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Jerusalem Attacker May Have Supported ISIS; North Korea Says ICBM Test Could Happen Any Time; Surveillance Video Appears to Show Florida Attack; Confirmation Hearings Set; Former Iranian President Rafsanjani Dead at 82; "La La Land" Sets Record, Winning 7 Awards; Hollywood Gets Political with Jokes and Speeches; Nissan Working to Improve Self-Driving Cars. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired January 09, 2017 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:10] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A truck drives through a crowd of soldiers in Jerusalem and Israel's prime minister says the attacker may have been an ISIS sympathizer.

Kim Jong-Un's threat grows, North Korea announces it could test an inter-continental ballistic missile at any time.

Plus, Hollywood's record-breaking night. A musical takes the cake at the Golden Globe awards.

Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

France, Germany and now Jerusalem -- for the third time in just six months there has been a deadly truck attack, one that authorities are calling terrorism. We have surveillance video of what happened and we warn you it is disturbing.

Israel soldiers were getting off a bus, a truck rammed straight into them. An officer and three cadets died. Israeli police shot and killed the truck driver.

More now from Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the scene of the attack just a few hours after it happened, said there are indications the truck driver in this case, the attacker, was a supporter of ISIS. In the ensuing investigation police say they've arrested nine suspects, five of whom are family members of the attacker, who police say the 28-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem from a neighborhood that's quite close to where this attack took place.

Police have also increased security in and around the area to try to prevent any copycat attacks. Police say there are no ISIS cells in Israel but again it's Netanyahu who's saying this attacker may have been inspired by ISIS. Israel's education minister called this quote, "viral terrorism", that is, incitement and inspiration of terrorism that's promoted and propagated on social media. It's been a big effort of Israeli security forces to crack down on social media incitement not just after this attack but over the last few months.

Meanwhile Israel gets ready to mourn four of its own soldiers killed in this attack, three women and one man, all in their 20s; as well as a dozen others injured in this attack. Those slain will be posthumously promoted. All of their funerals set to take place on Monday.

So let's walk you back through here what happened. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, a beautiful if somewhat chilly day in Jerusalem, when police say this truck driver drove his truck off the rode and on to what was a crowded walkway, heading straight for a group of soldiers, all in their 20s, getting off this bus. Again that's where police say these four soldiers were killed as well as a dozen others injured. The attacker was shot and killed at the scene.

Now the investigation will focus on where did the truck come from? Was this planned in advance? Did anyone else know about it? That is what police are trying to focus on or was this a lone wolf style of attack which we've seen and police has said is much more difficult to pinpoint for intelligence services and much more difficult to prevent and yet that will be the challenge, how to spot the next one of these to prevent it before it happens.

Oren Liebermann, CNN -- Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: CNN global affairs analyst, Aaron David Miller, joins us now from Washington via Skype. He's also a distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center. Thanks so much for being with us.

AARON DAVID MILLER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Pleasure.

CHURCH: As we've seen, the footage is disturbing, the outcome shocking -- another deadly incident involving a vehicle being used as a weapon.

What impact does an incident like this have on efforts to find peace in the Middle East?

MILLER: I mean those efforts right now have reached a fundamental impasse. I'm afraid that the situation on the ground between Israelis and Palestinians is going to get worse before it gets worse.

I mean the vast majority of these attacks since October of 2015, roughly 250 or more, 9 percent of them are driven or carried out by lone wolves who essentially are not affiliated with any organization and probably not responding to any centralized authority.

But they're sustained by a political, social and economic milieu which I think will guarantee the continuation of this sort of lone wolf terror, particularly in Jerusalem in which East Jerusalemites would carry out most of these attacks have access -- easy access to west Jerusalem and to Israelis.

CHURCH: And we understand the police have identified the attacker as Fadi Qunbor and Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has gone so far as to say that there's every indication the attacker was an ISIS sympathizer.

Now, we don't know that. It hasn't been confirmed yet but how significant would that be if it were the case?

[00:04:55] MILLER: Well, the prime minister has made these claims before and again we have to distinguish between an ISIS-directed attack and one that is inspired in which an individual on social media has access to these sorts of jihadi Web sites.

Interestingly enough 90 or so of the Palestinians, who survive these attacks over the last six to eight months, when interviewed by the Israelis, all say that they were heavily influenced by social media and the Internet. And it's quite clear that as ISIS gains on the ground in Iraq and ultimately in Syria, are reversed and the caliphate begins to shrink, we have seen it already in Europe and we're going to see more, and the ideology that inspires ISIS will serve as a fundamental bridge or link to any number of aggrieved Muslims or Arabs on the round who are prone and vulnerable to this sort of influence.

CHURCH: And this is the big concern, isn't it? So if ISIS is somehow linked to this attack, either directly or indirectly, what needs to happen next? And what role might the U.S. play going forward under the new leadership of Donald Trump after January 20?

MILLER: Well, I think you're going to see clearly, if the President- Elect's campaign rhetoric is any indication, you're going to see a drilling down and a more intense concentration and waging war against the Islamic state. What that means in practical terms, frankly, on the ground in Iraq and Syria is not known.

In the Israeli-Palestinian arena, however, I fear that you have a perfect storm brewing which frankly is not going to lend itself to ameliorating this situation.

Number one, you have an incoming administration that has already made it unmistakably clear that in many respects it is going to be fundamentally in favor of many of the policies, certainly the punitive new ambassador, assuming he is confirmed, Mr. Friedman has already made it clear. He's taken positions that go well beyond those of the current Israeli government.

And if, in fact the administration decides to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem it could actually be a matter of very close proximity to where this attack took place today. That's going to further exacerbate the situation and make Jerusalem, not just its political but its religious dimension, a fundamental issue in violence and terror. So I think at the moment, the signs and indications of real seriousness of purpose in terms of trying to diffuse this situation between Israelis and Palestinians doesn't look very good with regard to the incoming administration.

CHURCH: David Miller, always good to get your perspective on these matters. Many thanks.

MILLER: Thank you.

CHURCH: The deadly incident set off a lot of condemnation but not in this Gaza refugee camp. Thousands of Hamas supporters marched through the street praising the attack and yelling out anti-Israel chants. The group tweeted that it is quote, "a normal response to the crimes of the Israeli occupation".

Now to another major story: We are watching very closely a week after North Korea said it was close to testing an inter-continental ballistic missile, the country is now threatening to launch the missile any time and anywhere.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Seoul, South Korea with more on this.

So Paula -- this has the international community very uneasy of course. How significant is the timing of the this given we are just days way from the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary -- nothing happens in North Korea by accident. Everything is very heavily choreographed, obviously the timing they would have looked at very closely. So a lot can be read into the timing of this.

Of course, it comes just a few days, a week or so, after that New Year's address by the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un where he said he's close to testing an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the United States. Just one day after the President-Elect Donald Trump responded by Twitter saying that it's not going to happen.

So now, we're seeing this increase in rhetoric, if you like, from the North Koreans saying it's effectively up to Kim Jong-Un when he is ready, he can launch an ICBM at any time from any location.

They also specified as well the country to blame for this arms development as far as Pyongyang is concerned is the U.S. They're saying in the statements that the hostile policy from the United States is the reason that North Korea feels obliged to carry out this kind of arms development. This is an argument they have been using for many years -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Paula -- some doubts has been cast on North Korea's capability to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile but now it appears Pyongyang is poised to do just that. What more do we know about its capabilities and the likelihood of success here?

[00:10:10] HANCOCKS: Well really, the only person who knows the exact capability of North Korea is Kim Jong-Un himself. It is very difficult for experts, for officials of governments and military intelligence officials outside of that country to know exactly what that capability is.

We have seen satellite launch, one just a little more than a year ago was the last one. And this is what North Korea says, that a peaceful satellite launch what experts say is a cover-up for this ICBM missile test. They have a satellite on the top of the rocket but you could very easily switch that for a nuclear warhead, for a conventional warhead and then it becomes an intercontinental ballistic missile.

What they don't have the technology for at this point, or at least what they haven't tested physically at this point is the reentry -- the reentry back into the atmosphere and towards its target. It's not known whether or not they have that capability.

But quite frankly, U.S. officials have consistently said that they have to take North Korea at its word. If North Korea claims that they are close to having this ability or have this ability they have to work under that assumption. It is simply too dangerous to assume it's not the case.

We've heard from U.S. Defense officials as well telling CNN that they have more intelligence officials poring over any information coming out of North Korea since the beginning of the year because they just want to make sure they don't miss anything on satellite images or any other kind of intelligence -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: It is certainly creating a lot of concern across the globe.

Paula Hancocks -- joining us there from Seoul in South Korea just after 2:00 in the afternoon; many thanks to you.

ISIS is claiming responsibility for two suicide bombings at busy markets in eastern Baghdad on Sunday. The first one happened when an attacker blew up his car in Sadr city. At least 11 people were killed, 25 wounded.

In the other attack, a man wearing an explosive vest blew himself up killing at least five people and wounding 12. ISIS says the bombings targeted Shiites.

Well, Iraqi counterterrorism forces have reached the east bank of the Tigris River in eastern Mosul. It's the first time troops have reached the river since the operation to retake the city from ISIS began in mid-October. Now troops have also retaken a key hospital in Mosul. Security forces killed more than 125 ISIS militants on Sunday.

Hundreds more residents fleeing Mosul as troops recapture neighborhoods. The U.N. says more than 125,000 people have been displaced and about 2,300 people are fleeing each day.

We are seeing new video showing the moment an attacker randomly shot people at an airport in Florida. We will show you that video and the latest in the investigation.

That's coming up next.

And confirmation hearings are scheduled this week for many of Donald Trump's cabinet nominees. Why Democrats are seeking a delay.

We're back with that and more in just a moment. Just stay with us.

[00:13:15] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: New video appears to show the moment of the Florida airport shooting. We are about to play it and we do want to warn you, it is very disturbing.

TMZ obtained this surveillance video. It shows the shooter in the blue shirt there walking in a baggage claim area. He reaches for his gun and opens fire.

Now, authorities say the suspect, Esteban Santiago told them he shot at the first people he saw. Five people were killed, six others were wounded.

Prosecutors say Santiago has confessed to planning the shooting, flying from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale. He's expected to be charged on Monday and could face the death penalty if found guilty of the federal charges.

Our Dan Simon has more now from Anchorage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: His troubles began after serving time in Iraq, relatives say. Esteban Santiago spent ten months in the war- torn country, earning a combat action badge. His brother says the changes in him were apparent.

BRYAN SANTIAGO, SUSPECT'S BROTHER (through translator): 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 that he's hearing voices? That the CIA is telling him to join certain groups?

SIMON: Santiago's brother referring to the 26-year-old's meeting with the FBI and a subsequent mental health evaluation. Santiago on his own walked into the FBI's Anchorage office last November seemingly to explain the demons in his head.

MARTIN RITZMAN, ALASKA FBI SPECIAL AGENT INCHARGE: Mr. Santiago walked into the FBI office to report his mind was being controlled by a U.S. intelligence agency. During the interview, Mr. Santiago appeared agitated, incoherent and made disjointed statements.

SIMON: Authorities say they didn't find his behavior threatening but there was ample reason to alert the local police who took him to a psychiatric hospital. In his meeting with the FBI, Santiago said he had a gun which was seized by the agents.

CHRISTOPHER TOLLEY, ANCHORAGE POLICE CHIEF: Santiago was having terroristic thoughts and believed 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.

SIMON: CNN has learned the evaluation lasted less than 72 hours; Santiago, a free man. And a month later, he got the gun back from police, the same gun law enforcement sources say he used to shoot 11 people at the Fort Lauderdale airport.

Santiago's troubled history also includes a domestic violence case involving his girlfriend at this home in Anchorage. In court documents obtained by CNN, Santiago was charged with assault and criminal mischief. He allegedly broke down the bathroom door in his girlfriend's home and the woman told police that Santiago yelled obscenities while strangling her and smacking her in the side of the head.

Santiago pled no contest but the charges were said to be dismissed if he stayed out of trouble.

[00:20:06] While a motive for the shooting remains unclear, Santiago's neighbors are left wondering why he chose Fort Lauderdale as his target.

PAMELA CARTER, SUSPECT'S NEIGHBOR: You know, we'd be out in an alley sometimes getting firewood, you know. He could have just shot everybody up just in the vicinity. He went down all the way down there to shoot someone.

SIMON: Despite the FBI's interaction with Santiago, he was not placed on a no-fly list.

RITZMAN: There have been concerns raised about why Mr. Santiago was not placed on a no-fly list. I want to be clear, during our initial investigation we found no ties to terrorism. He broke no laws when he came to our office making disjointed comments about mind control.

SIMON: So why would someone who is mentally-disturbed be able to get his gun back, the U.S. attorney in Alaska says there was no legal basis to prevent him from having it. A judge would have need to declare him quote, "mentally defective" to deny him his second amendment rights.

Dan Simon, CNN -- Anchorage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Fiat-Chrysler automobiles will spend $1 billion expanding its U.S. factories in Ohio and Michigan. The move will create 2,000 new jobs with the production of new Jeep Wagoneers, Grand Wagoneers and Jeep pick-up trucks.

Last week, Ford canceled plans to build a plant in Mexico and announced it would invest $700 million in Michigan instead. The company said the change is a vote of confidence in President-Elect Trump's pro business environment. Well, the next phase of the transition to Donald Trump's presidency begins this week with confirmation hearings for his cabinet nominees. Democrats are trying to delay the hearings until background checks are completed but Republicans are pushing ahead.

Ryan Nobles reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This will be a week filled with important people related to the Donald Trump transition answering some tough questions including the President-Elect himself.

Donald Trump will hold his first official press conference since winning the election on Wednesday. He's expected to outline how he will remove himself from his global business empire and any potential related conflicts of interest.

But it won't be just his business the President-Elect will get questions about. New concerns are being raised about his son-in-law, Jared Kushner who's expected to join his father-in-law in an as not yet revealed role in the White House.

The "New York Times" reporting this weekend that Kushner had a meeting with some prominent Chinese businessmen after the election to close an important investment in his company. Now Kushner's lawyers say he, too, will begin to divest from his business.

Now, also facing heat, Trump's cabinet nominees. Starting Tuesday, a group of his most prominent picks will appear before Senate committees for public hearings but some of them may have not filed the necessary paperwork with the independent Office of Government Ethics.

And that has Democrats concerned but Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell argue that it's all just part of the process.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: So all of these little procedural complaints are related to their frustration at 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. We need to have the President's 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.

NOBLES: That was McConnell on CBS. The first two hearings take place on Tuesday, Trump's pick for attorney general, Jeff Sessions and his pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, John Kelly. Trump's big press conference takes place Wednesday in New York City.

Ryan Nobles, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Meantime, Trump's top aide, Kellyanne Conway is brushing off questions about Russian hacking during the presidential election. She acknowledged there were hacks but told CNN's Jake Tapper they didn't affect the outcome of the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Has he bee persuaded that Russia did carry out a comprehensive cyber campaign against the Hillary Clinton and what is he prepared to do about it?

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: Jake if you read his entire statement that followed the briefing on Friday he makes very clear that Russia and China and others have attempted to attack different government institutions and businesses and individuals and organizations over a series of time. He specifically mentions the Democratic National Committee.

That's why we're having this conversation. I don't want any of your viewers to be misled into thinking that somehow the Kremlin and the Republican Party -- the Kremlin was dealing with any of the hackers and bringing that information back to Moscow and somehow anybody who allegedly attempted to influence our reelections actually did.

If you read the full report, they make very clear, Mr. Clapper in his testimony made very clear on Thursday under oath, that any attempt, any aspiration to influence our elections failed. They were not successful in doing that. And it's a very important point.

[00:25:05] We're talking about this because we had embarrassing leaks from the DNC e-mails. There were no fireworks in that report because there was no firewall at the DNC.

TAPPER: Well, what they said, what the intelligence community said is that there was no evidence Russia was able to penetrate any of the voting machines and affect the outcome that way but they made no conclusion whatsoever. They said they didn't have any evidence and it wasn't in their charge to determine whether or not the information that was hacked by Russia that was ultimately leaked to the public, whether or not that changed any votes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Kellyanne Conway talking there with our Jake Tapper.

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson is visiting the United States. The former London mayor will meet with Donald Trump's closest advisers and congressional leaders. They will focus on relations between the U.S. and United Kingdom and other foreign policy issues.

In her first interview of the year, British Prime Minister Theresa May says Brexit means finding the right relationship with Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We must not think about this as somehow we're coming out of membership but we want to keep bits of membership. What we would say is what is the relationship for the United Kingdom that is no longer a member of the European Union? People who simply talk about issues around membership of the single market, access in a single are looking at the means. I'm looking at the outcome. And the outcome is a really good ambitious trade deal for the U.K. with the European Union.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And she was also asked about an upcoming meeting with Donald Trump after he tweeted that he was looking forward to it. Mrs. May says she's already had two very positive conversations with the President-Elect.

And still to come here on CNN newsroom, the stars glittered Sunday night for the 2017 Golden Globe awards. A look at the night's big winners -- that's coming your way in just a moment.

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[00:30:28] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers all around the world. you are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

I want to bring you up-to-date on the main stories we have been following this hour.

A truck driver rammed his vehicle into a group of Israelis soldiers, Sunday, killing four of them in the deadliest attack in Jerusalem in months. He was shot and killed by Israeli police. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said all signs showed the assailant is a supporter of ISIS.

Four inmates were killed in Brazil, Sunday, in the third prison riot in a week. Nearly 100 people have died. Officials believed territorial disputes between rival gangs cause at least two of the riots. Brazil has the fourth largest inmate population in the world with many overcrowded prisons.

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has died at the age of 82. State media reports he suffered a heart attack. Rafsanjani served as president from 1989 to 1997 and continued to be a key moderate in Iranian politics.

Well, Rafsanjani was a pivotal figure in Iran's modern history.

CNN's Becky Anderson looks back at his life and career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING THROUGH FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The somber announcement, Former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani dead at the age of 82. Known for his political tenacity, Rafsanjani dominated the political landscape in Iran for more than three decades. He was a controversial figure to somebody inside and outside of the country. A close confidante of Ayatollah Khomeini, he shot to political prominence after the 1979 Islamic revolution. He was elected as the first speaker of the newly-established Iranian parliament in 1980, a position he held until 1989, a period coinciding the Iran-Iraq war.

Under Khomeini's direction, Rafsanjani also served as a defector commander-in-chief of the Iranian military throughout that eight year conflict. After the war, his two consecutive terms as president of the Islamic republic were dubbed by his supporters as the reconstruction period. Rafsanjani pursued liberal economic policies and tried to rebuild ties with Iran's neighbors.

After his presidency, Rafsanjani remained a powerful player in Iranian politics including serving as a close advisor of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who he supported in becoming the country's supreme leader.

Rafsanjani's political leanings have begun to diverge from Khamenei, a fact that would eventually sideline the old revolutionary. In 2005, Rafsanjani ran for president but lost to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an opponent he criticized through bombastic foreign policy language and populist ideology.

And after the disputed presidential elections in 2009, Rafsanjani sided with the protesters. While his decision helped his popularity amongst supporters of the green movement, it was politically costly, diminishing his influence behind the scenes.

But by 2013, Rafsanjani's moderate vision for Iran put him back in play as his close associate Hassan Rouhani was elected as Iran's seventh president. His death just months away from Iran's next presidential election will deal a major blow to moderates such as Rouhani who've lost both a leader and a mentor in Rafsanjani.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And you heard there the mission of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He praised his late predecessor on Twitter and I am quoting here, "The spirit of the giant of the revolution and politics, the symbol of patience and resilience has soared to the skies."

We'll take a very short break here.

But still to come, Hollywood's award season is in full swing as the Golden Globe Awards honored the best in film and television. A look at the night's biggest moments, that's next.

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[00:37:04] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, many of the biggest names in film and television turned out for Hollywood's biggest party Sunday night, the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards. The night kicked off with a star-studded musical number led by host Jimmy Fallon. In movies, the musical "La La Land" dominated the night winning seven awards. That is a new record for The Golden Globes. And on the TV side, "The People Versus O.J. Simpson," "American Crime Story" led the pack with five nominations winning best actress and best TV movie or limited series.

Entertainment journalist Kim Serafin joins me now Los Angeles with more on this. Good to have you here as always.

What a night. "La La Land" had the edge going into this and didn't disappoint along with other great winners and of course, "Moonlight."

What might this all signal for the upcoming Oscars do you think?

KIM SERAFIN, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: I think "La La Land." I mean, I think this gives it the edge. I think a lot of people thought this had an edge going into the Oscars. It also has that Hollywood aspect to it. The Oscars love that.

Award season loves when a film has that Hollywood praising itself kind of aspect like in "Argo," like in "The Artist." So "La La Land" certainly had that. Plus, it's a great film. It's an old school musical with modern twist. You have fantastic performances.

A movie that nobody thought could really get made these days and it did get made and it really swept the night. It not only won Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Actor for Ryan Gosling. It won Best Screen Play. It won Best Score. It won Best Original Song. It won Best Director. It really was sweeping the night and I think everyone thought this would really be the standout movie, so not a surprise there.

CHURCH: Yes. It certainly live up to expectations.

SERAFIN: Yes. And of course, some memorable speeches from the likes of Meryl Streep, Tracee Ellis Ross from "Black-ish" and Claire Foy from "The Crown" with some political jokes in there and some pretty big messages, too.

How was that were received?

SERAFIN: Yes, really nice. Tracee Ellis Ross is fantastic. And, of course, we go back to last year when everyone was talking about the whole Oscars so white issue. And here you have The Golden Globes really celebrating a lot of diversity and a lot on both the nominees and the winners loved that Tracee Ellis Ross got up there, dedicated her award to women of color, to women who really gave a very moving speech.

And then, I think the question that a lot of people was would there be political references during the golden globes? Would there be political jokes? Clearly, this was a year where there is a lot of politics. Clearly, Hollywood was not really happy with the outcome of the elections so people expected that there would be some political jokes and there were. Jimmy Fallon really even opened it up saying something about -- a joke about we're at the Golden Globes, where the popular vote matters. Then Meryl Streep came out and gave a very emotional speech talking about -- talking about Donald Trump, talking about how it really upset her when he mocked a disabled reporter. Then she went on to talk about the press.

Hugh Laurie, when he got up there and accepted his award talked about how the last year of the Golden Globes, because anything that has the word Hollywood, foreign and press in it probably isn't going to be around for much longer. So a lot of Hollywood stars got up there and really took on the whole political climate specifically Donald Trump.

CHURCH: Yes, certainly some powerful messages out there.

You mentioned Jimmy Fallon. Of course, as the host of The Golden Globes following in the footsteps of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Ricky Gervais, how did he go?

SERAFIN: I thought he did a great job. I don't think anyone expected him to be the kind of snarky, sarcastic Ricky Gervais. Jimmy Fallon is much more celebrity friendly, funny, positive. There was a lot of buzz leaning up to because he was going to have to do the big opening number. And of course he did this great big musical opening number, very reminiscent of what you saw in "La La Land" and I think people love his opening number. He was really funny. He kept the show going. He kept the show rolling. He didn't insult celebrities so there was none of that Ricky Gervais humor there, but I thought he did a fantastic job.

CHURCH: And just quickly, any surprises? And what's everyone going to be talking about in the next few hours.

I think what people will be talking about, obviously, "La La Land" certainly sweeping. But I think people are going to be talking about some of these political jokes and some of these political references that people were making.

Twitter is abuzz obviously with what Meryl Streep was talking about because she was very passionate and very strong and really made a lot of points that I think a lot of people in Hollywood agree with. And this is just the start of awards season. Golden Globes kicks off award season so expect a lot of this kind of political discussion as we continue into the Oscars.

CHURCH: We'll be watching closely. Kim Serafin, always a pleasure. Many thanks.

SERAFIN: Thanks so much.

CHURCH: Well, the technology and gadgets of the future were on display in Las Vegas over the weekend for the annual consumer electronic show. And one company showed us how driving could someday become a desk job.

CNN's Samuel Burke reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Sometimes 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. I think it's really signalling that self-driving cars can't do everything themselves at least for now and that's because Nissan just announced that they're working on a new service. So if a self-driving car gets into a situation that it just can't understand, it's very confused like it hits a roadblocks 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 with 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 are not saying when that series are going to come out, but that they are 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Some great ideas there, Samuel Burke.

Well, that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter @RosemaryCNN. I've got to hear from you. "World Sport" is next. Then I will be back at the top of the hour with more news from around the world. Do join me.

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