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Russian Strikes Underway in Ukraine; Rogue Wave Slams into Beachgoers; Police Looking for Two People in Connection with Two Murders. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired December 29, 2023 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00]
DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, look, I think the comment is one that again political observers will wag at that you're the new John Kerry. Don't know that it will have much impact with New Hampshire or Iowa voters or caucus goers in Iowa. But this is an opportunity for Haley. Why would she not - why would she pardon Donald Trump? Because she thinks Donald Trump did something that was a pardonable offense and therefore he shouldn't be president, that he has these trials that will distract him and ultimately cause him to not be focused on Joe Biden. That's a message that Republicans can beat Donald Trump on if they choose to use it.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Tia, I want to give you a quick last word just to respond to that 9-year-old's question.
TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, "THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION": Yes, I think, number one, again, that she's been trying to make a general election message that she would be better against Joe Biden. But if you're telling general election voters you would pardon Donald Trump, I think that might undercut that.
And also, again, that brings up, when she answers these questions in that way, it brings up other things, such as, there are a lot of 80- year-old men sitting in federal prisons right now on crimes that don't include, you know, possibly trying to dismantle our democracy. And she's not speaking about them.
FREEMAN: Tia Mitchell, Doug Heye, thank you both for your insight on another busy day of 2024 primary politics. Appreciate it.
HEYE: Thank you.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'll tell you who was sweating during that was the advanced person who set up the Q&A -
FREEMAN: Right.
BERMAN: And thought it might be cute to call on a nine-year-old in the audience.
FREEMAN: Yes, softball. Right.
BERMAN: That person, soaked in sweat as that kid was asking that question.
FREEMAN: Right. (INAUDIBLE) for Christmas (ph).
BERMAN: All right, the largest air attack since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago. President Zelenskyy says that Russia is using nearly every type of weapon. This is still ongoing.
And does Google owe you after it just settled a $5 billion lawsuit?
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[09:36:10]
BERMAN: All right, happening now, the largest air attack on Ukraine since the Russian invasion began nearly two years ago. We're getting fresh reports of missiles falling in Sumy, in the northern city of Sumy. That follows attacks on Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kyiv, Odessa, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia. You can see, they span the entire country.
And we just got a fresh death toll. Twenty-six people killed at least at this count, 120 injured.
We are also seeing some of the aftermath here. This is in Dnipro, the city right here we showed you about here. You can see it hit a hospital and a shopping mall. Smoldering wreckage in that city. And this is just one of the cities that was hit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that his country was hit with almost every type of weaponry. It includes drones and missiles, airborne attacks across the entire country. And, again, this is still going on.
Let's bring in CNN's Nic Robertson to get a sense of what is still happening and why.
Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, you've got these missile attacks, cruise missile attacks, in Sumy in the north. And the Ukrainians thought that they could see this potentially coming earlier this afternoon because they noticed that some of the attack bombers that carry these missile systems had taken off to the north of Ukraine. So, they were monitoring that.
But I think it's super instructive if you sort of deconstruct what happened last night and try to see the plays that Russia put in here to try to defeat the air defense systems over Ukraine, which, of course, Ukraine hugely depends on the United States and European allies for funding them, for providing them, for giving them the munitions they need.
So, what did the Russians do. They started off with 36 drones coming from the north, the southeast and the west, which Ukrainian officials said they're kind of used to that. But then at about 3:00 a.m. the Russians launched 18 strategic bombers. And so for several hours after that the Ukrainians are monitoring these strategic bombers that carry multiple cruise missiles. They're monitoring those. And in that same time, the Russians launch long-range bombers, they launch eight cruise missiles at Ukraine, they launch MIG 35s, which launch hypersonic missiles at different targets in Ukraine. The Russians also fired surface to air missiles, radar-seeking missiles. And then, after all of those had impacted, those 18 strategic bombers I was talking about launched 90 -- 90 cruise missiles at Ukraine.
So, what the Russians are trying to do is probe and find weaknesses in Ukraine's air defense. And, you know, 158 missiles all together. Ukraine shoots down 114. Now, that means 44 got through. And that's why we're seeing such a high casualty toll, John.
BERMAN: Yes, and it's not just, again, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says almost every type of weapon used, as you noted, Nic. It's not just the types of weapons, it's the sequencing. And we have video over the capital of Kyiv where you can see, yes, the Ukrainian, you know, air defense is working, but it can't save them from everything. So, what happens, Nic, if this continues?
ROBERTSON: Yes, the ammunition supplies that the Ukrainians have will get depleted. And, of course, we know from front line commanders that they have to calculate and hold back reserves of ammunition because they don't know when the money's coming. They know that the United States is sitting on tens of billions of dollars in funding for the war. The European Union balked over Christmas at providing $55 billion of aid over the next four years. So, the Ukrainians have to - have to think about conserving ammunition. So, they have to look, when these strikes come over, about how many that they can afford to take down, how many more raids they think will come in the coming days.
[09:40:02]
Putin is on the run-up to the elections. The electricity grid network in Ukraine was hugely damaged last year and is not back up and running properly. So, that's very venerable. So, what, for the Ukrainians, another winter of freezing conditions without heating, without water, without lighting. That's realistic. We just don't know what Putin's next step is going to be, to amp this up even more or take a pause.
BERMAN: Yes, a cold, difficult winter, and it's just beginning.
Nic Robertson, thank you very much.
Danny.
FREEMAN: All right, take a look at this video right here. Onlookers were completely taken off guard by gigantic waves -- look at that, that's wild -- hitting the coast of California. Now, those people luckily are OK, but the threat is not over today.
Stay with us.
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[09:45:14] FREEMAN: On our radar this morning, Google has settled a class action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of secretly tracking users who were in incognito mode. Now, the plaintiffs claimed Google's cookies and apps let the search engine monitor users who thought they were browsing privately. The lawsuit originally sought at least $5 billion in damages, but the details of the settlement have not yet been made public.
And to this now, an Oxford, Ohio, police officer seen on video punching a Miami University football player is now on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. And I'll give you a warning, you may find the video you're about to see disturbing. This happened during an arrest outside a bar in November. Police say there was an altercation after Johnson allegedly assaulted the bar manager and then refused to leave. Oxford Police say, when they arrived, Johnson resisted and was pinned to the ground. And you see right there, that's when an officer is seen punching Johnson multiple times. Now, Johnson says he's innocent and denies the police account of what happened. He's pleaded not guilty to several charges, including resisting arrest and assault.
And a top French chef has quit his job at a Michelin starred restaurant in southwestern France following hazing allegations. According to French newspaper reports, a young assistant was tied naked to a chair in front of staff at Chef Aurelien Largeau's restaurant at the Hotel Du Palais. Now, Largeau gave a statement to a CNN affiliate calling the allegations against him defamatory and false. An investigation is underway.
John.
BERMAN: Mon Dieu.
I mean serious stuff there.
All right, this morning, California is bracing for round two after a rogue wave tossed beachgoers down the street. The wave breached a barrier in Ventura Beach -- look at that. It swept about 20 people 50 yards. Eight had to be taken to the hospital. The National Weather Service has issued coastal flooding and high surf warnings for much of the California coast today with waves of up to 40 feet possible in San Francisco. Some of these pictures are just extraordinary.
CNN's Lucy Kafanov is in Manhattan Beach, California, I hope tied to something, Lucy.
What are we expecting today?
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. Well, we're seeing a beautiful sunrise, but we're also seeing these massive waves, some of them coming closer and closer, so my producer is going to keep an eye out on our safety for us.
The National Weather Service warning of dangerous surf, as well as life-threatening rip currents. And it's not just Manhattan Beach right here where we are. These -- there are coastal flood and high surf alerts all the way from the U.S./Mexico border to the bay area.
And yesterday we saw these massive waves pummeling the coast. Santa Cruz County was particularly affected. Parts of that were evacuated. There was a stunning footage of massive waves flooding over a restaurant there. And I should note that that restaurant had actually been closed for remodels for months. It had just reopened. Now closed again because of that damage.
Parts of Santa Cruz also expecting waves of up to 40 feet this weekend. Onlookers from yesterday describing the terror.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL VERNOR, LIVES IN SANTA CRU COUNTY: It's a pure state of panic, to be honest, as far as the community goes because you know there's plenty out there that are not prepared.
JOHN FRIELL, WITNESSED ROGUE WAVE: This wave just came seemingly out of nowhere. Just this rush. I mean you saw it. It was 6, 8 feet deep.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: And crews in Ventura Beach, which was also affected yesterday, had worked through the night to set up barriers to keep the water from going in further. You played that footage of the waves sweeping onlookers from yesterday. And authorities are saying, this is the perfect example of why people shouldn't risk it. Don't go to the beach. Don't try to get close to the waves to get that perfect selfie because the ocean might look -- well, actually, that looks pretty scary to me, but it might look fine but there's something, John, called sneaker waves, which is waves that swell that sneaks up on you. It comes up much faster, much rougher than you're expecting and it's no joke. It's serious stuff. You really have to be careful and not get too close, John.
BERMAN: Yes, these warnings are very real. The danger can be very serious.
Lucy Kafanov, thank you for being there. Please, make good choices. Stay safe.
FREEMAN: Wild stuff right there.
All right, still ahead, police in Texas want to speak with these two people seen in this surveillance video right here as they investigate the fatal shootings of a teenager due to give birth any day and her boyfriend. We'll be right back.
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[09:53:40]
FREEMAN: Police in San Antonio are now asking the public to help them find two people seen on surveillance video near the site where the bodies of a pregnant teen and her boyfriend were found. Eighteen-year- old Savannah Soto and 22-year-old Matthew Guerra were found dead inside of a car on Tuesday. They'd both been shot. Soto was past her delivery date and her family had reported her missing a few days earlier.
Form more on all of this, let's bring in CNN law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild for the latest.
Whitney, tell me, what stood out to authorities about the two people seen in that video?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's two things, Danny. I mean the first is that this video was taken a few days before the bodies were found. Police believe that the bodies had been in their -- the location where they were found for a few days. So, the timeline here very concerning for law enforcement. And then further, that car, the Kia Optima you see, the silver car in that video, they believe belonging to one of these victims, Matthew Guerra.
So, let's go to the video and I'll described for you what law enforcement is looking at here. So, if you can see, there's this dark colored Chevy pickup truck, a Chevy Silverado, pulling up to this silver Kia Optima. Again, police believing this was a few days before the bodies were found. That car belonging to one of the victims, Matthew Guerra. And here you see these two drivers interacting. The video is not great, Danny. It is - it is far away.
[09:55:01]
The details are hard to make out. But here's what police see in this video and why they think it is so important.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF WILLIAM MCMANUS, SAN ANTONIO POLICE: What we believe right now, it was something to wipe the side of the car down with. You know, we can't be 100 percent certain of. But that's what we're studying in this video, and that's what we believe right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: So, what they're seeing here is the driver of that Chevy pickup truck seeming to wipe down the side of that Kia Optima. These are two people of interest for police. They have stopped short of saying that they're suspects. Many more questions to answer.
But let's go to the timeline here, Danny, because that is really the big question here.
So, December 22nd, Savannah Soto was last seen. Again, she was nine months pregnant. She was just 18 years old.
December 23rd, she misses an essential appointment. At that time in pregnancy, those appointments are very important for the health of the unborn child. She missed that appointment. Very concerning. And that's when her family reported her missing to local authorities.
And then finally, December 22nd, that's when the bodies of Matthew Guerra and Savannah Soto were found.
A key piece of information here, Danny, is that Matthew Guerra is believed to have been killed by a contact gunshot wound to the head. And what that means is that the firearm was placed directly on his head. And that's a key piece of information here, Danny, because it's affecting how police are viewing what the possibilities are here. So, here's what police said about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, there's a possibility that this could be a murder-suicide.
CHIEF WILLIAM MCMANUS, SAN ANTONIO POLICE: That possibility exists, but right now we don't believe so, unless we get information from the ME that would change our current course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: Danny, this is being investigated as a capital murder case. Police, again, urging the public to come forward with any information.
Back to you.
FREEMAN: Yes. Hope that video helps.
Whitney Wild, thank you so much.
BERMAN: So, the Supreme Court will likely have to decide if Donald Trump can stay on the ballot in certain states. And this comes as we await a key decision from yet another state on whether and how to apply the 14th amendment.
Dozens of people are dead in Ukraine this morning as Russia is hitting the country with its largest air attack since the invasion began. We've got new information just coming in.
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