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New Video Shows Moment Shooter Opens Fire; Sessions Confirmation Hearings Begin Tuesday; Interview with Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California; Confirmation Hearings Keep Wall Street on Edge; ISIS Suspect Kills Four People in Jerusalem; Russia Intel Report Split Democrats, Republicans; Coolest Gadgets of Consumer Electronics Show. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired January 08, 2017 - 18:00   ET

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

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: But we think it's important to understanding this brazen attack. And let me first explain what you're going to see. This is a freeze frame from the video obtained by TMZ.

[18:00:01] It appears to be security camera footage from inside the baggage claim area and you can see the shooter here in the blue shirt. Once the video begins, keep your eye on the left side of your screen. That's where you'll see the shooter walk in the frame.

Again, we warn you, some may find this video disturbing. We're going to play it right now.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

BROWN: Hmm. Just so disturbing seeing the shooter walking casually and then pulling out his gun and seemingly firing at random at people's heads.

I want to bring in CNN's Boris Sanchez. He is right outside the airport now.

You've pretty much been at the scene since shortly after it happened, Boris. Santiago, we're told is talking to police. What do we know about that and what he's saying?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, from what we understand, after he was apprehended, he underwent a series of interviews with federal and local enforcement. And according to an affidavit yesterday released by the FBI, he is telling them that this was a planned attack, that he bought a one-way ticket from Alaska to come here specifically to Fort Lauderdale to carry out the attack. We get to be able to confirm exactly why he picked Fort Lauderdale with officials, but that's certainly a question that we've been asking.

That video, though, so striking. As you said, Pam, hard to watch. Really the most telling thing about it is that he's emotionless the entire time. So, nondescript. You can hardly picture him out of a group of people in the crowd.

And he's just walking into the frame, goes into his waistband, pulls out that 9 millimeter pistol, and just opens fire on the people that were closest to him, again, expressionless the whole time, as you use people around realize what's going on, and starts to duck for cover. One woman even seeking refugee behind a luggage cart.

What we see in the video corroborates what investigators have been telling us, again, that he was shooting at random. This wasn't a specific attack that he went after anyone that he recognized or that he knew, but rather, that he was just shooting indiscriminately into a crowd.

Esteban Santiago is due in court tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. He's facing very serious charges, all of them, Pam, eligible for the death penalty.

BROWN: All right. Boris Sanchez, thank you very much for that.

And for the latest on those victims, I want to get straight to CNN's Ryan Young. He's right outside Fort Lauderdale's Broward Health Medical Center where some of the victims are still being treated.

So, what is the latest there, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this has been a tough few hours for a lot of the families who have been involved in this. Of course, a lot of them coming to the hospital. Fifty-four people were transported to the hospital. We know six were in critical condition. Three of those people have been upgraded to stable condition. Three others still remain in critical.

And imagine this: one of the people who were shot actually was able to walk out of the hospital already being released. But I can tell you for the people who work here, this was a trying time. In fact, we talked to an E.R. doctor just today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS, BROWARD HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER: I've hugged some survivors and had family members hug me. And that's -- that was special. It's emotional, yet rewarding, knowing that you made a difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: So, you can hear that pain in his voice. He's talking about this.

And we also talked to an E.R. nurse, just about the idea that this team came together. But you had so many people coming into the hospital. They all had to work together to assess this because this was traumatic injuries that people are facing, especially those who were shot in the head.

So, they worked hard to save lives and everyone said the hugs that they got from family members really are something that touched them. Of course, that team is already on standby should anything else happen in this area. But you can imagine, these workers, they said they will be touched by this for the rest of their lives, Pamela.

BROWN: Yes, they train for this, hoping that they never have to put that training into use, and unfortunately, they did.

Ryan Young, thank you very much for the latest there.

One of the big questions still unanswered is why Florida. Last hour, I talked to the mayor of Broward County and she told me that the latest report she received from investigators indicates the suspect does have ties to the area. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BARBARA SHARIEF, BROWARD COUNTY: They have said that he had some connections here in south Florida and that he had been here before.

BROWN: You had mentioned earlier that the gunman has visited the area before. Can you just tell us again what you know about that, his prior visits?

SHARIEF: The only thing that I can tell you is they said he had had some contact here in terms of family members and that he had been here previously and in the past, in the recent past.

BROWN: To Fort Lauderdale specifically, correct?

SHARIEF: And the Miami area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And she says that she spoke to law enforcement, again reiterating that to get that information.

Let's talk, with me now, Matthew Horace.

[18:05:01] He is a CNN law enforcement analyst and former ATF executive.

Matthew, what's your reaction to learn that the shooter has family in the area he had visited recently, and -- but when he landed, he just seemingly started targeting people at random there. What do you make of all this?

MATTHEW HORACE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I think investigators are going to look at all of his social media, his communication devices, his phones, his computers and others. And we have to assume that he didn't randomly select Fort Lauderdale. That he had some sort of connection, albeit through family or friends or some past experience there.

BROWN: And the fact that this shooter did not commit suicide, that he surrendered to police, what does that tell you?

HORACE: I don't know if it says anything particular. I mean, he knew -- as I understand it, he left a note up in Alaska. So, there's only three outcomes. Either you commit suicide, you're taken under custody or you get engaged with police and suspects are often killed.

So, something was going to happen and at the end of the day, he wasn't going to get away with this.

BROWN: And we know that he went to the FBI's office in Anchorage back in November saying that he was hearing voices, that intelligence agencies were telling him to join ISIS. Law enforcement apparently followed protocol. He was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.

But how does law enforcement decipher when someone comes in and says these things, decipher between someone who is just mentally ill or someone who could be, but also could pose a threat. How did they handle that? What's the kind of training they get? Bring us into that?

HORACE: Well, Pamela, you know, it's been my experience after 28 years in law enforcement that these things do happen and people do walk into law enforcement offices sometimes. They make all kind of allegations. It's our job to try to decipher if they are actually credible or if there's some other issue going on.

In this case, he was sent to the proper authorities to get proper screening and proper evaluation. And as you know, his gun was taken away at some point. But eventually, it was given back to him because he was not a prohibited person.

BROWN: And the way he would become a prohibited person, one way is for him to go in front of a judge and be adjudicated and for the judge to find him mentally defective, which is a legal term used. So, what would it take to get to that point? I mean, he seems like -- this obviously is an individual who had some mental health issues. Why didn't he go before a judge? What would it take to get to that point?

HORACE: Well, you know, at some point, an evaluation would have to be done. And again, a judge would have to declare him mentally defective. But, as you know, Pamela, we have seen this time and time again and this will not be the first time we've dealt with this issue. It's not the law enforcement organization's job to see that that happens. But in many cases, family members can do it.

You know, citizens, people -- they need to speak up and say something when they see people are having these sort of challenges because by the time they come to us, we evaluate whether it's credible or whether it's not credible. We document it. We do reports and in this case, it sounds like the FBI and Anchorage police documented everything very carefully and they did exactly what they were supposed to do, up to and including taking his gun away for some period.

BROWN: So we know airport security is incredibly tight once you get to the TSA check points, but not necessarily in the baggage area. And this is sort of the age old question, whenever anything like this happens, about what can be done to better protect people in those soft target areas?

HORACE: Well, you know, as the sheriff said earlier, we live in a free society, a democratic society. And absent putting security check points a mile away from the terminals, we've seen this happen in Brussels, we saw it happened in New Orleans, Los Angeles and other airports. The airports have several areas of security layering and some of these areas are soft targets and some of them are hard targets.

The answer to your question is quite simply, unless we extend out the secure area, there's nothing we can do to absolutely say, this will never happen again.

BROWN: All right. Matthew Horace, thank you very much.

HORACE: Have a great night, Pam.

BROWN: You too.

Coming up live in the CNN NEWSROOM, it's time. Donald Trump's hand- chosen cabinet picks face one what CNN reporter calls "Washington's bloodsport". What to expect from some contentious Senate confirmation hearings. We'll speak with a prominent congresswoman about what she's doing to put a stop to these hearings, as some lawmakers are determined to block these nominees, especially Senator Jeff Sessions, Trump's choice for attorney general.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:12:21] BROWN: So, we are just two days from confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump's controversial pick for attorney general, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. More than a thousand law school professors signed a letter opposing Sessions' nomination.

Back in 1986, President Reagan's choice of Sessions for a federal judgeship collapsed a after a former Justice Department employee claims Sessions had made racist remarks. He has strongly denied those allegations.

Let's talk it over with Ryan Nobles, CNN national correspondent, and Ariane De Vogue, CNN Supreme Court reporter.

Ariane, first to you, I know you have been working hard on this. You've got some new details on how Sessions is preparing for his hearing. What can you tell us?

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Well, you know, Pam, he is just about to go through this right of passage for nominees. I talked to somebody last week who called it Washington's bloodsport. That's how difficult these confirmation hearings can be.

And what's interesting for Sessions is, of course, now the tables are turned. He's used to being the senator on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and now, he's going to be the witness. He's going to be front and center.

And as you said, it's not the first time. In 1986, he was trying to get a federal judgeship. And he failed there after these racial confirmations came up.

He told CNN's Dana Bash a few years later that was a heartbreaking experience for him, because he felt like he was unable to get his message across and he was unable to push back at his critics. But now, you know, he has this new team working for them. And some of them are lawyers who worked for Senate Judiciary Committee.

They are going to work hard. They have done these practice sessions that are called murder boards. And they are asking him all sorts of questions. Not only to get his message out, but to figure out where his weak spots are, so they can target that and make sure that his communication is clear.

BROWN: All right. And, Ryan, Democrats say some of Trump's other cabinet nominees haven't been properly vetted. The problem here, the Office of Government Ethics, hasn't received financial disclosure info. So, what's going on here? How are Republicans and the Team Trump responding to this?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's definitely something that's going to make life a little bit difficult for some of these nominees, especially if they don't get the paperwork into the Office of Government Ethics before their hearings take place. And the director this week said that his four decades in that position, he's never seen a nominee go before Senate hearing without that paperwork in place.

But Republicans are pushing back on this. They say that all the paperwork will be in place, and in a timely fashion, and that this is just the Democrats trying to distract from the hearings themselves.

Listen to what Mitch McConnell told CBS this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[18:15:00] SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: So, all of these little procedural complaints are related to their frustration in having not only lost the White House but having lost the Senate. I understand that. But we need to sort of grow up here and get past that it. We need to have the presence national security team in place on day one and papers are still coming in. And so, I'm optimistic that we'll be able to get up to seven nominees on day one, just like we did eight years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: So, this is usually a right of passage for a new administration, where there's some back and forth between the speediness of when these nominees get confirmed versus the ability of the opposing party to vet them. That's a process that's going to start in earnest this week, Pam, as these confirmation hearings begin on Tuesday.

BROWN: Yes, it's going to be a very busy week.

Ariane, you've also learned that liberal groups are holding standing room-only meetings to prepare for the Sessions hearings. What's going on behind closed doors?

DE VOGUE: Well, of course, these progressive groups are worried. Under the Obama administration, the Department of Justice focused on things like gay rights and voting rights and they know that Sessions, if he gets the confirmation, he's going to ship resources during the campaign. He talked about immigration reform, drug enforcement, that's going to be a different ship. They saw that the NAACP at the end of last week did a sit-in in Sessions office, trying to remind progressives how important this is.

And what's interesting and you'll understand this because you've covered the Supreme Court, these progressive groups are looking at the Sessions hearing as a dry run for the Supreme Court hearings that will come down the line when Trump has a new nominee. Those hearings could be the big fight and progressives now are tackling both of them in these meetings.

BROWN: And we're watching it closely, too, because as we know, one of the contenders, William Pryor, a judge in Alabama, has close ties to Sessions.

DE VOGUE: Yes.

BROWN: So, we'll wait and see how this all plays out.

Ariane De Vogue, Ryan Nobles, thank you very much to both of you.

NOBLES: Thank you, Pam.

And for many Democrats, Sessions is the top target among Trump's cabinet picks and his track record on the race will be put under the microscope this week. We'll discuss that with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who opposes Sessions, up next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:51] BROWN: Democrats are prepping for an all-out brawl in less than 48 hours. The focus: confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump's controversial pick for attorney general, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. The Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP and other groups oppose Sessions' nomination, pointing to his track record on voting rights and other race-related issues. Sessions has strongly denied allegations of racism.

Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters is ready for a showdown. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: This is not a little fight. This is not just something we're including in our agenda. This is a first confirmation we're taking on and we're going to fight, fight, fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: All right. I want to bring in Congresswoman Waters. She joins me now.

So, tell us how this fight is going for you. You and the Congressional Black Caucus have been preparing, of course, for this confirmation hearing. What are you going to do in the next 48 hours to try to stop Sessions' confirmation?

WATERS: Well, as you know, we have been organizing. And we're going to have testimony from the Congressional Black Caucus chair, from John Lewis, the civil rights icon, from the NAACP. We have the clergy that's coming to town from all over America.

And so, we're going to continue to not only bring people in, but we'll all be out there making sure that it the public knows who this man is, what his record has been and why we fear him as attorney general. So, we'll keep working on this.

BROWN: And friends have come to his defense, including African- American friends. Former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson wrote in "The New York Times" saying, quote, "I can tell you as a friend who has known Jeff Sessions for 32 year, that Jeff does not have a racist bone in his body. I am a 71-year-old African-American man and I think I know a racist when I see one. Jeff Sessions is simply a good and decent man", end quote.

So, Congresswoman Waters, what's your response to that?

WATERS: Well, Jeff Sessions has defined himself. In the hearing that took place back in 1986, he had eyewitnesses and folks who had worked with who were able to recount his racist remarks and he's had actions. For example, any time you have someone who is in the criminal justice system who can say that the only reason they are concerned about the KKK is they smoked marijuana, when, in fact, those KKK members had been involved in a brutal killing of an African-American man.

And it's not only how defined himself over the years as a racist. When you take a look at how he views the criminal justice system, you cannot help but be worried. As a matter of fact, he's still for mandatory sentencing. There is a consensus among Republicans and Democrats and law enforcement that we have got to stop locking up so many people for minor crimes.

We should focus on violent crimes. That this concentration on minor crimes is costing too much money, and it does nothing to stop crime. But he's still there.

He's outdated. He's a throwback. He does not believe in criminal justice reform. He's anti-gay. He's been opposed to voting rights.

And so, his history is long. Again, he's the one that's defined himself.

And it's not only about racism. It is about criminal justice and how is it going to be mannered out. He does not want the Justice Department to do any oversight to local police departments. And it has been proven in the case of Ferguson, for example, that that police department had been, you know, involved in the kind of tactics that cause people to be fined over and over again, traffic tickets, given out warrants, in order to raise money.

So, they were able to come up with ways that they should change. But he does not believe in any of that.

BROWN: Right. So, let me just jump in here, because, of course, Jeff Sessions isn't here to defend himself.

WATERS: Yes.

[18:25:00] BROWN: And I want to point out, you mentioned what happened in 1986.

WATERS: Yes.

BROWN: Someone testified that he was joking about the KKK.

WATERS: Yes.

BROWN: He apparently -- he said, look, this was an offhand comment. I was joking when I said that I like them until I find out they smoke pot.

But his advocates, those who support him, point to his record when comes to the KKK, that as a U.S. attorney in Alabama he prosecuted a leader of the KKK. They say, okay, you can make the argument on the other side, but you look at what he's doing against that group, and he's also claimed that he worked to end segregation. I believe he told 'The National Review", he aimed to end segregation in schools in Alabama.

So, what do you have to say about that?

WATERS: Well, I don't believe that. He's trying to hide his real record. This business of not submitting your papers so you can be properly vetted is something that he can be accused of. He's been slow in getting it there.

And now, he's trying to say that once he worked as a defense attorney. He hates defense attorneys. He is against the defense bar. He would like to lock them up and throw the key away on every case.

And, of course, he's not been able to win on many of those cases. He doesn't have a record. He cannot prove that he has been about the business of justice for all. And that he's been fair.

And so, I don't think he makes a good case. There may be some isolated cases or incidents where he may have done the right thing. But when you take a look at his overall record and you take a look at how he stands on forfeiture, you know, and taking away people's properties, even though they have not been proven guilty of a crime, his record really speaks for itself.

And so, we are against him. We are going to fight. He's going to have a lot. On immigration reform, he's really bad. On mandatory minimum sentences, he's really bad. On voting rights, he's really bad. His history speaks for itself.

BROWN: And you mentioned his paperwork, that is in we're told. It was true, though, that he -- that there was an omission in the initial paperwork where he did not mention the failed judgeship back in 1986.

But bottom line, Republicans control the Senate. Sessions nomination looks like a locked, unless Democrats persuade Republicans to defect. Specifically, which GOP senators are you trying to convince here, Congresswoman?

WATERS: Well, you know, here's what -- when you look at 1986, it was a Republican that helped to deny him that confirmation. And so, I believe that when the evidence is given, when it is submitted and when he's not able to convince all of the members of that judiciary committee that he's not guilty of some of the things he's been accused of, I think we have a shot. I think we have a chance. And that's what we're going for.

We're looking for that opportunity where he is going to be found not to be true, where it's going to be proven that he's had racism actions, where it's going to be proven that he doesn't believe in criminal justice reform at all.

BROWN: So, hypothetically, although it's highly unlikely given the numbers, if his confirmation is blocked, he would still be a senator. Couldn't that --

WATERS: Yes.

BROWN: -- would that still present a problem, in your view, for the Democrats?

WATERS: Well, he is a problem. He's always been a problem. He's not only a problem for the Democrats. He's a problem for Republicans.

Because like I said, as we move to a criminal justice reform and many Republicans have seen that the war on drugs did nothing but cost can us a lot of money, it didn't do anything about preventing crime and a lot of those who have been convicted were minor offenses. They don't agree with him. And they have to go past him.

And so, he may still be a senator. But I think a lot of senators, Republican and Democrat, recognize that he's a throwback, that he's outdated, that he does not really fall in line or in step with the kind of reforms that we think would be good for this country.

BROWN: And, again, because he's not here to defend himself, there have been Democratic senators including Joe Manchin, who have come out and said they do support him in the wake of his appointment by Donald Trump.

So, we'll have to wait and see, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, how this all plays out. But you've certainly made your voice heard on our show. Thank you very much for coming on. WATERS: You're certainly welcome. Thank you for having me.

BROWN: And I want to talk about more about Sessions' nomination for attorney general. Let's bring in Republican strategist Alice Stewart, a CNN political commentator and former communications director for Ted Cruz presidential bid.

I first just want to get your reaction to what you heard about the congresswoman. What do you have to say about that?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, she was certainly breathless with her comments. But look, she made it clear that she doesn't believe that Sessions has done anything to protect civil rights. But that is the fact. She's entitled to her own set of ideas, but she's not entitled to a different set of facts.

And the facts are that Jeff Sessions has taken strides to protect civil liberties of African-Americans and those throughout his state of Alabama, and that is the truth.

[18:30:10] And while she is clearly trying to do something to stop Jeff Sessions because she has personal animosity or whatever her motives are, he is someone that has the support of many Democrats and also African-Americans that have come out and stood in his support. So I think that she needs to get over the fact that she has a personal issue with him and doesn't want him in that particular Cabinet position.

BROWN: But I mean, you know, you saw what the NAACP did this week protesting, going into his office. Their concerns, in their view, are not unfounded when you look at some of the actions he's taken.

In 1985, he prosecuted a famous voter fraud case that captured the nation's attention. Three Black voter registration activists known as the Marion Three, faced dozens of charges that their attorney said were racially motivated. Sessions office firmly denied their allegations. Those three activists were found not guilty. But, Alice, what do you say to African-Americans worried about his track record, particularly when it comes to voter rights?

STEWART: I think what's important to take note of is not make this a political issue. Look at his record and what he has done to protect the rights of African-Americans, and he does have a strong solid record of protecting those rights, and listen to the African-Americans who have come out and spoken in favor of him. And also, Democrat Manchin has come out in favor of him. So don't pick and choose aspects of his career that people like Congresswoman Waters wants to talk about. Look at the overall entirety of his career and what he has done to protect those rights. That's the most important thing.

And I do believe we're having a lot of what Mitch McConnell talked about earlier today where he said there are many Democrats who are still very frustrated with the outcome of this election, and they are feeling as though this is their only recourse. And they are frustrated with the fact that Hillary Clinton and her Cabinet appointments are not the ones that they're going to be deciding on in the next few weeks, and this is their way to push back.

And they need to get over the fact elections have consequences and understand that they're going to have to go in line with some Cabinet picks that they may not agree with, but that's the way it works. And this is the exact situation that Republicans were in eight years ago.

BROWN: I can tell you I covered the Justice Department, and there are people currently in the civil rights division that are concerned about Jeff Sessions coming in. They're concerned about what he might do to the civil rights division.

We know that several years ago, there was the Matthew Shepard law. There was talk about expanding hate crime. And at the time, he opposed expanding the hate crime law. Matthew Shepard's mother, who was, of course, of the gay man who was killed and then the law was created, she has come out against Jeff Sessions.

I mean, what do you say about that when you hear these concerns not just when it comes to voting rights from African-Americans but in other areas, as well, under the civil rights umbrella?

STEWART: Look, I think when you have someone like Jeff Sessions with his career and the longevity of his career, there are going to be people that take different sides to decisions that he's made and actions that he's taken. And once again, I reiterate, you have to look at the entirety of his career in the justice field and have faith and trust that he will represent what's best for all Americans.

And, look, this is someone that we've said, he's got a long history in this legal field and he has trust and confidence of Donald Trump and many Republicans and as you have mentioned, there's some Democrats too that are standing for and with him. But that's the way it's going to be when you have someone that had their hands and their legal minds involved in so many cases and so many different areas over the years. You're going to have people that disagree with what you do. But, overall, you have look at the context and entirety of his career.

BROWN: I just have to ask you because, I mean, it's pretty obvious that he will be asked during the confirmation hearing, what is he going to do if he's Attorney General about Hillary Clinton and prosecuting her as was expressed on the campaign trail on the Republican side? How did you think he's going to address that?

STEWART: I believe he will address it the way that Donald Trump has indicated he will proceed with that, and that he is not going to further seek prosecution. He has indicated shortly after the nomination that he doesn't intend to ask for that to be pushed forward because he wants to allow Hillary Clinton to heal. And I think that Jeff Sessions would probably, more than likely, go along with that.

Look, he is a man with a big heart and certainly a strong legal mind. But at the end of the day, there's going to be a lot more important things that he will need to be focusing on. And that, more than likely, in my view and many others' view, including Donald Trump, don't include the prosecution of Hillary Clinton.

BROWN: All right. Alice Stewart, thank you for coming on.

STEWARD: Thanks, Pamela.

BROWN: And now, this week's "Before The Bell." For that, we go to CNN's Alison Kosik.

[18:35:02] ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Pamela. It will be a busy week for confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, and Wall Street will be listening. The hearing for former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, who is up for Secretary of State, will likely grab the interest of energy stock investors. And drug stocks could be in focus when Congressman Tom Price has his confirmation hearing to head Health and Human Services.

This week also kicks off fourth quarter earnings season. Profits at S&P 500 companies are expected to rise more than 3 percent from a year ago. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo are among the big banks reporting next week.

President-elect Trump will also hold his first press conference since he won the election, and you can bet what he says has the potential to move markets. Pamela?

BROWN: You're right, Alison Kosik. Thank you very much. We're back in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: I have to warn you, I have some very graphic video here to show you. It's from a horror scene today in Jerusalem when an attacker drove a large truck into a crowd of Israeli soldiers.

It happened not far from the old city walls in Jerusalem. Four soldiers were killed, at least 10 others are hurt. Behind the wheel of that truck, a man the Israeli Prime Minister now calls a terrorist, possibly sympathetic to ISIS. Israeli police shot and killed that driver. And in Jerusalem right now, CNN's Oren Liebermann.

Oren, tell us more about what unfolded there today.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, everything started right around 1:30 this afternoon in what is a fairly popular tourist spot, a walkway, a boardwalk in Armon Hanatziv. And it's popular specifically because of what you just mentioned. It has a beautiful view overlooking the old city of Jerusalem on one side and a large United Nations compound on the other side.

[18:40:06] At that hour on a beautiful day like today, you'd find a mixture of people -- security forces, soldiers, tourists, pedestrians -- all milling about and enjoying this walkway. That's when police say a truck driver took his truck, drove it down the road, then pulled off the road and plowed straight into a group of soldiers. Four of those soldiers, three women and one man, were killed in that attack, all of them in their 20s, as well as more than a dozen others injured in that attack. Soldiers at the scene as well as a tour guide there responded quickly,

shooting and killing the attacker. And that led to the investigation where police have arrested nine suspects, five of whom, they say, are members of the family of the attacker. That, part of the investigation.

As you mentioned, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene of the attack just a few hours after it happened. And that's where he said it seems the attacker was an ISIS sympathizer and that, too, has become a part of the police of efforts at this point, Pamela.

BROWN: Do we know more about why he believed that, Oren?

LIEBERMANN: We don't, at this point. It was one statement made by Netanyahu as he visited, saying that the attacker here was a supporter of ISIS. We didn't get a chance to have a much more lengthy conversation with the Israeli police spokesperson who said this isn't some new ISIS terror cell in the area in Jerusalem or in Israel and there's no indication of that.

The focus now is on what sites, what social media was the attacker looking at. Is that perhaps where the idea came from, where their radicalization came from? Social media incitement has been a large concern of the Israelis. In fact, one of the ministers who came on CNN earlier today called it, quote, "viral terrorism." Social media incitement, the propagation of hate messages, that has been a big focus of Israeli efforts and that is part of what Israel has been trying to crack down on, not only after this attack but also over the last few weeks and months.

BROWN: All right. Oren Liebermann live for us in Jerusalem. Thank you very much, Oren.

And the report on Russia meddling in the U.S. election has led to two very different reactions from Democrats and Republicans. Up next, I'll ask a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee for his reaction and what he wants to hear from the other party. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[18:45:50] BROWN: Well, the American intelligence community has concluded that people at the highest level of the Russian government ordered hackers and internet operators to interfere with the U.S. presidential election and help Donald Trump win. That conclusion was all but spelled out in a report released by the CIA and FBI two days ago. The report includes names particularly President Vladimir Putin and says that the Russian government clearly preferred Trump over Clinton and worked toward the goal of a Trump victory and undermining Clinton's campaign.

Joining me now to discuss this from Washington, Congressman Adam Smith, Democrat from Washington State and the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, thank you for coming on. Since this report came out Friday, you say you're not happy with what you're hearing from most Congressional Republicans, which you say is not much. Tell me what you want to hear from the other side of the aisle.

REP. ADAM SMITH (D), WASHINGTON: Well, let me start with a positive. Senator McCain and Senator Graham, both on the Armed Services Committee in the Senate, have taken this very seriously. They want an investigation. They want to look into it. Too many other Republicans in the House have been completely silent on it, and, of course, the President-elect has dismissed it.

And the important thing here is this goes beyond our election. This is what the Russians have been up to for some time and it's been well documented. What they're trying to do and what Putin is trying to do is make the world safe for autocratic dictatorships. And towards that end, he is trying to undermine liberal democracies.

This is a major battle. It's not just in the U.S. They've been implicated in the Brexit vote in Great Britain, in the vote in Italy that led to the fall of the government. Russia is trying to undermine democracy and freedom because they think that their model of an autocratic dictatorship is the better way to go. China is up to some very similar stuff.

This is sort of the defining national security struggle for us in dealing with Russia and China, so I hope we get away from the politics of the Republican versus Democrat and take this seriously as a national security threat.

BROWN: And some critic says that the report that was released to the public was thin, that much more information is being kept classified. The former head of the CIA told CNN he's also disappointed but that some things must be kept secret. Do you agree with that or do you want to see more? Do you think more should be released?

SMITH: No, absolutely. I served on the intelligence committee directly for a couple years as Ranking Member in the Armed Services Committee. I'm an ex-officio member of the Intel Committee. So I've dealt a lot with the CIA and with intelligence, and what they want to protect is their sources and methods.

They don't want to tell the world how they know and how they it found out because then the bad guys, in this case the Russians, will know what we know, and they will try to get around it next time. But it's been very well documented in the press, the way the Russians have used their government agencies. They have used criminal organizations and hackers simply to take advantage of what, you know, cyber crime can give them because, look, Russia has an economy that is in collapse.

They don't have a lot of money, but this is cheap. Cyber crime, the fake news stuff they have done, their efforts to undermine the alliance, and what Mr. Trump said during the course of the election about how he didn't think that the U.S. should be, you know, as invested in NATO, shouldn't be, you know, as invested in the rest of the world, was music to their ears. They want to see those alliances fall apart. BROWN: I want to just get your reaction to what Donald Trump has said

about this and what he recently tweeted when he said, "Julian Assange said a 14-year-old could have hacked Podesta - why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info." What is your reaction to that, I mean, the implication there --

SMITH: It's irrelevant.

BROWN: -- is that the DNC sort of brought it on themselves?

SMITH: No, it's irrelevant. I mean, Julian Assange, I mean, they make a big deal at WikiLeaks about saying they make a point of not knowing where they get their information from. So for him to come out and say he knows it didn't come from the Russians just makes him out to be the liar that he is. And a couple days ago, Donald Trump said I don't like Julian Assange. Whoever implied that? Well, he did, of course.

BROWN: But Julian Assange aside, he's basically pointing at the d DNC. And we've heard other Republicans say --

SMITH: Look, I --

BROWN: -- themselves that the DNC sort of --

SMITH: Yes, but that's --

BROWN: -- made themselves vulnerable by allowing themselves to be hacked.

[18:50:02] SMITH: That is hardly the most important point. I'm sure that is true, that the DNC made it easier for Putin and Russia to do what they did. But for the Republicans to focus on that is ludicrous. I mean, this is the President-elect.

A foreign power interfered with our country to affect the election. I think that foreign power's interference is what we should focus on. You know, I don't know that much about cyber stuff but I'll go ahead and say, sure, the DNC was careless. But, I mean, the important point is what Russia is doing not just to the DNC but all around the world, undermining the alliances that have kept peace and stability in the world for the U.S. ever since World War II. The European Union, the different groups that we have formed the alliances we have, Russia wants to see that crumble, and hope we can get past the partisanship.

Look, I saw your earlier guests say the Democrats are always complaining because they can't get over that they lost the election. Well, I, for one, am over it. Donald Trump won. He is the President, OK? I hope he does the job. I hope he stops worrying about how this makes his election look, and starts worrying about what the Russians are trying to do to take away the very freedoms that so many Republicans claim to hold dear.

BROWN: All right. Congressman Adam Smith, thank so very much.

SMITH: Thank you. BROWN: We'll be right back.

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[18:55:00] SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Sometimes at CES, it feels like the "C" stands for cars, and that's because there's so much tech packed into vehicles these days that they're all present here at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Nissan made a very interesting announcement, though, and I think it's really signaling that self-driving cars can't do everything themselves at least for now. And that is because Nissan just announced that they're working on a new survey.

So if a self-driving car gets into a situation that it just can't understand, it's very confused -- let's say it hits a road blocked because of construction and it needs to cross the yellow dotted line but, of course, it's trained not to do that -- then what Nissan is proposing is that a service, which human beings -- imagine that, actual humans doing jobs -- use the cameras on these self-driving cars, look at the situation, and give the car new instructions.

They're not saying when that service is going to come out but that they're working on it right now over at Nissan.

Now, one area where it's really interesting to be a technology correspondent is when you see this cross section of health and technology. This is a spoon that's actually meant for people who are suffering from Parkinson's. You just flip it on, and if they're suffering from tremors -- I just want to show you how this spoon is supposed to work -- no matter how much I shake right now, the spoon is meant to keep the food on there.

I'm just using a coin to show you. And so I'm shaking and still, that spoon is keeping as still as possible. This will cost about $300, if you're interested in it. And it's absolutely fascinating to see how technology might actually be used to improve people's lives.

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