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UNICEF: GOP Candidate Ron DeSantis Headlines CNN Town Hall Tonight; Gaza The Most Dangerous Place In The World For Children; Four Women Testify About Sexual Misconduct At Coast Guard; Third Family Claims Son Was Unknowingly Buried In Mississippi Grave. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 12, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And it's hard to unwind that when people -- it's part of people's lived experience. So I agree with you that there's a lot of time left and the head to heads could change. But you have to admit there is a fundamental weakness in the president's candidacy right now that that if you're Trump or DeSantis or anybody else, you've got to be licking your chops at the thought of getting him in a head to head matchup.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN COMMENTATOR: I think it's more malaise in terms of where the economy is. And that is real. But I think, again, once the campaign continues to remind people -- by the way, under Trump, it wasn't all rosy, right? A million people -- a million Americans died because of COVID, because he denied the science. And the economy completely collapsed because of what Trump was doing as well. So again, that contrast --

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: Well, it roared back. The markets roared back. And that's not necessarily just a Trump sort of, you know, thing. But I mean, I think that is what people remember. They remember stimulus checks. They remember being employed. They remember the markets sort of roaring back.

JENNINGS: They remember being able to afford a car and a house, which you cannot do right now because goes of interest rates.

CARDONA: But roaring back, if you look at the numbers on the economics, they are really good. The focus and the challenge is going to be for the campaign and this president to connect those dots with what Americans are feeling now.

SOLOMON: So much more to discuss. Great to see you both. Thank you.

CARDOVA: Thank you so much.

And be sure to watch as Governor DeSantis joins Jake Tapper live from Iowa to take questions directly from voters. This CNN Republican presidential town hall airs tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern.

And still coming up, the World Health Organization says that diseases such as chickenpox and meningitis are spreading in Gaza as living conditions there continue to deteriorate. We'll be right back.

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[15:36:15]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. Right now, the United Nations General Assembly is holding an emergency session on the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. They plan to hold a vote demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Now, a similar resolution failed in the UN Security Council last week because of a U.S. veto. This all comes as the World Health Organization warns that chickenpox, meningitis, and respiratory illnesses are spreading rapidly in the enclave. UNICEF, meantime, has declared Gaza as the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.

Here to talk more about the conditions on the ground, UNICEF emergency communications specialist Joe English. Joe, good to have you. Can I ask what you're hearing from your colleagues on the ground right now about the conditions there in Gaza?

JOE ENGLISH, UNICEF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST: Hi, Rahel. Yes, good to be with you. It's been another violent estate for families. You know, we see continued attacks, bombardment. You know, and in many of these areas where the fighting is most severe, obviously, civilians have been ordered from their homes. But when that happens, those who remain are often the most vulnerable, those who cannot leave. Often this is elderly, elderly individuals, family with elderly parents, with young children, with children with disabilities. You know, when we speak to parents, they are exhausted, mentally, physically, just absolutely shattered by the exertion of trying to keep their children alive on a day-to-day basis.

You know, it is hard to imagine just the sheer level of terror, of pain, of misery that families are going through every day, each and every day. And the parents are making impossible choices. Do you stay? Do you take the risk of moving when we've seen the fighting move around the territory? Even basics like water, you know, is now potentially a death threat for children. We know that there is just not enough, and the water that is there could make children sick.

So it's impossible choices for parents and at the moment sadly no end in sight.

SOLOMON: And with the need being so great, what more are you learning and can you share with us about the status of these additional crossings? There were questions about whether one of them, Nitzana, had actually opened. Any more detail you can share about those?

ENGLISH: I mean, at the moment there is a trickle of humanitarian aid going in, I mean, it's clearly not enough. I mean, ultimately, in order for us to be able to respond at scale, given the need, knowing that, according to our colleagues at WFP, almost half of the population is on the verge of starvation. You know, from our colleagues at WHO, I think a third of hospitals are operational. You know, children are dying, being killed in the fighting, and the specter of disease is looming. And so for us to be able to get in with anywhere near the level of humanitarian assistance that is needed, we need a ceasefire. We need an end to the fighting. You know, otherwise, it's only ever going to be a sticking plaster.

SOLOMON: Is it possible to quantify, as you say, the type of need that you guys have? I mean, what would that look like? Israeli officials say today they screened nearly 200 aid trucks at Israeli crossings. They'll now go to Gaza through the Rafah crossing. I mean, how far will that actually go and helping civilians in Gaza.

ENGLISH: Look, every truck that gets in is critical, you know, and will provide a small level of hope to children and families. But, you know, I mean, you see the images and I was in Syria and Turkey after the earthquake and, you know, the level of destruction and damage is comparable. You know, when a ceasefire comes and really, we hope it is as soon as feasibly possible, the level of response is going to be akin to a natural disaster.

[15:40:04]

You know, and so we need to be able to get in there. We need to be able to provide safe drinking water to families. We need to be able to provide food items and shelter. We know that over half the homes in the north of the country have been damaged or destroyed. And so, you know, for parents, it's going to provide a brief respite. But you know, I think so much of this becomes abstract. And when you think about actually being a parent right now in Gaza, trying to soothe your child who is exhausted, who likely hasn't slept properly for days. And you know, many of us know what it's like to try and soothe a child who is exhausted, who is terrified. And it is impossible in the best of times.

So now with this level of fear, this level of terror, parents are on their knees just praying and calling for the world to do everything that it can to end this fighting, to bring about a ceasefire. And so that is the most important thing right now. Until then, as they say, we're doing all we can to keep the children who have survived so far alive. But you know, we will see many more killed unless there is an end to the fighting.

SOLOMON: Yes, I think I read you said somewhere that their parents and children there are too exhausted to even cry, which is striking. Joe English, thank you.

ENGLISH: Thanks so much.

SOLOMON: Well, they say that the Coast Guard failed to protect them. Four women testified at a Senate hearing about how they were victims of sexual harassment and assault while at the Coast Guard Academy. Their emotional testimony straight ahead.

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[15:46:05] BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: There was an emotional hearing today on Capitol Hill where four women who were victims of sexual harassment and assault at the Coast Guard testified before a Senate subcommittee. Lawmakers blasted the Coast Guard for mishandling and covering up years of sexual abuse, especially at the Coast Guard Academy. That is until CNN started reporting on it.

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SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Nothing. Until CNN disclosed it. If CNN hadn't disclosed it we might still not know about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN chief investigative correspondent Pamela Brown and her team have been digging in on this story for months. So Pamela, walk us through what happened at this hearing.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: This is really the culmination of all of our team's reporting, Boris. And as you know, it is rare to get bipartisan agreement in Washington these days. But both Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic senator, and Republican Senator Ron Johnson said this was the most powerful testimony they have heard. And that is because four brave women agreed to tell their stories of sexual assault, including a cadet at the Coast Guard Academy.

CNN has uncovered a long history of rapes and other sexual assault within the Coast Guard that were often mishandled or hidden. And when the Coast Guard did a years long investigation to figure out the depth of the problem, they kept the results a secret. That meant the Coast Guard didn't fix its issues and raise awareness about them. Though the current Coast Guard Commandant has ordered sweeping changes since our first reporting five months ago.

Now the women who testified today represent decades of service in the Coast Guard and most of them faulted Coast Guard leadership. Which in the past made it difficult to report sexual assaults. Many times the victims were punished if alcohol was involved while their assailants went free. They were even promoted in some cases. Current cadet Kyra Grace Holmstrup was raped by a fellow cadet on campus and says while the reporting process has improved and she was given a victims advocate and counselor, which many of the other women hadn't been given, she still had difficulty with leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CADET KYRA GRACE HOLMSTRUP, U.S. COAST GUARD ACADEMY CLASS OF '24: And then I got to talk to a chaplain. And when I went to talk to that chaplain, he asked me who assaulted me. And I told him. And he said, oh no, he's such a good guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Now that could that you just heard from and others, they all have recommendations for changes to the Coast Guard. That should include curbing alcohol use at the Coast Guard Academy and other steps to prevent assaults from happening in the first place, Boris.

SANCHEZ: So Pamela, what happens next?

BROWN: So that is -- that's a big question. The committee has requested internal Coast Guard email communications, but so far it is saying that it hasn't gotten those emails despite its repeated requests. And most of the women agree that although the Coast Guard is now apologizing and releasing this 90-day review, looking at the future, they want accountability for the past.

And I just actually sat down and did an interview with these three women after their testimony, and one of them said she felt like today, testifying publicly, it gave her a sense of empowerment. She heard from these senators, what she had been wanting to hear from the Coast Guard all these decades.

SANCHEZ: Wow, a really powerful reporting. Pam, please keep us up to speed on what comes next, if there is accountability eventually.

BROWN: Absolutely, we will.

SANCHEZ: Pamela Brown, thank you so much.

Just ahead, a mother says she waited more than -- she waited more than a year to find out what happened to her missing son, only to learn he had died and his body had been buried in the Pauper Cemetery in Mississippi. How she's demanding accountability when we come back.

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[15:54:02]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. A third family has now come forward claiming their missing loved one was buried in a Mississippi cemetery without their knowledge.

SANCHEZ: Yes, the mom claims that she reported her son missing two months before he was actually buried but didn't find out that he was deceased until this year after she was contacted by a reporter. Now, she said that she never heard a word from authorities on his whereabouts. CNN national correspondent Ryan Young joins us now with more. Ryan, what else is the family saying?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is very tough. We talked to Gretchen Hankins just yesterday. She told us how heartbroken she was. She's really going through this all over again. She feels like her son Jonathan was treated like trash, like he was forgotten. She reported him missing back in May of 2022, and apparently the Jackson Police Department found him with three days later, but no one ever told her. She didn't find out till December that her son, who she's been thinking about and missing all this entire time, was buried in one of those pauper graves.

[15:55:00]

And of course, as you see his pictures there, she wants to know exactly how could this happen? She reported it to the Rankin Sheriff's Department. No one ever reached out to her, even though there was a database that was put out there for a missing person. He was found dead in a hotel.

So now there's another family that's in Mississippi, in the Jackson area, that's upset that their loved one was basically discarded in an unmarked grave, as far as they're concerned. She wants his body exhumed. She wants his DNA tested to make sure they have the right body. But as you can understand, all these families are coming forward asking questions about how many other families may have experienced this. They've all gone to Ben Crump, they're asking questions to hopefully push this forward.

Now there have been made changes in terms of Jackson. They're going to move forward with trying to tell any family that they find now, they're going to have a next to kin notification. But as you can understand, this family is torn apart by this. They want an apology. So far, that hasn't happened -- Guys.

SOLOMON: Still a lot more questions. Ryan Young, we know you've been following it from the very beginning. Ryan, thank you.

YOUNG: Absolutely.

SANCHEZ: And thank you all so much for joining us this afternoon. Rahel, please come back to NEW CENTRAL anytime.

SOLOMON: I think I might.

SANCHEZ: More than welcome. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts after a quick break.