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A Tragic Day For Worshippers Across The Country Regardless Of Religion; U.S. Forces Conducting Airstrikes In Iraq And Syria; One Republican Is Defending Senator Mitch McConnell For Working Directly With President Trump. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired December 29, 2019 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:00]
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN HOST: The other victims are believed to be members of a family from Switzerland. Right now, the cause of that crash still unknown. However, the FAA and NTSB are investigating.
And we a bunch more just ahead of the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
SAVIDGE: Hello there. Thanks for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge, in for Fredricka Whitfield. And we're beginning with Breaking News in what's being called a tragic day for worshippers across the country regardless of religion.
First in New York, a crowded Hanukkah celebration turns into a violent stabbing spree after five people were wounded inside a rabbi's house, to now a church shooting near Fort Worth, Texas. One person is dead and another is in critical condition. We're told that the suspected shooter also died while on the way to the hospital.
Moments ago, the Texas Governor Greg Abbott responded to the shooting and a statement saying, quote, "Our hearts go out to the victims and the families of those killed in the evil act of violence that occurred at the West Freeway Church of Christ. Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life."
Let's go straight to CNN Correspondent, Paul Vercammen, who is following the story for us, and Paul, what else can you tell us?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just got done talking to the people at Medstar. This is the ambulance company that transported all three victims. As they tell the story, all three of these victims were in critical condition.
As you pointed out, two dead they believe one of those dead to be the shooter. At one point they had said three dead and then it sounds like as they characterize it, a miracle. They said that the pulse had stopped of this third victim. They were able to administer CPR on the way to the hospital. When I asked did this person flat line? Cardiac arrest? They said
yes. And they went into all procedures possible including attacking this with medicine without opening up the airways, and they said this third person suddenly had a pulse again, they believe all three victims were males, and they characterize it again as just something rare and uncommon when you have somebody who is presumed dead and they bring them back to life.
They do not have an update right now on that third person, but confirming now two dead. They also told us that inside the church, there were two minor injuries of people who were not shot, but they were ducking during that mayhem when the shooter entered. They said that those two people were treated at the scene and released and what a horrifying scene it must have been, Martin.
One witness telling our affiliate in the Dallas area, it was the most scary thing. You felt like your life was flashing before you. I was so worried about my little one. Hectic moments there, obviously. This is so early in the investigation that there is no motive. They do not know what type of weapon was used but to recap this, Martin, two dead, all being transported to the hospital and they almost lost the third patient.
But as they characterized it, a minor miracle that person brought back to life -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: All right, Paul Vercammen, we will continue to stay in touch with you for the updates, but again, you've got two people who are dead, one of them is the shooter. You have two victims here and of course you have one suspect who is now deceased, according to authorities.
Now to the breaking news on that attack on the members during a Jewish holiday celebration. A 38-year-old New York man has made his first court appearance and is now being held on $5 million bonds.
Grafton Thomas charged with five counts of attempted murder after a mass stabbing at a Hanukkah party last night outside of New York City.
Witnesses say the suspect walked into the home of an orthodox Rabbi in a town north of the city, pulled out a long knife and stabbed five people.
The house was filled with more than one hundred worshippers who had gathered to light the Hanukkah candle. CNN has obtained these exclusive images of the aftermath. But I'm going to tell you right now, they are graphic so I warn you.
All of the victims are Hasidic Jews, two are in critical condition. A witness describes the moment that suspect arrived at the home and began the bloody rampage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARON KOHN, WITNESS: I saw him walking by the door, I asked who was coming in the middle of the night with an umbrella, while I was saying that, he pulled it out from the thing, and he started to run into the big room which was on the left side.
And I had thrown tables and chairs that he should get out of here. And he injured a guy, he was a (INAUDIBLE) guy. He was bleeding here and bleeding in his hands all over.
I ran into to the other room because I am trying to save my life. I saw him running down this way. So I ran out. And two ladies came along with me, they are still hysterical. What time is it now? I don't even know the time now and they are still hysterical right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:05:13]
SAVIDGE: CNN's Alison Kosik is live for us at the scene of the attack. And Alison, what more are we learning?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're learning, Martin that that 38-year-old alleged attacker was able to actually walk through the front door of the Rabbi's house because the front door was unlocked.
It's not uncommon for Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg to leave the door unlocked during such a big celebration, like what was happening last night. More than a hundred people inside the house celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah.
So when 38-year-old Grafton Thomas walked in, the Rabbi was actually in the middle of lighting the Menorah. That is when Grafton Thomas went ahead and began his stabbing spree, stabbing five people including the Rabbi's son. All of the victims are recovering at the hospital.
One of the guests, Josef Gluck is being called a hero because he threw a coffee table at the alleged attacker and actually wrote down his license plate. That's a good thing because his license plate was spotted as Thomas was crossing the George Washington Bridge into New York City about an hour and a half away from where we are here.
Authorities caught up with him in Harlem, where they arrested him and found him covered in blood, smelling like bleach, something prosecutors believe was an attempt for Thomas to cover up an alleged crime.
This is a tight Hasidic orthodox community. You know, there are 90,000 people in Rockland County and a third of them are Jewish. One orthodox leader of the community that I talked with though, giving me this message saying, this is a time we're living in that if you're Jewish, you have to look over your shoulder now -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Alison Kosi there on the scene for us. Thank you. Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addressing the stabbings at a news conference this morning. The Governor calling -- or calling the incident, rather, domestic
terrorism, while promising legislative action to combat such hateful acts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY) It is an American cancer that is spreading in the body politic. And American cancer turns one cell in the body against the other. Once we become intolerant of differences, then we are intolerant with America because America is all about differences. This is terrorism. It is domestic terrorism.
These are people who intend to create mass harm, mass violence, generate fear, based on race, color, creed -- that is the definition of terrorism.
And just because they don't come from another country, it doesn't mean that they're not terrorists, and they should be prosecuted as domestic terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: With me now as Alexander Rosemberg, he is the Director of Community Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey. And Alex, thank you for speaking with us now.
You heard the Governor there call --
ALEXANDER ROSEMBERG, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Thank you for bringing light to this issue.
SAVIDGE: You're most welcome. It's our job. You heard the Governor call this domestic terrorism and vowing action. From your perspective, what kind of action do you want to see in response to this attack against the Jewish community?
ROSEMBERG: I think it needs to be a concerted action. It needs to be leaders from all walks of life from the highest levels of public office to the lowest levels of citizenry and community leadership and grassroots levels.
I think everybody needs to band together to show this is unacceptable that this violence will not be tolerated by our society, and that things will be done and measures will be taken to stop this from escalating even further than it already has.
We've seen already four attacks on the Jewish people in the Jewish community in less than 18 months. If you start with Pittsburgh, you move on to Poway, you move on to Jersey City just 20 days ago or less than 20 days ago, and then last night here at the House of the Rabbi right behind me.
SAVIDGE: We're going to get into those numbers and what can be done, but I want to focus -- you're on the scene, you're there. And obviously you've been talking to people, not just -- we know of the five that were injured in this attack, but there were, I guess, close to a hundred people in that home, and every one of them has been harmed by this attack. And I'm wondering how are they doing?
ROSEMBERG: So I was just part of a remarkable event, the community showing its resiliency in the face of hate, just dedicated a Torah scroll, a new Torah scroll for their synagogue. They came over to the house where the victims were lighting their Menorah singing and dancing and demonstrating to the world that they will remain with their faith and they would keep it going, even in the face of such hate.
[15:10:15]
ROSEMBERG: And I think that's a tremendous message, even in the face of fear as we've been hearing that some people are looking over their shoulder.
SAVIDGE: The President has now reacted to this attack. He sent this tweet in the past hour and I'll quote, "The anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York on the seventh night of Hanukkah last night is horrific. We must all come together to fight, confront and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery," unquote.
Alex, do you believe the President has the responsibility to be more proactive on this issue.
ROSEMBERG: I think all leaders have the responsibility to be incredibly proactive and stop the hate where they see it and check it. We all need to do it. We all need to become allies to victims. We all need to see if you see something while you're walking down the street, you see somebody yelling a slur at somebody else, you need to become an ally to that person.
So yes, from the highest levels of public office to the lowest levels of citizenry, it needs to happen. We all need to put a stop to it. And we all need to have better coordinated efforts to make it happen.
SAVIDGE: Your organization of course, the Anti-Defamation League was formed to stop anti-Semitism and hate, and it's been battling this for over a hundred years. And, I know you've been tracking these extremists and these hate crimes, and that you've seen an increase in anti-Semitism.
And I'm wondering, I've asked this of other guests, what explains the rise when we have fought so hard to try to knock this down?
ROSEMBERG: So I think that one needs to look at each event, individually, of course, and each series of events needs to be analyzed and the culprits of course and the perpetrators need to be interviewed for what their motivation was.
But I think that there is rhetoric on both sides of the aisle that is very unfortunate that has inflamed differences in our society. And I think there is also an issue to be told of gentrification things that we're seeing about sharing neighborhoods and living together. And I think that that's where we need to all tend bridges with each other and start understanding our differences and not only understanding those differences, but accepting them, not just tolerating them.
SAVIDGE: I believe, sir, we have some video of that -- what you were just describing about the young people that came by the home, and we're just going to show this here and perhaps listen, and maybe you could, again, describe for us just what this was.
ROSEMBERG: So, whenever a new Torah scroll is dedicated into a synagogue, it is brought in with a celebration. This was a planned event from before the unfortunate incident of last night happened.
Nonetheless, the community, I think, might have made an extra stop on the route to come to the house of the event and show the family that resilience that I was talking about before.
That in the face of someone trying to stop them from celebrating their faith, in the act of actually lighting the Hanukkah candles, they're going to be doubling down on that and celebrating and singing and demonstrating that they will keep it going as they have for a millennia.
SAVIDGE: Right. It is a powerful response. Alexander Rosemberg, we thank you very much.
ROSEMBERG: Thank you.
SAVIDGE: We're also following breaking news from the Pentagon this afternoon. U.S. forces conducting airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, but why? The reason for the mission and what's at stake, that's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:16:00]
SAVIDGE: Pentagon officials say U.S. forces conducted strikes in Iraq and Syria against five facilities that were tied to an Iranian-backed militia.
The facilities were blamed for a series of attacks on joint U.S.-Iraqi military facilities housing American forces. Iraq's military says four members of the Iranian-backed militia were killed in those strikes.
CNN National Security Analyst, Sam Vinograd joins us now from New York and CNN reporter Ryan Browne joins us from Washington, D.C. Good to see you both. Thank you.
Sam, I'll start with you. The strikes are the -- as far as I know, the first significant military response in retaliation for these attacks, which have targeted American personnel on the ground.
SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, that's correct. But these strikes did not come without warning. Secretary of State Pompeo warned earlier this month that the United States would take decisive action to hold militias accountable for their strikes against coalition forces.
We do have to consider the strikes from a force protection standpoint, a counterterrorism standpoint and a countering Iran standpoint. U.S. troops on the ground, as well as civilians that work with them have been the targets of terrorist groups since we invaded Iraq.
While we are fighting terrorism, we are the targets of terrorist groups. I saw this firsthand when I was on the ground in Iraq in 2007. So these strikes are important to try to diminish the capabilities of these militias, of these terrorist groups to continue strikes against coalition assets.
From a broader counterterrorism standpoint, these strikes indicate that the United States government, the military has both the intent, the will and the capability to strike targets, not just in Iraq, but also in Syria.
We withdrew a lot of forces from Syria, but we still have the will and the capability to strike targets there, and finally, this also shows that we remain committed to countering Iran. Iran is backing these militias in Iraq, as well as in Syria and the administration has obviously made countering Iran really a bulwark of its foreign policy and these strikes are indicative of that.
SAVIDGE: Ryan, what I found interesting was that officials say the Pentagon had a plan for this and brought it to the President, Saturday for his approval. What do we know about that?
RYAN BROWNE, CNN PENTAGON REPORTER: Well, we know that he was briefed at a very high level, we're being told by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper who briefed the plan of action to the President who approved it.
But again, you know, this kind of underscores the seriousness of this, the potential for escalation, of course. You have these militia groups in Iraq and Syria with links to Iran. They had been conducting a series of rocket attacks on bases where U.S. personnel are present. Recently, an American contractor working for the Department of Defense was killed in one of those attacks.
So there had been a bit of an escalation and this seems to be a response to that. But again, there's a lot of potential fallout from this. Of course, Iraq, the U.S. military forces are there in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government. Iraq has relations with Iran, it has relations with these groups, which actually technically fall under the command of the Iraqi Prime Minister.
So what happens next to the U.S.-Iraqi relationship? That's going to be a question. So one of the reasons that this action would require such high level approval from the President himself is that did the potential consequences fall out from it?
And we're being told that Secretary of Defence Esper, Secretary of State Pompeo, and the Chairman of Joint Chiefs, John Mark Milley will be briefing the President at some point today at Mar-a-Lago.
SAVIDGE: Then Sam, how do we think that Iran may respond to all of this?
VINOGRAD: Well, Iran likes to say that we should not meddle -- the United States should not meddle in other countries' affairs, as I mentioned earlier, Iran is on the ground in Syria and in Iraq, fomenting unrest in a lot of ways.
You know, Iraq is dealing with really horrific, really difficult protest right now in which Iran is involved, and Iran is likely going to say that the United States acted illegally by taking these strikes and really deny any culpability in fomenting this unrest in Iraq in backing Assad in Syria and it's going to continue its policy of having a double standard about non-interference in other countries' affairs.
The other question of course, is how Assad responds. There were strikes conducted in Syria. So as Ryan just mentioned, the risk here is of escalation, unless there is some role with the Iraqi government perhaps mediating in some way and trying to calm tensions on both sides.
[15:20:16]
SAVIDGE: Sam Vinograd and Ryan Browne. We will wait to see what comes next. Thank you both.
As the impeachment impasse continues on Capitol Hill, one Republican is defending Senator Mitch McConnell for working directly with President Trump. Senator John Kennedy weighs in on the Senate trial, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: As the President spends the Holidays at Mar-a-Lago at his resort there, he is growing increasingly agitated over the uncertainty surrounding his Senate impeachment trial.
This as he faces two major decisions. First, who should serve on his defense team? And second, what strategy should that team put forward?
CNN Political Commentators, Alice Stewart and Luis Gutierrez join me now. He is a former Illinois Congressman. She is the former Communications Director for Senator Ted Cruz. Thank you both for being here.
Congressman, I'm going to start with you. The President has spent a lot of his vacation firing off tweets aimed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and I'm wondering what does that signal to you about his mindset? Clearly, he's not happy.
LUIS GUTIERREZ, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Clearly, the President is very upset that people are following the Constitution of the United States and want to preserve the democracy, which is the United States of America.
The Congress of the United States, really, after all of the revelations, given the testimony brought forward before the Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee, really had no choice but to impeach the President of the United States.
[15:25:11]
GUTIERREZ: And look, there's going to be a trial. The President is very unhappy. This President of the United States, unlike anyone -- I'm 66 years old -- that I've seen in my 66 years here. I've never seen an Imperial President like this one.
He does not believe in the Constitution of the United States. He does not believe in the rule of law. He believes that he should be able to do anything he wants, and the fact that Nancy Pelosi, a woman, right, would challenge him in this way, I don't believe he ever thought that Nancy Pelosi would allow the impeachment process to move forward in the House of Representatives.
She did and I think she did it in a very, very good way and in a way that is preserving our democracy.
SAVIDGE: Alice, let me bring you into this conversation. Senator McConnell is, of course, you know, a key player in setting up how this whole trial and the rules and everything that's going to be involved with it.
I want you to hear, because this is Republican Senator John Kennedy's take on where McConnell has been saying that he is coordinating with the White House and whether that's appropriate. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): It's not a criminal trial. The Senate is not really a jury, it is both jury and judge. The Chief Justice is not the judge, he is the presiding officer.
There are no standards of proof. There are no rules of evidence. And every senator, unless we pass a new rule by 51 votes in the Senate is entitled to approach it his own way.
I think many positions by many senators are calcified. I can only speak for me.
I'm going to keep an open mind. I want to be fair to both sides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: We should also mention that Senator Murkowski of Alaska has said that she is disturbed by McConnell's kind of total commitment here to the White House. Should there be some concern on the part of Republicans? It's not a major divide, but there is some division.
ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't see any problem with that. Certainly, as Senator Kennedy said this morning, Murkowski has her opinion on how she would like this to go forward. Schumer has his opinion, Pelosi has hers, everyone has their own opinion.
But Mitch McConnell has the authority. He is the ultimate decision maker into how this goes forward, and if it involves coordinating to some degree with the White House and the White House counsel, he certainly has the authority to do so.
But I think we can all recognize the fact, there is unanimity and there is consensus amongst Republicans as to how they expect this to go. They have been quite firm in their thought that there is no there, there. There's no underlying crime and it is important to go through the process and as Senator Kennedy said, let's be open to what the information is as they are presented.
But we can all pretty much guarantee that this is going to result in an acquittal over in the Senate, and we'll move forward to the issues that the American people are really concerned with, obviously, economy, healthcare and other issues.
SAVIDGE: You would not be in favor of witnesses being called.
STEWART: I think, look, the more information we can get out there, I think it's important. But if we're going to put forth witnesses in the Senate trial, if you want to put together, Mick Mulvaney and others, then let's also hear from Joe Biden. Let's hear from Hunter Biden.
It goes both ways, if you're going to call up Republican people to come up and testify, the same would go for Democrats. So I'm all for either both sides putting forth all witnesses or let's not have any at all.
And the reality is Nancy Pelosi was presiding over the proceedings in the House, now, it's Mitch McConnell's turn to do the same in the Senate.
SAVIDGE: And Luis, speaking of the House, you know, as far as the way the President handled things there, it was to basically not allow the witnesses testifying. Do you think that would change in the Senate?
GUTIERREZ: No, I don't think it's going to change in the Senate. They never want it. They complain. The President says, oh, well, why aren't we going to have witnesses in the Senate? They should have called them in the House.
They wanted them, Mr. President, you knew it. You explicitly made it clear and your Attorney General certainly helped you to not provide any witnesses. That is one of the charges against the President, or at least we forget, obstruction of justice.
The fact that the President of the United States obstructed this process and abused his power.
I want to keep this really simple, because I think Senator Kennedy is speaking out at both sides of his mouth. He says on the one hand, and you can, for those who take this, he says, I'm keeping an open mind, but I already made up my mind because this is calcified.
Well, which one is it? You should support the Constitution of the United States and fulfill your responsibility and shame on any senator that does not put democracy and the Constitution ahead of their political party. And I don't believe that Senator Kennedy is doing that.
[15:30:03]
GUTIERREZ: If I'm going to make this very simple, every senator knows and every Member of the House knows that you cannot be in your Senate office or your congressional office and even make a phone call to someone asking for a campaign donation, much less the leader of another country and say to them, if you don't do this, you won't get this.
I mean, that clearly, to me is extortion and that is what has happened in this case, and every Member of the House is very clearly defined and we are very clearly expressed, if I want to speak to somebody about something political, which the President of the United States did, I need to leave my office. He doesn't -- right from the White House there with his staff.
SAVIDGE: All right, hold, Luis, let me --
STEWART: If I can quickly comment --
SAVIDGE: Let's get Alice here to respond.
STEWART: If I can quickly fact check -- if I can politely fact check the Congressman there. Senator Kennedy said that there are people that are calcified in their decision on this. Many Republicans know exactly how they're going to rule in this, but he himself personal, he is going to be open to hearing all the information, hearing the evidence and make a decision at that point.
Just a small fact check there with regard to how the senator feels about it, and I think this will be certainly a fair process, but it's certainly one that Mitch McConnell has all the authority to execute.
SAVIDGE: All right, Alice Stewart and Luis Gutierrez, it's always good to have you both.
GUTIERREZ: Thank you.
STEWART: Thanks, Martin.
SAVIDGE: Thank you both and a Happy New Year.
STEWART: You, too.
SAVIDGE: It is a very busy weekend at Mar-a-Lago, a short time ago, President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone. We will tell you why Putin is reportedly thanking the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: President Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone this morning for the first time since July. Putin expressing gratitude for the U.S. during a conversation that was centered on counterterrorism efforts, at least according to a readout from the Kremlin.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins me now with more about that call and Jeremy, what else are we learning?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Martin, we know that President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone today, and the call was actually initiated by the Russian President, not by President Trump.
According to a readout of the call provided by the Kremlin that is the Russians, Vladimir Putin thanked the President for providing Intelligence information that helped thwart a terrorist plot.
Apparently, there was a terrorist plot that was being planned in St. Petersburg in Russia for New Year's Eve. The Russian security services, the FSB, actually arrested two Russian nationals on Friday who were planning to carry out this plot. And according to the Kremlin, that was thanks to information that was provided by the United States.
This is not the first time actually that we have seen such Intelligence cooperation. The United States actually also provided information to thwart a terrorist plot back in 2017 as well.
Now, we have not yet received a readout from the White House of this conversation. Sometimes, Martin, we see slightly different variations in how these calls go on depending on who is releasing the information about it.
[15:35:12]
DIAMOND: The White House so far has not provided any information, but the Kremlin did say that the two sides also discussed information of mutual interest. We don't know exactly what those issue areas are, but we have asked the White House for its version of this phone call and we'll let you know if we get that back -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Interesting that the first read comes from the Kremlin. Jeremy Diamond. Thank you for that.
Meantime, National Security Adviser, Robert O'Brien says that the U.S. is prepared to take action if North Korea still decides to deliver a quote, "Christmas gift" in the form of a long range missile test.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT O'BRIEN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The United States will take action as we do in these situations and that's a -- if Kim Jong-un takes that approach, we will be extraordinarily disappointed and we will demonstrate that disappointment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: O'Brien declined to mention what exactly the U.S. would do if North Korea carried through with its threat over its demands for sanctions relief that were imposed. They've also have imposed a yearend deadline.
While there had been no long range missile test detected from North Korea since Christmas, U.S. officials continue to closely monitor the Korean Peninsula.
An attack during Hanukkah sending shockwaves around the globe. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out earlier today about a stabbing attack in New York. We'll go live to Jerusalem for the global reaction in just a moment.
But first, it's been more than three months since Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas. The community there is still struggling to recover and there's a shortage of manpower.
In today's "Impact Your World," we look at a charity that's working to bring in volunteers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA TARNO-GERKEN, VOLUNTEER, ALL HANDS AND HEARTS: We know that the waterline came up higher. So we know for a fact that there's going to be mold behind these tiles, so they had to come off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're here in Marsh Harbor on the Island of Great Abaco. It really was the epicenter of Hurricane Dorian and experienced the most extreme damage from the storm.
All Hands and Hearts has made a commitment to be here for at least two years to help the community recover.
PASTOR RYAN FORBES, FIRST ASSEMBLY OF GOD: We are so thankful and so grateful. And we are so appreciative of the help that you guys have given us, you know, and the sacrifice that you guys are making is much needed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are going to continue working in the response phase doing mucking and gutting and debris removal and sanitizing homes.
And begin to accelerate more of the recovery and rebuild work that we do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go. Nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The goal really is to get people back into homes and get students back into schools. The need here is for manpower. We need volunteers. We're going to need thousands of volunteers over the course of the coming years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to have you guys added into teams for tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These people need a lot, and I have the time to get it, so it's an incredible gift that we give and we get. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: For more information on how to help go to cnn.com/impact.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Set aside all the angry speeches about impeachment from President Trump, all the shouting from partisans and at the center of this fight, you will find two political powerhouses -- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The two locked in an epic clash over impeachment trial rules. CNN's Tom Foreman explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Frankly, I don't care what the Republicans say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She is the master of the house. He's the ruler of the Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): The Speaker of the House continues to hem and haw.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (voice over): And together Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell are in the heavyweight political fight of their lives with Donald Trump's raging fate at stake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But I know that the Americans will show up by the tens of millions next year to vote Pelosi the hell out of office.
[CHEERING]
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (voice over): For months, Pelosi has been whipping her Democrats into shape for impeachment, at times, urging caution, at times confronting Trump herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: All roads lead to Putin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (voice over): No one gets under his skin more, even when she commented -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: I still pray for the President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (voice over): Trump hit back fast. "You know, this statement is not true unless it has meant in a negative sense."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: The Senate must put this right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (voice over): And McConnell is the perfect counter puncher, a dauntless Trump defender dismissing all accusations, all evidence of wrongdoing and in a body blow aimed at the Democrats promising more of the same when the Senate trial begins.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: I'm not an impartial juror. This is a political process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (voice over): Their back and forth has been jaw-dropping, Pelosi holding up the Articles of Impeachment insisting McConnell outline rules for the trial that the framers of the Constitution would approve.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: They suspected that there could be a rogue President. I don't think they suspected that we could have a rogue President and a rogue leader in the Senate at the same time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (voice over): McConnell, even with the President demanding quick action, insisting her tactics don't bother him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: I'm not sure what leverage there is and refraining from sending us something we do not want.
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FOREMAN (voice over): All the faints and dodging make it unclear which of them is winning. Although, certainly Trump will be acquitted when and if the fight officially moves to McConnell's Republican controlled-Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: We remain at an impasse.
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FOREMAN (voice over): But for now, McConnell and Pelosi are each largely keeping their parties in line landing big punches, and the championship rounds are still ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: Let's see what they have and we'll be ready for whatever it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (on camera): Interestingly, they could both come out winners. Nancy Pelosi is getting enormous praise from many of her fellow Democrats for her handling of matters. And by the time it's all done, Mitch McConnell could get something he would prize, too, a pat on the back from Donald Trump.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Thank you, Tom, very much. Let's discuss the President's legal road ahead. And one of the best to have that conversation with, Shan Wu. He is a CNN legal analyst and former Federal prosecutor. Shan, nice to have you on the program.
SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's good to see you, Martin.
SAVIDGE: The President is, of course spending the Holidays in Florida and some of his staff are joining him. If you were currently on the Trump defense team, how would you be advising the President right now?
WU: I would advise him to stop tweeting and let sleeping dogs sleep at the moment. In terms of preparation, I don't know that I would really want him very much involved in the preparation, I would mostly try to keep him quiet so he doesn't end up adding more fuel to the fire and possibly giving more grounds for impeachment through his public statements primarily through Twitter.
SAVIDGE: You know, I don't think he's going to follow your advice. Just so you know.
[15:45:05]
WU: I think you're right.
SAVIDGE: Senator McConnell is of course a key player in the rules for this upcoming trial. And yet, at the same time, he is openly coordinating and working with the White House. And this morning, we heard from Republican Senator John Kennedy who defended what McConnell is doing. And I'm wondering, can you really defend that?
WU: I think there's a way in which they could defend it. I mean, there's nothing wrong with him talking to the White House or having some coordination on rules and such.
I think the problem here is when you take that statement that he is working with the White House, which is really much more than just working with the White House, he makes it sound like he's completely in lockstep with them, which sounds fishy.
But also his statement that he refuses to be impartial to begin with, and I think when you combine those two things, you have a very troubling situation and that's what's indefensible about their position and about Senator Kennedy trying to defend it.
There's a legal way you can parse their position to reconcile it with the oath they're supposed to take, which is to do impartial justice. But frankly, they're so arrogant they don't even feel the need to defend it. They simply just ignore the fact that they're supposed to do impartial justice and basically feel they can say or do whatever they want.
And I think, you know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. They're taking that lead from the President.
SAVIDGE: And it does seem almost preordained that the President will be acquitted by the Senate. But that's it. What could be the biggest hurdles that face the President in a Senate trial?
WU: I think the biggest hurdles that would face the President would be twofold. First, the legal parallel for him really does arise if they were to have witnesses because were you to have any live witness is very powerful. The ones we've already had were very powerful.
But were they to get people like Mulvaney or Bolton, those could really provide very blatant damaging evidence to him. And that I think could raise at least some peril for him even in the sort of bedrock support he has with the Republican senators.
The second aspect of it is that same peril goes to his political liabilities, which is it really places right in the eyes of the American public and the voting public just exactly what he was doing wrong. That is certainly going to hurt him in the elections and that probably is the bigger peril that he faces, as well as the fallout for the Republican senators if they were confronted with this kind of blatant evidence of wrongdoing, and yet they still vote as a monolithic bloc. I think that raises some questions about what they're really doing.
SAVIDGE: Well, Mitch McConnell must know this and that would be one of the primary reasons he would not want witnesses.
WU: That's absolutely right, Martin. Mitch McConnell does not want witnesses. They don't -- he does not want documents. Really, Senator McConnell doesn't want anything that even resembles a trial. He would much rather have something that looks like sort of a quasi-appellate argument where he is just looking at a cold record and really doesn't have to deal with any evidence at all. The further away he can stay from that, the better it is.
SAVIDGE: All right. Well, if the President shuts down his Twitter account on impeachment, I know who gets the credit. Shan.
WU: Thanks, Martin. Appreciate it.
SAVIDGE: Shan Wu, have a Happy New Year. Thank you.
WU: You, too.
SAVIDGE: We'll be right back.
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[15:52:48]
SAVIDGE: The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemning the recent string of anti-Semitic attacks in New York. Netanyahu expressing outrage after five people were stabbed at a Jewish Rabbi's home last night during a celebration on the seventh night of Hanukkah.
CNN's Oren Liebermann joins me now from Jerusalem with more on the reaction and Oren, what are you hearing?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, the Chairman of the Jewish Agency pointed out that it is on Holidays, it is in the home, in the congregation or in the synagogue that Jews are supposed to feel the safest, especially on holidays like Hanukkah, holidays like the Sabbath. But in fact, this is where they're targeted. This is where they're attacked.
We saw it happen, of course in Monsey, New York. We also saw it happen in Pittsburgh and San Diego, those attacks on the Sabbath. News of those in fact breaking here right as the Sabbath ended this right as the work week started.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed in at this morning's Cabinet meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Israel strongly condemns the latest surge of anti-Semitism in the brutal attack in the middle of the Hanukkah holiday at the Rabbi's house in Monsey, New York. We send our wishes of recovery to the wounded.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Netanyahu also said that Israel would offer whatever help it could, whatever insistence it had in its hand, not only to local authorities in Monsey, New York and to New York City as well, but also to any other country that was looking for help in combating anti- Semitism.
To that end, next month here on the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz, there will be an anti-Semitism conference at Yad Vashem, the Israel Holocaust Museum, which was scheduled well in advance of this attack in Monsey, New York, but it has now taken on an added significance.
World leaders will be here, Heads of State will be here trying to cope with the problem of how do you cope, how do you deal with anti- Semitism? And that will be a very difficult question to ask.
At least from Yad Vashem's perspective, part of that answer is education, not only about anti-Semitism, but also about the Holocaust. What other ideas will they have? What other tools will they come up with? We will certainly be there and find out what they have.
The Chairman of the Jewish Agency, and I'll come back to him, pointed out this this is not simply a Jewish problem. It's not simply a problem of the State of Israel. Anti-Semitism is a sign of intolerance. And as he said, it begins with the Jews but it never ends with just the Jews.
SAVIDGE: Well put. Oren Liebermann, thank you very much joining us there from Jerusalem. We'll be right back in just a moment.
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[15:57:29]
SAVIDGE: Some of the presidential candidates are reacting to this weekend stabbings at the Hanukkah celebration in New York and other reason anti-Semitic attacks.
Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted, "I'm outraged by the knife attack in Monsey. We must confront the surge of anti-Semitic violence, prioritize the fight against bigotry and bring people together instead of dividing people up."
Former Vice President Joe Biden tweeted, quote, "The horrifying rise of anti-Semitism is tearing apart the fabric of our communities and the soul of this nation. We've got to stand together as a country and fight these flames of hatred," unquote.
Senator Elizabeth Warren tweets, "I'm heartsick for the victims of this horrific attack. This is unfortunately just the latest of a series of anti-Semitic attacks in New York and New Jersey. We must fight anti-Semitism and make clear that hateful bigotry has no place in our society."
And Mayor Pete Buttigieg responded to the attacks while campaigning in Iowa. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE BUTTIGIEG, (D-IN), MAYOR, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We woke up this morning to learn that fellow Americans celebrating a Holiday in the Jewish tradition were attacked -- violently attacked last night -- because they were Jewish.
People are coming to harm in this country because they are different.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SAVIDGE: Just within the last hour, President Trump tweeted his
support for the stabbing victims and called the attack horrific, saying, "We must come together to fight, confront and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism."
We have much more just ahead of the NEWSROOM. It all begins right now.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
SAVIDGE: Hello, thanks for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge, in for Fredricka Whitfield. We're going to begin with the breaking news, the latest weekend -- the last weekend of 2019, ending in bloodshed of what's being called a tragic day for worshippers across the country.
First in New York where five people are stabbed at a crowd in a Hanukkah celebration inside a Rabbi's house, to now a church shooting in Texas where one person is dead along with the suspected shooter and another is in critical condition.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott responded to the shooting in a statement saying, "Our hearts go out to the victims and the families of those killed and the evil act of violence that occurred at the West Freeway Church of Christ. Places of worship are meant to be sacred and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life," unquote.
We want to go straight now to CNN Correspondent, Paul Vercammen. He is following this story for us and Paul, I understand that there was some confusion about the initial death toll --
[16:00:10]
