Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Feds Warns ISIS Might Target U.S. Churches; Tunisia Arrests Three Men Linked to Berlin Attacker; U.S. Abstains in U.N. Vote Against Israeli Settlements; Trump Tells TV Anchor, "Let It Be an Arms Race"; Trump's Cabinet Faces Confirmation Battle; Rift Widens Between Obama and Trump; Top 10 Sports Stories of 2016; Teen With Rare Genetic Disorder Shoots and Scores; Chicago police Helped Englewood Angels Soar; Aired 1-2p ET

Aired December 24, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00] ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: And new worries as millions of Americans of course prepare to celebrate Christmas. Also through three new arrests in that Berlin Christmas market attack. One of them the nephew of the suspected attacker. Officials now revealing recent conversations between the two men.

We begin with those possible threats, though, here at home. CNN's Polo Sandoval has been following the developing story for us.

So give us a sense. What exactly is the FBI warning could happen?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Eric. Well, what initially caught the attention of federal authorities here in the United States was there were several pro ISIS Web sites that initially posted several calls for attacks on places of worship, on churches, particularly here in the United States as a result.

The Department of Homeland Security and also the FBI issued this bulletin, of course, the timing here is important as it is coming while so many Americans get ready to attend Christmas and Hanukah services starting today.

What is important, though, in this bulletin that was issued yesterday, though, Erica, is that according to officials there is no credible, no specific threat against any particular target in the United States. This is them basically trying to get ahead of things, trying to issue that alert to local, state, federal law enforcement agencies, perhaps pastors as well who are leading congregations this weekend as families pour into their houses of worship and their churches as they prepare to celebrate.

That is really the main message that officials want to stress here. They want the public to take this seriously, but at the same time not let this loom over their celebrations. We've heard this before. It's a reason not to be afraid, just to be aware of your surroundings, whether you're in New York or in perhaps some of America's smaller towns celebrating with family members.

HILL: Being understandably and be proactive. I heard on the radio on my way in early this morning that they were putting up about some metal barriers around St. Patrick's Cathedral.

SANDOVAL: Yes.

HILL: On Fifth Avenue here in New York City. It also talked about -- that bulletin talked about just looking out for unusual behavior. Was it real specific in terms of the types of behavior that people should be on the lookout for?

SANDOVAL: Sure. We are -- that bulletin has not been sent out wider, especially to media organizations, for example. So we have not seen that actual break down. But of course as you would expect, it would include looking out for just things out of place. I think that often used see something, say something phrase is obviously more important than ever during the holiday season. You have families, large crowds that are gathering, and sadly we saw the potential of what a lone wolf attack or somebody that could be radicalized and inspired by -- you know, by certain individuals.

We saw that play out sadly in Berlin this week. So as a result, that really is a sad, a tragic reminder of what can happen. So you see some of these pictures in the Big Apple, you have men and women in uniform will be working around the clock as many of us have the opportunity to perhaps spend some time with our loved ones.

HILL: Polo Sandoval, appreciate it as always. Thank you.

SANDOVAL: You bet.

HILL: For a closer look at this, we're joined now by Major General James "Spider" Marks, CNN military analyst.

Good to see you.

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Erika, how are you? Merry Christmas to you.

HILL: I'm doing well. Merry Christmas to you, as well. When we take a look at this increasingly when there is a bulletin sent out, when there is some sort of a warning, it seems to be focused on what we call soft targets, so places that didn't used to be thought of as potential targets, Christmas markets, as we know, churches. How concerned are you when you see this bulletin and you see what we -- and you look and listen to what we're hearing from the FBI and from DHS?

MARKS: Well, clearly what they're doing is, there is some background noise, and maybe the background noise gets into a little bit more detail that we may not be aware of. But clearly this is a seasonal threat. We have Christians, we have Jewish families that are all going to start to worship in great numbers in a whole bunch of locations, so this becomes a seasonal threat that we need to be aware of.

And so what you have with this type of threat warning that goes out is that in local municipalities and communities there might be some additional indicators that haven't risen to the top level, haven't necessarily worked their way through the bureaucracy of reporting that the local law enforcement are very much aware of. So they take the rubric of let's be careful, let's be cautious during the season, and then they work some more detailed efforts at their location.

And as you see in the reporting that just took place, local law enforcement, there might be some community efforts, some groups that are working together in support of local law enforcement to help put some eyes and ears out on the street.

HILL: The style of attacks in Berlin, in Nice, there was some extra precautions we were told taken here in New York City ahead of the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade to make sure that something like that could not in fact happen here. Someone tries to commandeer a truck. Realistically what is the threat here in the United States versus some of the what we're seeing in Europe?

MARKS: Well, we certain have always had what I would call a heightened level of -- in deference to law enforcement here in the United States. We tend to -- at least in my experience, we tend to tighten things down pretty precisely and we tend to respond pretty effectively to law enforcement and efforts that they make.

[13:05:11] Having spent a good deal of my life overseas in a whole bunch of different locations, I can tell you those rules and those cultural norms can differ depending upon where you are. I think it's inappropriate for us to draw too many comparisons between what we're seeing overseas and what we might see here in the United States. But it's important that we share the intelligence that is related to all of those. And I think that's the most important thing going forward.

Any activity that's taking place here in the United States clearly is going to have some linkages, could have some linkages, and could in fact have some antecedents that were brought over from other places overseas.

HILL: This -- so this bulletin was sent out after a pro-ISIS group published this publicly available list of churches and this is something we've seen from ISIS urging sympathizers, not necessarily we're going to tell you how do it, but yes, you should do things and do it in the name of ISIS. Is there a sense that sympathy for ISIS is growing in the United States at this point?

MARKS: No, I don't think so, Erica. I think what we see is that -- my view of the struggle against this radical form of Islam, I mean, this really is a cancer within a religion that needs to be excised from what otherwise be a peaceful religion, is that it really doesn't matter what you and I do, the fact that we are Western, we may be Christian or Judeo Christian heritage, is sufficient for those radical elements within that otherwise wonderful religion, it doesn't matter what we do. They are going to continue to hate us and I -- in fact, in my personal experience, you know, you go to places like Iraq and you conduct operations, you're doing it for what you think are absolutely wonderful intentions, and the Iraqis love their liberation but they hate their liberators, in other words the experiences are quite deep. When we see the great things that the United States with coalition

partners can achieve, yet they are very, very negative results as a result of that. You just can't get your head around it intellectually. There are just bad things that are going to happen.

HILL: Major General James "Spider" Marks, always good to see you. Thank you, and Merry Christmas again.

MARKS: Erica, thank you very much. Merry Christmas.

HILL: We are also following some developments in the terror attack in Berlin. We know that three men are now under arrest in Tunisia. Among them the nephew of the suspected attacker.

Journalist Chris Burns is following the developments for us from Berlin.

Chris, what more do we know about these individuals and what led to their arrest?

CHRIS BURNS, JOURNALIST: Well, Eric, we know more about the nephew than anything else at this point. The nephew of Anis Amri, that was the man who crashed the truck into this Christmas market on Monday killing 12 people. His nephew was contacted by Anis Amri and asked to pledge allegiance to ISIS.

This is according to Tunisian Interior Ministry officials. The nephew was arrested or detained in a -- very poor part of central Tunisia and the other two men were arrested in Tunis. And that's about all we know. But what it does indicate is that there are -- there were links, this is part of this network that Anis Amri was cultivating and through this app called Telegram that ISIS was using, that he was using to communicate, because it's very easy to hide with it.

HILL: And tell us a little bit more about that app, if you could. It was one that probably a lot of people have not heard of before today, and yet it has an astronomical number of users.

BURNS: Yes. Absolutely. It has 100 million users, was started back in 2013 by two Russian brothers here in Germany. And it has just exploded. It has become what some people call the app of choice for groups like ISIS because you can hide behind it. Because it has a very, very strong -- what do you call it? A very, very strong encryption. You can read a message and it will self-destruct.

They -- ISIS has used it to post hit lists, they have secret chat rooms. This is the kind of thing that the House Foreign Relations Committee is very worried about and is putting pressure on Telegram to start to block, to block ISIS and others from using that. We'll see how that goes -- Erica.

HILL: It will be interesting to see exactly as you point out how that does go.

Chris Burns with an update for us from Berlin. Chris, thank you. Up next the diplomatic fallout after yesterday's U.N. vote. What

America's decision to abstain from supporting Israel signals for the relationship between the two nations going forward.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:12:25] HILL: The Obama administration facing a hail of criticism after failing to veto a U.N. resolution that condemns construction of Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott has more on the diplomatic fallout here and around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER (voice-over): Tonight, the Obama administration poured salt in an already openly wounded relationship with Israel, abstaining from a controversial vote at the United Nations to condemn Israeli settlements in disputed territories.

SAMANTHA POWER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: It is because this resolution reflects the facts on the ground, and is consistent with U.S. policy across Republican and Democratic administrations throughout the history of the state of Israel that the United States did not veto it.

LABOTT: The administration's decision not to exercise its right to a veto, despite pleas from the Israeli government, prominent Democrats and President-elect Donald Trump allowed the resolution to pass. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. told the Security Council the U.S. was not abandoning Israel, even though the U.S. has traditionally wielded its veto to protect the Jewish state on votes regarding settlements.

POWER: Our vote today is fully in line with the bipartisan history of how American presidents have approached both the issue and the role of this body.

LABOTT: President Obama has long held the settlements were an obstacle to peace. But the vote today in the waning days of Obama's presidency was seen by some as a parting shot against the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who at times has clashed with Mr. Obama.

After the resolution passed, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted, quote, "As to the U.N., things will be different after January 20th."

Israel's U.N. ambassador said in a statement he expected his country's, quote, "greatest ally to act in accordance with the values we share and that they would have vetoed this disgraceful resolution." And he said he hopes the Trump administration will be more sympathetic.

The vote brought to head a standoff between the current and future presidents over Mideast peace. It was initially delayed Thursday after a diplomatic scramble by Netanyahu, who CNN has learned reached out to President-elect Donald Trump to intervene. When Trump sent out a statement Thursday calling for a U.S. veto, Egyptian President Sisi, whose country sponsored the resolution, took a call from Trump and then put the vote on hold. Other members reintroduced it.

Behind the scenes, officials complained Trump's interference runs afoul of the long standing tradition that a president-elect does not interfere with an outgoing president's administration, especially in foreign policy. But publicly, the State Department has appeared unfazed.

[13:15:05] JOHN KIRBY, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Nobody here felt boxed in by a tweet from the president-elect. And he's perfectly entitled to express his views on these kinds of things.

LABOTT: Trump's new spokesman made clear this president-elect won't be staying on the sidelines until he takes office next month.

SEAN SPICER, INCOMING WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: President Obama and his team have been unbelievably gracious to the president-elect and his team, but at the end of the day he's not someone that's going to sit back and wait.

LABOTT: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office is accusing President Obama and his administration of colluding behind the scenes against Israel, something the White House has vehemently denied. Israeli says that it looks forward to working with the Trump administration to negate the effects of this resolution and has recalled its ambassadors from countries who voted for it -- Erica.

HILL: Elise Labott. Elise, thank you.

Lindsey Graham has a lot to say about the diplomatic fallout calling President Obama's foreign policy flat-out reckless. Don't miss the Republican senator when he joins Dana Bash this afternoon at 3:00 Eastern for conversation you will see only on CNN. Stay with us, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: As Donald Trump prepares to step into his role as president, he is already shaking things up on the issue of nuclear weapons, telling NBC, quote, "Let it be an arms race." That's after he released what he calls a very nice letter from Russia's president, Vladimir Putin.

CNN's chief political correspondent Dana Bash has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Anyone watching the toing and froing the last day or so between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump about nice letters, but then threats and a nuclear arms race could and should rightly not know what is really going on, but that could be the point. Each trying to keep the upper hand.

It's one thing, though, doing that negotiating business deals, it's quite different when talking about nuclear arsenals. (Voice-over): A "Dear Mr. Trump" letter from Russia's Vladimir Putin

released by the transition. "I hope that after you assume the position of the president of the United States of America we will be able, by acting in a constructive and pragmatic manner, to take real steps to restore the framework of bilateral cooperation."

Trump called it a very nice letter from Vladimir Putin. His thoughts are so correct. The date on Putin's letter, December 15th, more than a week ago. Releasing it now could be designed to lower the temperature after his own explosive comments hours earlier. Threatening to engage in a nuclear arms race.

[13:20:11] During a commercial break, Trump called a pajama clad MSNBC host sitting on an oddly cozy set to report something alarming. "Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all."

Trump's incoming White House press secretary explained.

SPICER: There are countries around the globe right now that are talking about increasing their nuclear capacity. The president is going to put our nation's security and safety first, and he's not going to worry about -- he is going to do it.

BASH: And unorthodox approach to just about everything should be a surprise to no one. It's what Trump's campaign was all about.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: Things have to change and they have to change right now.

BASH: Now that change means threatening to roll back decades of diplomatic work on nuclear arms control and shaking things up on the domestic front, too. Trump sent Lockheed into a momentary tailspin by tweeting about cost overruns for the Pentagon's new F-35 strike fighters.

TRUMP: These are crooked people.

BASH: But some of Trump's harsh campaign rhetoric feels different now that the shoe is on the president-elect's foot.

TRUMP: You look at that foundation, it's pure theft and pure crookedness.

BASH: He relentlessly attacked the Clintons on allegations of pay- for-play with their charitable foundation, which does good works like global health initiatives. Now his son Eric suspended his own foundation to avoid allegations of pay-for-play, which Trump lamented on Twitter, saying, "My wonderful son, Eric, will no longer be allowed to raise money for children with cancer because of a possible conflict of interest with my presidency. Isn't this a ridiculous shame? He loves these kids, has raised millions of dollars for them and now must stop. Wrong answer."

And then there is how Trump spent his morning, on the links with Tiger Woods, an enviable outing for any golf enthusiast, yet curious since Tiger was a regular part of Trump's anti-Obama campaign rift.

TRUMP: He played more golf last year than Tiger Woods. No, think of it. We don't have time for this.

BASH (on camera): Now to be fair, since becoming a candidate Trump has not spent that much time playing golf, especially considering his Web site lists 17 Trump branded golf courses around the globe. But Trump also said during the campaign, he loves golf, he thinks Tiger Woods is one of the greats but he doesn't have time to play. Maybe now that he has the weight of being president-elect on his shoulders, Trump is realizing that even presidents need a mental break from time to time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Dana Bash for us. Dana, thank you.

A fierce language and public vetting, the unofficial confirmation battle has begun for Donald Trump's Cabinet picks. Some Democrats hoping delay tactics could work in their favor. We'll discuss, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:26:24] HILL: Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Erica Hill.

We are about four weeks away from the inauguration, already the president-elect has filled out most of his Cabinet. So with the lineup already defined, lawmakers on both sides are laying out their case to try to get some of Donald Trump's key appointees rejected.

Now most Republicans say the plans to discredit these nominees will not work, but we can expect a heated confirmation process nonetheless. To talk about this, let's bring in our political panel. Washington bureau chief for the "Chicago Sun Times" Lynn Sweet and historian Julian Zelizer.

Good to have both of you with us. I think each time we hear a nominee brought up, we immediately hear well, this is what the case will be against them when we go to the Senate confirmation hearings.

The last time, though, Julian, that a pick was rejected, a Cabinet pick was rejected was 1989, and obviously the Democrats cannot fight every single nomination. So, Julian, the chances of any of these nominees not making it through?

JULIAN ZELIZER, PROFESSOR AND HISTORIAN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, there is always that possibility. The one you are referring to is John Tower who was brought down for secretary of Defense and all kinds of scandals came up. It is very difficult, especially when you have a Republican Congress that is not going to be eager to make problems for the administration. So we know some of the story line in terms of where the attacks will come. There will be other stories to emerge from rumors, from scandals, issues that come up in the confirmation. But it's very difficult. Maybe one or two would be susceptible but I think most will go through. HILL: One or two. Who would those one or two be in your mind?

ZELIZER: Well, Tillerson is actually the one -- on the one hand on paper he is very strong and there is many attributes that President- elect Trump can talk about as secretary of State. But this ongoing story of relationships with Russia and Russia interference in the election and his relationship with Russia, I think makes him a little bit susceptible. But it's hard to predict how this unfold and where the Democrats will focus their attention.

HILL: One of the things that we had heard is Senate Democrats when they look at this, forcing -- wanting to force Donald Trump's picks to really lay down markers, so specific policies, so they can start to sort of build this case against Donald Trump in some ways. Senator Jeff Markley of Oregon saying this about Donald Trump, quote, "His campaign based on his nomination was a charade. He sold the American public on a story that is a false story. It is a scam."

Here's the thing, though, Lynn. Even if that bears out, even if Donald Trump said things on the campaign trail but now we're seeing are a little bit different even in this period as president-elect, he seems to at every turn find a way to sort of push that off and move forward. Is that what we can expect to see, Lynn, as we move into this administration and into these confirmation hearings?

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN TIMES: Well, I think on the confirmation hearing, I think the problem for some of these nominees, Erica and Julian, is going to come even before they have a hearing. Remember that even Bill Clinton nominated two women for attorney general who had nanny problems and paying taxes and employing illegal -- you will be -- you will have checks, very clearly, for all these fabulously wealthy people, have they ever employed illegal immigrants, have they paid all these taxes properly.

So let's just go through that first vetting before we even know what the policies will be at a hearing that they talk about. Don't overlook that this is something that the Democrats in the Senate do have the power to do, and that's to investigate. And they will do that.

HILL: One of the things the Democrats have brought up, too, and that we're hearing more of, and this speaks partly to your point, Lynn, is the fact that this has become a Cabinet and an administration of billionaires and --

SWEET: The 1 percent.

HILL: The 1 percent. The 1 percent of the 1 percent.

[13:30:03] SWEET: Yes. I exaggerate.

HILL: But when you look at that -- and so part of the case is being made that look, these are people who are out of touch with America, they are out of touch with many of the voters who were some of the most vocal supporters of Donald Trump. Lynn, does that argument, though, hold any weight? Donald Trump in

many ways is out of touch if you want to look at it purely on that level with a lot of the voters who supported them, and yet they were wholeheartedly behind him.

SWEET: This is what we'll have to see because what we don't know is how loyal the base will be to Donald Trump. Will they see that these Cabinet picks, whenever the next round of polling goes on, not that polling will tell us everything, we know that from the election, but will he be able to convince his voters, who want change, that the people he is bringing in relate to them, relate to their causes, are putting the issues as a priority, and most importantly, can he bring some change fairly quick into the lives of people that he said he would.

HILL: How important will that quickness be for Donald Trump? Because the Democrats do try to make this case, look, this may not be the guy you thought he was. He may not be bringing the kind of change that you want.

ZELIZER: I don't think the Cabinet people matter in that respect, meaning you can have wealthy people and voters are willing to say OK, maybe they'll do well by me, that's the Donald Trump story. We've had Democrats who are wealthy who are also loved by many, many voters. But the policies matter. So if the secretary in charge of the health care plan gets rid of ACA, where enrollments just went up in states like Pennsylvania, that are Trump territory, that could anger people.

If there's tax cuts that are aggressive and hurt American workers or labor policies that come down that actually limit wages and the rights of workers, all of that can anger the Trump constituency much more than the personnel and who they are. That's my opinion.

HILL: Lynn, go ahead? Were you about to say something?

SWEET: Well, my point, I want to underscore what Julian said. Because right now everyone -- so many people don't understand sometimes until it happens is this a policy that is good or bad, we're out of the campaign rhetoric. So I could love what I heard in the campaign, but oh, my goodness, now my life is affected by this policy or that. That's why a lot of this is tenfold. So if you give everybody who Trump is putting in to the Cabinet, and I agree history shows that they'll be confirmed if they pass vetting, and I think this is going to be a hurdle for some of them because they've never been vetted this way before.

Then you have to see what the policies are, and if Trump's base will stick with him loyally, you know, through the period of time it takes to see something that will impact me in a way that I thought I would get when I voted for Trump.

HILL: When it comes to Democrats before we let you both go, Julian, could trying to fight every nominee, could this start to backfire on Democrats? Because they need a little support that they're lacking as we've seen. They're looking for leadership right now. ZELIZER: Sure. It could hurt in two ways. One is that Trump turns

them into the, quote-unquote, "do nothing Congress," even though Republicans control Congress he puts the blame on Democrats for obstruction in a way Obama wasn't able to do with Republicans. And two, as they get so focused on the confirmation fights they lose time and they lose energy in trying to lay out an agenda that will actually win the voters back. So those are the two dangers.

That said, Republicans obstructed a lot and they did pretty well in the last few years in rebuilding their party. So Democrats shouldn't feel that a little rough politics can't help.

HILL: Well, we'll have a lot to look at come January, won't we all?

SWEET: Yes, pick their fights. I project they'll pick -- the Democrats will pick their fights and let the Republicans who may dissent on some of these picks, let them take -- you know, let them take the lead.

HILL: Lynn Sweet, Julian Zelizer, good to have both of you with us. Thank you. Happy Holidays.

ZELIZER: Thank you. Happy Holidays.

SWEET: Same to you, thank you.

HILL: It is time for a little holiday celebration. One of the more interesting ones is in the old town neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. How about that? Do you think Santa would want to relax before the big night tonight. Oh, no, relaxing is apparently hitting the water with his friends. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:37:30] HILL: Taking a look at some of the top stories, the first lawsuits have been filed in that deadly building fire earlier this month in Oakland, California. Parents of two of the victims are suing the owners and event organizers for what they call, quote, "horrific and gross negligence." That fire trapped and killed 36 party goers earlier this month.

"Star Wars" actor Carry Fisher remains hospitalized at this hour after suffering a cardiac arrest on the flight to Los Angeles yesterday. The actress' brother telling CNN she is in stable condition but is still in intensive care. The 60-year-old actress is best known for her role as Princess Leia in "Star Wars."

Turning to politics this week as President Obama attempted to make one of his final statements as commander-in-chief, President-elect Donald Trump caused a growing rift in their relationship. The Obama administration abstained from voting on a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement. That resolution passed. But before that vote, Trump had demanded Obama veto the measure and after the vote, Trump tweeted to the U.N., "As to the U.N., things will be different after January 20th." Joining me now to discuss CNN's Athena Jones. So Athena, give us a

sense -- we should point out, too, you're in Hawaii because of course that's where the president and his family are for the holidays. How is the White House responding now especially to what we saw from Donald Trump following that vote?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Erica. Well, the White House is reminding everyone that there is one president at a time. Those are the exact words we heard from the president's deputy National Security adviser, Ben Rhodes on a conference call with reporters about this U.N. vote yesterday. He said after January 20th, then President Trump will become responsible for foreign policy, but not until then. Here is more of what Ben Rhodes had to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN RHODES, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It's unusual. There's been a lot of unusual during this transition. Look, the way in which President Obama handles his business is we control what we control. He's been very gracious, he's been very clear to us that we are to help execute the most successful transition that we possibly can. So that will be our attitude going forward, Jim.

We will do our part to do whatever we can for the incoming team and to do our jobs here until January 20th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So that was Ben Rhodes speaking on the "SITUATION ROOM." And it's important to note that President Obama has said repeatedly that it's a top priority for him to make sure that there is a smooth and professional transition to the next president and these sort of actions by President-elect Trump disrupt that or certainly threaten to disrupt that a bit -- Erica.

[13:40:08] HILL: Athena Jones for us today. Athena, thank you.

Still to come the games that broke hearts and the athletes that stole headlines. A look at the top 10 sports moments of 2016 after the break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEYTON MANNING, BRONCOS QUARTERBACK: I fought a good fight. I finished my football race. But after 18 years it's time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: With plenty of folks wishing for a white Christmas, would you like to know how many areas just might see snow? Some of this weather could actually impact your travel plans, though it may look good out there.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the latest forecast. (WEATHER REPORT)

[13:45:06] HILL: Allison Chinchar with the update for us. Allison, thank you.

No injuries reported after a plane carrying the Minnesota Vikings skidded off an icy runway. The airport had to use a fire truck ladder to get the team off the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The players seem to be in pretty good spirits, though, posting videos to their Facebook pages and also this video on their team Web site.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just so you all can see what is going on here. On a fire ladder. How you doing down there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The incident at the Appleton International Airport in Wisconsin happened as the jet was taxiing to the gate. The Vikings by the way are in Wisconsin to take on the Packers later today.

Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, the Cleveland Cavs, the Chicago Cubs, their incredible performances gave us plenty of reasons to cheer in 2016.

CNN Sports anchor Andy Scholes shows us the best and yes, the worst moments from sports.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: 2016 is going to down as one of the most memorable in sport history. We saw championship buzzer beaters, amazing comebacks and more than century long drought finally meet its end.

College basketball March Madness living up to its name and then some this year. The final coming down to Villanova and North Carolina, their championship game coming down to the final second.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two seconds to go. He made it. He -- at the buzzer, Cavs win it all. Cavs win it all. Cavs win it all.

SCHOLES: Chris Jenkins the hero as the Wildcats win their first championship in 31 years.

In 2016 we saw one of the biggest underdog stories of all time. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are in the heart of the storm here in the

very middle of Leister City, and you can see behind me that hundreds of fans have congregated here.

SCHOLES: The soccer club Leister City's odds of winning the Premier League was 5,000 to one when the season started, and they not only won it, they won it easily being called the greatest sport upset of all time and a movie currently in the works to tell the story of Leister City's incredible championship season.

Team USA had an amazing run at the Rio Olympics, but it was nearly overshadowed by Lochte-gate.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: The story of a gunpoint robbery that the police there in Brazil say was a lie made up by Ryan Lochte and three other of his swimmers.

RYAN LOCHTE, U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMER: He pulled out a gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead. I over exaggerated that story.

SCHOLES: And Lochte lost many of his endorsement deals and was suspended 10 months by U.S. Swimming but he did compete on season 23 of "Dancing with the Stars" finishing in 7th place.

2016 finally saw the end of deflate-gate. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season and decided against appealing his case any further. Brady's suspension not slowing the Patriots down, they're once again the favorites in the AFC and Brady seems to be over deflate-gate having some fun with the whole thing in a recent footlocker commercial.

TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: Just because something is great, it doesn't mean anything is going on. Why can't some things just be great?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a question.

BRADY: Starts with questions and then questions turn into assumptions and then assumptions turn into vacations.

SCHOLES: In 2016 we saw the final chapter of the Brady-Manning rivalry. Denver Broncos beating Brady and the Patriots in the AFC championship game to reach Super Bowl 50. The Broncos beat league MVP Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, 24-10, and Manning would do what few quarterbacks have been able to do, go out on top.

MANNING: I fought a good fight. I finished my football race and after 18 years, it's time.

SCHOLES: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began a nationwide discussion by kneeling during the national anthem before a game to protest social injustice in the U.S.

COLIN KAEPERNICK, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS QUARTERBACK: People are realizing the injustices and the oppression that's taking place in this country and it's something that needs to be addressed. SCHOLES: Some NFL players and other athletes like U.S. Women's

National Team star Megan Rapino joined Kaepernick in his protest and Kaepernick captured attention again in November when he revealed that he didn't vote in the presidential election saying it would have been hypocritical.

Leading up to the Rio Olympic Games, much of the talk was about security concerns, dirty water, and the Zika virus but the attention quickly turned to the dominant performance by the United States. Gymnast Simone Biles living up to the hype, winning four gold medals including one with her team mates dubbed the final five.

In the pool the U.S. was unstoppable. 19-year-old Katie Ledecki blowing away the competition winning five medals, and the most decorated Olympian of all time? Michael Phelps rode off into the sunset with five more gold medals.

[13:50:01] In June we lost the greatest of all time. Muhammad Ali passing away after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, and unfortunately he was not the only sports legend to pass away in 2016. Golfing great Arnold Palmer died at the age of 87. Mr. Hockey, Gordy Howe, passed away at the age of 88. And legendary Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt died after a battle with early onset dementia. She was 64 years old.

In the NBA, then Golden State Warriors breaking a record few thought would ever fall. The team going 73-9 in the regular season topping Michael Jordan's 96 Bulls record, at 72-10. The Warriors had a 3-1 lead in the finals over LeBron James' Cleveland cavaliers. But LeBron and Kyrie Irving would lead the Cavs to three straight wins becoming the first team to ever come back from the 3-1 deficit in the finals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Believe it, Cleveland, saver it, soak it in, the kid from Akron has come home. The Cavaliers are NBA champions and the impossible dream has come true.

SCHOLES: LeBron making good on his promise to deliver Cleveland its first championship in 52 years.

LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: My one mission was to bring the championship back to Ohio, back to Cleveland and back to Akron. Look up there. It is right there.

SCHOLES: This is what a 108-year drought celebration looks like. And for the first time in a lifetime, the Cubs can call themselves champions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, Cubbies, let's go. Step faster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't even move. But I don't care. This is unbelievable. This is what you dream for as a kid.

SCHOLES: Thrilling competition. Curse is broken. And 2016 was a great year in sports. Can't wait to see what surprises are in store for 2017. HILL: Up next, police officers going beyond the call of duty in

Chicago. Heartbreaking discovery of three little girls rescued from an abandoned apartment. Their story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:55:09] HILL: In the Christmas spirit, a story about hope in this week's "Turning Point." A New Hampshire team with a rare genetic disorder isn't letting his small stature block his shots.

CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At 3'5", 15-year- old Tristan Willmott is not your typical basketball player.

TRISTAN WILLMOTT, SOPHOMORE, HILLSBORO-DEERING HIGH SCHOOL: I've been practicing all my life for this.

ANDREW JONES, TRISTAN'S COACH: On the first day of tryouts, when I saw Tristan come in, I thought he was somebody's little brother.

GUPTA: Tristan is now playing on his high school basketball team for a second year.

T. WILLMOTT: Making a basket was my goal in each game.

GUPTA: Tristan has an extremely rare chromosomal disorder called Mulibrey nanism. It's a form of dwarfism that impedes growth and also affects the muscles, liver, brain and eyes. It can lead to premature death in patients who experience severe complications, such as a heart infection.

JESSIE WILLMOTT, TRISTAN'S MOTHER: They knew right off that he was small. And they actually found it by accident.

GUPTA: By that point, Tristan was in a fight for his life. His mom had prepared him for the worst.

J. WILLMOTT: They had sat me down and said that I needed to look at quality of life versus quantity.

GUPTA: But then he turned a corner after what should have been the last trip of his life.

J. WILLMOTT: They really, I don't think, gave him more than a few months. So we did the Make a Wish trip to Florida and he really hasn't been sick since.

GUPTA: Now, 10 years later, Tristan credits his grit for helping him soar.

T. WILLMOTT: I didn't get tired because I knew I wouldn't give up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Now turning to a story with the true meaning of the holidays. Three young sisters found living in an abandoned Chicago apartment filled with garbage are getting a second chance. Police in the community together raising more than $100,000 to give the girls a fresh start.

Ryan Young has more in this addition of "Beyond the Call of Duty."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three young girls from Chicago are getting a fresh start at life. They're known as the Englewood angels, and the love they receive now is all thanks to one 911 call.

SGT. CHARLES ARTZ, CHICAGO POLICE: I get notified that we have a situation where there's some children left alone inside this abandoned building.

YOUNG: Inside the home, Sergeant Charles Artz says the girls then 7, 2, and 1 sat together with nothing but each other.

ARTZ: They're all huddled up together in the bedroom, on a very dirty mattress that's inside one of the bedrooms there. The whole house was very uninhabitable. There was no running water, no heat, no electricity. Dirty garbage spread throughout the apartment.

YOUNG: The father was accused of striking his children and charged with eight counts of battery. He has pleaded not guilty. The mother's role in the children's lives is unclear. It's also not clear how long the girls had been abandoned. But officers found the girls' grandmother Dolores Anderson, who hadn't seen her grandkids in years. Anderson says she quit her jobs to take full-time care of the girls.

DOLORES ANDERSON, GRANDMOTHER: They was very small. And they was dirty, like I said, because they hadn't been bathed in awhile. They wasn't used to real food at first.

YOUNG: Despite finding a loving home, officers wanted to help even more. So they started stopping by the apartment to check on the children, bringing furniture and other donated items. A GoFundMe page they established raised over $100,000.

OFFICER MIMI BUGARIN, CHICAGO POLICE: I have two daughters myself. So it just -- it was heartbreaking to see them and the conditions that they were living in. So, yes, so we just knew that we needed to do something more for them.

ARTZ: Well, we initially started bringing over some milk and some diapers.

YOUNG: The oldest child, who is now 8, had never, ever attended school. The officers helped to get her enrolled. A Christmas blessing that doesn't know color or rank but just love and lots of caring. ANDERSON: I never thought there was still so many people out there in

this world that care. There's no love anymore. And for everybody to reach out to donate what they can, food, money, clothing for the girls. And they try to help me, too, but I don't want anything. Knowing my babies OK, and I got a roof over their head, I'm fine.

YOUNG: Ryan Young, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: There is much more CNN NEWSROOM just ahead and it all starts right now.

Thanks for being with us on this Christmas eve. I'm Erica Hill in today for Fredricka Whitfield. We are following two big stories at this hour. New warnings from the FBI and Homeland Security over possible threats from ISIS. They say the terror group may target churches and other holiday events.

Plus new information new arrests in that Christmas market attack in Berlin. Three men now in custody accused of having ties to the suspected attacker and officials revealing conversations, at least one of them had with the attacker.

We're going to begin, though, with that new warning about threats here at home. CNN's Polo Sandoval is following the developing story.

So, Polo, give us a sense. What exactly is in this warning and do we know why the FBI and Homeland Security felt compelled to send it out now?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Erica, the main point --

(END)