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Five Stabbed At Hanukkah Celebration; Five Killed In Louisiana Plane Crash; Health Concerns Of 2019; NASA's Christina Koch Breaks Record. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired December 29, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: The Jewish community was celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah and about 100 people had come together inside the home of an orthodox Jewish rabbi. Witnesses say that a man then burst into the home and started attacking people with a blade, a knife of some sort.
Police say the suspect is in custody. Five people wounded, two critically. The attacker apprehended a short time after that.
New York's governor tweeted he was horrified by the mass stabbings and ordered the state's Hate Crime Task Force to investigate it. CNN's correspondent is live near the scene. Polo Sandoval on the story.
What more are you hearing about what happened inside the home and how the community is reacting?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, just the last few moments, we have seen several emergency vehicles clear out of the scene. It could signal that the evidence gathering might be nearing an end. You can bet the investigation is certainly far from over. It is just beginning.
One of the main key pieces of information we are hearing, the individual who is believed to be involved is in the custody of authorities. Investigators are speaking to this individual. Unfortunately, we do not have a lot of information available on who that person is. That is information we could potentially get in the coming hours.
The moments of terror we saw played out in a home, not far from where I'm standing. The building behind me that is partially lit is a synagogue. There is a residence next to that location.
That is where authorities say this individual with a blade walked in as several Jewish families were gathering, celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah when he immediately began to stab several individuals. We know at least five people were injured, taken to area hospitals. We're working to get you the latest on their conditions.
The community here, already there is a certain level of resilience here. One of the individuals told me a little while ago that the rabbi, that was hosting this Hanukkah celebration, after this incident took place, went next door to the synagogue and continued celebrating Hanukkah and lighting the candle.
It goes to show the resilience that we are already seeing here just a few hours after the events took place. We are certainly left with questions about what happened tonight and, most importantly, what can be done not just here but a short drive from here in New York City to keep these kinds of actions from happening.
As we have discussed before, we have seen a recent string of anti- Semitic incidents reported in New York City, eight in just the last week.
HOWELL: Polo, I do want to read this statement from the governor of New York, if we can bring the graphic to the fore.
"I am horrified by the stabbing of multiple people at a synagogue in Rockland County tonight. We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism in New York and we will hold the attacker accountable to the fullest extent of the law. New York stands with the Jewish community."
The governor also saying he has ordered the state's Hate Crime Task Force to look into this. It raises the question of whether this rises and will be considered a hate crime.
SANDOVAL: Right. Absolutely. What we have seep, especially the last week, George, as we have been covering these incidents in New York City, is that growing call by members of the Jewish community to want to feel safe as they are going about their daily lives.
We have seen event after event, especially last week here, where individuals, especially dressed in traditional religion clothing, are approached and, in some cases, were even assaulted. So we are hearing this growing call to do something.
It no longer is enough to simply go on Twitter and make these public statements and condemn these actions. Again, this is what I'm hearing directly from members of the Jewish community. They want more done. They want a concrete plan to keep things like this from happening.
Again, of course, we have to make clear, this investigation is in its very early stages. We don't know what motivated this. But as you made very clear, we do have members of the Hate Crime Task Force of New York City, the FBI looking into this before they can officially classify it as a hate crime.
But of course, this is only about 2.5 weeks after the events of New Jersey when there was a shooting at a kosher market. Driving that was hatred towards law enforcement and the Jewish community.
HOWELL: Polo Sandoval at 4:04 am on the U.S. East Coast. You will learn more as we get the light of day and investigators share more about the suspect.
[04:05:00] HOWELL: Before we go, I want to just touch on the context that you mentioned a minute ago. If we could bring the graphic to the fore again.
It shows the many incidents that happened, December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th and the 28th. These incidents, many various different situations. But people are saying it's been a string of different things that have raised concern. Some are asking whether enough is being done with the suspects involved.
SANDOVAL: And many of these have happened in Brooklyn. I think that is fueling some of the frustration. People appreciate the massive response we have seen from law enforcement in New York City. They are sending out uniformed police personnel to synagogues and neighborhoods to make contact with members of the Jewish community to make sure they feel safe.
But as we have heard time and time again, they feel perhaps that is still not enough. They feel more focus should be on some of these individuals who are accused and potentially even convicted of committing the assaults.
NYPD statistics show over half the hate crimes when reported in New York City have targeted the Jewish community. Those are numbers that most of the members in the community fear will begin to rise. Of course tonight is a reminder of what could potentially happen.
But I can't say it enough. This investigation is just starting. An individual who is currently is in custody is believed to have taken part in this stabbing of at least five individuals, who are currently in the hospital, after this Hanukkah celebration turning into a terrifying night.
HOWELL: Polo Sandoval live in Monsey, New York. We'll stay in touch as you and your colleagues in the New York bureau continue to reach out to authorities there.
We heard from a witness in the attack. One man said the rabbi had just lit a candle when the stranger burst into the home.
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ARON KOHN, WITNESS: I saw him walking by the door. I asked, who is coming in, in the middle of the night, with an umbrella. While I was saying that, he pulled it out from the thing.
And he started to run into the big room, which was on the left side. And I had thrown tables and chairs, that he should get out of here.
And it ended the guy was the carry arrest guy. He was bleeding here, bleeding in his hand, all over. I run into the other room because I tried to save my life. I saw him run down this way so I ran out.
(CROSSTALK)
KOHN: -- came along with me. They're still hysterical. What time is now, I don't even know the time now. And they're still hysterical right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: I got context from Yossi Gestetner, co-founder of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council. Here's a bit of that conversation.
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YOSSI GESTETNER, ORTHODOX JEWISH PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: So this is very important. Anytime an attack takes place that, at the scene, at the moment, there's a strong response, including from media, to shine the light on this event. That's the most important thing.
And finally, after the attack, after the scene was cleared from the victims, you know what the rabbi did?
He went into his congregation next door and continued with the celebration. And that's spirit that I'm, you know, proud to see and proud to point out. The orthodox community, people in the orthodox community will not be deterred by any type of attack, whether it's bigoted, anti-Semitic, targeted or otherwise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: The rabbi carried on, continued, even after it happened.
Now the question, how will law enforcement handle this?
I spoke with Cedric Alexander last hour, former public safety director here in Georgia and was a member of President Barack Obama's task force.
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CEDRIC ALEXANDER, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: This is a horrific case, one certainly that should not have happened and one in which I believe all of us as Americans in this country, regardless who we are, we just find totally appalling and totally stand with the Hasidic community there in New York and across the country.
This is absolutely horrible. As far as law enforcement is concerned, you have one of the best agencies in the country, NYPD and others, who are taking an active involvement in working with local law enforcement there in Monsey in order to identify those persons that may be involved.
Even though there's one person in custody, it is without a doubt their investigation is going to be broad.
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ALEXANDER: They're going to use all their intelligence and support agencies around them and gather all the evidence and make sure that anyone, if there are other individuals that may be involved in this, they're certainly going to seek them out. And they will be found. But law enforcements have a tremendous job
ahead of them as they continue to collect evidence and talk to witnesses, talk to victims and be able to share information with each other to make sure that, whoever may have, whoever else may have been behind this attack, certainly is brought to justice.
HOWELL: Cedric, the questions are being raised whether this would raise, rise to the level of a hate crime. Help us understand if you would, the definition of what it means to be a hate crime and, in your view, whether this would fit within that category.
ALEXANDER: Well, certainly those in the legal community are going to take a very strong look at the law in terms of what it states and if this crime meets the elements of that law, where an attack against a person or individual or group of people as it results of their race, their background, their culture or whatever the case may have to be, appears to be the target.
It is still early in this investigation. Should they choose to file hate charges against this individual, it certainly will be based on the statute there in New York in terms of what, how it's outlined.
But you're going to see some very strong and swift and expert action take place in making sure and determining, if this is indeed a hate crime, adequate charges will be filed. If it turns out it is not a hate crime or something else, it will certainly meet those elements of some type of crime and justice will be sought after.
HOWELL: Cedric, I do want to bring in this context.
If I could ask our director, again, to put forward those incidents, the several incidents that have happened in the month of December where we understand attacks, you know, that have happened and there has been some scrutiny, people questioning criminal justice reform there in New York.
Some people saying that, you know, not enough is being done to people who were involved, who perpetrated those attacks. Your views on that conversation, as that is bound to ensue here in the days to come.
ALEXANDER: Well, I mean, certainly, as we look at criminal justice reform in that state and across this country, some concern is certainly being brought up by local law enforcement in these communities, who have to seek justice for those who may be committing these crimes.
It is, can be a double-edged sword. Certainly, we want to see reform take place in this country. But at the same time, we have to be absolutely certain and sure those who may be a real danger or threat to this community are not released back into the community.
And that's what you're going to hear a lot from law enforcement in that state there and across the country. And it's also a concern for the entire judicial system. You've also had some judges who have some very strong concerns as it relates to criminal justice reform. I cannot say we can apply this to this particular case. We don't know
enough about the person who has been charged tonight. But if you -- but in a general context, as it relates to criminal justice reform, all of us want to be sure.
And we have to be certain that, if anyone is released back in the community, they're certainly not going to do harm to anyone else. And this is a primary concern for law enforcement and those who are out there, doing it every day.
They certainly do understand the frustration of seeing people who are being arrested and who may be released too early. So there's still a lot of conversation and discussion that is going on around this issue.
And we got to find some resolve to it so that communities across this country, as they are in the state of New York or anywhere else, people feel safe in their communities as we, as the country continues to move towards reform as it relates to criminal justice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Again, it was a Hanukkah celebration that was interrupted by violence. Our coverage continues of the stabbing attack that happened inside a rabbi's home.
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HOWELL: Plus, U.S. politics. The criticism aimed at the U.S. president after he attacks the alleged whistleblower at the heart of the Ukraine scandal in a new tweet storm. CNN live back right after this.
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HOWELL: We're now on the breaking news we are following this hour, a stabbing at a rabbi's home in a community north of New York City. Police do have a suspect in custody. Five people were stabbed when they came together to celebrate the seventh night of Hanukkah.
An orthodox Jewish organization said the victims were all Hasidic Jews. Governor Cuomo has activated the state's Hate Crime Task Force.
My colleague Natalie Allen spoke with Evan Bernstein of the Anti- Defamation League. She asked how the Jewish community is responding to this stabbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN BERNSTEIN, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: I got here before the crime scene was being established. I had an opportunity to talk to first responders and law enforcement
and meet the rabbi who was leading the celebration in his home. And I went across the street to his synagogue, where he continued to celebrate the Hanukkah holiday with his congregation, despite there was a horrific act that took place in his home moments before.
It is a horrific time for this community. Talking with so many of the community members, they're here around the crime scene, being sequestered as the FBI came and other law enforcement started to make the crime scene less accessible, clearly.
You know, more and more personal conversations about just the immense amount of fear right now that people are feeling that are openly orthodox. They know so many family members that live here in Monsey, have family in Brooklyn and what's taken place there over the past week, is so unprecedented with the series with anti-Semitic assaults.
And just a short time ago, having the act of anti-Semitic domestic terror that took place in Jersey City, where openly orthodox Jews were murdered in cold blood. Right now open orthodox Jews in the greater New York City area are feeling tremendous amounts of fear and want this to stop.
This has been an unrelenting amount of hate experienced over the last two years.
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Certainly Brooklyn and Monsey had it. There's been an underreporting of anti-Semitic incidents in Monsey. And now things are ramping up here and we want law enforcement to do the best job they can.
Thank God they've been able to make an arrest. But to have it happen during Hanukkah, at a Hanukkah celebration, all these acts taking place over the holiday of Hanukkah has been devastating for the Jewish community here in the greater New York area.
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HOWELL: And Natalie also asked about the underreporting of anti- Semitic attacks. Listen to this part of her interview.
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BERNSTEIN: One of the issues we have in the openly orthodox community, the Hasidic community, is traditionally the way people report to our audit, the way we get our information at the ADL, that has been tracking anti-Semitism since 1979, they either call us directly or especially now go online. We get most of our reports that way.
A lot of the members of the Hasidic community don't have the technology available to them. Also, they are sometimes fearful of dealing with traditional law enforcement or even agencies like ours that have been around for over 100 years. There's a disconnect. We're trying very, very hard to work with leadership in the orthodox
communities so they feel comfortable enough to report. One thing we're trying to explain to them, is when you report to an organization like ours, it works so directly with law enforcement. Law enforcement then has a better picture of what's taking place in a given community.
So this underreporting, people take it and don't do anything with it. They talk to their family and don't report it. They don't report it to the police or anybody. It really, like a tree falling in the woods, it doesn't help the community.
The more they report, the more resources they get, the more we work with law enforcement to make sure they get those resources and elected officials to make sure there's funding to help keep the communities secure. That's something we are trying very, very hard to do.
I can't tell you how many people in the community over the last few years I've spoken to, that have said, things have happened to them. Horrific things happened to them. And yet, they don't feel compelled to report it out of fear, out of fear of retaliation or really feeling like no one is going to do anything and nobody cares.
We're trying so hard to be on the ground, to work with leadership and turn that around and make it so reporting can be accessible and open.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Our teams on the ground will continue to bring you more information on what happened in New York as we learn more.
Turning now to a tragedy surrounding a U.S. college football playoff match. A small plane headed for the LSU-Oklahoma game in Atlanta crashed shortly before takeoff in Louisiana. Five of the six people on board were killed. Among the victims was a sports reporter, who was also the daughter-in-law of one of the LSU coaches.
The sports director of our affiliate WVLA attended the game and described how the deaths impacted that game.
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BRIAN HOLLAND, WVLA SPORTS DIRECTOR: It's been tough. Word started matriculating (sic) through the tailgates and word around the press box. She's friends with so many that cover this team and down there in New Orleans. Certainly was an in-game host for the New Orleans Saints and the Pelicans but also covered the LSU tigers.
And the family connection to LSU's offensive coordinator. So when they walked out on the field, I mean, just to be honest, you could see it on a lot of the staff's faces, coming out onto the field. It was visible. It was plain.
It's so tough to focus on what you have to focus on. That's work. Unfortunately after such an unfortunate loss, his daughter-in-law, but we caught him coming out of the locker room. Tears in his eyes. So he was emotional on the field, during practice,
during the warmups. So it has affected him. He's not usually one who likes to wear his emotions on his sleeve but he certainly has today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: The lone survivor of the plane is in critical condition. Three people on the ground were also injured there.
LSU's athletic director wrote, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic events in Lafayette today. The thoughts and prayers of the entire LSU family are with all the loved ones of those lost.
"The coach and his family ask for privacy as they mourn the loss of his daughter-in-law. Carley's endless joy and passion for life were infectious. She will be missed."
[04:25:00]
Now to the impeachment of U.S. president Donald Trump. Though he has been spending the holiday season in Florida, he is not taking any breaks when it comes to venting about the process. His Twitter account boiling over with angry tweets and retweets, including some reposted from bogus accounts.
One retweet named the alleged whistleblower, whose complaint triggered the impeachment, even though that person's identity is protected by law. Much of the president's anger had been directed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He has belittled her as, quote, "crazy" multiple times the past week.
Twitter said a glitch in the service is keeping some of his 68 million followers from seeing all the messages. But the president's latest tweets have not been deleted.
Besides playing golf, Mr. Trump is also speaking with guests at his Florida resort and getting their advice about the upcoming impeachment trial. Kristen Holmes has more from West Palm Beach.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump may be physically here in Florida but his mind is clearly back home in Washington and on impeachment. While he's been mixing and mingling with guests and members at Mar-a-lago, we're also told he's been picking their brains, asking people who should be part of his defense team when it comes to the impeachment trial, what their defense strategy should be?
While we've seen President Trump on the golf course numerous times, we've seen him on Twitter far more, tweeting almost every day, attacking impeachment, Democrats and of course House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Clearly, the president is perturbed by the fact that the Speaker has not transmitted over those articles of impeachment to the Senate. To break down where we stand, at an impasse between Democrats and Republicans on what exactly a fair trial would look like.
The Speaker would like some sort of commitment from Republicans, which she has yet to receive. Democrats believe a fair trial would include witnesses and documents. And again, Republicans have not conceded to that.
So it will be interesting to see how this plays out, given the fact that both parties appear to have dug in. Several Republicans told me they hoped it would play itself out, that Speaker Pelosi, once the House was back in session in early January, would feel the political pressure to transmit the articles over to the Senate.
However, take a listen to a top Democratic Congressman, Dan Kildee, who spoke to CNN.
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REP. DAN KILDEE (D-MI): I think we have to wait until we have some assurance that the trial is not going to be some sort of a sham or a joke.
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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, I'm talking extremes here. Like into February?
KILDEE: Well, I mean, that's certainly possible but I'm not going to get ahead of the Speaker.
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HOLMES: And February is a long ways away. But we have learned from sources that Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, is now open to the idea of bringing the impeachment trial procedures and rules to the Senate floor without any Democratic support. All he needs is a simple majority.
One thing to keep your eye on is the more moderate Republicans.
Are they going to be on board with these Senate trials that have no Democratic backing? -- In West Palm Beach, Florida, Kristen Holmes, CNN.
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HOWELL: We continue covering the breaking news this hour out of New York state. A stabbing inside a rabbi's home. Reaction is coming in from around the world. Some Israeli lawmakers saying they are devastated by what happened and ask how authorities in the U.S. plan to get a grip on what looks to be a disturbing trend.
CNN is live in Jerusalem as the news continues after this break.
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HOWELL: We continue with breaking news out of New York City, a stabbing attack inside a rabbi's home.
Welcome back to viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Here's what we know at this point.
Police in Monsey, New York, are on the scene of a mass stabbing during a Hanukkah celebration. At least five were wounded during the attack, two critically wounded. A suspect is in custody at this hour.
According to witnesses, about 100 people came together inside the home of an orthodox Jewish rabbi to celebrate the seventh night of Hanukkah. The rabbi had just lit a candle when the attacker burst into the home.
New York's governor has ordered the state's Hate Crime Task Force to investigate the attack. The attack on Saturday is the latest in a string of anti-Semitic attacks, most of them happening inside New York City. These are the incidents we're aware of.
Nine of them, all in a week. But taken together, the slurs, physical intimidation and violence, they depict a disturbing trend. All of this after a deadly shooting earlier this month in Jersey City. Three people were killed inside a kosher supermarket when two suspects opened fire.
Reaction to this and several other incidents we're hearing from reaction from around the world. Oren Liebermann following from Jerusalem at this hour.
We understand the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to speak in cabinet.
Did he speak about this?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Perhaps the cabinet meeting running behind. But Israel's president was one of the first to weigh in early Sunday morning after the news broke.
He said, "Shocked and outraged by the terrible attack in New York. We are praying for the rapid recovery of those injured. The rise of anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem and certainly not just the state of Israel's problem.
"We must work together to confront this evil which is raising its head again and is a genuine threat around the world."
Yad Vashem saying what's necessary is education not only about anti- Semitism but also the Holocaust as well. Next mark is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. It will be marked by heads of state, including Vladimir Putin and there will be a big conference on anti-Semitism.
Their message is clear, it is a problem around the world and it must be dealt with. Meanwhile, the chair of the Jewish Agency taking it one step further. He said it always begins with the Jews but it never ends with the Jews.
Meanwhile, authorities are acting not only on the suspect in this case but anyone they say who would raise their hand against Jews in an anti-Semitic attack.
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HOWELL: Oren pointed out the most recent incidents in New York City and Jersey City and what happened in Pittsburgh and what happened in San Diego. It is a sign of an emerging trend.
LIEBERMANN: It is. The chairman of the Jewish Agency said "The festival of lights is becoming the festival of darkness." On days when Jews, where they should be OK in their homes, these are the days where Jews are being targeted.
Both Pittsburgh and San Diego happened on the Sabbath. News broke right after the Sabbath ended. This, too, on the seventh night of Hanukkah is a horrifying way to prepare for the holiday. Israeli leaders are shocked trying to figure on it what they can do beyond calling on American authorities to act.
There is a sense of strength, spirit here. One Israeli politician they said this will not stop Jews in Monsey and around the world from celebrating the final night of Hanukkah in solidarity.
HOWELL: Oren, we will stay in touch with you. We may hear from the Israeli prime minister on what happened in New York state.
Still to come on NEWSROOM live, a powerful winter storm is causing a big mess in parts of the United States, like icy weather in Minnesota causing this bus to slide sideways down the treacherous road. More on conditions with Derek Van Dam as the news continues.
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HOWELL: More on the breaking news we're following out of New York state.
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HOWELL: Five people have been stand while celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah inside a rabbi's home. A witness said at least 100 people came together when a man burst into the home and pulled out a knife. That is in Monsey, north of New York City.
Police say they have a suspect in custody. We will bring you any new developments as we learn them
Parts of the United States are dealing with a nasty mess, weather, snow, ice, treacherous driving conditions.
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HOWELL: Now to the bush fires happening in Australia. The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said volunteer firefighters will be compensated for fighting bush fires in New South Wales. They have been capped at $4,100 to replace lost income. Morrison faced criticism for previously side-stepping questions about paying them.
Now more than a quarter million people have signed a petition to cancel the famous fireworks display in Sydney for New Year's. Instead, they want the money to be used for the event to help fund firefighters.
In the U.S. state of California, a woman's cries for help may have saved her life after falling some 200 feet or about 60 meters off a cliff. The woman was airlifted to safety early Friday after police started getting calls from people who heard her screaming from the bottom of a cliff.
The woman in her mid-30s. Police say she was walking along a foot path when she fell down the cliff. She was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
The climate crisis, a measles outbreak and the opioid epidemic all made news in 2019. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a look back at the top health headlines of the year.
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SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Some of the hottest temperatures on record and month after month of natural disasters, 2019 also showed us how climate change is directly impacting our health.
It also makes it so these plants have less of the good stuff, like zinc, iron and protein.
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GUPTA: It's turning some of the best foods we humans have into junkier food.
The cannabis craze is here to stay. As we reported in our documentary, this year was all about CBD. While there have been some remarkable stories of success, as we've shown you, no medicine works for everyone, not even CBD.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It wasn't the benefit that they were necessarily seeking.
GUPTA: All of it, though, underlining how much we still have to learn when it comes to cannabis. We also saw some major recalls, including several popular heart medications including one known at Losartan. Also pharmaceutical giant, Allergan, issued a worldwide recall of bio-cell textured breast implants and tissue expanders. They were found to have been linked to a rare cancer.
Some of the best news of 2019 came in our fight against HIV/AIDS. In a January State of the Union, President Trump announced his commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic.
TRUMP: My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years.
GUPTA: Scientists also discovered a new strain of HIV for the first time in nearly two decades. It doesn't pose any threat but it did prove that the current testing for HIV continues to be effective.
Also good news in New York City. They hit their HIV/AIDS target two years early. Meaning now more than 90 percent of people who have HIV are on treatment.
I still can't believe this one. U.S. life expectancy continues to be on the decline, despite the fact that the United States spends more on health care per capita than any other country in the world. Suicides, alcohol-related illnesses and drug overdoses are largely to blame.
Which brings us to the opioid epidemic. The odds of dying from an opioid overdose in the United States are greater than those of dying in a vehicle crash.
In October, two Ohio counties received a landmark settlement of $260 million from a top drug maker and three major drug distributors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need resources from the parties that caused this problem. They need to make it right. And that's the benchmark that this sets.
GUPTA: The spotlight on the importance of vaccines continued to shine as the United States saw the largest measles outbreak since it was declared eliminated back in 2000. There have been more than 1,200 individual cases that have been confirmed across 30 states and still, there are people out there's that are not getting vaccinated.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest health concerns of our time. Because it's creating these super bugs that have ability to out-smart even our most sophisticated medications.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can pick something up just about anywhere. It literally has the potential to affect every person on the planet.
GUPTA: Now a landmark CDC report shows that a person dies from one of these super bugs every 15 minutes in the United States. That's about 35,000 deaths every year from super bugs.
In 2019, a story that started out as a cause for concern turned into a full-on outbreak.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The CDC narrowed its investigation into the vaping-linked lung disease.
GUPTA: Since the first report of a vaping-related death in August, all 50 states have been hit by this illness. That includes more than 2,000 hospitalized and more than 50 deaths.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The outbreak of pulmonary injury associated with vaping or E-cigarettes is an emergency. We're seeing young people become critically ill and die.
GUPTA: The CDC has zeroed in on THC-containing products and a more specific culprit, a cutting agent known as vitamin E acetate.
I think the larger issue, though, is the staggering rise in vaping among young people.
How would you describe the vaping situation in your school?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It got kind of bad last year. Some people did it too much. Like, a lot too much and it escalated I think.
GUPTA: The CDC says more than 6 million middle and high school students used a tobacco product this year. That's up from about 4.9 million last year and e-cigarettes were found to be the most common.
While many organizations are pushing for a full-on ban now of flavored e-cigarettes, there's others that worry that a ban would hurt those who do use e-cigarettes successfully as a smoking cessation tool.
There have been some big issues in 2019, as you can see, but a lot of possible solutions are here as well.
Here's to 2020.
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HOWELL: And into the record books. How an American astronaut has set a new mark for time spent in space.
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HOWELL: American astronaut Christina Koch has made history, breaking the record for the longest single space flight by a woman. Koch had been on the International Space Station for 289 days when she surpassed the record set two years ago by Peggy Whitson. My colleague Christi Paul got a chance to speak with her and what she thinks about her new place in history.
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CHRISTINA KOCH, NASA ASTRONAUT: To be up here for so long is truly an honor and Peggy in particular is one of my heroines and she's been a mentor to me. So it's a great reminder to try to make her proud and then also, to do mentorship when I get home to sort of pay that back. I hope that breaking the record is both, you know, good for outreach and also inspiration.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: I know you're not coming back until February. That is such a long time to be there. Talk to me about what happens on a daily basis for you.
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KOCH: You know, on board here, we have similar lives to what you might have on the ground. We come to work every day and those workdays consist of a lot of things that both bring benefits back to earth like the science that we do up here that benefits life on earth as well as a lot of maintenance and upgrades to keep the station running at its peak performance.
In our off time, we get to spend time with each other, time, you know, keeping in touch with our family and friends and of course, looking out the window and taking pictures of earth and kind of reflecting on our place there.
Celebrating the holidays up here is a lot of fun and it's because it's so unique. So it's an opportunity to bring those traditions from our families at home on board and share them with our crew mates and that's exactly what we did. We each talked about how we spend Christmas at home with our friends and family and we each kind of incorporated that up here.
So it was a really unique day to be in space and a special one and we did have the chance to sort of video chat with friends and family on the ground. So I felt like I was part of that Christmas celebration as well. So it's a really special time up here and again, just such a privilege to be on board for that.
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HOWELL: You can follow her Twitter page. She updates regularly there @Astro_Christina.
Update on our breaking news, a suspect is in custody after a knife attack against worshippers celebrating Hanukkah. At least five people were wounded, two critically. This was the seventh night of Hanukkah. About 100 people came together inside the home of an orthodox Jewish rabbi in Monsey, New York, when that happened.
That community is in Rockland County, north of New York City. New York's governor ordered the state's Hate Crime Task Force to investigate the incident. That's the latest this hour. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in
Atlanta. Our breaking news coverage continues next hour with Christi Paul and Victor Blackwell. CNN "NEW DAY" is next.
