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Israel-Hamas War; Unusual Independent Access to Southern Gaza Granted to CNN; Russia's War on Ukraine; First Year-End Press Conference After Conflict Held by Putin; Interview with Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations and Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) Distinguished Fellow Kurt Volker; Combination of Immunotherapy and Novel Cancer Vaccine Appears to be Beneficial Against Melanoma, Trial Shows; Teen's Attempt to Assault an Ohio Synagogue Prior to Israel- Hamas War Revealed in Court Records. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired December 14, 2023 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: All right. Happening now, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is in a series of meetings at this moment with Israeli officials. We are getting new reporting that the defense minister told him the war in Gaza will last, "More than several months."

Also, this morning, a rare look inside Gaza. CNN is the first western media outlet to gain independent access to Southern Gaza without an IDF escort. This is an extraordinary visit to a field hospital where doctors are treating young patients.

CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward, you went into Southern Gaza, Clarissa, give us a sense of what you saw.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We were able after weeks and weeks of unsuccessfully trying to finally manage to get into Gaza with a team of medical volunteers who work at a newly established field hospital that has been set up by the UAE, by the Emiratis. Honestly, John, within minutes of arriving at this facility, there was a large strike nearby, and about 10 minutes after that, we saw the first casualties of that strike arriving at the hospital, man and a young boy of 13 years old who had both lost part of their legs.

The doctor said it is like that all day, every day, sometimes 20 strikes a day. And you're talking about one single area of Gaza. We also talk to children who have been severely injured, often maimed due to the ferocity of the bombardment there. It was truly harrowing and horrifying, honestly.

At the end of it, of course, we had the privilege of leaving. Most Gazans, of course, do not. And of course, most importantly, Gazan journalists who have been dying in record numbers doing heroic work to cover this story also, do not have the luxury of leaving the Gaza Strip, not that they would want to, they're very committed in doing the incredible work they have been doing. But it was a short, however, very illuminating window onto the hellscape that is Gaza right now, John.

BERMAN: How much were you able to see, Clarissa, going in and getting out? The reporting from the hospital is extraordinary, and the pictures of the children are heartbreaking, but we so rarely get a look at, really, anything there. What else did you see?

WARD: So, there were very strict rules about what we were allowed to do and what we were not allowed to do. We were allowed to film outside the window as we drove in, so we got a glimpse of destruction from strikes. We saw people on the streets, which was very striking to me because, honestly, when you're in conflict zones where there is very heavy bombardment, you don't usually see a lot of people on the streets.

But there were quite a lot of people on the streets. And I think that's testimony to the fact that there's no safe place to go in Gaza. There's nowhere you can retreat to. There's no refuge or sanctuary to be found.

[10:35:00]

And so, people are out on the streets going about the business of survival. We saw a large crowd outside a bakery, for example. What you don't see are cars. You don't see traffic moving. There's obviously a total lack of fuel. And so, people are just honestly trying to get through the day as the bombardment continues, as the humanitarian catastrophe continues to worsen. And with no meaningful uptick in the amount of aid that needs so desperately to be getting into Gaza.

BERMAN: Clarissa Ward, you and your team, thank you so much for making this journey. We're going to see much more of your reporting throughout the day. Thank you.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Now, to a war on another front. Russian President Vladimir Putin, making clear his stance, has not changed on his war with Ukraine. In his end-of-year news conference since the country's invasion into Ukraine, he said that if Ukraine does not stand down and accept Russia's terms then Moscow will have to solve the problem by force. Putin said, the goals of his so- called special military operation in Ukraine have not changed.

Joining us now for more analysis on this is Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker. Thank you, Sir, so much for coming in. You know, you have this morning President Putin, sort of, coming out and, sort of, staying with his same stance that he's been talking about. Saying, there will be no peace in Ukraine when we achieve our objectives, which is denazification, demilitarization and its neutral status. Those are his words. What is your takeaway from his language here and the fact that he's talking about bolstering the army as well?

KURT VOLKER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS AND DISTINGUISHED FELLOW, CENTER FOR EUROPEAN POLICY ANALYSIS (CEPA): Yes. Well, there are a couple of things in that. First off, we have to remember that he just announced, of course, that he is running for president again next year. And so, he is trying to convey a position of strength and confidence and success to the Russian people on that kind of New Year's or Christmas message.

The other thing he's trying to do is take advantage of the uncertainty that we see in the west right now. The E.U. having difficulty passing their aid package for Ukraine. Maybe or maybe not granting a session talks for Ukraine for E.U. membership. The difficulty we're having in the U.S. of passing the aid for Ukraine as well.

He's trying to play on that theme by projecting confidence and strength on the Russian side while the west is having difficulties. That's meant to convey to the Ukrainians a sense of hopelessness and fear, and is trying to convey to the west that why that are you bothering to do this because we're in such a strong position. Doesn't mean any of this is true. I think they're in far worse shape that he is projecting, but he's projecting this for his own purposes.

SIDNER: He -- I mean, one of the things that was talked about from the very beginning is that the west would grow weary of helping Ukraine, and he's just waiting it out. That seems to be playing out. I mean, how much damage is this doing to the west, to the United States, to the European Union to watch this play out like this?

VOLKER: Well, it would -- you know, what's important to remember here is that we are all democracies, and we have multiple priorities and we have to deal with them in a proper democratic process. Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes we have to hash out other issues. Sometimes there are disagreements. But at the end of the day, we are far stronger than Russia, and we are far more committed to our values and our interests and able to realize them.

You know, one thing that was brought home to me just a week or two ago in meetings in Europe was a reminder that the United States and Europe together, have an economy that is 22 times the size of Russia's. And yet we have committed about equal amounts as Russia to the war in Ukraine. That means we have a lot more capacity than we could draw on, and that Russia is really maxing out. Almost 45 percent of its budget now is going toward this war. That's an extraordinary amount and not sustainable.

SIDNER: Yes, and he has pledged to put more into the military as well this morning. I do want to ask you something that caught our eye. As President Putin was speaking, we noticed that behind him, on the screens behind him at times, there were some flashing questions. Most of the things were innocuous. They were praise worthy of him. But one of them started flashing, saying, when will Russians stop killing Russians? Should we read anything into this? This is flashing behind him while he's making this big grand speech and taking on the Kremlin, really, and him.

VOLKER: Yes, well, I think you should because, they are trying very hard to control the message, to control the imagery, to control the information that gets to the public, to control actions and behavior of people inside Russia. And the fact that something like that could happen during his major national end of the year news conference tells you that things are not as straightforward and not as under control as they want us to believe.

[10:40:00]

SIDNER: Yes, and we remember what happened with Prigozhin and that rift there, and certainly there are some people, in the Kremlin or outside who are not too pleased with Vladimir Putin. Thank you so much, Kurt Volker. I appreciate you coming on this morning for us from Warsaw, Poland.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Coming up, an experimental vaccine to battle cancer. What this could mean for the fight against melanoma. Now, we have new details on this new clinical trial.

And we're getting new information as well on a synagogue attack that was thwarted in Ohio. So, what we're learning now about, it's being described as a detailed plan, allegedly put together by a teenager. We have it. We'll be right back.

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BERMAN: New this morning, the University of Arizona campus is on alert after police say a man tried to kidnap one woman after following her in a car, while two others reported being groped or followed by a similar car before getting away. Police say, they are drafting a sketch of the attempted kidnapper. They've added more patrols and they're trying to find the suspect.

This morning, a dozen people stranded off the coast of the Dominican Republic. They are now safe, thanks in part to a carnival cruise ship. The captain got an emergency alert about a small cargo vessel that capsized. He altered the cruise ship's course, sailed to the site. They rescued six of the crew members who were clinging to a life raft. The captain then saw more people in the water holding onto pieces of what was left of their boat. Notified the Coast Guard. They sent a helicopter and rescue swimmer to pull the remaining six people out of the water.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, a new and novel approach to fighting cancer maybe in the works. Moderna now testing an experimental vaccine to battle skin cancer. Announcing trial data is showing real benefits for high-risk melanoma patients.

CNN's Meg Tirrell has much more on this. Meg, I'm seeing just a few details of what your reporting is on this. I'm fascinated. What exactly did this trial find? MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, you know, just as Moderna makes the mRNA vaccine for COVID, this is a very similar approach but for people with melanoma. And so, this is an individualized treatment where they're actually looking at what is driving each person's cancer and then designing a vaccine to deliver to them that will recruit their immune system to better fight that cancer.

And what they found now in three-year follow up data is that three years out from that treatment, combined with an existing immunotherapy called Keytruda, they can reduce the risk of the cancer coming back or of the patients dying by 49 percent versus just using Keytruda alone. And so, the real key here is that they're seeing that result out to three years because previously we'd just seen two-year follow up data. So, it's being seen as a very promising approach to really improving outcomes in this high-risk melanoma, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, and it's the year out, right? The survival rate that it is so important with all forms of cancer. The five-year tenure. So, this is a huge step when you're talking about, like, almost a 50 percent improvement. What are the side effects that people need to be aware of?

TIRRELL: Well, it's really interesting here is the side effects actually look pretty similar in terms of at least what most people experience as what people experience with the COVID shots. Things like fatigue, injection site pain and chills. And really interestingly, as they continue to test this in melanoma, I was talking with the CEO of Moderna this morning. He was saying they're preparing potentially to have this available if they get accelerated approval as soon as 2025. They're building a new manufacturing plant to be able to do these individualized treatments for each patient to be able to be available that soon if they get the green light.

BOLDUAN: And that's important. I mean, when I was going to ask you, when could this become a reality? I was expecting you to say we're like five, 10 years out from this.

TIRRELL: Yes, we're getting really close and melanoma isn't the only application. They're also looking at testing this in late-stage clinical trials in lung cancer as well. So, there's a lot of hope here.

BOLDUAN: Really? Wow. Great stuff, Meg. Thanks for bringing it to us.

Sara.

TIRRELL: Thanks.

SIDNER: We need a little hope in this world. Thank you both.

New reporting on a detailed plan by a teenage suspect to carry out an attack on an Ohio synagogue. How close that teenager came to a mass shooting in a place of prayer? Details ahead.

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BERMAN: All right. New this morning, court documents in Ohio reveal that police there managed to thwart a potential mass shooting at a synagogue. The suspect, a 13-year-old, was arrested in September.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is following this. Brynn, what can you tell us?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we're getting court documents from that area in Ohio, John. And we've learned from those documents that this 13-year-old put a pretty detailed plan on the chat room "Discord" about wanting to do a mass shooting at a synagogue. And what we've learned is that someone actually notified law enforcement. And from there, law enforcement, of course, had to notify that synagogue in Canton, Ohio, also other agencies, the school, and they say it turned into a significant public alarm, which you can only imagine.

This teen was arrested and is going back into court next week. It's very unclear the details of this plan that were online that alarmed someone to notify law enforcement or if any weapons or any sort of evidence was found at this teenager's home when they were arrested. But certainly, a cause for panic.

Now, this team is charged with two misdemeanors. They're inducing panic and disorderly conduct. And of course, this happened in September prior to October 7th, what obviously happened in Israel. But certainly, it shows that there has been, and it's no secret, a rise in antisemitism -- semitic incidents before the war started. But of course, as we've been reporting, there's been a rise in -- really, a surge after the war started as well. Not only in antisemitic incidents, but incidents that involved targeting Muslims and Arabs as well.

For this, though, the ADL Has given a statement. They said, for young people like this suspect, we hope this can be a teachable moment. Hate and threats on social media, as in real life, cannot and will not be tolerated.

[10:55:00]

This teenager going back into court, as I said next weekend, we are understanding is that a judge will make the determination for the penalty. John.

BERMAN: Again, just getting a look at these court documents for the first time today. Brynn Gingras, keep us posted on what else you learn.

GINGRAS: Yes.

BERMAN: Thank you very much. Sara.

SIDNER: Truly chilling.

All right. Ahead, House Republicans now vowing to hold Hunter Biden in contempt after he defied a subpoena to testify behind closed doors. More on their next moves against the president's son and the president himself, ahead.

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