. She's playing that woman's card left and right, and women are more upset about it than anybody else, including most men.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Trump was referring to a recent interview in which Clinton attacked him from using this slang term for describing her 2008 Presidential loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She was going to beat Obama. I don't know who would be worse. I don't know. How does it get worse? But she was going to beat. She was favored to win and she got schlonged. She lost.

HILLARY CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just not the first time he's demonstrated a penchant for sexism, and so I am not sure, again, anybody's surprised. He just keeps pushing the envelope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Donald Trump has had a long relationship with both Hillary and Bill Clinton. They attended Trump's third wedding in 2005 and the billionaire is a donor to the Clinton Foundation.

Well, Americans can now legally travel to Cuba for the first time in more than 50 years. Many are eager to visit the Caribbean island nation before it becomes too commercialized with new tourist business. Will Ripley tells you what to expect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cuba's crumbling infrastructure isn't exactly ready to handle a surge of tourists, but soon they'll be coming with more flights coming from the U.S. and China and more cruise ships sailing here, Havana's port -- finding a last-minute room in Havana, nearly impossible. Your best bet maybe renting a room at someone's home. You can also try Airbnb. The lack of Wi-Fi and mobile data means your Smartphone or tablet won't really work here aside from these particular places, another thing that may not work, your credit card. Make sure you check with your bank before traveling. Euros or Canadian dollars to avoid paying the high taxes slapped on U.S. dollars.

Don't expect to pay in local Cuban pesos. You can usually expect to pay more when you're using this. If you have a U.S. bank account, don't access it online from cube. Your assets might end up frozen. Also, you may want to stick to bottled water and be sure to peel your fruits and veggies or you might end up sick. Beware of driving here. Classic cars can get you around town in style and on the cheap, but make sure you negotiate your price ahead of time. If you want to take home the legally allowed $400 in souvenirs, Cuba wants 100 of that to be rum or cigars. One more thing, embrace the slower pace of life here. Things do take a while in Cuba, but in an oasis like this, that's a good thing, Will Ripley, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Some great tips there. Certainly enjoyed himself, didn't he?

The new Star Wars film has wasted no time making its way into the record books, its latest accomplishment next.

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[03:54:01]

CHURCH: The force remains strong with the new Star Wars movie. The seventh installment of the sci-fi classic has set yet another record. It is now the fastest movie of all time to hit the $1 billion mark at the box office. The Force Awakens took just 12 days surpassing Jurassic World which hit the mark in 13 days earlier this year. The Force Awakens also took the top spot for Christmas day earnings at $153.5 million. And it's already the fifth biggest film in U.S. history.

And Kim Serafin from In Touch Weekly joins me to talk about Star Wars and how it's breaking records not just in the United States but also across the globe. So, Kim, I got a chance to see the movie. Certainly lives up to all the hype, and of course, it's reached this $1 billion mark in record time. Talk to us about that.

KIM SERAFIN, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: Yeah, it's really incredible. I think people knew this was going to be a huge money maker, but the fact that it's just broken every record there is basically. The $1 billion mark in 12 days, record time, Christmas day box office. Christmas weekend box office was up, the biggest in box office history because of Star Wars. And it's not just in the U.S., in the U.K. it's in the U.K., Russia, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Austria, Poland, and every country. We don't have enough time in this segment for me to name where this has made a record opening weekend. It continues to dominate. Look, Jurassic World was a big box office hit. We know also for Avatar, 2.78 billion. Its very possible Star Wars could possibly get there.

CHURCH: Unbelievable. And what about this other old time phenomenon, the Beatles are creating a whole new sensation now that their songs are available for streaming. What is going on there?

SERAFIN: Yeah, this is great news for everyone. Beatles finally started streaming on Christmas Eve. It's interesting to note what the top songs people are streaming around the world. Come Together is the number one streaming song on Spotify in the U.S., U.K. and also around the world. So that's interesting. I don't know if it's the times that are making us do that or if it's such a popular Beatles song. It's interesting to see what people are streaming now that they can stream.

CHURCH: Beatles hard to beat, right.

And just finally, there were lots of big Hollywood stories in 2015, but none bigger than Caitlyn Jenner. What were the highs and lows of her story? What's ahead for Caitlyn in 2016?

SERAFIN: Yeah, and certainly so many entertainment stories for 2015. Celebrity breakups, celebrity marriages and celebrity deaths, but there was Caitlyn Jenner. And I think Bruce Jenner transitioning to Caitlyn Jenner is the one story people will really remember from 2015. It was rumored for a long time. There was speculation about what was happening. She finally came out and did that interview with Diane Sawyer and really put her entire life out there. She had done it with Keeping up with the Kardashians, but really let people into the struggles she had been going through and what she had been going through her entire life.

People really applauded her. And I think it's made transgender such an issue that people are willing to talk about more and understand more. I think so much of that is due to Caitlyn Jenner. So I think look to her to be a role model and spokesperson in the future as she has been this year.

CHURCH: And her story has fascinated and inspired people for sure, Kim Serafin, always a pleasure to talk with you. Many thanks.

SERAFIN: Thanks so much.

CHURCH: And we have a heartwarming update from the bushfire in Australia. Crews were able to rescue this koala found unconscious on the side of the road. She seemed to be feeling better after police gave her some water and gum leaves and they made the koala Constable K. Bear, very, very cute.

And thanks for your company. I am Rosemary Church. Remember, you can find me anytime on social media. I'd love to hear from you. Early Start is coming up to our viewers in the U.S. and for everybody else stay tuned for CNN Newsroom. Have a great day.