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FBI Looked Into Airport Shooting Suspect Prior to Attack; Survivor Recounts Attack at the Airport; Russia Mocks U.S. Claims Putin Meddled in Election; Massive Car Bomb Kills 50 in Rebel Held Area; Russia's Frozen Conflicts in Former Soviet Republics; U.S. Secret Service versus Trump Private Security; Pope Marks the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord; Golden Globes Kicks Off Award Season; Mom Hides in Pantry to Eat Candy. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 08, 2017 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:12] HANNA VAUGHAN JONES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A stark confession. Esteban Santiago admits he planned the Fort Lauderdale airport attack as new questions arise over his mental health.

Tweeting with open arms. Donald Trump takes to his favorite medium and expresses his interest in closer ties with Russia.

Plus, churning up the coast. People in several northeastern U.S. states getting hit with a blanket of snow right now.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Hanna Vaughan Jones in London, and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Law enforcement officials say the suspected shooter in Friday's attack at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has confessed to planning the massacre. The suspect, 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, now faces federal charges which could has carry the death penalty. Prior to the shooting, Santiago traveled to Florida from Alaska where authorities say he was already on the FBI's radar.

CNN's Dan Simon has more now from Anchorage, Alaska.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing in front of a motel for transients. This is one of Esteban Santiago's last known addresses. We know that investigators were here for several hours talking to people who work here as well as speaking to some of the residents and recovering evidence as well.

This place could be an important part in terms of piecing together Santiago's last few days before he went to Fort Lauderdale and carried out that shooting. As far as investigators are concerned the posture that they seem to be taking here in Alaska is that they did everything according to protocol. That when Santiago went to the FBI office last November, said he was hearing voices, that they did everything according to the book. First by referring him to the local police department and ultimately facilitating a mental health evaluation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARLIN L. RITZMAN, FBI ANCHORAGE FIELD OFFICE SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: In November of 2016, Mr. Santiago walked into the Anchorage FBI office to report that his mind was being controlled by U.S. intelligence agency. During the interview, Mr. Santiago appeared agitated, incoherent and made disjointed statements.

CHRISTOPHER TOLLEY, ANCHORAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: The NYPD was contacted by the Anchorage FBI requesting assistance with a mentally ill person having disjointed thoughts. When APD arrived on scene, they were informed by investigating agents, Mr. Santiago had arrived at the FBI building asking for help. Santiago having terroristic thoughts and believes he was being influenced by ISIS. Santiago had a loaded magazine on him but had left his firearm in his vehicle prior to contacting agents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: We also know that Santiago had multiple interactions with Anchorage police over the past 12 months. One of those interactions resulted in a pair of charges, a criminal mischief charge for Santiago allegedly broke down a bathroom door at his girlfriend's house as well as an assault charge on his girlfriend. Now those charges were said to be dismissed in March assuming Santiago lived up to the court's conditions.

The bottom line here is there's seems to be a host of mental health issues and investigators are going back and looking at all their interactions with Santiago to see what, if anything, they missed.

Dan Simon, CNN, Anchorage, Alaska.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Well, relatives say Santiago was a changed man when he returned from a U.S. tour of duty in Iraq. CNN spoke to his brother who lives in Puerto Rico. He says that despite voluntary mental health evaluation, Santiago didn't get the psychological help he needed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYAN SANTIAGO, SUSPECT'S BROTHER ((Through Translator): I want to clarify this for the Puerto Rican people and for all the people in the world. That the federal government already knew his reaction. They already knew the thoughts that he was having and how they weren't good. He himself went after them and asked for help and they did nothing. They had him hospitalized for four days and then they let him go.

How are you going to let someone leave a psychological center after four days when he's saying he was hearing voices that the CIA is telling him to join certain groups? This was in November.

He is a peaceful person, amicable. Everyone who knew him would say the same thing. That he was an amicable person. He would always help me. He would always do favors for people. Various people have supported me, telling me that they know him and

that they didn't treat him in enough time. These are people who know they didn't treat him but know what veterans suffer from when they come back from the war. There are several of them who get help and several others who, well, don't get the same follow-up.

[04:05:06] Not everyone has the same reaction when they return from war. Some are better and some not so much. It's too early to know our family's events. We have not been able to speak to him. The authorities have him. A government agency has come here to give us the notice that we can't speak to him. I'd like to talk to him. It's the first thing I want to do. Talk to him to see how he's doing.

I don't know when the trial will be. I was told soon, maybe. They are saying -- well, some channels are saying he was Muslim. What happened was, when he went to Iraq he bought a scarf. He bought it as a souvenir. Then took a photo of it as a memory of what he bought in Iraq. That's it. He didn't belong to any radical group. We were born under the Christian faith.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Santiago's brother speaking there. Well, court documents show that the suspect told officials he loaded his gun in a bathroom after he arrived in Fort Lauderdale and shot at the first people he saw in the baggage claim area killing of course five people.

Sheldon Fox with CNN affiliate WSVN spoke to a survivor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHELDON FOX, REPORTER, WSVN: The casings were flying all around us, she says. The grandmother of 13 from near Green Bay, Wisconsin, have just landed in Fort Lauderdale for a vacation in the sun. But she wound up in the hell that was Terminal 2's baggage claim.

Walking among the dead and the wounded without a scratch, her husband was also uninjured. I sat next to her on the plane, the woman says. And nearly 10 hours later while waiting at Port Everglades to find a ride to her hotel, she told 7 News the rest of the story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the ladies killed was my seatmate on the plane and she was standing right next to me.

FOX: In the baggage claim?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the baggage claim. I gave her a hug. She turned around, I turned around and the pops started. I hit the ground and I turned around and she was shot in the head and killed.

FOX: That shooting victim's husband was hit, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her husband was shot. The guy next to him was shot in the cheek. The guy next to him was face down. He was dead.

FOX: It's part of an accused mass killer's path of destruction. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He reloaded and he's walking just with his arms

straight out, stone faced.

FOX: Did the man say anything when he was firing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't hear anything. People were just yelling, get down. I have a strong belief in a higher power. And I know someone was watching over us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: That was Sheldon Fox with CNN affiliate WSVN.

CNN has learned the names of two of the five people killed in the airport atrocity. Terry Andres was on vacation. He was a ship worker from Virginia celebrating his 63rd birthday with his wife. A friend says he was the ultimate family man.

Olga Woltering was a great-grandmother from Georgia. She flew into Fort Lauderdale with her husband and they were about to go on a cruise. Her priests says she was joyful, loving and caring.

Now to other news, and a top Russian lawmaker is ridiculing a U.S. intelligence report that found that Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, personally ordered an influence campaign to boost Donald Trump's chances in November's U.S. election.

CNN contributor and former Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty has more now on the reaction in Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: President Putin is not engaging, not making any comments about this report. Saturday, a holiday here in Russia, it's Russian Orthodox Christmas and the president was shown on Russian television going off to church but making absolutely no comment. Meanwhile, the Russian media are commenting. And essentially what they're doing is dismissing and laughing at this report. They are not engaging with any specifics. In fact, in many of the reports, they are saying there were no specifics.

Margarita Simonyan, for example, who was the editor-in-chief of RT Television, mentioned liberally in that report, laughed at it, and said, this is a laugh of the year. Are you kidding? She said the information contained was outdated and, in fact, wrong.

Another person who is very influential in the Twitter sphere and that is Aleksey Pushkov, he is a member of parliament, and he said, quote, "The mountain gave birth to a mouse."

[04:10:02] In other words, he's saying all of the accusations are based on, as he put it, confidence, in quotes, and assumptions. And he mentioned that the U.S. was just as confident about the fact that -- or the allegation that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump is tweeting about an improved

relationship between Russia and the United States. There's no direct reaction, but obviously the Russians have been saying for quite some time that is precisely what they want. And they seem to be counting down the days until he is inaugurated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Jill Dougherty reporting there.

Let's look at a bit more detail at those tweets that Jill mentioned. On Saturday Donald Trump wrote, "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only 'stupid' people or fools would think that it is bad. We have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am president, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will perhaps work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the world."

Well, for further insight, let's bring in Scott Lucas, he's a professor of International Politics at the University of Birmingham here in England.

Thanks very much for being on the program, Professor. And I want to ask you first about your reaction to those tweets. What might a good relationship with Russia look like?

SCOTT LUCAS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, LONDON: Well, for Donald Trump, it's one which he gets to be best friend with Vladimir Putin and the two men create their own image of the world. The problem with that is that it ignores the fact that Russia has its own interest, Putin has his own interest, and they very aggressively have pursued them. They are pursuing them in Eastern Europe, they're pursuing them in the Middle East and they pursued them by intervening in the U.S. election. You know, cold fact.

So Trump is trying to sweep all that away and say, well, we can be best friends. At the same time, however, remember that he's saying we should have a nuclear arms race, which doesn't seem to fit very well in an approved relationship.

JONES: Yes.

LUCAS: This is very much Trump's personal opinion.

JONES: Is there an element, though, of you scratch my back now, I'll scratch yours? And although Donald Trump has dismissed the suggestion that Russia's influence may have had any control whatsoever on the election victory, on his election victory, is there a bit of like, well, this is payback time and I owe you one?

LUCAS: I wouldn't call it payback as much as the fact that Donald Trump has always put an admiration for Putin above any type of consideration of specific issues between U.S. and Russia. For example, remember during the Republican primaries, not -- you know, well before the general election, he talked about Putin as being this great leader, this admirable man. Trump did not address the fact that while we do not want to go to war with Russia, there are issues of conflict. Remember that Russia annexed Crimea two years ago leading to U.S. and European sanctions.

Trump did not address the Russian involvement in the Syrian civil war which has been destabilizing. So again, it's really more Trump's narcissism. You know, he wants to be like Putin. He admires Putin, rather than any type of, you know, sensible or coherent approach to foreign policy.

JONES: So much has been made of Donald Trump's rhetoric, if you like, not least, though, a language that he uses on Twitter. What do you make of this stupid comment that anyone who effectively disagrees with him seemingly is branded stupid. Is this a sign of more to come?

LUCAS: Oh, yes. Well, Donald Trump always said anybody who disagrees with him isn't very smart. But I think that something is being missed here about these latest tweets. You'll notice that Trump has shifted. He is no longer talking about the intelligence behind the Russian hacking being wrong. He's no longer criticizing the intelligence agencies as he was all through last week. Remember when he said only a few days ago, I know what really happened about hacking and I'll tell you, and he never did?

So Trump is saying, everyone is stupid, let's just be nice to Russia. He's trying actually to cover up the fact I think he's on the defensive now over the allegations that were in the report released on Friday about the extent of Russian involvement.

JONES: Yes, very interesting. What might Russia, though, have to gain if it is accepted that it did interfere with the U.S. election and backed Trump. What does Russia get out of that?

LUCAS: What Russia got, and it's clear from the unclassified version report and it will be to a greater detail in the top secret version is they kept Hillary Clinton out of office. Putin personally does not like Hillary Clinton. And in his eyes, Clinton and others in the Obama administration called him an illegitimate president. Beyond that, if Clinton became president there would be a much tougher U.S. line, for example, over the Middle East including Syria. There would be a much tougher line over the crisis over Ukraine and Crimea and Moscow didn't want that.

JONES: Always great to talk to you. Scott Lucas there live from Birmingham, here in the UK.

[04:15:02] Thanks very much indeed for your insight.

LUCAS: Thank you.

JONES: Now first the southern U.S. was hit, now the East Coast is getting walloped by snow, ice and bone-chilling temperatures. We're tracking the dangerous winter storm next.

Plus, four people now face charges in the kidnapping and torture of a Chicago teenager. What the judge said when they appeared in the court, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

JONES: ISIS is claiming responsibility for a car bombing in eastern Baghdad. A suicide bomber drove into a busy outdoor market in Sadr City on Sunday and then detonated the car. The blast killed at least 11 people and wounded a further 25. The terror group says the attack targeted Shiites who were gathering in the area.

For the third time in just a week, a prison riot has erupted in Brazil. Firefighters, assault troops and special operations forces are in the prison in the city of Manaus. A military police captain tells CNN they are awaiting orders to enter the building. The prison itself had been closed but was reopened after riots broke out at two other prisons in the past few days. Dozens of inmates died in the fighting between rival gang members. The alleged ring leaders have been moved to the Manaus facility.

[04:20:10] A powerful winter storm that pummeled the southeast in the U.S. is now barreling up the East Coast. It's being blamed for dozens of vehicle pileups and car crashes on slick roads. The snow, ice and high winds have also knocked out power to thousands of people and grounded thousands of flights.

So where is the snow headed next? Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us with the very latest on that -- Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hannah, can I say that not everyone thinks it's all that bad? I mean, of course this little boy behind me, creating snow angels, he enjoyed it, in Raleigh, North Carolina. They've got about three inches of snow on the ground.

(WEATHER REPORT)

VAN DAM: Back to you.

JONES: All right. Derek, thanks so much for the updates on all the --

VAN DAM: OK.

JONES: Weather across the country. Thanks so much.

VAN DAM: You're welcome.

JONES: Now the four suspects charged with torturing a Chicago special needs teenager have been denied bail. The attack sparked outrage in the United States when it was broadcast on Facebook Live.

CNN's Rosa Flores has more now from Chicago and a warning, though, some of her report does contain graphic video.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALONZA THORNTON, CHICAGO RESIDENT: It was kind of shocking to know that it was here.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alonza Thornton says his grandmother lives in the same building where this shocking video was broadcast on Facebook Live Tuesday. Showing a white teenage victim with mental health issues being abused by four black individuals.

THORNTON: I actually heard about it, word of mouth, that it was in the area and actually coming here today knowing that it was here, it's appalling.

FLORES: The suspects face a slew of charges, including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and hate crime. The judge denied the suspects bond Friday and scolded them in open court, saying, "I'm wondering where was the sense of decency that each of you should have had."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're sorry this happened to the family.

FLORES: One family member of the two female suspects, who are sisters, apologized outside court. Inside, the suspects showing no emotion, even when prosecutors described their alleged every move in open court.

[04:25:04] From suspect, Jordan Hill, picking up the victim as this McDonald's in a Chicago northwest suburb on New Year's Eve to Hill allegedly beating the victim before these cameras started rolling. Once they did, according to prosecutors, Hill even asked for ransom.

ERIN ANTONIETTI, ASSISTANT STATE'S ATTORNEY: The defendant Hill communicates with the victim's mother and demands $300 ransom in exchange for getting her son back.

FLORES: When a neighbor called police, that's when prosecutors say the victim got a window of time to escape.

(On camera): Neighbors tell us that this is the house where the abuse happened. They also point out that on the same night there was a separate fight. The blood from that fight still remains.

(Voice-over): A tough neighborhood in a city that is no stranger to violence. And now a call for justice for a teen who police say is still traumatized by the torture he endured.

(On camera): As for the victim, I spoke to the family spokesperson and he tells me that the victim is with his family and they're asking for privacy and prayers.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Well, do stay with us here on CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, an already fragile cease-fire is shaken by a massive explosion in northern Syria. Plus why some soldiers in Ivory Coast is still up in arms despite a government agreement to pay bonuses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:03] JONES: Hello, and welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Hanna Vaughan Jones in London with the headlines we're following this hour.

The suspect in the shooting at an airport in Florida has confessed that he planned the attack. His brother says Esteban Santiago asked authorities for psychological help months ago but didn't receive the care he needed. Five people were killed. six others wounded on Friday at the airport in Fort Lauderdale.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wants Washington to have closer ties with Moscow. In a series of tweets on Saturday, Trump has said only stupid people would think having good relations with Russia would be a bad thing.

ISIS is claiming responsibility for suicide car bombing at a busy outdoor market in eastern Baghdad on Sunday. The blast killed at least 11 people and wounded 25. The terror group says the attacker targeted Shiites who were gathering in the area.

And in northern Syria, a massive car bomb has killed at least 50 people in a rebel-held city very close to the Turkish border. A local activist says dozens were wounded in the blast which happened near a courthouse. No one has claimed responsibility yet for the explosion, but ISIS has targeted the town in the past.

Well, CNN's Ian Lee is following this story for us from Istanbul in Turkey and joins me now live.

We know that ISIS have claimed responsibility for an attack in Baghdad. They haven't yet said anything about this northern Syrian attack, but does it barrel the hallmarks of Islamist State?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does, Hannah. And you just have to look at the people who were targeted or the casualties and those injured, they are predominantly civilians. And that is one of the hallmarks of an ISIS whether here in Syria or if they're in here in Turkey. When there's a large number of civilian casualties, usually it is ISIS.

Now no one has claimed responsibility for this attack that took place at a courthouse and near a courthouse and a grocery store. But there is also Kurdish elements, Kurdish fighters who are kilometers away from the city of Azaz. Turkey has at times been at odds with them, exchanging fire. But this does look more like an ISIS attack, Hannah.

JONES: And you are in Turkey, this attack itself happened very close to Turkish border. How does it play into Turkey's ongoing battle to try to defeat ISIS?

LEE: Well, right now Turkey is battling for the city of Al-Bab in northern Syria. This is a part of Euphrates Shield. It's an operation that's been going on since this last summer. They have been fighting for Al-Bab for weeks now. ISIS has put up a stiff resistance. Every day we hear reports of the Turkish military killing tens, dozens of ISIS fighters but yet they've still been held off from this city. But Turkey has committed quite a large force to trying to push ISIS first from its border, but also try to go after the terror organization. It is a battle, though, where Turkey has suffered a number of casualties.

JONES: Certainly has. Ian Lee live for us there in Istanbul, we appreciate it. Thank you.

And the president of Ivory Coast says the government has reached a deal to end a mutiny by soldiers. But some of the soldiers themselves have rejected that deal and they are still fighting. They say they were promised a salary bonus for bringing the president to power but never received the money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALASSANE OUATTARA, IVORY COAST PRESIDENT (Through Translator): I confirm my agreement to take into account the demands relative to the bonuses and the better living and working conditions of the soldiers. I would like to repeat that this way of making demands is not appropriate. Indeed, it tarnishes the image of our country after all of our efforts in economic development and diplomatic reposition. Having marked my agreement, I call on all the soldiers to go back to their barracks in order to allow for these decisions to be executed calmly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Well, the soldiers themselves are asking for a written proof, evidence that they will indeed get paid.

Staying on the African content, and Ghana swears in new president. Nana Akufo-Addo took the oath of office in a lavish ceremony in the country's capital on Saturday. Dozens of African leaders attended including the outgoing president. The 72-year-old former opposition leader pledges to cut taxes and to boost the Ghanaian economy.

Since the end of the Soviet Union, Russia has had a history of destabilizing breakaway regions in former Soviet republics. The result, so-called frozen conflicts. Well, the largest of these is in eastern Ukraine.

CNN's Ivan Watson takes us to an industrial port there and shows us why a coveted prize for Russian backed separatists.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:35:03] IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Hot molten metal. For more than a century, workers have been churning out steel at the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in Eastern Ukraine.

The former Soviet factory looms over the port city of Mariupol. This company alone employs some 17,000 people. (On camera): These colossal steel works are a critical part of the

Ukrainian national economy. And they're located less than a half hour's drive away from the front lines in the war against Russian- backed separatists.

(Voice-over): The head of the steel works tells me the Ukraine Armed Forces repelled previous separatists' attempts to capture the factory. It's been more than two years since Russian-backed separatists declared two breakaway regions in Eastern Ukraine. The subsequent war has displaced around two million people and claimed around 10,000 lives.

Among the dead, dozens from Ukraine's Azov regiment remembered here in a recent torchlight ceremony rife with the regiment's Viking symbolism. Now incorporated under the Ministry of Defense, these Ukrainian nationalists started out as an old volunteer militia with members like Stanislav Yaramakov (PH).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before I live in Crimea and I teach history students in University of Culture.

WATSON: The former history teacher says he took up arms after Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. He says he's defending his country against what he calls the imperialism of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Putin understands that results Ukraine territory, they will not -- they cannot build Russian empire.

WATSON: Despite a cease-fire, international observers document hundreds of daily violations committed by both sides around the Russian-backed separatist regions. In the former Soviet Union, this is called a frozen conflict.

MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI, FORMER GEORGIAN PRESIDENT: And this is a complicated situation.

WATSON: Former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, argues the separatist regions in Ukraine are similar to other Russian-backed breakaway regions in the former Soviet Republics of Georgia and Moldova.

SAAKASHVILI: Russia decided that it doesn't need borders. Russia decided to commit basically margins. And it's wrecking the Soviet -- former Soviet cuts -- and actually, that's basically spreading chaos.

WATSON: Despite the chaos of the war over the last two years, the frontline city of Mariupol, today looks rather calm. There's even a new coffee shop in town opened just 15 kilometers from the front lines. Its young owner may look like any other hipster, but last year 23-year-old Bogdan Chaban was out fighting for Ukraine after separatists took over his home city of Donetsk. He says the new cafe is a form of unarmed defiance against the enemy that is standing at this city's gates.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Mariupol, Ukraine. (END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Let's turn our attention back now to the United States and Donald Trump's upcoming administration. The head of the U.S. Secret Service is knocking down recent news reports of tension between his agency and Donald Trump's private security team. Director Joseph Clancy said the two entities have much different missions and do not interact.

Here's what he told CNN's Pamela Brown in an exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: There have been reports out there basically saying that Donald Trump kept his private security even after he was elected. Is that true?

JOSEPH CLANCY, DIRECTOR, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: Well, first of all, let me just say that the Secret Service has the sole responsibility of protecting the president, the vice president, the first family, et cetera. Under U.S. Code 183056, we have the authority, we have the mandate and only the Secret Service has that authority to protect these individuals. And we only work with law enforcement partners, this group that you're referring to, they're not in our meeting, in advanced meetings, or not armed. They're more of a staff function than a security function. So we don't interact with them.

BROWN: So if there was a threat to the president-elect they wouldn't interfere?

CLANCY: No. That's correct. We have our own plan for protecting the president-elect. And there's no interaction at all there.

BROWN: And there's no concern that there might be friction or might be --

CLANCY: No. No friction at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:40:02] JONES: Clancy went on to say that protecting Trump's large family requires, yes, more personnel but is no different than guarding any other first family.

Still to come this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, Pope Francis has just baptized newborn babies in a special ceremony at the Sistine Chapel. All the details from the Vatican coming up next.

Plus, one of Hollywood's big award shows takes place this Sunday night. We'll have a preview of the 2017 Golden Globes coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JONES: Live pictures here of Vatican City in Rome. Pope Francis has just baptized 28 newborn babies there in the Sistine Chapel. It's all marking the feast of the baptism of the Lord. Our CNN senior Vatican analyst and editor of Crux, John Allen, joins

me now live from Rome to explain the significance of this in the Christian calendar -- John.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Good morning, Hannah. Happy Sunday to you on this very chilly Roman morning. You know, in many ways, working in the Vatican is a sort of tough gig. I mean, there are long hours. You have to work for the holidays, the pay isn't that great, but this is definitely one of the perks if you have a child during the course of the year. You have an opportunity to have that child baptized by the Pope himself.

As you indicated, the Pope baptized 28 children this morning, 13 girls, 15 boys. All the children of Vatican employees. And this is one of those rare liturgies where it's not in St. Peter's Basilica or out in St. Peter's Square and sort of directed at the whole world, the general public, this is a very intimate thing, what the Italians would call of the family for the Pope's immediate family here in the Vatican. We heard Pope Francis this morning give a very brief extemporaneous homily to these families about the importance of baptism as introducing their children to the faith.

[04:45:12] He also, as he has in the past, Hannah, struck another very intimate note by telling the mothers in the Sistine Chapel that if their children were hungry, they could go ahead and breastfeed them. He said, you know, don't be afraid. Just like Mary breastfed the Jesus -- baby Jesus after Christmas. So this is very much a family atmosphere this morning, Hannah, and these are memories obviously that these families will cherish for the rest of their lives.

JONES: But what does it mean then for these lucky 28 babies going forward? Do they grow up with some kind of special access to the Vatican and to the Pope?

ALLEN: Well, I mean, you know, theologically, sacramentally, you know, this means the same thing as any other child who was baptized by any parish priest anywhere in the world. But I can guarantee you, you know, having spoken to these families in the past who have had the opportunity to have their children baptized by the Pope, you know, this is a story they will tell their kids as they are growing up.

I mean, you know, the picture of the Pope baptizing them today will be on the mantles of their homes for the rest of their lives. No, it's not a VIP pass in terms of access to the Pope going forward. But, you know, on the other hand, when your mom or your dad works in the Vatican, I mean, typically you do have a little bit more access than the ordinary person. And certainly, you know, as they tell their friends in school and as they tell their own children one day, you know, this moment is going to mean something to them for the rest of their lives.

JONES: Yes, they have certainly gained bragging rights if nothing else.

John Allen, we appreciate it. Thanks very much, indeed. Now coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, the stars will be glittering on

Sunday night for the 2017 Golden Globe Awards. A look at the big contenders in film and television coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

[04:51:11] JONES: Welcome back. Hollywood's award season is in full swing. Stars of film and television will walk the red carpet on Sunday, the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

CNN's Stephanie Elam gives us a sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The glitz, the glamour, the Golden Globes. Hollywood's annual kickoff to award season looks to honor the best in film and television.

With seven nominations, "La La Land" leads the pack on the motion picture front.

MATTHEW BELLONI, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: It takes a very traditional medium, the Hollywood musical, which has been around for a century, and it really does reinvent it for a modern audience.

ELAM: The Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling-led movie is up for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, alongside "20th Century Women," "Dead Pool," "Florence Foster Jenkins" and "Sing Street."

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We all love and all pride in this house.

ELAM: "Moonlight," a gritty coming-of-age film, has six nominations, including one for Best Motion Picture Drama, along with "Hacksaw Ridge," "Hell or High Water," "Lion" and "Manchester by the Sea."

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: People do admire me, Johnny.

ELAM: With five nods "The People versus O.J. Simpson, American Crime Story," dominates the TV categories, including a nomination for Best Miniseries or Television Movie.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: My reign has just begun.

ELAM: For the fourth year, "Game of Thrones" is up for Best Drama Series. The epic fantasy will face off with newcomers "The Crown," "Stranger Things," "This is US" and "Westworld."

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, 2017 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS: I get to wear this tuxedo.

ELAM: Taking a stab at the master of ceremonies' duties this year, Jimmy Fallon.

FALLON: I'm already practicing wearing it every single night and just handing out awards to random people.

ELAM: The late-night host follows previous Golden Globe emcees Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

BELLONI: What makes the Golden Globes fun is this sense that anything can happen. And that goes with the host as well.

ELAM: From first bottle to last trophy, the show should live up to its title as Hollywood's biggest party.

Stephanie Elam, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Now from Golden Globes to eating contests, and if you've ever wondered how many meatballs you can eat while dancing, well, Thailand has got a festival just for that. A province northeast of Bangkok just held its annual fish bowl eating contest. More than 300 people joined in, some of them champions from other countries. They had to stand in the competition, but many danced while the crowds cheered them on. And they were also asked to dip their fish balls in the same sauce pot, a tradition in that area. The winner gets cash prizes around $2800. Questionable whether it's worth it or not.

Now it can be tough to get some alone time when you're a parent, so one mom did what she had to do to eat some candy in peace. But even then, her kids weren't that far away. It's a video that's gone viral as our Jeanne Moos reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASHLEY GARDNER, MOTHER OF QUADRUPLETS: Say hi.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Need an escape from the kids? This mom's solution went viral.

GARDNER: Mom desperately needed a treat to get through the rest of the night. So I'm hiding in the pantry, eating a treat. Is that wrong?

MOOS: Well, Ashley Gardner did get some mean comments, but the Internet was smitten with the end.

GARDNER: They don't ever go away. They want everything you have.

MOOS: When she moved her phone down to the crack of the door, that's when viewers cracked up. See? She's always there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. Hi.

GARDNER: Hi.

MOOS: Three hi's, one I, but she wasn't alone.

(On camera): How many of them are there on the other side of the pantry door? [04:55:03] (Voice-over): Four 2-year-olds nicknamed the Quad Squad.

The Gardners of Orem, Utah, struggled with infertility for eight years until IVF paid off.

TYSON GARDNER, FATHER OF QUADRUPLETS: Both eggs split. And so here we are with quadruplets. Two sets of identical twins.

MOOS: Ashley titled her video, "Sums up motherhood in 34 seconds."

A. GARDNER: I mean, my video was about being in the pantry eating a treat and a lot of other moms identify with the fact of just going to the bathroom for 30 seconds in peace which never happens.

MOOS: Who wants to eat Twizlers in the bathroom? The Gardners are no strangers to publicity. They blog about their family life almost every day and are even on a reality show about parenting.

(On camera): You did get some comments like, you know, you had them, deal with it kind of stuff. What do you say to those people?

A. GARDNER: They obviously don't know what it's like to be a parent.

MOOS: The daughter peering through the crack, by the way, is named Indy, her nickname.

A. GARDNER: Indy-pie.

MOOS: And because she likes to say hi, sometime they call her Indy- pie hi.

A. GARDNER: Hi.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Too, cute.

Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. From London, I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones, and I will be back after the break with another hour of news from around the world. I'll see you then.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)