Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Rep. John Lewis Diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer; Thousands Ordered to Evacuate in Victoria; Two Attacks Shock U.S. Communities During Holidays; U.S. Hits Iran-Backed Militia Sites In Iraq And Syria. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 30, 2019 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:00]

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN NEWSROOM: Live from CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom. I'm Natalie Allen. Thank you for joining us.

Ahead here, a U.S. Jewish community is calling for action amid a spate of anti-Semitic attacks. The latest, an intruder bursts into a rabbi's home during a Hanukkah celebration slashing five people.

The U.S. launches strikes on an Iranian-backed militia after assaults on American forces and warned more could come.

Thousands of residents in Australia are being evacuated as relentless fires tear through New South Wales.

Thank you again for joining us. Our top story, two U.S. communities are shaken after separate attacks during religious celebrations. In Texas, a man opened fire killing two people at a church service before he was shot by armed parishioners. We'll have details on that in a moment.

And in Monsey, New York, the man accused of stabbing five people during a Hanukkah celebration at a rabbi's home on Saturday is being held on $5 million bail. He's pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and first degree burglary. His attorney says he has a long history of mental illness and no known history of anti-Semitism.

Now, we must warn the images you are about to see may be disturbing. These are photos from inside the rabbi's home right after the attack. You can see blood on the floor and chairs overturned. And surveillance video from a neighbor's home appears to show the attacker there running toward his car after the stabbings.

The Jewish community in the area continued on with celebration Sunday on the eve of the final day of Hanukkah.

CNN's Alison Kosik has more.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are learning more about the suspect, how 38-year-old Grafton Thomas got inside the rabbi's home. According to police and witnesses, he walked through the front door. It was unlocked. But that wasn't unusual. Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg often left the door unlocked, had an open door policy during celebrations like the one that were happening that night. It was the seventh day of Hanukkah, almost 100 people were inside the house.

A guest at the celebration tells us it was during the moment that the rabbi was letting the menorah that Thomas allegedly walked in with a long machete type knife and began his stabbing spree. Five people were stabbed including the rabbi's own son.

One of the guests is being hailed as a hero, Joseph Gluck, he talked with CNN, telling us that he threw a coffee table at the suspect and wrote down his license plate number before he fled. And that's a good because the car was electronically tagged as it drove across the George Washington Bridge and into Harlem. And that's where police caught with him, as you can see in this NYPD video, police apprehending Thomas. They say he was covered in blood.

Prosecutors at his arraignment said that he also smells of bleach, indicating that he was trying to cover up a crime.

CNN talked with a pastor and longtime friend of Thomas', who defended Thomas, saying that he isn't a terrorist and he's not a violent person.

In Monsey, New York, I am Alison Kosik. Now, back to you.

ALLEN: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo met with some of the victims and was quick to condemn the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): I consider an act of domestic terrorism. Let's call it what it is. These people are domestic terrorists. And the law should reflect that and they should be punished as if it was an act of terrorism.

Look, it is a nationwide problem, and refer to it as an American cancer and I believe that. You see it against members of the Jewish community. You see it against members of the LGBTQ community. What's happening is this nation's diversity, which is our greatest strength, is turning into a weakness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says more police officers will be posted in front of homes and worship centers to give people a sense of safety. The attack on the Hanukkah gathering, it's one of a series of anti-Semitic incidents in the New York area recently.

[00:05:06]

This month two men and a child were threatened with violence. A woman allegedly scratched a subway passenger's face and yelled anti-Semitic slurs. There were reports of several other assaults, including that on the elderly and children. There were also reports of attacks on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, all this leading up to Saturdays stabbing attack.

U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed in on the knife attack, tweeting on Sunday, the anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York on the seventh night of Hanukkah last night is horrific. We must all come together to fight, confront and eradicate the evil scourge of anti- Semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has more reaction now from Israel.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: News of the attack broke early Sunday morning in Israel, just as the country was just starting its work week and getting ready for the eighth and final night of. Hanukkah.

The chairman of the Jewish agency says the attack in Monsey, New York turned the festival lights into dark days. On the holidays, when the Jews are supposed to be able to feel their safest, whether they are celebrating at home or in a synagogue or with a congregation, these are the days when Jews are being targeted. We saw it obviously with the attack here at Monsey, New York on the seventh night of Hanukkah, and we saw it in Pittsburgh and San Diego, two attacks that happened on the Sabbath.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack at his weekly cabinet meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Israel strongly condemns the latest surge of anti-Semitism in the brutal attack in the middle of the Hanukkah holiday at the rabbi's house in Monsey, New York. We send our wishes of recovery to the wounded

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: Beyond simply offering well wishes, Netanyahu pledged Israel's aid, not only the local authorities in New York but also to any country that's interested in looking for help in fighting anti- Semitism.

Next month, Israel will host a conference about anti-Semitism at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum. The conference will coincide with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Heads of state will be here, world leaders and dignitaries, trying to figure out and discuss how to fight anti-Semitism.

For Yad Vashem, at least part of that answer is education, education about anti-Semitism and about The Holocaust. But it will take more than that. This conference has taken on added significance in light of the attack in Monsey and all of the other anti-Semitic incidents in New York and elsewhere. As the chairman of the Jewish agency pointed out, anti-Semitism is symptom of a bigger problem. He said it begins with the Jews but it never ends with just the Jews. This isn't a problem only of Monsey or New York or America and it should be treated as a much bigger phenomenon.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

ALLEN: Joining me now is Deborah Lipstadt. She's professor of Jewish history and holocaust studies at Emory University in Atlanta and has authored several books including anti-Semitism here now. Professor, thanks so much for coming on.

DEBORAH LIPSTADT, PROFESSOR OF JEWISH HISTORY AND HOLOCAUST STUDIES, EMORY UNIVERSITY: You're welcome.

ALLEN: First of all, the title of your book is sadly a reality, Anti- Semitism Here and Now, it is here and now. There is a resurgence. And it's just not in the U.S. It's in Europe. What is happening and why here and now 2019?

LIPSTADT: I think what we're seeing is a perfect storm of anti- Semitism. We're seeing it from the right, the political far right. We're seeing it from portions of the progressive left. We see it from Islamist extremists. And we see it from other groups as well, and, tragically, from certain minorities who themselves have been the victims of prejudice but turning on the Jews and expressing anti- Semitism. It's coming from all sides in a way that nobody really anticipated.

ALLEN: Right. What's underneath it?

LIPSTADT: I think a number of things. I think, first and foremost, we live in an atmosphere, certainly in this country and in many other countries where there is division amongst groups. There are politicians who want to divide, who want to make it as against them. I think people have the internet now where it is a much easier delivery system. Before when I started to write about holocaust denial, if you wanted to get materials on holocaust denial, you had to get them in a plain brown envelope to post office box. Now, you can just go to Google and you can get them in a minute. So I think that's part of it as well.

And I think something else. It has a cascading effect. People say, oh, it's okay to do that, things they would never think of saying, now, they feel free to say. Graffiti, they never would have thought of putting up. Now, they feel free to put it up. Pushing people on the street, which they wouldn't have done, they feel free to do, so one thing builds on another. And it doesn't leave me very optimistic about the future.

ALLEN: Right.

[00:10:00]

And you've also written that, as a result, Jews are going underground. They are afraid. When the stabbing story broke this time yesterday, I was interviewing someone at the scene that said, the orthodox community doesn't report acts of violence because they don't want to bring attention to themselves.

LIPSTADT: That's happening in certain places and certain places like what happened yesterday in Rockland County in New York State. We've got to report it because five people were injured, a couple of -- two of them, I think, or three of them critically injured. But people don't want to call attention.

I wouldn't say that Jews are going underground everywhere. But we are seeing phenomena of someone saying to their child when they go outside if they wear a kippah, they should wear a baseball cap, someone just not wearing open symbols of their Jewish identity.

And what I read recently, what prompted the article I wrote in The Atlantic this week or just today was a synagogue in the Netherlands, which is not even posting the times of prayers. So if you want to know what -- if you want to join them for prayer, you have to find someone who's a member of that community, find out that time they're praying, let them know you're coming.

I, myself, have been turned away from synagogues in Rome and in other places, even with my passport, just because they're nervous and they don't want to take any chances. People are nervous. People are frightened.

ALLEN: And also you pointed out the Civil Rights Act doesn't cover religion. We even saw a shooting in a church in Texas hours after the stabbing. Two are dead there. Jews have been gunned down at two synagogues this past year. And this year was also the most mass killings we've had in American history. 2019 was horrific. So you take racism, anti-Semitism and our gun culture, and you wonder -- and the perfect storm you described, you wonder what will make things better in 2020.

LIPSTADT: I think that people have to take this seriously. The gun culture is a whole -- it's a terrible, terrible situation. But even -- besides that, the anti-Semitism, I think there are a lot of people who don't take anti-Semitism seriously. They'll look at Jews and say, what are they complaining about? They don't present like another group that gets a lot of prejudices directed. They look very comfortable. They can pass this. Why, et cetera, et cetera.

Well, Jews in other places have looked comfortable and it doesn't always turn out that well. So it's something that really has to be taken seriously, as do other prejudices. But what we're seeing right now is a rash of the anti-Semitism. And it's not good for Jews, certainly, but it's not good for society. It's not good for the democratic societies in which we live and which we so treasure.

ALLEN: Final question, you mentioned the political spectrum. What's going on in our political culture right now that is perhaps feeding into this and what could politicians do?

LIPSTADT: I think politicians have to be very careful with what they say. Words count. Words count for a lot. There is no genocide in history against Jews, against Armenians, against Rwandans, any place in the world that didn't begin with words. It always begins with words. Politicians have to be careful. Their words matter. They have a very big microphone. I think that's one thing that has to be done and taken care of very carefully. And I think we also have to recognize that this is a problem not associated only with one political side. It might be more violent on one side, it might be more structural on the other side, but it's coming from all directions.

ALLEN: Such great advice from somebody that is so important in this topic. Thank you so much, Professor Deborah Lipstadt, for your insights.

LIPSTADT: Thank you for having me.

ALLEN: Now, to the deadly church shooting in Texas. CNN has obtained video of the attack just outside of Ft. Worth. We want to warn you it is disturbing. Watch the top of your screen. The shooter dressed in dark clothes gets up from a pew, that's in the very back, approaches someone and appears to talk to them. You see him moving there. Then the gunman pulls out and opens fire on the man before shooting a second person.

Authorities say parishioners who are also volunteer members of the church security team then returned fire, killing the suspect, but not before he killed two people in the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEOFFRY WILLIAMS, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Unfortunately, this country has seen so many of these that we've actually have gotten used to it at this point, and it's tragic and it's a terrible situation, especially during the holiday season.

[00:15:01]

I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners who stopped short of just anything that you could even imagine, saved countless lives. And our hearts are going out to them and their families as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Investigators are now trying to find a motive for the shooting.

The U.S. strikes a militia group backed by Iran. We'll tell you where the attacks were carried out and why the U.S. warns it can do it again. That's coming up here.

Plus, one day after a car bombing killed dozens in Somalia, the government takes action with the help of the U.S. military.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: CNN Weather Watch, I'm meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. We're tracking a storm that has provided us with issues, really, over the last several days. It's tread its way from California and made its way all the way across the eastern seaboard. And there's cold enough air at the surface where raining and then that freezes on contact. And so we're accumulating ice across the northeast, so not a typical winter storm that we see with the snowfall. There will be snow. But all that warm air that pushes up to the northeast.

You see the areas in pink there could be significant accumulations that will bring down power lines. We're going to have issues at the airport certainly with delays through the day, not just because of the rain, the ice and the snow but you add in the wind as well, and that can wreak havoc across not just in New York metros but heading in D.C. and then, of course, the domino effect for the rest of the airports. One flight gets delayed, the second one gets delayed and so on and forth.

14 in Atlanta, that's nicer, most sunny skies, we're going to continue to see temperatures mild and then eventually getting into more seasonal temperatures, rather warm. 27 in Miami, certainly warm there, Denver above zero at this point after quite a significant snow event last week recovering from that, everything has been all across the west. But now we're shifting that cold air further east and so the temperatures will be tumbling at least temporarily in places like New York and then D.C. for the rest of the week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: And welcome back to CNN Newsroom,

The United States has carried out air strikes in Iraq and Syria targeting facilities linked to an Iranian-backed militia. The U.S. says the move was in response to recent attacks on Iraqi bases, including one that killed a U.S. contractor on Friday.

[00:20:02]

Our CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports American officials are not ruling out additional action.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN : Well, the president's top national security officials emerged Sunday after briefing President Trump at his Mar-a- Lago estate on those U.S. military strikes carried out against an Iranian proxy group, three strikes were carried out in Iraq, two strikes carried out in Syria all against the same Iranian-backed militia group.

Now, the message that we heard from those top officials, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the secretary of defense, Mark Esper, as well as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, was to both explain the rationale for taking these strikes and also to warn Iran about future actions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ESPER, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I would add that in our discussion today with the president, we discussed with him other options that are available. And I would note also that we will take additional actions as necessary to ensure the we act in our own self- defense and we deter further bad behavior from militia groups or from Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: And that was the warning issued by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, where he makes very clear there that he did brief the president on additional options, making it clear that President Trump is keeping the door open to taking additional action against Iran or against its proxies in the region should there be further attacks.

It does appear that the tipping point here that prompted this U.S. action after weeks of these rocket attacks from various Iranian proxies in Iraq was indeed this latest attack that took place on Friday that claimed the life of one U.S. defense contractor and left four U.S. service members injured. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo making clear that this was a decisive response to that attack and also making clear that the United States will not stand for any Iranian actions that threaten or that put U.S. lives in jeopardy.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, traveling with the president in West Palm Beach, Florida.

ALLEN: Let's talk with CNN Military Analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton. Colonel, thanks for coming on.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It's my pleasure, Natalie. Good to be with you.

ALLEN: Thank you. Well, the Pentagon described these strikes against the group as precision, defensive strikes. Talk about the scope of such a strike using fighter jets.

LEIGHTON: So what happens in a case like this, Natalie, is you have a lot of intelligence that is put into the targeting package. And what a targeting package basically is is a list of different targets that these aircrafts would be striking. So the intelligence could be used to pinpoint the particular areas that they want to hit, like if you want to go after things like communication centers, logistics, depots, things that really mean a lot to enforce at this time.

And what you're looking at is the kind of strikes that would do damage to a force to prevent it from attacking American forces or Iraqi forces. And the precision strikes are necessary in order to have an actual impact on their operations.

ALLEN: And this is the first significant U.S. military response in retaliation for attacks by on Iran-backed militia group which had injured numerous American military personnel. So was the strike the right call at the right time by the United States?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think it was in this particular case. I mean, in some ways, we don't have the opportunity to do much else. We don't really have the number of troops that we need to go into Iraq every time there is this kind of an attack. So we don't do it by ground. We tend to prefer using the air power to go after units like this.

And so what the intelligence told the folks at the Pentagon and as well as, of course, the executive branch in the U.S. was that they needed to use this kind of a weapon to go after this type of militia entity. So air power is the weapon of choice in this case. They believe it is the most effective way to go after a target like this Kata'ib Hezbollah militia.

And the idea here is to make sure you interdict their capability to actually conduct further operations.

ALLEN: I want to talk about this militia group and backed by Iran, which is looking to spread out in this region. How much of a threat does it pose and do you expect retaliation from Iran?

LEIGHTON: I certainly expect retaliation from Iran. Iran has used Kata'ib Hezbollah as a front for many years. It goes back basically to 2003, which was the same year that the U.S. invaded Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

And what this group has done is basically served as a front for the Iranians and it allows Iran to maintain a hold on Iraqi politics. It also tends to direct the kind of movements that the Iraqi Armed Forces do, how much they support U.S. efforts, how much they go after groups like ISIS when ISIS threatened Iraq.

[00:25:09]

So this kind of group does a lot of bidding -- the bidding of Iran, but it also serves Iran's interests by not only maintaining operational pressure on Iraq but it also serves as Iran's eyes and ears in Iraq. So this type of group is going to actually have a major impact on the way Iranian policies are conducted in Iraq and it also will have a major impact on how Iran deals with the U.S.

The U.S., in essence, had -- the way that they needed to look at this was what kind of Iranian influence is active in Iraq and how they can counter that influence. And once the attack happened in military (INAUDIBLE), they had no choice but to go after this target. Unfortunately, it's going to start a vicious cycle and that vicious cycle will probably include that Iranian retaliation.

ALLEN: And you mentioned the number of troops in Iraq, the U.S. troops, with the Trump administration's drawdown of troops in the Middle East. Does this make certain facilities that comprise American troops and contractors more at risk?

LEIGHTON: Definitely. The number of troops is not always proportionally related to their safety but it is very important to maintain enough of a presence in a country in order to make sure that they have adequate force protection. That's the term that we used to talk about how secure our forces actually are.

So the forces are going to be at greater risk and that's going to be significant issue for the forces that are remaining in Iraq, and it's going to be something that we're going to have to look at as the Iranians start to respond to this attack on their proxy.

ALLEN: Col. Leighton, we always appreciate your time and your expertise. Thanks so much.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Natalie, anytime. Thanks so much for having me.

ALLEN: U.S. forces were also involved in another series of airstrikes this weekend. On Sunday, they worked with Somalia's government to target Al-Shabaab militants. The group was blamed for a car bomb attack at Mogadishu that left 79 people dead and more than 100 wounded. Some of the victims from Saturday's attack have been airlifted to Turkey for treatment.

Terror attacks were reportedly planned in the coming days in Russia. Coming up, President Putin is thanking for preventing them. It has to do with the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:00]

ALLEN: Hello and welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories this hour.

The man suspected of stabbing five people during a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey, New York, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and burglary charges. Police released the video you're seeing right here of the moment they stopped him as he was driving into New York City. A law enforcement source told CNN he had blood all over him when arrested.

U.S. forces have struck five facilities in Iraq and Syria linked to an Iranian-backed militia. The U.S. says the airstrikes are in response to recent trucks on Iraqi bases that host American troops, including one that killed a U.S. contractor on Friday. The U.S. warned it would take further action, if necessary.

Authorities are telling tens of thousands of residents in the Australian state of Victoria to evacuate as bush fires intensify. Visitors are also being warned to stay away from East Gippsland, a popular tourist spot. Officials are concerned fires could eventually cut off the region's main road.

A U.S. congressman who has devoted his entire career to advocating for civil rights now faces a new battle. John Lewis announced he has pancreatic cancer. In a statement, he said this: "I have been in some kind of fight -- for freedom, equality, basic human rights -- for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now. This month, in a routine medical visit, and subsequent tests, doctors discovered Stage IV pancreatic cancer. This diagnosis has been reconfirmed. Please keep me in your prayers as I begin this journey."

Our chief political correspondent, Dana Bash, spoke with CNN's Jessica Dean about Lewis's stature in U.S. politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): When it comes to his role in American history and obviously, more recently, his 30-plus years in Congress, it's hard to overstate how much of an impact he's had, first of all on that bridge in Selma, Alabama.

I had the honor of going back with him. He does his every year. He takes -- he makes a pilgrimage, a bipartisan pilgrimage, takes some reporters with them in order to tell the story of what happened in 1965 when he was walking across that bridge with so many other civil rights activists, just for the sole purpose of getting the right to vote for African-Americans.

And he got his head bashed in. He -- he almost didn't survive. He said he remembers feeling like he was going to die. He was 25 years old. And that -- that moment was really a turning point in the movement for African-Americans to get the right to vote, that led to the Voting Rights Act and that was such a critical time that he -- as I said, he makes a point of bringing people back every single year. Sometimes it's the president. Sometimes it's, you know, first-term members of Congress from across the aisle, Republicans and Democrats. It's a really, really special event that he does.

But also, in Washington -- you kind of alluded to this, Jessica -- John Lewis is the heart and soul of the Democratic caucus and even beyond the Democratic caucus. When there's a big fight coming up, whether it's a policy fight or even a political fight, the Democratic caucus turns to him, many, many times, for the leadership that they know he can give, for the -- sort of the heart and the soul that they know that he can -- he can provide.

You know, he always says we need to get into trouble, good trouble, to kids. I've seen him say that to kids that he meets and to adults who are trying to make change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: He was -- is such a hard worker and truly an inspiration. Lewis has represented our area, the Atlanta area, in Congress since he was first elected in 1986.

Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin is crediting the United States for helping to prevent a terrorist attack. According to Russia's intelligence agency, U.S. information led to the arrest of two Russians on suspicion of plotting New Year's attacks in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump Sunday.

Meantime, the warring factions in Ukraine hope a prisoner swap will help build confidence for a possible peace deal. Ukrainian authorities say 76 of their people were handed over Sunday and, in exchange, the government returned more than 120 detainees to pro- Russian separatists. The president of Russia and Ukraine agreed to the exchange earlier this month in Paris in an effort to ease tensions.

In Australia, evacuation orders are coming in rapidly. We'll have more on the threat from fast-moving bush fires coming up here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: The Australian government is issuing frequent warnings, telling tens of thousands of residents in the southern state of Victoria to evacuate as bush fires spread.

For some, though, it may be too late to leave. Authorities are telling them to shelter in place. And making things worse, soaring temperatures and strong winds are fueling the flames.

Simon Cullen is in New South Wales for us, the state hit hardest by the fires, and he joins us live.

Simon, hello to you. And I want to talk about these evacuations and the fact that some people may not be able to get out.

SIMON CULLEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Natalie. The bush fire threat is now so extreme in some parts of Victoria that authorities are saying it's now too late to leave, urging people to remain in place. Some major roads have now been cut.

Authorities have been warning about this now for about 24 hours, urging people, if they could, to evacuate. Let's take a listen to some of what they had to say earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CRISP, VICTORIA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMISSIONER: This is a high-risk day for Victoria. This is a day we do not often see. Our state is dry. It is going to be very hot. It is going to be very, very windy. People, get out now. If you don't, you've got to stay across the conditions and listen to those warnings through the day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CULLEN: So that was the authorities in Victoria speaking earlier today. Just in the last few moments, they've given updated advice that for some people in some communities, as you say, it is too late to leave, urging people to shelter in place while that bush fire crisis passes.

[00:40:08]

The only glimmer of hope, Natalie, is that there is a cooler change sweeping across parts of Victoria. That's expected to hit the fire fronts around midnight local time, so that's still several hours away. And of course, that's only one state. This is a fire crisis that is affecting many states in Australia here in New South Wales. There are more than 900 homes already been destroyed in the last couple of months.

Dozens of fires here are continuing to burn out of control. The smoke is still thick in the air. There's ash particles actually falling where I'm standing at the moment, so this threat is far from over.

ALLEN: Yes, it is surreal the -- how extensive it is and intense. And now it's also gotten close to Sydney. What's going on there? CULLEN: Yes, so the parts around Sydney are particularly affected by

this crisis. There's been fires raging here for several weeks. The actual issue for cities in our -- in the coming days for the debate has been around whether or not to stage the traditional New Year's Eve fireworks on Sydney harbor.

Now, a petition to cancel that fireworks display and spend the money on the firefighting effort, has garnered tens -- hundreds of thousands, rather, of signatures. There is a debate now as to whether it's appropriate to spend so much money on the fireworks display, and also of course, there is a total fire ban in place. So there is a concern, too, about regional fireworks. Some of those have been canceled. The fire threat here is still very extreme, Natalie.

ALLEN: That plan by Sydney makes a lot of sense, does it not? Simon Cullen, we always appreciate you bringing us the latest. Thank you so much.

And now let's go to our meteorologist, Ivan Cabrera, who is also going to give us the bigger picture on how long this might continue to go on.

Ivan, hello.

IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Natalie, we're going to talk about the winds that he was talking there that are going to be significant, despite the fact that I think they'll switch from a better direction that will bring cooler air from the south, working 100 fires. Almost half of these uncontained here. So huge deal.

And you can see as some of the -- what it looks like in a lot of places, unfortunately, across Australia, the mountains, of course, have been getting ahead.

I want to show you something spectacular here. This is the radar. The beam goes out looking for raindrops, looking for snowflakes. Well, it finds whatever is in the atmosphere. And right now, what it's finding is this plume coming out of Sydney. And you can see the wind direction there, blowing these fires offshore. Eventually, we get a shift. That will make a difference, and that's why we've been having issues, of course, with folks trying to breathe outside with all the smoke.

So shrouded in smoke, no question about it. There is the pattern setting up. Watch what's happened over the last several hours. Adelaide has dropped significantly. The fronts through there, 27. It will continue pushing to the north.

So yes, it will bring cooler weather but just like it did last week, that front came through. It's going to shift the wind direction. So firefighting efforts are going to have to, of course, respond to that.

So we're 21, Melbourne, for the high. And then you see temperatures still in Sydney in the mid-thirties, but this will be the last of the hotter days that we've had. It doesn't look like much, but it is a boundary that's going to be coming in, and that, Natalie, will begin to cool this off.

The problem is the winds are going to continue to be very gusty, despite a new change in direction, 60 to 70 miles, or 70 kilometers per hour. So that's going to be a problem for the firefighters.

ALLEN: It's just crazy that this has been going on since September.

CABRERA: Yes.

ALLEN: All right. Ivan, thanks so much.

And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen. Follow me on Twitter, @AllenCNN. WORLD SPORT is next. See you in 15.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:26]

(WORLD SPORT)

[00:57:37]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END