Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
IDF Warns People in Central Gaza to Leave Immediately; Desperate Civilians Swarm Relief Convoy in Northern Gaza; AMC Apologizes After Civil Rights Leader Kicked Out of Movie; New York Bill Could Force Some Chick-fil-A Locations to be Open on Sundays. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired December 28, 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]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Now to the latest in the war between Israel and Hamas. New video showing civilians searching for food in Gaza. Just desperation there. People swarming two trucks climbing on those trucks as they carry relief aid in the northern part of Gaza, which has seen so little of the aid that has come in here.
All of this is the Israeli military is warning civilians to evacuate parts of central Gaza immediately, including a refugee camp near Wadi Gaza. Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health saying Israeli airstrikes killed at least 50 people all across the territory earlier today.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Meantime, the pressure is building on Israel to scale down the fighting and bring back the remaining hostages. For weeks now, White House officials have been pushing Israel to implement a targeted phase in its war with Hamas that includes restarting hostage negotiations. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit Israel next week.
Let's dig deeper now with CNN Global Affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier. Kim, thank you so much for being with us. How crucial is it for Secretary Blinken to make some headway with Israeli officials during his visit next week? Despite public reassurances, it seems like this gap between the two sides remains.
[15:35:00]
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, it probably is most important that he reassure them that the U.N. vote, where the U.S. abstained and the majority of the U.N. passed a measure calling for more aid to reach the Palestinians, that this was not meant as a slight against Israel.
Israel has gotten into a to position where it does feel besieged on all sides, in some ways even publicly besieged by one of its few remaining allies, the United States. And in that kind of situation in the past, Israeli governments have gotten entrenched in whatever their current policy is, refusing to change, and that is the last thing that the White House needs the Israelis to do right now when it comes to the campaign in Gaza. KEILAR: We hear from Israeli officials, Kim, they'll say, you know, Israel's not the one getting in the way of getting aid into Gaza. What is the reality of the obstacles of getting much needed aid into Gaza as people there are on the verge of starvation?
DOZIER: Yes, that's the hard part in that it becomes they said, they said kind of situation. Who do you believe? Israel has spoken time and again of using its IDF forces to bring in aid that it's tried to deliver to hospitals, to schools, to various parts of the Strip where it's operating, only to have that blocked by Hamas. Now this is an Israeli claim.
The U.N. says that Israel, because of its security checks, is keeping aid from moving fast enough into Gaza through the couple of borders that are open. But Israel says, hey, we've already let a bunch of trucks through, even though we know that some of that aid has gone to Hamas to keep their war effort going.
SANCHEZ: Excuse me, Kim, I'm wondering what you make of this meeting today between the families of hostages still being held inside Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He told them that talks are still ongoing, yet we've seen no real progress recently. How likely is it that you'll see hostage negotiations reach a stage in which we actually see a pause in the action and a return of hostages?
DOZIER: Well, no real progress publicly, but both the Qataris and the Egyptians have been putting forth plans behind closed doors. And Israeli media are reporting that the intelligence chief is about to present to the war cabinet one of those new Qatari proposals. But the problem is, Israel has been willing to do even up to two weeks of a ceasefire in exchange for a trade of the women and elderly that Hamas still holds. For Palestinian prisoners, including those with, quote- unquote, blood on their hands, those who've been convicted of murders. But so far, Hamas's response has been, we will not stop fighting until Israel agrees to entirely lay down its arms and completely ceasefire.
So, at this point, they're at an impasse. Just as Israel gets to what is going to be a really challenging and even more dangerous phase for Palestinians, the more it reaches the south of the Strip, that's where all of the Palestinians have fled to. It's already a densely populated area.
So, in some ways, Israeli military analysts are predicting that the most tough part of the fighting is to come.
SANCHEZ: Kimberly Dozier, we have to leave the conversation there. Thank you so much for the time.
DOZIER: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Ahead, why a civil rights leader in North Carolina says he was kicked out of a screening of the film, The Color Purple.
And a bumpy landing, to say the least, for passengers on this American Airlines flight. Listen to the guy watching this.
KEILAR: It's unbelievable!
SANCHEZ: We're going to break down what happened as the plane touched down. Stay with us.
[15:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: So, AMC Theaters is now apologizing to a civil rights leader who says he was kicked out of one of their theaters after there was a dispute over a special chair that he brought to use in the disabled section.
KEILAR: CNN's Nick Valencia is joining us now with the details on this. Nick, tell us what happened here.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey there, Boris and Brianna. This all unfolded in Greenville, South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon. Reverend Barber on his way to go see the Color Purple screening with his 90-year-old mother.
And we've known over the years that the reverend has had some health problems. He, as a result, walks with two canes and he also uses a special chair to ease discomfort when he sits down. Well, it was that special chair that he tried to set up in the disabled section of the theater and then he was confronted by theater staff. They told him he couldn't set it up.
Eventually, police were called and they tried to get him removed, saying that he was trespassing. Ultimately, the reverend left voluntarily and no charges were filed. But he said he was deeply disappointed at how AMC staff handled this. And look at what he had to say. There was somebody there recording the aftermath of this incident.
The reverend saying that he tried to offer grace to the staff, but they just refused to do the right thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. WILLIAM BARBER, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF NORTH CAROLINA NAACP: I've been on broad hair. I've been in the White House with this chair.
They've called the officer of the law, the AME theater in Greenville, North Carolina. They would not make amends to simply do the right thing. But we'll deal with it.
VALENCIA: Just a quick correction. It's Greenville, North Carolina.
Barber says he plans on hosting a press conference tomorrow. Meanwhile, AMC seems to agree that they were disappointed with the handling of this. This is what they're saying in part of the statement.
Quote: AMC's chairman and CEO, Adam Aaron, has already telephoned him and plans to meet with him in person in Greenville, North Carolina next week to discuss both this situation and the good works Bishop Barber is engaged in throughout the years. We're also reviewing our policies with our theater teams to help ensure that situations like this do not occur again.
Boris, Brianna.
SANCHEZ: Nick Valencia, thank you so much for the details.
We want to give you an update now on some of the other headlines we've been watching this hour. Watch this.
Sadly, no sound there. I wish you could hear the guy who's filming this. Yes, because he's like, no, no, no. Stop it! Which is probably what I would be saying if I were on that plane.
KEILAR: And with a British accent.
SANCHEZ: Yes, indeed. You want to do an imitation?
KEILAR: Stop it.
SANCHEZ: Close. Yes, very close.
So, this is an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles touching down in London. Stiff crosswinds leading to that wild landing you just saw. Look at it again for good measure.
The pilots did manage to safely bring the plane to a stop. Wind gusts around Heathrow Airport yesterday were reported as high as 40 miles an hour. A bumpy ride, to say the least.
Meantime, Boeing is urging airlines to inspect all of their 737 Max jets for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system. This comes after federal regulators say the issue was seen on two separate 737s. The FAA says it's going to consider taking action against Boeing if there are more discoveries of this kind of loose hardware.
And you now have 760 million reasons to get a Powerball ticket. No one won last night's jackpot. There hasn't been a grand prize winner since October 11th.
The jackpot now carries a lump sum option of $382 million. The next drawing is on Saturday night. I feel Brianna looking at me as though we should pool our resources together.
KEILAR: Let's do it.
SANCHEZ: Let's do it. I think we can win. We have a shot.
So a New York bill has become a cultural flashpoint. And at the center of the debate, Chick-fil-A's longstanding policy to stay closed on Sundays. Details on this contentious debate in just moments.
[15:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: A consistent frustration among fans of Chick-fil-A is that the fast-food chain is closed on Sundays. A new bill, though, could change that in one state.
There's legislation in New York aiming to ensure that those traveling along the state's 500-mile thruway can access every restaurant available at rest stops seven days a week. And that could force Chick- fil-A to remain open on Sunday at those locations. Some Republicans are seizing on it to claim Democrats are targeting Chick-fil-A, which is a brand long associated with Christian conservatism.
CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn is with us now on this. All right, a lot of noise about this bill, Nathaniel. What does it actually do here?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN CONSUMER REPORTER: All right, guys, let's break down this bill, do some facts first here. What does the bill actually do?
So, it would require restaurants at state-owned properties along the New York thruway, which is about a 500-mile stretch, will take you from New York City up to Buffalo. It will require them to stay open seven days a week. And it will also require facilities at state-owned Port Authority locations, like JFK, Port Authority bus terminal, to stay open seven days a week. And it will apply to future contracts that New York has with restaurants and food concessions.
SANCHEZ: So, Nathaniel, just out of curiosity, 500 miles of the thruway, how many Chick-fil-A locations might be impacted here?
Seven, Boris, a total of seven. You'd think we'd be talking about hundreds of locations, locations around the state, but it would just potentially impact seven locations that are open.
It may not even impact those seven that are currently open, because, again, it will apply to future state -- future contracts that New York has with food concessions and restaurants.
So, there's, look, there's been a lot of noise about this, a lot of talk, and maybe not a little bit more nuanced than some of the statements we're seeing.
KEILAR: All right, Nathaniel, we'll keep an eye on this, because people will keep talking about it. We appreciate the report.
A pair of bowl game celebrations has us wondering here at CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Would you rather get doused by mayo or eggnog? I know my answer, but we'll settle the great debate right after this.
[15:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: From a debacle to the potentially disgusting, there are a lot of head-shaking headlines coming out of the football world.
In the NFL, the Green Bay Packers suspend one of their star players after crashing a coin toss and nearly costing his team the game.
SANCHEZ: Meantime, in college football, the bowl game celebrations delivered in hilarious fashion. CNN's Andy Scholes has all the greasy details.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN Well, Brianna and Boris, this Packers situation was rather wild. So, Jaire Alexander, he was not one of the captains for the Packers on Sunday against the Panthers, but since he's from Charlotte, he decided he was going to be a captain for that coin toss. So, he went out there to midfield with the rest of the captains, and he made the call on the coin toss, and he got it right, called tails. But then he said, we want to play defense.
Now, by saying that, that means the Packers would have had to play defense to start the game and to start the second half. You're supposed to say, we defer, meaning you want to receive the ball in the second half.
Now, luckily, Packers coach Matt LaFleur had already told the officials their plan wanting to defer. So the referee asked Alexander, you mean you want to defer? To which he said, oh, yeah. Now, after the Packers win, Alexander was asked about the whole ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIRE ALEXANDER, GREEN BAY PACKERS CORNERBACK: You know, I don't think coach knew I was from Charlotte, you know, so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you just did that on your own?
ALEXANDER: I mean, you know, I mean, it was like, you know, the guys backed me up. I told him that, I said, I want our defense to be out there.
And they all looked at me like I was crazy. I'm like, I mean, it's pretty simple what I said. Like, I want the defense to be out there.
They're like, you mean defer. I'm like, yeah, I guess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, Alexander, not really apologetic about the gaffe right there. He is the highest paid cornerback in the NFL. And coach LaFleur called his actions a big mistake. And he suspended Alexander for this weekend's big game against the Vikings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT LAFLEUR, GREEN BAY PACKERS HEAD COACH: I'll just say this. It's never for one thing. But like I said, I think there's a lot of lessons along the way from everybody involved. And hopefully we learn from them. I think we will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right, we had four college football bowl games yesterday. And with them came some fun postgame celebrations. USC won the holiday bowl. And to celebrate, they doused winning coach Lincoln Riley with eggnog. That certainly looked like lots of fun.
But maybe not as fun as West Virginia at the Duke's Mayo Bowl, where they poured a bucket of mayonnaise on coach Neil Brown.
So, Boris and Brianna, naturally, the question is, would you rather be covered in eggnog or mayo?
KEILAR: Well, Andy Scholes, thank you for leaving us with that question.
Listen, Duke's is my mayo, just to be clear.
[16:00:00]
But I'm going with eggnog.
SANCHEZ: I'm going with eggnog, too, especially if it's got some --
KEILAR: Little rum?
SANCHEZ: Yes, it's got to be rum, right?
KEILAR: Bourbon?
SANCHEZ: I'd go rum. I would actually go with coquito on top of all of this. You've had coquito.
KEILAR: Oh, yeah.
SANCHEZ: It's a Puerto Rican holiday drink. Yeah, I'd be doused in coquito any day.
KEILAR: That sounds better than Gatorade. Let's put it that way.
SANCHEZ: I feel like there's got to be more eggnog on that guy. There's not enough.
KEILAR: I will say the mayo sort of stayed where they put it.
SANCHEZ: Add a little bit of tuna, lettuce, bread.
KEILAR: Oh, no! Jake Tapper starts right now.
