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Volcano Erupted on White Island, New Zealand; Impeachment Inquiry; Russian and Ukrainian Presidents to Meet in Paris; Hong Kong Protests; Donald Trump is Warning Kim Jong-Un He Could Lose Their "Special Relationship."; Washington is Anxiously Waiting on the Release of a Report from the Justice Department's Inspector General; a Solemn Transfer Ceremony for the Three Sailors who were Killed; Millions of People in the States are Under the Threat of Extreme Winter Weather; Caroll Spinney Died Sunday at the Age of 85; Rapper and Singer Juice World has Died. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 09, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. Let's get started.

A tourist outing turns deadly in New Zealand after a volcano erupts on White Island, a big week in Washington ahead of a possible vote on articles of impeachment, and a special relationship on the rocks. The U.S. president warns North Korea over its latest test launch.

And we begin with breaking news out of New Zealand. At least one person has died after a volcano erupted on White Island. Police are expecting more fatalities and say conditions are too dangerous for rescuers to access the island right now.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us live with more details. So Kristie, the search and rescue effort on White Island, it's on hold right now until it is safe enough to go onto the island. What are experts saying about when that might be?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is uncertain at this moment because this is an active volcano. It's been very active in the weeks leading up to today's event. And we are also waiting for a New Zealand Police conference to kick off any moment now to get any additional information.

We continue to monitor the devastation as well as the death toll in New Zealand after a volcano erupted in the northern part of the country on White Island. We know at least one person has died. More fatalities are expected. That's according to New Zealand Police. The person who died was one of 23 who were evacuated from the island, and police say around 50 people were on the island at the time of the eruption. We also heard earlier from the prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who says the focus right now needs to be on the search and the rescue. Details on the eruption itself started Monday, 2:30 p.m. local time. It took place about 50 kilometers from the east coast of the north island of New Zealand.

As you see in that social media video that has gone viral earlier this day, plumes of smoke seen rising from the volcano. They're even seen all the way on the mainland, the north island. An emergency operation was declared to try to find those who remained there. But as you mentioned, Rosemary, the New Zealand Police say that it is just too dangerous for police and for rescue crews to go on to the island right now because it's just covered in ash and volcanic material.

Now, some additional background about the White Island itself, it is New Zealand's most active cone volcano. It has also been called one of the world's most accessible, active volcanoes. The reason why is because there are regular ocean cruises that run near the island. There are even guided tours on the island itself.

Tourists visit White Island for extreme tourism to see its beautiful and strange sort of alien moonscape. It's in fact one of the most dramatic landscapes that can be visited in New Zealand. And again, this is an active volcano, a popular tourist destination that today has become a scene of terrible, terrible tragedy. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yeah, most definitely. Of course, as you and I are speaking, we are waiting for a news conference that should take place very soon. New Zealand Police will talk to the public, to gathered reporters to explain the situation right now. But when will we learn more, do you think, about the scale of this volcanic eruption and why tourists were allowed on this island given the volatility of this volcano?

LU STOUT: It was very interesting because at the last police conference, the government press conference that took place in New Zealand, we heard from an earth scientist who said it was not a particularly big eruption and called it a "throat-clearing eruption." This was an eruption that was not necessarily big.

We learned later that New Zealand Airline said that its flights were not affected at all. They said that it's not big because it wasn't powerful enough to disperse volcanic material beyond the island itself. But it's a very different situation on White Island and for the 50 people who are on the island at the time of the eruption.

Rosemary, I just got off a Skype chat with a volcanologist based in Sydney, and I asked her what would have been like for an individual on White Island at the time of the eruption, and what she shared with me was truly harrowing. She pointed out that on this island -- it has a water lake at its crater. The water is very acidic.

[03:04:59]

LU STOUT: She also pointed out that if the eruption happened underneath that water lake, it would have erupted with hot steam as well. We heard from the police that a number of the people who were evacuated from White Island were evacuated with burn injuries. Those burn injuries very likely could have come from either the acidic water of the lake there at White Island or from the hot steam that was emitted after that eruption event took place.

And then on top of that, there's something that volcanologists called ballistics where you have the force of the eruption just emitting rocks on the air, throwing ash, rocks, other debris into the air, that causing impact injury as well. A very, very destructive event for those who were at the island at the time of the eruption when it took place, New Zealand local time 2:30 p.m. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Kristie, as you mentioned, you know, a number of people were evacuated off that island. We understand the man who died was evacuated off the island. So, talk to us about how many people that they think remain on that island. Of course, it's a real worry as to what has happened to them given those people who were evacuated were injured in the course of that evacuation.

LU STOUT: Yes. Earlier in the day when we heard from Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, for the very first time, she had initially said that they feared that there were 100 people on the island who were there at the time of the eruption. One hundred people, mainly tourists who were unaccounted for. In the hours after that, we later learned from both the prime minister and the police force that the number is believed to be around 50.

Again, 23 people were rescued or rather evacuated from the island because one of those individuals was the first fatality. And we also have heard from police that they fear that there will be additional fatalities. So as we wait for this additional police presser, that is the information that we are bracing for right now about the death toll and whether or how it will rise in the wake of this catastrophic event. Back to you.

CHURCH: All right. Kristie Lu Stout bringing us the latest on this. As I mentioned, we are waiting for that news conference. As soon as it takes place, we will go to that to get more information on this volcanic eruption on White Island in New Zealand. Many thanks to you, Kristie.

It is a crucial day in Washington. In the coming hours, another public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump will get under way. This hearing is imperative as it will set the stage for the rest of the impeachment process. Democrats are expected to present evidence against Mr. Trump. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler says he's confident the case for impeachment is solid. CNN's Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill with a look at what to expect.

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LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITICS CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, House Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have been prepping all weekend for what is expected to be a high-profile hearing on Monday in the House Judiciary Committee. Essentially, this is going to be an opportunity that will look very similar to a trial. You're going to see lawyers laying out the evidence that they believe exists to impeach President Donald Trump.

And it's a big moment for the House Judiciary Committee because they could unveil articles of impeachment as soon as this week. They could even vote on them out of committee. That would set up a full House of Representatives vote on whether or not to impeach Donald Trump before the Christmas holiday.

That's a very quick time line when you think about the fact that the House Intelligence Committee's investigation took more than two months. But it's putting Democrats in what could be a difficult position as the caucus has to debate just how broad to make those articles of impeachment.

For one, they're trying to consider whether or not to include anything from the Mueller investigation in their articles. Some moderates believe that that would be too expansive. They want to keep it more narrow on that Ukraine issue.

For CNN, Lauren Fox, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, the White House says it will not be taking part in the house proceedings. Jeremy Diamond has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Today, the House Judiciary Committee is indeed convening to hear the evidence formally for the first time against President Trump in this impeachment inquiry. But neither the president nor any of his attorneys will be attending that hearing.

That is despite an invitation from the House Judiciary Committee Democrats for the president or his attorneys to attend and participate in that hearing, even giving them the ability to cross-examine witnesses. And that's also despite the criticism over these last several months of this impeachment inquiry from the president, from the White House, that they have not been able to participate in the process thus far.

Nonetheless, the White House making very clear in a letter on Friday from the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, to the House Judiciary Committee, that this White House will not be participating in any of these impeachment hearings carried out by the House Judiciary Committee.

[03:09:59]

DIAMOND: In that letter, Cipollone calls the impeachment inquiry completely baseless, and he also warns that impeaching Trump, introducing those articles of impeachment, something that this House Judiciary Committee may very well do this week, Cipollone calls that a reckless abuse of power if indeed House Democrats move forward as we expect them to. The messaging from the White House, though, in that letter and in tweets from the president, remarks from the president, is essentially "get on with it." This White House is saying, look, if House Democrats are going to impeach the president, which indeed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated last week is likely where this is headed, the White House really wants that process to be done with. That is because they are looking forward to the Senate, which is controlled by the Republicans --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN TIMS, NEW ZEALAND DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER: -- to unfortunately --

CHURCH (voice-over): An interruption here. We're going to New Zealand for police comments on the volcanic eruption on White Island. Let's listen in.

TIMS: A number of other people have been taken to Whakatane Hospital and no more hospital. A number of people have burns as a result of the eruption. It is still too early for police to confirm how many people are involved. We continue to work as quickly as we can through a number of channels of information to confirm exact numbers, including how many people are still on the island.

Both New Zealanders and overseas tourists are believed to be involved. We believe a number of these tourists have come from the "Ovation of the Seas" cruise ship. We cannot confirm the nationalities of these people involved. Due to the current risk, emergency services are unable to assist the island.

What I mean by that, we have taken advice from GeoNet and they have assisted us with making a risk assessment that the island is unstable. There are possibilities of further eruptions, but actually the physical environment is unsafe for us to return to the island. It is important that we consider the health and safety of those that are going to rescue those on the island.

So we will be taking that advice from experts going forward. There will be concerns out there by friends and family, and so we have set up a number for those to make contact with us. So people within New Zealand call us on the (INAUDIBLE), our police website. From overseas, there is a number that will be provided shortly to you all so you can communicate. That would be fantastic. Thank you.

And of course, the Red Cross has activated the Family Links website for people who want to register themselves as safe or to make an inquiry about a loved one. We ask friends and family to make contact with their loved ones. If they have no luck, then please make contact with Red Cross or with ourselves.

It is a no-fly zone at the island at the moment, and we will continue to update you on the events as they unfold. But, again, can I just say our thoughts are absolutely with the friends and family of those that are injured and those that have died. I would like to thank you all for being here tonight. So thank you for that. I'm happy to take a couple of questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE).

TIMS: We don't know that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): How were you able to confirm five people dead?

TIMS: There were five of those that were rescued from the island earlier in the day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): So they were already dead when the bodies were brought back?

TIMS: I can't confirm exactly that information. I can find out for you, though.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): What is the status of those remaining?

TIMS: Sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): What is the earliest estimation of when you (INAUDIBLE)?

TIMS: Like I said, we rely on experts to help us with that risk assessment. They're really clear that it is unsafe for our people or other emergency services to go to that island right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE).

TIMS: We're not sure. We're just going to keep reassessing. You know, we will rely on the experts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Just to be clear, there were 23 people on the island, and that included the five people who were dead or died?

TIMS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): And how many of those remaining 18 are injured?

TIMS: My understanding, they've all got some injuries to some degree.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): And are some of those believed to be burns?

TIMS: Yes.

[03:15:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE).

TIMS: Firstly, we're unsure exactly the numbers that are on there, and we're unsure of their well-being.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) at all?

TIMS: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Would it be fair to say there's at least double digits number of people remaining on the island?

TIMS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Can you be any more specific?

TIMS: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): How can you not be more specific? Truly these people have been there (INAUDIBLE)?

TIMS: No. We're absolutely working with a range of people to make sure that we identify the numbers, the names of who is on the island or visited the island. So we're just working through that. But it does take time. So we've got to make sure that we've got the right information in front of us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): What are the nationalities of the people who have died?

TIMS: There's a range of nationalities, and so I won't go any further than that at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): How can you be so sure that (INAUDIBLE) people died? Are there not well emergency services (INAUDIBLE)?

TIMS: Like I said, the experts that we've spoken to have said it is unsafe for us to go onto that island, and so I've got to also consider the safety of our people and emergency services staff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Are you trying to contact (INAUDIBLE)?

TIMS: I can't comment, sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) any way of contacting anyone on the island?

TIMS: I'm not sure. Sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Scott Morrison (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right. New Zealand Police confirming there that five people have died as a result of that volcanic eruption on White Island. They don't know how many people are left on that island, but they say it is too unsafe for them to resume search and rescue efforts on that island and suggest that family and friends contact the Red Cross.

Let's go back to our Kristie Lu Stout, who is covering this story. And that is not good news for family and friends. There just isn't anything that more that can be done at this point.

LU STOUT: It's a day of terrible tragedy for New Zealand. We just received some more information from New Zealand Police after that volcano erupted on White Island. As you mentioned, Rosemary, we now learned New Zealand Police confirming five people dead as a result of that eruption on White Island.

A number people of the 23 evacuated have burn injuries. Also, too early to confirm how many people were involved, including how many exactly were on the island. We've been reporting throughout the day based on government figures. Fifty were believed to be on the island, but that number is very fluid at this moment as we learned from that press conference.

We also learned that both New Zealanders as well as overseas tourists were believed to be involved in this very tragic event. Again, this eruption started earlier today, Monday, 2:30 p.m. local time. It took place about 50 kilometers from the east coast of the north island of New Zealand. Plumes of smoke were seen from the mainland. New Zealand Police saying it's too dangerous for police and rescue to go onto the island because it's covered in debris, ash, and volcanic material.

I spoke to a volcanologist about this, why is it too dangerous for them to go to the island and to carry out this rescue operation. She told me that they have to put a restriction on air traffic around it because of the chance of another explosive eruption. Because if there's another one, more ash, more particles would be moving up into the air. That would endanger helicopters, choppers, planes in the area.

Also, the island itself is 50 kilometers again from the coast of North Ireland, so getting there by boat would take a long time. She also told me that the only place to land is very close to the crater itself. Very dangerous situation, so that's why we keep hearing from the police why they cannot carry out this rescue operation at this moment. As we learned, five people confirmed dead as a result of this volcanic eruption in New Zealand. Back to you.

CHURCH: Right. And of course we heard from New Zealand Police as well that they do expect more eruptions there. Of course, people from all around the world were on that island. Presumably, they will be able to confirm fairly soon where those various people came from. Kristie Lu Stout bringing us the very latest. Appreciate it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart will be meeting in Paris. We will tell you what's at stake as they discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We're live in Paris. That's next.

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: In just a few hours from now, Russian President Vladimir Putin will sit down with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in their first face-to-face meeting. They will be discussing the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and then backed pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region. Ukrainians fear President Zelensky might accept peace on Mr. Putin's terms.

Matthew Chance joins us now live from Moscow with more on this. So, Matthew, what is at stake here, and will the Ukrainian president be able to stand up to his more experienced Russian counterpart?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's only going to be a challenge for Volodymyr Zelensky. I mean, he's a political novice. He was only elected president in May this year. Before that, he was a comedian who played the role of a president on Ukrainian television. He's going to be meeting for the first time face-to-face with Vladimir Putin, one of the toughest political operators in the world today.

And so, you know, there is a distinction mismatch in their experience. It's going to be interesting to watch how that played out. President Zelensky of Ukraine was elected in May on a platform of bringing to an end the conflict in eastern Ukraine against Russian-backed rebels in that region. He's trying to do that, trying to push it towards that as much as possible. But, of course, he faces a great deal of headwinds, at least the fact that he is up against that formidable opponents and Vladimir Putin.

[03:25:04]

CHANCE: But also, any concession that he makes along the path towards, you know, achieving some kind of peace in eastern Ukraine is met with widespread domestic opposition. I mean, when he -- in the past couple of weeks or months, there were hundreds of thousands of people on the streets of Kiev -- tens of thousands, at least, in protest at some perceived concession he'd made in terms of when elections should be held in that part of Ukraine.

So he's got a real uphill struggle to try and sort of urge this process towards peace. Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, again, he's a tough negotiator. He wants to maintain his influence in those rebel regions because ultimately, remember, the Russians and the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin want to make sure that they've got that influence in Ukraine to prevent the country from moving closer to western institutions like NATO and the European Union.

CHURCH: All right. Matthew Chance bringing us the very latest on that from Moscow. Many thanks.

Well, Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement has called for new strikes in a bid to keep pressure on the city's government. This comes after activists held a massive rally on Sunday to mark six months since the unrest began. Thousands of people marched, bringing parts of the city to a standstill. It was the first time in months police approved an event by the Civil Human Rights Front, one of the main protest groups. If you're watching internationally, thank you so much for being with us. "Going Green" is up next for you. And if you're joining us from here in the United States, stay tuned. We'll have more news for you just ahead.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States. You're watching "CNN Newsroom". I am Rosemary Church.

Let's bring you up to date on the headlines we've been following this hour. U.S. President, Donald Trump, is warning North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un, he could lose their, quote, "special relationship." This comes a day after North Korea claimed it successfully conducted an important test at a missile site. Mr. Trump also tweeted Kim Jong-Un is, quote, "too smart and has far too much to lose if he acts in a hostile way."

Washington is anxiously waiting on the release of a report from the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general. It will outline whether political bias influenced the FBI's decision to start the Russia investigation. The report is expected to be released in the coming hours.

Another critical impeachment hearing is now just hours away in Washington. It will be held by the House Judiciary Committee. And sources tell CNN it will showcase a pattern of behavior that shows President Donald Trump's impeachable conduct. The White House says it will not take part in the proceedings.

And you can stay with us for special coverage of the Trump impeachment hearings by the House Judiciary Committee. That starts at 1:00 p.m. in London, 9:00 p.m. in Hong Kong right here on CNN.

Well, the U.S. military has held a solemn transfer ceremony for the three sailors killed Friday in the Florida naval base shooting. Their remains were carried out of a military plane and received at Dover Air Force Base in the state of Delaware.

And we are learning new details about Friday's attack. Investigators say they are analyzing videos that captured the aftermath of the shooting. A law enforcement official says one Saudi national filmed the scene. But they believe the person was a bystander.

We're also learning that the shooter, a Saudi Air Force officer, bought his handgun legally before killing three U.S. Sailors. The White House national security adviser says it appears to be a terrorist attack.

And for more, CNN's Nic Robertson joins me now live now from Riyadh. Nic, how seriously is Saudi Arabia taking what appears to be a terrorist attack? And how much cooperation is it really going to give the U.S. as the FBI tries to determine if this was a lone wolf attack or if he was associated with a larger terrorist group, particularly with the country's links to the 9/11 attack?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. The FBI is still investigating precisely what triggered, what motivated the attack. And a line of inquiry is clearly a terrorism-related one, although they themselves have not definitively come down on that side. What we understand from the Saudis, as this came through again yesterday from the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, calling President Trump, and again, reaffirming absolute commitment, those are the words reported by the Saudi press agency, absolute commitment to support the United States in this investigation.

That doubles down on what the king had said to President Trump on Friday when they spoke by phone. We don't know precisely what that means in the context here in Saudi Arabia, but we know that the FBI has officials based here in Saudi Arabia. The king has instructed his security services to support the U.S. investigators.

We do understand that one of the things that they will likely be focusing on is the time that Mohammed al-Shamrani, the shooter, spent back in Saudi Arabia. He had been on this course in the United States for over two years. But he did, of course, like many other students come backwards and forwards to home.

So they will be -- it is expected to be talking to his family to try to figure out, you know, what they might have noticed about him and who he was associating with and what he was doing on those trips home, Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Nic Robertson bringing us the very latest on that. Many thanks.

Mark Hertling is a CNN Military Analyst. He's also a former Army commanding general, and he joins me now. Thank you so much, General, for talking with us.

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It's a pleasure, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So I did want to get your initial reading of what happened here in Pensacola.

[03:34:52]

HERTLING: This is just a disastrous event from the standpoint of what it does to a unit, the Pennsylvania -- I am sorry, the Pensacola Naval Air Station, what it might do to an alliance, the partnership between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, and what it does in terms of trust between individuals that are training at U.S. facilities. And truthfully, there are dozens of nations that train with the U.S. military.

And literally on a daily basis, there can be anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers, sailors, or airmen that are training with U.S. forces on U.S. installations. But anytime something like this happens, it certainly creates just a disconnect in terms of trust between those partners or allies that train with us and the U.S. forces that are training with them. CHURCH: Yeah. And that's a potential problem here, isn't it? Talk to

us about whether Saudi Arabia has been doing enough as far as looking to what caused this and why this particular young man went on this shooting spree and what happened here.

HERTLING: Yeah. Well, all indicators are that something happened. The shooter had been in the training facility for two years. He was going on his last year. I take it he was going to graduate from the class next August. So it's a three-year program in terms of how they train pilots. So he had been there two years. And by all accounts, he was pretty good for the first couple of years.

And then a couple of things happened. He went home, and some of his buddies seemed to indicate that when he came back from a vacation back in Saudi Arabia, he was different.

Now, I am sure the FBI is investigating that from the perspective of what might have occurred when he went home on leave, on vacation. He was also, during the Thanksgiving holidays, in New York. The question is did anything happen there. And that's also part of the FBI investigation.

But you can bet that both the FBI here in the United States and those who are liaising in the embassy in Riyadh are doing everything they possibly can to get the details.

Now, the question becomes how much is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia going to contribute to that investigation. All indicators are they're saying they are going to provide open access to all information. But sometimes that's a little bit tougher when you're on the countryside than what you hear through the public affairs people.

CHURCH: Yeah, because one of -- one of the points that the FBI is trying to resolve at this point is whether this is the action of one man or perhaps a wider group. And they don't know the answer to that at this point. But that is critical, isn't it?

HERTLING: It is critical. And I think earlier today the FBI agent in charge said they were going under the presumption that this could possibly be a terrorist attack. And the reason they're doing that is so they can get more resources involved in the forensics and the investigation.

Now, part of that determination on whether or not it was indeed a terrorist attack would be, first of all, was there any connection to other people, and secondly, what were the motivations for the shooting.

And right now, you know if they have any indicators of that, they're not publicizing it yet. But I am sure the investigation is really scraping every possible fact they can find to determine if this was a terrorist attack or just an act of murder as some people say.

CHURCH: And three incredible young men lost their lives in the course of this shooting. They put their lives on the line in actual fact. Talk to us about those three. HERTLING: Yeah. I would like to say their names actually, Rosemary.

You know, you had first of all Ensign Kaleb Watson, a recent graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. This is a young man who was trying to decide what kind of officer he was going to be, was he going to be a Marine or a Navy SEAL or pilot? And he finally determined that he wanted to be a pilot.

That's a tough call when you're a senior at the naval academy to determine where you're going to go. And from all accounts, this young man was quite the hero. And in fact, reports from the scene said that he was shot five times as he attempted to wrestle the gun away from the shooter before he crawled outside the building and told the security folks what was going on inside.

Then you had Airman Mohammed Haitham, who is from St. Petersburg, Florida, right down the road from Pensacola, would have turned 20 -- 20 years old a week from tomorrow. That's how young this young man was. His whole life in front of him, and from all indicators, he was just a superstar.

And then finally, you had Airman Cam Walters from Georgia, just out of boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, 19 years old, I believe, and just had his entire life in front of him. And of course, all three of them have left families and loved ones in a great deal of despair tonight.

[03:40:00]

But these are the kind of young people that are in the military, selfless servants, ready to serve their country. And it's just tragic that something like this would occur. But I think we ought to all remember their names as we go into the Christmas season and beyond.

CHURCH: Yeah, certainly agree with you. It is a heart-breaking story for those three young men and their families. And, you know, basically we have to look and see what can be done to stop anything like this ever happening again.

Mark Hertling, thank you so much for joining us.

HERTLING: Thank you, Rosemary. Have a good evening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Washington is anxiously waiting for the release of a report from the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general. It will weigh in on a number of conspiracy theories, including whether political bias influenced the FBI's decision to start the Russia investigation.

CNN's Marshall Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: The highly anticipated report from the Justice Department inspector general comes out today. And we're expecting that it will debunk some major claims and conspiracy theories that President Trump has been peddling for years.

First, we're told that the IG will conclude that the Russia investigation was properly launched in 2016, and that senior FBI officials were not acting out of bias against candidate Trump.

Now, those finding undercut Trump's claim that the investigation was an illegitimate hoax designed to take him down. Also, the report is expected to say that the FBI did not implant spies in the Trump campaign. But we are expecting a mixed verdict of sorts when it comes to the court-approved surveillance of Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser.

The report will say that the FBI had good reason to ask for those wiretaps. But there were serious problems and mistakes with how the warrants were prepared.

[03:44:57]

CNN previously reported that one FBI lawyer was caught altering a document. And that is now part of a criminal investigation, which is being led by U.S. Attorney John Durham.

Long story short, the report will give us some much needed answers and debunk some conspiracies. But the fight will continue. CNN already reported that attorney general has told allies that this report won't be the final word.

Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN honors 10 ordinary people doing extraordinary things to change the world. Still to come, we will tell you who was named the biggest hero of them all, back in a moment with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, about 5 million people in the United States are under the threat of extreme winter weather, and several northern states are expected to get at least 5 inches or 12 centimeters of snow in the days ahead.

So let's turn to our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, to get more on all of this. And it's a pretty grim outlook for many, isn't it?

[03:49:55]

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. And, you know, when you think about it, Rosemary, we still have about two weeks left officially before autumn comes to an end and winter gets underway. And we have the coldest air of the season upon us over the next several days. And wait till you see how cold we're talking here for portions of the Midwestern United States.

And we know moisture principle (ph) not only across portions of the Great Lakes in the next couple of days but also across portions of the Tennessee Valley and the Gulf Coast as well. And it's a quick moving system at least, but it does come through as early as Tuesday.

It pushes through Wednesday. You'll notice cold enough air to support wintry weather into northern Texas. Dallas wouldn't be surprised if we get a wintry mix out of this as early as Wednesday -- Tuesday morning. But even Nashville gets in on some snow mixing in with rainfall as well.

The front quickly skirts on toward the northeast. But what is most impressive about all of this is the amount of cold air that's in place. I mean, take a look at this. Yes, moisture is going to be plentiful in the south and limited farther towards the north, but cold air that's in place could be as much as 25 degrees below average for this time of year.

And in parts of the country, in fact, it could be colder than what you expect in the heart of winter for an overnight temperature. Look at the high in Minneapolis, Rosemary, 5 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 25 below average. It is colder than portions of Alaska. And, of course, it's not even winter yet in North America. Rosie?

CHURCH: Yeah. It's a worry, isn't it? Many thanks to you, Pedram, appreciate it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: The 2019 CNN Hero of the year is --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freweini Mebrahtu.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A woman who dedicated her life to keeping Ethiopian girls in school has been named the 2019 CNN Hero of the Year. Freweini Mebrahtu was recognized for designing a reusable menstrual pad so girls and young women wouldn't miss or even drop out of school. She was also commended for trying to end the cultural stigma around the issue. Here's what she said when she accepted her award.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREWEINI MEBRAHTU, 2019 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: This is for all the girls and women everywhere, dignity for all, dignity for all girls, finally period skips (ph) in this moment. I so much appreciate it. This moment is not just for me. This moment is for every girl. We have not spoken this thing. We say period for a long, long time everywhere in this world. And I truly, truly appreciate for CNN being the voice for all of us to be heard loud and clear, dignity for all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: She and her team have produced 700,000 reusable pads a year in Ethiopia. Nearly 800,000 girls and women have benefited from her work. We salute her.

Well, Caroll Spinney, the legendary puppeteer behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street, died Sunday at the age of 85. CNN's Richard Roth takes a look back at his extraordinary life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People never recognized Caroll Spinney --

CAROLL SPINNEY, LEGENDARY PUPPETEER OF SESAME STREET: Kelly knows me.

ROTH: -- but they will never forget his legendary TV characters seen around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Caroll Spinney is Big Bird on the educational and entertaining children's television show, Sesame Street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Big Bird.

BIG BIRD, CHARACTER ON SESAME STREET: Hi, Gordon.

ROTH: He was also Oscar the Grouch.

SPINNEY: I loved playing Oscar. He has a power I never had.

OSCAR THE GROUCH, CHARACTER ON SESAME STREET: Oh, I love trash.

SPINNEY: He's totally different than Big Bird.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is it that makes you so grouchy, Oscar?

OSCAR THE GROUCH: People, sunny days.

ROTH: Spinney says he grew up with an abusive father but a mother who encouraged his puppetry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did you get that job?

SPINNEY: Jim Henson saw me performing at a puppet festival.

ROTH: In a retirement video produced by the Sesame Workshop, he told us how he got to Sesame Street.

SPINNEY: He said I am going to build a large bird. I was wondering if you might be interested in playing it. To me, it's very much like some fellow came up to me and I was a drummer and said we're going to have a band from Liverpool. Would you like to be a drummer then?

BIG BIRD: Hi, Bailey? Bailey? Where's Zoe (ph)?

SPINNEY: He was a bit of country bump kin to begin with. Then a few shows along, I said I think he should be a child learning along with the children. The producers were all with me.

BIG BIRD: Eight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine.

BIG BIRD: What's next?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten.

BIG BIRD: Oh, of course.

ROTH: Spinney appeared in thousands of Sesame Street episodes across nearly 50 years, hanging up his feathers in 2018.

SPINNEY: I started with puppets when I was eight, and I kind of for years felt that I should be hidden.

BIG BIRD: My name is bird, Big Bird.

ROTH: He needed to stay hidden to make Big Bird eight feet tall.

SPINNEY: I hold my arm over my head for quite a while. I could paint ceilings for hours and not tire.

[03:55:05]

ROTH: First ladies of the United States loved the Big Bird. But one presidential candidate was less enthused.

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I am going to stop subsidy to PBS. I like PBS. I love Big Bird.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Somebody is finally cracking down on Big Bird.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did you find out your name had been mentioned in the debate?

BIG BIRD: I got a million tweets. I love to move to the music. I love to tap out a beat.

ROTH: It wasn't all song and games. Sesame Street confronted troubling social issues such as bullying.

BIG BIRD: That's too bad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So long, big foot.

BIG BIRD: That's Big Bird. It wasn't very nice. It made me feel bad. I just wanted to be part of the club.

ROTH: Spinney could be lonely inside Big Bird, but he guided millions of youngsters through childhood.

SPINNEY: It's probably a little bit better a place than if Big Bird hadn't been there and had his suffering and his joy. And I think that that's what I'd like to leave as my legacy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A great man there. Well, the rapper and singer known as Juice Wrld has died. Police say 21-year-old Jarad Anthony Higgins suffered a medical emergency at Chicago's Midway Airport and later died at a hospital. No cause of death has been determined, but police say there is no sign of foul play. Higgins was known for his hit Lucid Dreams and was named a top new artist at the Billboard Music Awards. Fans and fellow musicians are expressing shock over his death.

And we thank you for your company this hour. I am Rosemary Church. "Early Start" is coming up next. Have a great day.

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