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Alleged Hamas Operatives Arrested In Europe, Accused Of Terror Plots Against Jewish Targets; AAA Expects Busiest Holiday Season Ever At Airports This Year; Four Innocent Prisoners Exonerated In Three Days. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired December 14, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go back to the breaking news this hour. The Israeli Mossad says a Hamas terrorist plot that was set to be carried out in Europe has been foiled. Multiple people are now arrested in connection with this. CNN's Alex Marquardt back with us. New details coming in. Alex, what more are you picking up about this?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, at this point, we have multiple arrests in multiple European countries. We're trying to figure out exactly how many people were arrested. But it is clear that arrests took place across Denmark, the Netherlands, as well as Germany.

The Danish security services said that there were raids across Denmark on Thursday. It appeared that those arrested were preparing a terrorist plot. Thankfully, of course, that was foiled.

They -- those European countries getting thanks tonight from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and security services, including Mossad, their intelligence agency, and Shin Bet which is their equivalent of the FBI. The Israeli statement said that these people who were arrested today after the announcement by the Danes were acting on behalf of the Hamas terrorist organization, and that the plot was to kill civilians on European soil. Now, Israel tonight is alleging that Hamas is essentially expanding their operations to try to kill civilians in Europe.

Of course, Hamas have been so focused since it's -- the beginning of its existence on carrying out terror attacks inside Israel. Now, Israel is saying that they are trying to do the same in Europe against what they call Jewish Israeli and Western targets. We also have a statement from the -- from the German -- from a German official saying that the protection of Jews is our top priority. We use all constitutional means against those who threaten the lives of Jews, and the existence of the State of Israel.

So, again, the Israeli saying that those arrested were acting on behalf of the Hamas terrorist organization. A German prosecutor is saying that these were Hamas members. And so, this was, Kate, a major concern about -- as a fallout from this war, that there could be terror attacks that are essentially you know emanating from the impact of this war that people are so angry about what they're seeing happen, that they are taking up arms.

We've obviously seen this spike in antisemitism and Islamophobia not just in the United States, but around the world. And here we have what appears to be according to multiple security agencies, both in Europe and in Israel, a plot that has been foiled, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Multiple arrests, more multiple nations, a terror -- an alleged terror plot, as the Mossad says to be carried out on behalf of Hamas on European soil. Alex Marquardt working as a source on this, Alex, thank you very much, John.

[11:35;13]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks, Kate. So, brace yourself for some good news. This is a live look at the stock markets right now.

You can see a lot of green-headed up after hitting record highs yesterday. This is what the stock markets have done so far this year. Big games this year.

We got new retail sales numbers out this morning. You can see higher than expected in November. This is seen as a very positive sign. And then gas prices down 23 cents from November, the lowest level in nearly a year.

With me now is Jared Bernstein, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. And yes, a lot of good news here. I promise you there's a but coming. But first, I want to ask you about all this positive data that I think everyone has to agree is a good sign.

JARED BERNSTEIN, CHAIR, WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: Absolutely. To see the retail sales number beat expectations is actually what you might have hoped for, given the fact that the job market remains extremely strong. Unemployment has stayed below four percent for 22 months in a row. That's a 50-year record.

And what that's doing along with easing inflation, you know, inflation down two-thirds off its peak, is it's driving real wage gains. Wages growing faster than prices. That improves the purchasing power, adding the gas story, and yes, you have some good news.

And by the way, I looked at the gas price this morning and found the national average from AAA to be $3.10 a gallon, now $3.14. So, we've got 27 states now with a gas price below a -- maybe in gas price below three dollars a gallon.

BERMAN: OK, I'll correct that. I'll make that $3.10 right there to make that picture more accurate. The point is gas prices are lower than they have been. It continued to drop.

I promised you a but here, Jared. Here's the, but. Despite all that positive data, we asked Americans in our latest poll, how would you rate the economic conditions of the country right now? 71 percent say poor. So, how do you explain that?

BERNSTEIN: Well, look. The American people have been through a lot. And while prices are coming down, I don't mean lower inflation. I mean, actually lower prices in some key areas, eggs, milk, toys, and T.V., it's important this time of year, airfares important this time of year, cars, gas we've talked about, a lot of other prices are still highly elevated.

I think the question is in this -- for this but that you raised, I think the question is, are we moving in the right direction? Is this president getting the kinds of lower costs to households that they need? And we're starting to see really positive movement in that direction. Whether it's the junk fees that President Biden has taken action against, or whether it's his using the bully pulpit to communicate to corporations, that if your profit margins are highly inflated, and you're not passing savings on to consumers, he expects you to do so.

So, we think we're moving in the right direction. And by the way, some of the sentiment polls are starting to show that. We had a nice bump in the University of Michigan poll. And even some of the bad news indicators that you're citing are looking a little better than they were. So, some movement in the right direction, but a lot more work to do.

BERMAN: Again, I'm going to put a live look at the markets back up here so we can see what they're doing. Again, a lot of green near record highs here, despite all these positive numbers. On the political scene-- on the campaign trail, you're hearing from the likes of Donald Trump things like this. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: During this holiday season, families all across America are struggling under the brutal weight of Bidenomics. You know, Bidenomics. It means a lot of bad things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Again, as we continue to see the stock market rise here, how do you respond to that, Jared?

BERNSTEIN: Well, let me speak to actual policy proposals that we have heard or haven't heard. You've got a president who has seen -- who is -- who's managed to pass legislation to reduce the cost of insulin, to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, to reduce the cost of health care coverage, who's taking action against junk fees in so many areas where consumers interact. I'd like to hear one Republican proposal to help reduce inflation.

What I hear from congressional Republicans, and certainly what we saw from Donald Trump when he was president is massive tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, big Christmas presents for Big Pharma, repealing the very measures that are helping to reduce prescription drug costs for American consumers, and making it a lot easier for millionaires and billionaires to evade their taxes at the IRS. You know, that is exactly the opposite of the direction that this president is moving in to help middle-class families get some breathing room. Breathing room, as our discussion shows is starting to take some traction.

[11:40:07]

BERMAN: Jared Bernstein, we appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much. Sara?

BERNSTEIN: My pleasure.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Speaking of the economy, experts say this could be the busiest Christmas and New Year's travel season at airports ever. But here's the but, as John likes to say, our airlines are prepared to avoid a repeat of the disaster that happened last year during travel. We'll talk about it.

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BOLDUAN: So, I am not trying to induce panic attacks here, but we are now 11 days out from Christmas day. Kind of unimaginable, especially if you're still shopping. And with that countdown comes another countdown, to a very busy travel period.

[11:45:07]

AAA is reporting the 10 days between Christmas and New Year's will likely be the busiest ever at U.S. airports. About seven and a half million people are expected to fly. How are the airlines preparing to handle that? Let's find out.

Joining us right now is the Executive Vice President of Communications for United Airlines, Josh Earnest. It's good to see you.

JOSH EARNEST, EVP, COMMUNICATIONS & ADVERTISING AT UNITED AIRLINES: So nice to see you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, you guys are expecting this to be also the busiest travel period ever for United.

EARNEST: Yes.

BOLDUAN: But what are -- what are you seeing in terms of reservations, and how nervous should we be?

EARNEST: Well, look, the planes are going to be full. And we're fine big schedules over the holidays because we know a lot of people are -- want to travel.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EARNEST: But we are better prepared for this than we have ever been in our history. We've made big investments in technology. Using the United app is the cheat code for a smooth travel experience. We've been half -- we've been hiring and staffing up and training employees to make sure that we can handle the large loads. And we have had a great several few months here through the fall and through the Thanksgiving holiday. A strong operational performance. So, we've got a lot of momentum headed in. So, we are better prepared than we've ever been to handle record loads over the holidays.

BOLDUAN: It's good to be prepared. But I'm still also -- I think I still have a little bit of trauma, not from United, but just from the Christmas, what happened over Christmas last year.

EARNEST: Sure.

BOLDUAN: It was weather induced but it was a mess around Christmas Day.

EARNEST: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I think it's so like over 3000 flights were canceled. And weather is always the wild card no matter how prepared you are.

EARNEST: Yes.

BOLDUAN: But what do -- what have you guys done and are you doing to mitigate the wildcard as best you can?

EARNEST: Yes. We operate in some of the toughest cold-weather hubs in the country, places like --

BOLDUAN: Chicago.

EARNEST: Chicago, Denver, and then --

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EARNEST: And then obviously here in New York City, at our hub in Newark. So, there is a lot of training of our employees that takes place. We've got -- we've got a fleet of hundreds of de-icing trucks all around the system to make sure that we can keep the planes moving even in inclement weather.

For -- but for customers using the United app --

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EARNEST: Really is the best way to do it. We have gone to great lengths. We're even trying to tap the power of AI to do a better job of giving our customers more insight and giving them more transparency into what's actually happening with their travel journey in those situations -- in those rare situations in which their travel is disrupted.

BOLDUAN: Outside of United, you've got an FAA issue -- you got air traffic controllers. The shortage is happening still.

EARNEST: Yes. BOLDUAN: It's still rare -- real. There has been some progress, but I think I saw Scott Kirby said you're still looking at 3000 controllers short.

EARNEST: Yes.

BOLDUAN: That's a federal government problem. What does it do to your operations?

EARNEST: Yes. Well, what -- the real-life impact of that shortage is when there are situations where control towers, particular places like here in New York City, the most congested airspace in the country, maybe even in the world, when you have fewer controllers at the ready, particularly in bad weather situations, they can just -- they can handle fewer planes.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EARNEST: So, less traffic. So, that means less throughput, which is a real challenge when either you're anticipating bad weather or when you're coming out of bad weather, and you're trying to get people back on their way. So, we have been working -- we've been in close contact with members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, to encourage them to include funding in the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill to try to address this longer-term structural challenge as it relates to training FAA air traffic controllers.

And the -- here's the -- here's the challenge. You can't just hire aircraft controllers off the street.

BOLDUAN: That's right.

EARNEST: Right? There are years of training that goes into this, particularly in a place that's as complicated as New York. So, hopefully, Congress will make these kinds of investments.

BOLDUAN: I know you're -- you -- just real quick. You talked about Congress.

EARNEST: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I'm not going to ask you to weigh in on politics. Do you miss it?

EARNEST: I -- look. I still follow it closely.

BOLDUAN: You have to as you drop?

EARNEST: I do. I care about it. I have lots of friends who are still involved with it. But the truth is this industry is fascinating.

I -- and I love -- I love my job at United. I feel really fortunate to be doing it now. But --

BOLDUAN: It's good to have you here, though.

EARNEST: Like every other American, I want our politics to work better.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Exactly. Good to have you here, Josh.

EARNEST: Nice to see you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: OK. John.

BERMAN: All right. Two innocent men sentenced as teenagers are now free after decades in prison for murders they did not commit.

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[11:53:36]

SIDNER: Take a look at those faces behind me. All four of those men exonerated in just the past three days. These cases are causing new conversations about a troubling trend in the legal system, wrongful convictions. The latest, two California men accused as teenagers are now free after being imprisoned for murders they did not commit.

CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell has more details for us from Los Angeles. Josh, what -- well, there's a theme here in all four of these exonerations as I understand it. The police relied on a very specific type of evidence. Tell us more about that.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Sara. Faulty witness testimony. That is the through line in all four of these cases that were announced today.

Now, witnesses can obviously be important investigative tools for authorities, but there's a danger when police and prosecutors get tunnel vision and exclude other potential evidence. And one of these cases in Los Angeles, Miguel Solorio, was imprisoned 25 years ago. Police now say -- authorities that it was a botched photo lineup that led to his incarceration.

And another case, 14-year-old Giovanni Hernandez. He was arrested when he was just 14 years old. He said he wasn't at the scene of a crime. And now years later, the D.A. brought in the FBI to take another look. Have a listen to what they found.

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GEORGE GASCON, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Mr. Hernandez has always been taking his innocence and stating that he was at home with his family at the time of the shooting. A new analysis of Mr. Hernandez's cell phone records by the FBI shows that his phone was not at or near the location of the shooting.

GIOVANNI HERNANDEZ, WRONGFULLY CONVICTED: I was innocent of this crime. It was the process and the system that put me in there. It definitely needs to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:55:15] CAMPBELL: So, even though a witness said he was at the scene, forensic evidence later showed that he was nowhere near the scene of that crime but in prison for nearly 17 years. Now, it's important to note, Sara, that none of these cases came to light because of the work in law enforcement. It was the work of advocates, of public defenders, of these nonprofits who are essentially ensuring that people in custody are not being held unjustly.

Now, I was in law enforcement. I put a lot of people in jail. But law enforcement officers are not infallible. And that's why it's so important that these groups are out there, essentially checking the work of the police to ensure that people aren't in prison for crimes they didn't commit, Sara.

SIDNER: You make a really good point, putting these men in prison for no reason at all. We have to do better. Josh Campbell, thank you so much for that story. That was really fascinating.

BERMAN: Just the astounding Grace --

SIDNER: Yes.

BERMAN: Of those men who had been in prison for so long. Thank you all for joining us. This has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

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