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Christmas Around the World; Trump Presidency; Top Trending Stories of 2019. Aired 12-12:30a ET

Aired December 25, 2019 - 00:00   ET

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

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause, live from Studio 7 at CNN World Headquarters.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM: unconditional love for a church in crisis. On Christmas Eve, the pope reminds Catholics that God loves everyone, even the worst among us.

Like a kid shaking wrapped presents under a Christmas tree, Donald Trump takes a guess as to what Kim Jong-un's Christmas gift might actually be.

And the man behind everyone's holiday song tells CNN how it became such a huge hit.

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VAUSE: Christians around the world are celebrating the day Jesus was born. In Bethlehem the faithful are gathering for mass of the Church of the Nativity. Among the sacred sites in Christianity built over the cave, which is believed to be where the virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus.

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VAUSE: In the coming hours, Pope Francis attends mass at the Vatican and will then deliver his Christmas message with which the Vatican says will be a wish for fraternity. And in his Christmas Eve sermon, Pope Francis appears to have indirectly addressed the scandals which have brought the Catholic Church. The pope says the birth of Jesus is a reminder of God's unconditional love and forgiveness.

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POPE FRANCIS, PONTIFF, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): Christmas reminds us that God continues to love us all, even the worst of us. You may have mistaken ideas. You may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you.

How often do we think that God is good if we are good and punishes us if we are bad? Yet, that is not how he is.

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VAUSE: Francis also spoke to the need for personal conversion or change before trying to change the church or the world. CNN senior Vatican analyst and "Crux" editor John Allen reports now on the rest of the papal message.

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JOHN ALLEN, CNN SR. VATICAN ANALYST: Pope Francis ushered in Christmas 2019 with the Vatican's traditional midnight mass. Even though it is not actually midnight. It's celebrated at 9:30 pm local in Rome.

But nevertheless, it is the beginning of the Christmas season. And he delivered a message of hope and optimism to begin the Christmas season. The pope's reflection was on God's free love that is reflected in the traditional Christian belief that God chose to become a human being, born into a poor family, that would soon become refugees and that, in that act of love, God shows that his love is not fickle, it is patient, it is permanent.

It does not depend, according to Pope Francis, on one's accomplishments or worthiness. God loves, us the pope says, simply because we are. And in that message he said lies a permanent testimony of hope.

This was the beginning of a very busy Christmas season for the pope. On Christmas Day he will celebrate a private mass and then he will deliver his traditional Urbi et Orbi message, to the city and to the world, which is a 360-degree review of the global situation.

And it sort of lays out the pope's core social, political and humanitarian priorities at the end of one year and the beginning of another.

The next, day December 26th, which is the church's traditional feast of Saint Stephen, the church's original martyr, the pope will deliver a noon angelus address and that will lead us into the New Year, on New Year's Eve, the pope celebrate a vesper service with the traditional Latin hymn, "Te Deum," thanking God for the year that has concluded will be performed.

And then on New Year's Day he will celebrate a mass and also deliver the church's annual message for the world day of peace and all of this is a kind of normal, extremely busy schedule for the Energizer bunny of popes, a pope who absolutely has no off switch.

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ALLEN: On December 17th, Pope Francis celebrated his 83rd birthday. But nevertheless, throughout this holiday season, remains extraordinarily good to go and obviously desiring to deliver a troubled church and a troubled world an upbeat message of hope for the holidays -- in Rome for CNN, this is John Allen.

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VAUSE: After more than 1000 years, a tiny sliver of wood, one of the most sacred relics of Christianity, has been returned to Bethlehem. The wood is believed to be from Jesus' manger and was taken by the Vatican during the 7th century.

But Pope Francis decided it was time to give it back. Palestinians are hoping this relic will bring a much needed boost in tourism and, as CNN's Oren Liebermann reports, the wood was on prominent display at midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been a very festive and a joyous Christmas Eve here in the heart of Bethlehem, right on top of Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on a spot marked by a golden star inside the church.

Of course, the highlight of the day, the most important and meaningful part of the day is midnight mass, led by the archbishop, who led the faithful and, of course, the dignitaries in attendance inside the Church of the Nativity through midnight mass to welcome Christmas here in the holy land.

There was a very special addition, a meaningful new addition or perhaps you could say, a very old one inside of the church. That, is a holy relic, a small piece of wood believed to be a part of the manger of Jesus Christ.

That was taken out of Bethlehem, out of the holy land in the 7th century and spent most of the intervening years in Rome. It got here just 3-4 weeks in time for advent and, of course, for Christmas Eve and midnight mass inside the Church of the Nativity.

It's been a festive day throughout. In Manger Square, there were hundreds of people, not only the faithful but also tourists who just want to be a part of the special occasion on this special day.

There was a parade through Manger Square to the Church of the Nativity where Christian schools and organizations and marching bands played traditional Christmas songs and gave a very a vibrant air to the celebrations here, that, of course, all led into the countdown towards midnight mass, which was very much the highlight of the festivities here in Bethlehem, the beginning of Christianity -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, Bethlehem.

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VAUSE: The U.S. president may take some time to celebrate holidays in Florida but he's not taking a break from criticizing Democrats and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump seems particularly irritated with Pelosi for not sending articles of impeachment to the Senate, a move which has left the president in an impeachment limbo, indicted for crimes but now denied his day in court. Here is CNN's Boris Sanchez reporting from West Palm Beach.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With impeachment effectively in a holding pattern and with President Trump staying at Mar-a-lago surrounded by supporters, feeding some of his worst instincts, the president lashed out after a chat with troops on Christmas Eve, the president aiming his vitriol at one specific target, House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

TRUMP: And merry Christmas.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Immediately after delivering a Christmas message thanking U.S. troops for their service, President Trump delivering a Christmas rant on impeachment.

TRUMP: They treated us very unfairly. They didn't give us due process. They didn't give us a lawyer. They didn't give us anything. Now they come to the Senate and they want everything.

SANCHEZ: As the process reaches a standstill, Trump voicing support

for Mitch McConnell, saying the Senate majority leader has the right to do whatever he wants with the impeachment trial.

TRUMP: We're in a very good position. Ultimately, that decision is going to be made by Mitch McConnell. And he will make it. He has the right to do whatever he wants. He's the head of the Senate.

SANCHEZ: And the president again lashing out at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

TRUMP: She hates the Republican Party. She hates all of the people that voted for me and the Republican Party. And she's desperate to do...

SANCHEZ: Even predicting impeachment will cost Democrats control the House in 2020.

TRUMP: She got thrown out as speaker once before. She lost like 63 seats, 61 or 63, tremendous, a record-setting number of seats. I think it's going to happen again.

SANCHEZ: Trump also using the moment to spread debunked conspiracy theories, repeating false claims about the FBI spying on his campaign and suggesting Attorney General William Barr is working to take them down.

TRUMP: Hopefully, it's going to be taken care of. The attorney general's working and everybody's working.

SANCHEZ: As the president spends the holiday consumed with political battles, the White House announcing the promotion of a key official who was on the line during Trump's famous July 25 call with President Zelensky of Ukraine, the new representative on international telecommunications policy, Robert Blair, a top aide to Mick Mulvaney who refused to testify before House impeachment investigators.

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SANCHEZ: During his conversation with the troops, the president told them that he mostly spends his time at Mar-a-lago working. A short while later, our cameras captured him golfing for the second day in a row, at least the second day in a row.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with President Trump hitting the links and relaxing but we shouldn't forget how often he was critical of former President Obama for golfing and how angry he was that taxpayers had to foot the bill -- Boris Sanchez, CNN, traveling with the president in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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VAUSE: The U.S. president has laughed off a threat from North Korea which has hinted at a possible nuclear test or ICBM launch. Pyongyang is growing increasingly angrier over stalled nuclear talks and no relief from U.S. sanctions.

Earlier this, month a high ranking official warned that unless the Trump administration moved to ease the tension then the president could expect a Christmas gift. For President, Trump the threat of a nuclear test seemed to be a real knee slapper.

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TRUMP: We will see what happens. Let's see. Maybe it is a nice present. Maybe it is a president where he sends me a beautiful vase as opposed to a missile test. I may get a vase. I may get a nice present. You don't know. You never know.

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VAUSE: If North Korea tested a long-range ballistic missile, it would be the first time in over two years and yet another violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Coming up here, from the history destroyed by fire in France to the lives lost on top of the world a look back at the top stories of 2019 and then we will check in on Santa Claus as he makes his way around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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VAUSE: The Philippines is dealing with a powerful typhoon. It is slamming the islands with intense rain and wind. These images were taken even before the storm made landfall showing water streaming into a house as the storm roared outside. It is terrifying stuff at times.

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VAUSE: 2019 was a big year for trending topics, from the "Friends" reunion selfie to the epic showdown between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and U.S. president Donald Trump. The Internet machine was broken time and time again, as social media went wild. CNN's Brooke Baldwin breaks down the top trending stories of the year.

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BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: From the U.S. women's soccer team demanding equal pay, to the passionate teenager fighting to save the planet, social media remained a powerful weapon for advocacy in 2019.

And, of course, there were the memes. So here are our top nine trending stories of the year.

Number nine, a "Friend" who nearly broke the Internet. Jennifer Aniston joined Instagram and the Internet could not handle it. Her first post managed to crash her page. The first photo, an epic "Friends" reunion selfie on the caption, "And now we are Instagram friends, too."

It became one of Instagram's most popular photos of the year with more than 15 million likes.

Number eight, now to even more Instagram royalty, the young son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor, whose birth, gender and name were all announced on the social media platform.

The family regularly posts pictures of their son on their Instagram page before they are seen anywhere else. Just another way these modern royals are shaking up the monarchy.

Number seven, winter came and fans were not happy. It was one of the most eagerly anticipated final seasons ever and the most tweeted about show in all of 2019. While viewers were split on the ending of "Game of Thrones," it was some intended product placement that brought divided fans together -- a coffee cup left on set.

The Internet erupted in memes, the official "Game of Thrones" account tweeted this response out, "News from Winterfell, the latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea."

Number six:

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Another death on Mt. Everest bringing the total to 11 thus far this climbing season. BALDWIN (voice-over): These amazing pictures went viral, showing how record numbers of climbers packed the summit. Some mountaineers think this traffic jam actually contributed to this year's death toll.

Climbers endured waits of two to four hours while in the death zone that is near the top of the mountain, where there is only one-third of the oxygen found at sea level.

Number five, a scientific event of intergalactic magnitude.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A huge breakthrough for humanity.

BALDWIN (voice-over): The first photo of a black hole.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Black holes are the most mysterious objects in the universe. They are cloaked by an event horizon where their gravity prevents even light from escaping.

BALDWIN (voice-over): Located 55 million light years away, in a galaxy called M87, in, this galaxy another black hole photo went viral. The moment researcher Katie Bouman processed the first image showing the massive phenomenon.

To see it scientists in multiple countries around the world linked local telescopes to create this virtual observatory. Predictably, Twitter couldn't escape the doughnut memes.

Number four, in Paris, a catastrophic fire shocked the world.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The world famous Notre Dame cathedral is on fire.

BALDWIN (voice-over): Millions watched in disbelief as flames engulfed Notre Dame, the city's iconic 856 year-old cathedral.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Behind the tower, full, people screamed. It is so sad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All that came through a mind was the heart of Paris is burning.

BALDWIN (voice-over): People poured onto the streets to pray. And on social media, so many paid tribute by posting photos of their visits to the holy site. #NotreDame became the most tweeted news related hashtag of 2019.

The loss inspired generosity near and far, establishing a $700 million reconstruction fund. Restorations are now underway.

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BALDWIN: Number three, in 2019 Democrats took back the House. Nancy Pelosi regained here speakership and had some of the year's most viral moments from the infamous state-of-the-union clapback, the rebuke that launched thousands of hashtag #Don'tMessWithMe memes. REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: As a Catholic, I resent your using the word hate in a sentence that addresses me. I don't hate anyone. So don't mess with me when it comes to words like that.

BALDWIN (voice-over): And staring down Trump from across that cabinet room table, the image meant to be an insult, the president's caption, "Nervous Nancy's unhinged meltdown," instead went viral, showing Washington's most powerful woman standing up to the president.

Number two, the U.S. women's soccer team proved once again they are the best in the world. Congratulations poured in from all over social media. Ellen DeGeneres said her World Cup runneth over, while former president Barack Obama thanked the women for being a strong inspiration to women and girls and everybody all across the country.

The player's game poses became instant memes and many of the players took their pleas for pay equity right to their fans via their social media pages.

And number, one she is the teenager on strike for the planet.

GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: Our house is on fire.

BALDWIN (voice-over): "Time's" Person of the Year.

THUNBERG: Change is coming whether you like it or not.

BALDWIN (voice-over): Greta Thunberg is leading a generation of climate kids.

THUNBERG: People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth.

How dare you?

BALDWIN (voice-over): Her impassioned speech at the U.N. Climate Action Summit catapulted her meteoric social media rise, making her the face of climate activism online. Thunberg used her new platform to lead a global climate strike, with more than 4,600 events in nearly 150 countries.

#ClimateStrike was the eighth most popular hashtag of the year. So for the 16-year-old and her army of climate kids, it is only the beginning.

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VAUSE: It has been quite the year. Still to, come, a very merry Christmas message from the office of the British prime minister.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all the through the house, a creature was stirring in search of a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hope that St. Nick soon would be there.

And then in a twinkling, a glimmer I saw, the prancing and pattering of each little paw.

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VAUSE: We hear more from Number 10's resident cat, Larry, after the break.

Also, 25 years on and the Christmas song is actually a hit. Why it has been able to survive the test of time and why it's so annoying. That's ahead.

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VAUSE: The chief mouser at 10 Downing Street has a very special Christmas message. Larry the cat is wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and he is starring in his own video, a feline spoof of the classic, "'Twas the Night before Christmas."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): And then in a twinkling, a glimmer I saw, the prancing and pattering of each little paw.

As I drew in my head and was turning around, through the door the cat came in with a bound. He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, his pawprints marking the carpet with soot.

A bundle of treats --

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VAUSE: Let's fast forward to the end because this goes on for a while. The narrator tells us, "Larry whispered to me, dashing out of sight, happy Christmas to all and to all a good night."

Mariah Carey has not had a number one hit in more than a decade and if all she wanted for Christmas was a top spot on the music charts, she got it, Merry Christmas, Mariah Carey. It's taken 25 years but last, week her hit, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time and the man who cowrote it explained to CNN how it became holiday favorite for some.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) WALTER AFANSIEFF, MUSIC WRITER: Kind of a very simple but just piano- y kind of rock 'n' roll thing. And then she started singing the melody and we started doing this thing and it ended up being "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

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AFANSIEFF: So we played around with that and at the time of writing it we were not really sure, it was just piano and her singing her ideas. She starts singing...

And then I would go...

And she goes, well, that is a cool chord.

And then I went...

Every year that I've been alive, for 25 years now, it is just that song that every year. Like, in Russia, China, England, Denmark, it does not matter where you are in the world. It is the number one, the most powerful Christmas song.

This girl comes into our lives and just changed our lives forever. And not just our lives, she changed the world. Just so grateful and so joyous that I get to walk the Earth still and have that, to be so proud of and, lo and behold, we are sitting here 25 years later, going, talking about this song.

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VAUSE: Well, it's already been a busy day and night for Santa but there are so those out there who are waiting anxiously for Mr. Claus to make an appearance. The Santa track over, here we know that Santa and his reindeer in fact just made landfall over the Gulf of Mexico and are heading into New Orleans at the moment.

If you're there and you are expecting a gift from Santa, you had better be asleep, otherwise I think he goes over the house and does not give you a present. Anyway, do not forget to leave out milk and cookies and also a treat for the reindeers because they need it.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Headlines next.

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