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Iraqi Military Gains Confidence Following Ramadi Battle; No Indictment in Tamir Rice Case; Survivors of Severe Storms Interviewed; Latest from the US Campaign Trail. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 29, 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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[02:00:13] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A major blow to ISIS after claiming victory in Ramadi, Iraq's government vows to liberate more territory.
Why a grand jury decided not to indict the police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
And more top leading to come. The storm system that's triggered tornadoes, floods and blizzards isn't done yet. We will show you who's giving hit with what, next.
Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
And we begin in Iraq where the country's army is celebrating what it calls, the liberation of Ramadi from ISIS. After days of brutal house to house fighting, Iraqi Forces have mostly retaken the city.
There are still puppets of ISIS fighters throughout Ramadi, and the military spokesman said "It will take two to three weeks to root them out."
But Iraq's military has gained a new confidence and, the country's leaders are vowing to force ISIS out of their country in the coming year.
CNN's Elise Labott has the details.
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ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Claiming a, "Epic victory," the Iraqi announced the liberation of Ramadi, just 60 miles west of Baghdad.
Drone surveillance footage shows the moment Iraqi troops raised their national flag over the government complex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The city of Ramadi has been liberated.
LABOTT: U.S.-led coalition air strikes aided newly trained Iraqi forces who pulled in ISIS targets. Today, the coalition, they're not ready to declare the city liberated, called the success, "Proud moment for Iraq".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Iraqi forces had made great progress over the last week or so.
LABOTT: The celebrations could be short-lived. Profits of resistance remain along with the hundreds of explosives planted by the terror group.
Also still unclear, whether Iraqi forces can hold the city and stop Shia Militias who were not included in the operation from reigniting sectarian tensions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This needs to be an inclusive governmental approach. The Iraqi Armed Forces need to show that they're actually committed to that process.
LABOTT: Retaking the capital and largest population center of the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, a strategic and symbolic victory for the Iraqi army. This city's fall to ISIS in May an embarrassing defeat that had Defense Secretary Carter questioning their resolve.
ASHTON CARTER, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: They failed to fight, they withdrew from the site.
LABOTT: But just weeks ago, Carter urged Iraq's prime minister to move north toward Mosul, Iraq's second largest city where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the caliphate more than a year ago.
ASHTON CARTER: We do want to help you build on your success of Ramadi to move towards Mosul.
LABOTT: After a recent string of defeats in Baiji, north of Baghdad, and Sinjar Mountain where their fight against ISIS began, Baghdadi warned in a new audio recording that despite the setbacks, ISIS remains strong, promising an epic final battle.
On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi tweeted with what he called complete confidence that the Iraqi's are now going to liberate Mosul.
But spokesman for the coalition says first, the Iraqis have a lot of work to do to retake and secure all of Anbar province including Fallujah. The coalition also needs to finish training the remainder of the Iraqi army and resupply forces after these last few months of fighting.
But Mosul is considered the big price in freeing Iraq from ISIS. And the coalition says it is determined to help the Iraqis make that happen.
Elise Labott, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: We turn now to Chicago where a father is suing the city after his son was killed by a police over the weekend. An officer shot 19- year-old Quintonio LeGrier while responding to a domestic disturbance call on Saturday.
Police say LeGrier had a metal bat. Authorities say 55-year-old Bettie Jones, a neighbor, was accidentally shot and killed. According to the Wrongful Death Lawsuit, the officer shot LeGrier without justification and used excessive force.
The incident is putting increasing pressure on Mayor Rahm Emanuel who has ordered changes in how the city's police are trained. The mayor is cutting his family vacation short to return to Chicago.
[02:05:06] A grand jury in Ohio has decided not to indict two police officers involved in the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy. The family of Tamir Rice says "He was murdered," and they're accusing the prosecutor of sabotage.
We get more now from CNN's Jean Casarez.
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JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty announcing the grad jury's ruling on the shooting death of 12- year-old Tamir Rice.
TIM MCGINTY, CUYAHOGA COUNTY CHIEF PROSECUTOR: The grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against Cleveland's police officers, Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback.
CASAREZ: The prosecutor said that newly enhanced video made it indisputable that Rice was drawing a gun from his waistband as the officers' patrol car pulled up alongside him.
MCGINTY: It is likely that Tamir, who's size made him look much older and would have been warned that his pellet gun might get him into trouble that day, either intended to hand it over to the officers or show them it wasn't a real gun, but there was no way for the officers to know that.
CASAREZ: And tragically, he never had the chance. Rice was shot just two seconds after the officers arrived on scene. That was 13 months ago. Rice was walking back and forth in a Cleveland park playing with the toy gun. A witness called 911.
CALLER: The guy keeps pulling it in and out, it's probably fake, but you know what, he's scaring the -- out of people.
CASAREZ: In addition to reporting that the gun was probably fake, the witness added that the black male was probably a juvenile.
Dispatchers failed to relay those two pieces of critical information to the officers who believed they were responding to an active shooter in high crime area.
MCGINTY: A moment later, as the car slid toward him, Tamir drew the replica gun from his waist, and the officer fired. Believing he was about to be shot was a mistaken. Yet reasonable belief, given the high-stress circumstances in his police training, he had reason to fear for his life.
CASAREZ: Shortly after the press conference, the Rice family issued a statement slamming the prosecutor.
"Tamir's family is saddened and disappointed by this outcome, but not surprised. It has been clear for months now that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty was abusing and manipulating the grand jury process to orchestrate a vote against indictment."
Jean Casarez CNN, New York.
CHURCH: CNN Legal Analyst, Sunny Hostin, joins me now. She's also a former federal prosecutor. Thank you so much for being with us.
So, Sunny, the grand jury decided not to indict the two police officers who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice. What's your view of that legal decision given the facts?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well I was shocked, especially as a former prosecutor, I know that a prosecutor controls the grand jury, I know that a prosecutor controls the flow of information to the grand jury, the prosecutor decides which evidence is presented to the grand jury. And quite frankly in the United States, if a prosecutor wants an indictment, a prosecutor gets an indictment.
And so in this case, I think it's pretty clear that this prosecutor was not seeking an indictment, he indicated just today during a press conference that he recommended that no charges be filed.
And he even questioned this family's motives, he has suggested that Samaria Rice, Tamir Rice's mother who I've interviewed, had some sort of economic motive. And we're talking about the death of her 12-year- old son.
And so I think that, I am surprised that this prosecutor precede it this way given what we now know about one of the two officers that was on the scene that day, the officer that shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice, had been let go from one police department because they felt that he was immature emotionally, they felt that he had a dangerous lost composure during firearms training. And one supervisor indicated in writing that he did not believe that any training would be able to change or correct the officer's deficiencies. Yet, the Cleveland Police Department hired this officer without looking at his personal file.
And the suggestion somehow that the officer acted reasonably, given the fact that he shot Tamir Rice just two seconds after leaving his police car, is it's just astounding, it's ludicrous. And I think there's been a real miscarriage of justice here.
CHURCH: And Sunny, the Rice family released the statement shortly after the grand jury's decision was announced.
Now, I just want to read a portion of that statement, if I can. It reads.
"After this investigation we no longer trust the local criminal justice system which we view as corrupt. Prosecutor McGinty deliberately sabotaged the case, never advocating for my son, and acting instead like the police officers' defense attorney."
[02:10:14]They are very strong words and from what you have assessed from this, talk to us about whether you would go as far as using the word "sabotage".
HOSTIN: Well again, a prosecutor controls the grand jury process, and the standard -- the legal standard for bringing a case for filing charges is very, very low. It's the lowest legal criminal standard that we have, its probable cause, and so, the fact that a seasoned prosecutor could not bare that burden of probable cause in front of a grand jury given the facts of this case reeks in my view.
CHURCH: The prosecutor said it was not clear the police officers acted criminally. But some analysts who have watched the video and you mentioned it yourself, they saw the police officers arrived and within just a matter of seconds they shot and killed Tamir Rice. And, they acted very quickly and that is -- a lot of people are questioning those circumstances, and the fact that, you mentioned, one of those officers having some very difficult problems in his background.
So, what went wrong here as far as ensuring that justice was the outcome?
HOSTIN: I think what went wrong is that, in cases involving police officers there should be a special prosecutor, an independent prosecutor. It really just makes no sense to have a prosecutor's office that deals with these police officers day in and a day out. They worked together prosecutors and police officers built cases together. You should not have that office investigate, really, what is one of their own.
This is a case, and I believed this -- in all police excessive force cases, screamed out for a special prosecutor. Has there been an independent prosecutor? I'm not suggesting that the result may have been different, perhaps the result would have been the same. But we would not be in a position where family -- grieving families are questioning the very process. And that, I think, is where this was wrong from its inception.
CHURCH: Sunny Hostin thank you so much for joining us we appreciate it.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
CHURCH: Mexican authorities say they have detained a Texas teenager known as the "affluenza" teen wanted in the U.S. for allegedly violating his probation.
Ethan Couch and his mother were taken into custody near the resort town of Puerto Vallarta. Couch was sentenced two years ago to probation in a drunk driving crash that killed four people. His attorneys argued Couch suffered from what they called "affluenza" because his wealthy parents never told him right from wrong.
Police say Couch missed an appointment with his probation officer earlier this month. And he and his mother disappeared. Couch and his mother are expected to be turn over to U.S. marshals.
A broad and powerful storm system has killed at least 43 people in the U.S. in the past week and it's not over yet, people in Texas trying to recover from deadly tornadoes and now getting hit with snow. Blizzard conditions are on effect in parts of New Mexico and Oklahoma as well. The National Weather service says flooding for many areas could linger well into the week.
CNN's Alina Machado spoke to several survivors of the Texas tornadoes.
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ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The path of destruction carved by this deadly December tornado.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh it's massive wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my gosh, it's big.
MACHADO: It's growing clearer by the day. The twister, part of a massive storm system that swept through Texas and parts of the Midwest over the weekend killing 24 people.
In Texas 11 people died, eight of them in Dallas County. On Monday less than 48 hours after the storm, survivors were allowed back into some of the hardest hit areas for the first time. Carol Barnes was among them her house, barely standing. Several cars piled up in front of the home.
CAROL BARNES, STORM SURVIVOR: I think I'm in shock right now because I really don't believe that happened.
MACHADO: Barnes and her family rode up the storm inside a bathroom. Her husband and her children held on as the twister tore through their home.
BARNES: The walls were shaking and the house was rocking. And we just keep (inaudible) hold on, hold on, in the end it was nothing.
MACHADO: They survived but lost everything in the storm. So did David Ruiz and his family.
DAVID RUIZ, STORM SURVIVOR: You really don't know what's coming next, you know, we don't know how to recover yet.
[02:15:07]MACHADO: The family's two cats are still missing. The wintry mix that follow tornado left little hope as salvaging much of what was left behind. But Ruiz says he's glad they have insurance, grateful they have the support of family and friends, and most of all thankful his wife and two children survived.
RUIZ: Thankfully a lot of family has sent a lot of moneys so that we could recover and then we're able to eat and, you know, stay somewhere warm with a friend.
MACHADO: In Illinois and Missouri, more than a dozen people died after driving onto flooded roads. The victims include four foreign soldiers who were temporarily stationed at Fort Leonard Wood for training. Now, people in both states are bracing for what could be record flooding in the coming days.
Officials here in Dallas County had released the names of the eight people who lost their lives here. The youngest was just a year old. The oldest was 77.
Alina Machado, CNN, Garland Texas.
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CHURCH: And we will have more on the severe weather gripping the U.S. later this hour, plus parts of Northern England dealing with major flooding are about to get even more rain. Details on the news storm system that's rolling in.
Plus more harsh words fly between Donald Trump and Clinton, what the possible of 2016 opponents are saying now.
And NFL superstar Peyton Manning calls a new report linking him to performance enhancement drugs complete trash.
Stay tune to CNN NEWSROOM
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DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hey I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sport Headlines.
Manchester United's manager Louis van Gaal says, he won't quit after Monday's goalless draw against Chelsea. The Dutchman has been under intense pressure following the string of poor results. But he feels that his players put in a more committed performance, pull him in all traffic.
The Red Devils hit the woodwork twice. He also thinks he has the support of the Club's board. However, United have now failed to win any of their last eight games.
Meanwhile, let's now move to the top of the table with Arsenal's win against Bournemouth. Mesut Ozil run the show with the goal and his 16 assist of the season. While goalie Petr Cech kept his 170th clean sheet, a premier league record.
The annual Sydney to Hobbart yacht race is considered of one of the toughest challenges in sport and especially so this year. Almost a third of the yachts were forced to retire with shredded sails or broken masts. And the eventual winner actually wasn't far off following them back to port. But Comanche start with it and pulled off an epic victory. The American raider had sustain serious damage of the hitting a submerge object but they decided to do some running repairs and they were handsomely rewarded for their courage and endeavor. It crossed the finish line 50 nautical miles ahead of their closest challenge. Become the first American entry to win the race since 1998.
[02:20:10]That is a quick look at your sports headlines, I'm Don Riddell.
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CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Iran, has shipped more than 25 thousand pounds of low-enriched uranium to Russia. The U. S calls it a significant step in Iran honoring the Nuke Deal reached with major world powers earlier this year. Under the deal, Iran agreed to curve its nuclear program in exchange for relief from a number of economic sanctions to Iran committed to reducing its supply of low-enriched uranium to below 660 pounds.
U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of his opponent since his campaign began, but recently, it's seems like he's looking past his Republican rivals straight to his counterpart across the aisle, Hillary Clinton. As Dana Bash breaks down the latest round of Trump versus Clinton.
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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDITATE: She's playing the woman's card and its like give me a break.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The way Donald Trump sees it, to be a winner you have to act like one. So, he's ending 2015 as if he's already won the 2016 GOP Nomination, attacking Hillary Clinton.
TRUMP: I've had so many women came up to me, say you've got to keep her out. She's is just terrible.
BASH: Trump's anti-Hillary rants have been non stop since before Christmas when she returned fire.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDITATE: This is not the first time he's demonstrated a, you know, penchant for sexism.
BASH: Now, Trump is bringing Bill Clinton into it, the latest on Iowa Radio this morning.
TRUMP: With all her past and her past dealings and frankly, she's been involved in it with her husband as much as anybody for her to be discussing that I think is out of bounds, and I've let them know that.
BASH: Trump is doing well with Republican women. In the last CNN/ORC poll, a whopping 69 percent of female GOP voters said, they have a favorable view of Trump. But it's almost the opposite when all female voters are included, 61 percent viewed Trump unfavorably.
The only Republican woman running for president is trying to capitalize on the Trump-Clinton wars of words.
CARLY FIORINA, U.S REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDITATE: Look, how about an honest woman, how about a competent woman, how about a qualified woman, but I'm never going to ask for people's support.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
FIORNA: ... because I'm a woman, I'm going to ask for their support because I'm the most qualified candidate to beat Hillary Clinton.
BASH: As for Trump, he's campaign insists, he'll win by bring new voters into the GOP fold, which is why he is lashing out at Virginia Republicans for a new requirement to participate in its GOP primary, voters must sign a party loyalty pledge. One of Trump's many tweet said, "Straighten out the Republican Party of Virginia before it's too late, stupid RNC."
Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, the Conservative Union leader, which endorsed Chris Christie unloaded on Trump today for, "Bathroom Humor and Verbal bullying," comparing Trump to the bullying -- in the movie, back to the future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, hello, any body home?
BASH: The editorial saying, we trust New Hampshire Republicans will send "Beast" Trump back to somewhere, anywhere but on the road to the most important elective office in the United States.
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CHURCH: Well, Chief Political Correspondent, Dana Bash reporting there. And Trump has never shown himself to be one to back down from a fight, he promptly strike back at the paper in true Trump fashion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I just have to tell you, that your paper is not a good paper, you know it's dying, I don't think it's going to be in business more than two years. If he endorses Christie, I don't care. I mean that's up to him. But you know, go and try and hurt somebody that's been helping you, and that it really has done a good job, OK. You don't do that, so here you can have a --that's all it's worth, piece of garbage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And to keep track of all the latest on the campaign trail, just visit CNN.com/politics.
Investigators in Puerto Rico are trying to figure out why a police officer shot and killed three of his colleagues. The shooting happened at a police headquarters in the city of Ponce on Monday.
[02:25:01] Officials say there was an argument, shortly before the officer opened fire, but gave no details on a motive. The suspect is in custody. Puerto Rico's governor has declared a three-day mourning period.
An Al Jazeera, reporter says she's stands behind her story that Peyton Manning once used human growth hormones. But the NFL superstar is blasting the reports.
CNN's Andy Scholes has the details.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Peyton Manning immediately came out and said that this whole story is a complete joke, and that he couldn't believe that something like this would be reported especially after the source of the information said the claims were false.
Now, Charlie Sly, the man whose recanting his story, he was an intern at the anti-aging clinic in Indianapolis that Manning went to for treatment. In a documentary, that aired Sunday Night on Al Jazeera America, Sly, on hidden camera said that Manning allegedly used to get shipments of human growth hormone in 2011 while he was recovering from neck surgery. Sly claim the shipments would actually go the Manning's wife Ashley.
But according to a statement from the anti-aging clinic, the Guyer Institute, Sly was an unpaid intern and he was only there for three months in 2013 which is well after manning was treated at the clinic.
Now in speaking with ESPN, Manning called the allegations by Sly in the report, complete garbage.
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PEYTON MANNING, DENVER BRONCOS QUARTERBACK: I can't speak for any other athlete, I know what I've done, I know how hard at work for my 18 years of playing for the NFL, there aren't no shortcuts in the NFL. I've done it the long way, I've done it the hard way, insinuate anything otherwise, is a complete and total joke, it's defamation that really takes me off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: As Sly recanted his entire story saying, Al Jazeera should not even air the documentary.
CHURCH: All right, we'll take a very short break right here, but still to come, we are tracking severe weather in the U.S. and the U.K. just as waters are beginning to recede in Northern England, another storm system could bring more flooding.
We will have more on the relief efforts next here on CNN NEWSROOM, plus low oil prices are forcing Saudi Arabia to reassess a growing budget deficit, we'll go over the details for you. Back in a moment.
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[02:30:38] ROSEMARY CHURCH: And warm welcome back to all our viewers here in the United States and of course all around the world.
I'm Rosemary Church, let's update you on the main stories we are watching at this hour.
Iraqi Prime Minister says he expects to push ISIS out of his country in 2016. The safer (ph) comes after the Iraqi army declared its liberation of the city of Ramadi.
A military spokesman says troops will likely spend another two to three weeks lashing the final puppets of ISIS fighters from the city.
The family of an Ohio boy shot and killed by police says the persecutors deliberately sabotage the case. A grand jury decided not to indict the officers involved in the death of Tamir Rice last year. Police say video shows Rice reaching for a pellet gun, when an officer in training shot him.
Mexican authorities have the detained the so-called Affluenza teen, Ethan Couch and his mother near Puerto Vallarta. They disappeared earlier this month after police say Couch missed an appointment with his probation officer. He was sentenced to probation for a 2013 drunk driving crash that killed four people.
Well, severe weather has killed at least 43 people in the U.S. in the past week and its not over yet, flash floods in Missouri have blamed for several of those death. The state governor has declared has declared a state of emergency. The National Weather Service says flooding and other dangerous trouble conditions could linger well into the weeks for many areas. Parts of West Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma are suffering on the blizzard conditions.
So, let's get the latest on this very rough condition's now and our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now.
And Pedram, it is disturbing when you look at this extreme weather across the country, when is there some sort of sign that things will improve?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: In the next couple of days, we still have what is left of the storms Rosemary and then we get beyond the severe pattern. I think we've gotten mostly behind the severe pattern of the storms system.
You take a look at what is transpired, just in the past several or so a days, over 69 tornadoes now reported across this region of the country and keep in mind that December average brings you summer about 24, we have six consecutive days with tornadoes that have occurred in the month of December. And that is tieing and old time record 1953 and also 1982. The last such events where we had six straight days in December with tornadoes and yes these were both El Nino's seasons and of course we know multiple EF-4 report of tornadoes, one tornado track, 145 miles on the ground, that is considered to be the longest the December track with tornado and has become the deadliest months of tornadoes for December as well in about a 60 year period.
And of course the pattern is not just in the United States, you go towards the U.K. significant flooding being report across that region as well with the military personnel on the ground helping out with the evacuation procedures there. And rainfall continues to come in towards this region over the next couple of days and then you shift your cast in towards this Southern Hemisphere and go out towards Dubai, Paraguai and also on its Argentina.
And the flooding, it looks something similar these parts, some of these towns that are completely submerged with about a quarter of million people being now a displaced out of their homes from the rainfall that has occurred over that region.
So, I want to give you a global perspective because of course we know weather patterns are tide globally. And the sphere in (inaudible) I'm not sure if it really been disrupted and this all has something to do with El Nino, the weather pattern that warm, the water temperatures along equatorial pacific, you'll look at what transpired from the North Western United States for example in the city of Portland and Seattle all 28 days so far in the month of December. They've reported rainfall among their wettest month of December on record. The Southeast United States severe storms of course among the most for the month of December in about 60 year period when it comes to tornadoes.
And then of course, all towards part of the U.K. with severe flooding across Southern portion of our planets on the South America also reporting the significant flooding and this is a great way to show you satellite imagery of some of the rivers that really been impact. I've visit the Parana River which is actually the second longest river in South America behind the Amazon, of course the river as (inaudible) south of Mediterranean Sea and also out toward Santa Fe, on its parts of Buenos Aires into Argentina.
But before and after perspective shows you the water literally shrinking and extending dramatically and this is what has displayed so many people over at this portion of the world.
So this is again, the global pattern that we're going to be dealing with over the next several months potentially into the middle portion of 2016.
[02:35:06] And the seas where temperatures right here around the equatorial pacific Rosemary, had a lot to do with distracting that weather pattern that we see.
The last time we had an El Nino that was a bit impressive Rosemary was back in the '97, '98 year and globally when it comes to the financial impact, when it comes to food chain supply been impacted of course, the energy supply being impacted that led to about $30 billion to $45 billion in losses on a global scale. So this weather pattern shift for everyone is a costly one as well.
CHURCH: Yeah, the ramifications are indeed a huge aren't they? Many thanks to Pedram more chat very soon.
JAVAHERI: Thank you
CHURCH: An unrelenting banned of unusually heavy rain is causing a lot of misery in parts of the United Kingdom. British troops are helping to evacuate hundreds of people from flooded areas in Northern England and Southern Scotland. Cumbria and near by counties are among the hardest hit ITN's Damon Green reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAMON GREEN, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: The river maybe subsiding, but many parts of the City of York are still flooded, the extents of the water visible from the air.
As today the engineers struggling to repair the cities failed flood defenses had to call on the aerial to deliver the cables, the generators, and the motors to get the pumps working once more.
The river waters behind me a several meters above where they would normally be and the pumping station is completely surrounded by the waters on the River Foss and the River Ouse. It's only accessible by air and the only way to bring in the heavy equipment to see this, is were the Chinook helicopter.
It's not just the environment agency relying on the arm forces to bail them outs, 500 soldiers are now deployed in the North of England. Today David Cameron visited them at their work in York preparing sandbags. He also visited some of the flooded streets of the city, but not everyone was pleased to see him.
His started to defend his government spending on flood defenses and denied growing accusations when there's money to be spent, it's the North the loses out.
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We're here in Yorkshire for instance we spent 100 million pounds on flood defenses since I became Prime Minister, but planning to spent another 280 millions so almost three times as much. But, you know, that's of no comfort obviously to the people who been flooded here in York.
GREEN: Hundreds of family that have to leave their homes over the last two days, it still not certainly when they'll be able to return with more heavy rain forecast to Wednesday, no one wants to stay with the risk of more flooding is past. For those whose property has been damage by the rising water river constellation (ph) that river levels have finally starts to fall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think their frustrating because they don't know any real information, why had to happened? And as you can see affected it all the houses of the road and, you know, we will hoping OK that it wasn't the river, wasn't really flooded but when they lift flood barrier, everything came in.
GREEN: The people of York continue to endure the cold, the wet, the dignity of these floods, but those who care about the city say things must change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The city of York is a wonderful Brit City, and what you're seeing is a casting of our will and I want to say, having living in Yorkshire for 10 years, they resilient people, but we shouldn't take them for granted. Work hard just to make sure this doesn't happen again.
GREEN: Everyone wants to believe that this will never happen again, but that is a promise that nobody is prepared to make, Damon Green ITV News in York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: All the falling price of oil strike of the economic heart of one of the world's top producers. Saudi Arabia is preparing for a year of dramatic comebacks of announcing the biggest deficit in it history. It has revealed the 2016 budget 14 percent smaller than it was in 2015, it's finances are getting slam by low oil prices, oil revenue which makes up three quarters of the countries total revenue has fallen 23 percent that's lead to a record $98 billion deficit to help get their physical house in order. The Saudi government is considering some bold measures. It plans to privatize some sectors and it's cutting the large subsidy on domestic fuel rising local prices by 50 percent.
An emotional reunion in Canada for a Syrian family starting over after a half breaking loss, the details still to come.
Plus we will hear from a Harvard professor who is combining his research on human trafficking with the power of media, to help and to fight against modern day slavery, will back in a second.
[02:40:07] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METROLOGIST: Thanks for watching CNN here I'm just Pedram Javaheri here with you on Ski Watch across Europe, and here comes the next storm system from the West. It has some signs that we like to see. We see some stratocumulus clouds indicate of cooler temperature about to come in so at least you get one element needed here, to produce snow shower, we need a moisture of course and that's really have been not existing across this region.
Notice, still seems some mild weather across much of the center portion of the continent to the east we bring in some cooler temperature over the next couple of days, but some of the best areas to get skiing if you have that idea. Chance to get up to this region, around Bahamas (ph), Hemsedal across part of the Scandinavia.
Temperature, just cold enough to support at least some snow and of course in recent there have been plenty of it to go around. That left there's something to 50 to as high as 170 plus centimeter that's on the ground across Bahamas (ph) resorts.
So here's the current forecast for the next 24 so hours and nothing in way of new additional snow coming down but still a good days in about 90 to 80 percent of these trails are open across that region of Northway and to the south we go around that portions of the elsewhere Matt and Davalos (ph). One of these areas that is really struggle to tackle into much moistures so we keep it dry, we keep it sunny (inaudible) about 70 percent of trails from under map is a matter open with over 200 centimeter of snow, they've come down. One of the areas we we're looking forward to see more snow would be around Davalos (ph). At this point looks pretty quite and take you on to the French (inaudible) looking at three with the sunny skies. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Hundred of Syrian fighters and civilians have been evacuated from the siege areas under U.N. broker a deal about 330 Syrian Shi'ite fighters and civilians will taken to Beirut from two pro-government towns in the northwest. Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters set there arrival.
Another plane carried mostly Sunni Muslim rebel who'd been trapped near the Lebanese border, taking them to southern Turkey.
The deal allows President Bashar al-Assad government to re-take control of the rebel held areas.
Well, the family of a Syrian boy who drowned of the coast of Turkey is starting a new life in Canada. Aylan Kurdi died with his mother and brother as they're trying to cross from Turkey to Greece in September.
The picture of his body on the beach brought worldwide attention to the migrant desperation.
Paula Newton reports on the appointment (ph) reunion for the Kurdi family.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, understandable they were emotional scene there at Vancouver airport, Aunt Tima Kurdi couldn't wait to get her hand around her family that it just come in from Germany. They were coming from Turkey originally and obviously, still really struggling to make a new life for them selves outside of Syria.
She wanted to bring them to Canada long ago and the back story there was that there was as too much paper work. She told her brother Mohammad that it was impossible, she had told her brother Abdulah that it was impossible and that it is why she says her brother Abdulah took his family on that boat and that's where her nephew Aylan Kurdi died in September. You know, she said she want people to remember that picture. She wanted to stand for something, for a time in the world, family said enough is enough. And here is what she had say at Vancouver airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMA KURDI, ALAN KURDI AUNT: We almost lost hope but thank you to the - Canadian Government and to Canadian people who make it happen, and group of five and to our family who -- the rest, you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:45:20] NEWTON: Now her brother Abdullah who is Alan's father, he lost his entire family, his two little boys, his wife. He was invited to apply also for asylum in Canada and he chose not to. He said he's still grieving and really want to try and figure his life out. And right now, he's doing a lot of volunteer work for refugees.
And what the Kurdi family says, that they want people to keep in mind that while they'd had a happy reunion for today, that what they really want is for some peace to come in the next few month to Syria.
Only in CNN, (inaudible).
CHURCH: Central American Governments have reached an agreement to allow thousands of Cuban migrants to continue their journey to the United States. They've been stuck in Costa Rica in mid November.
Officials meeting in Guatemala City, decided to provide flights for the Cuban's to El Salvador. Then they'll travel to Mexico by bus. There's been an increase in migrations, since the U.S. and Cuba, announced renewed diplomatic ties.
Now to a development from CNN's Freedom Project and the fight to end modern-day slavery.
Siddharth Kara is a researcher, who has traveled the world, documenting cases of human trafficking. Now he's using the power of media to inspire change.
CNN's Stephanie Elam gives us an exclusive look on the set of trafficked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Inside the secluded California ranch.
UNKNOWN MALE: I'm not, I'm not and if I just get back to we'll be fine.
ELAM: A film crew is busy shining the bright lights of Hollywood on a crime. Traditionally hidden in the shadows.
PROF. SIDDHARTH KARA, HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVT.: Every character in this film, every scenario, everything that's happening is drawn from something real that I documented.
ELAM: Siddharth Kara is a noted Harvard professor and human trafficking expert. He spent the past 15 years, documenting trafficking cases around the world. Those cases provide the inspiration for this film.
ASHLEY JUDD, ACTRESS: Do you have any idea how many girls I see on the streets?
ELAM: Traffic star Ashley Judd as a social worker and Patrick Duffy, best known for his role in Dallas, plays a corrupt Texas Congressman who uses his power and connections to operate a lucrative international trafficking operation.
PATRICK DUFFY, ACTOR: Since you get her, I think I put my money again.
It's an important in such a matter, but I think more important is to an encumber the minds and hearts of people just in general. To allow them that even if they're involved in thinking about a subject matter, its better than ignoring it. Would you grab and you put it down to try and get it.
ELAM: One of the films most riveting performances, belongs to Charlie Kanter. The high schooler plays a young woman, fooled by a fake modeling offer, and then made to work on brothel against her will.
Canter says, she learned of the issue in Siddharth Kara long before ever landing the role.
CHARLIE KANTER, ACTRESS: I did a research paper about Human Trafficking in my freshmen year, and I red Siddharth book. And I just learned an abundance of all these things that are going on, that nobody at least in my environment knew about.
ELAM: For Kara, reaching a broader audience while seeing the script comes alive, still calls up a range of emotions.
KARA: There's a fair bit of pain, as I think back to those true people, and I wonder what happened to them. But there's also some hope in that, as I see this young girl, saying what she said to me. I'm realizing she's got the voice. And her story is being told.
ELAM: With hopes that by telling it the story will prevent other's from going through it themselves.
Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The Israeli Supreme Court, has partially over turned a bribe vary conviction against former Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.
Olmert, was originally sentenced last March to six years behind bars, but will now serve just 18 months. He was Prime Minister as recently as 2009. And will be the country's first former official to served jail time.
Well CNN Newsroom continues after this very short break. We'll back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JAVAHERI: It's time for Ski Watch Meteologist Pedram Javaheri with you starting you of across the cascades of the Western United States for the snow amounts. The snow depth pretty impressive if you ask me, with 110 to 150 inches of depth for the snow there and notice the next disturb is they comes in and comes in on a quite dry size has certainly nothing compare to what we've seen in recent days, a place like Portland that have few rainfall each of the last 28 days so far in the month of December, it might going break here in the coming couple of days.
But higher elevation will cause for sunny skies. But minus 8 Crystal Mountain and Mount Baker may sit down to minus 4 certainly good day if you have a week day plan to be out across at some of this mountain ranges and notice the conditions across parts of Colorado. About 99 percent of the trail is open packed powder but nothing in the way of recent accumulations but still a good -- base depth at about 30 to 40 inches, that's on the ground across that region. And across California, also looking at a drier pattern with some of the trails specially in Mammoth Mountain 100 percent now opened, packed powder to go around Mecosta (ph) also looking at roughly 70 percent of the trail been opened with about 54 inches.
And also following what's happening on the Eastern side of the areas of North America. Also in Canada, Southern Canada, Montreal's towards Quebec disturbance coming in so the higher elevations in this region, you'll look this able take any snow they can get. And we get it across some of this area about 18 to 26 inches have fallen so far and a couple of more in the forecast in this region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Here's a question for you, who do Americans admired the most?
Gallup release the results of its annual poll asking that very question and it finds President Barack Obama far at top the list of most admired man. Pope Francis and Donald Trump are tied for number two, Bernie Sanders and Bill Gates round out the top five.
As for women, Hillary Clinton is the most admired followed by Pakistani teenager a Noble laureate Malala Yousafzai, and then Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. Clinton has been the most admired woman each of the last 14 years and 20 times overall.
Well, Donald coloring books have become quite a praise even topping some best seller list. So, it's only fitting there's now one for the most popular Republican presidential candidate, Jeanne Moos reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump is used to being parodied. But now the parody is interactive.
You can color him Donald.
Donald as the Statue of Liberty, on Mount Rushmore, on the million dollar bill. Donald with his wife, Melania, Donald arm wrestling Hillary.
Donald as a Beatle?
[02:55:03] I' never thought I'd be coloring Donald Trump's fig leaf.
Even Donald on the Sistine Chapel.
I colored my way through the entire interview with the creator and publisher of "The Trump Coloring Book." I
Do you think Donald Trump would be flattered or insulted by his coloring book? ANTHONY ZICCARDI, PUBLISHER POST HILL PRESS: I'm not so sure if he'll sell this at his gift shops at his casinos but I think he would enjoy this.
MOOS: It turns out adult coloring books are the hottest category in publishing right now, so cashing in on Trump made sense. There's also the off-color coloring book, featuring notable Trump quotes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you Batman?
TRUMP: I am Batman.
MOOS: Go ahead and color that quote but who needs a whole box of crayons?
ZICCARDI: Which is the beauty of this coloring book. You really only need one or two colors.
MOOS: You only need orange and yellow?
ZICCARDI: That's pretty much it. You're good to go.
MOOS: But weren't good to go almost from the get-go. Oops, Oh know, that's trouble. I just broke the yellow.
But just that yellow stub was enough to get to the roots of the Donald's hair on the page he shared with Albert Einstein.
I'm just doing Einstein's tongue.
Twenty five thousand copies will be shipped, so you can color the candidate who's already beyond colorful.
TRUMP: Bing, bing, bing
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN...
ZICCARDI: Well, we're trying to make coloring great again.
MOOS: ... New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Orange and yellow it seems to do it, did it?
I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to stay in touch on social media anytime. We want to hear it from you. And I'll be back in just a moment with more news from all around the world.
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