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Hanukkah Knife Attack; Texas Church Shooting; U.S. Hits Iran- Backed Militia Sites in Iraq and Syria; Australia Bushfires. Aired 2- 3a ET

Aired December 30, 2019 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour on "CNN Newsroom" live, a crowded Hanukkah celebration turns into a scene of violence and chaos in the latest attack against Jews. We will have the very latest updates on the victims, the investigations, and the suspect's arrest.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, U.S. forces carry out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Why now and what's at stake.

HOWELL: Just days left in 2019. We take a look back at the year's top international stories.

CHURCH: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and of course from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: I'm George Howell from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. "Newsroom" starts right now.

CHURCH: And we begin with the attacks that have shaken two U.S. communities during the holiday season. In Texas, a man opened fire, killing two people during a church service before he was shot by armed parishioners. We will have the details in just a moment.

HOWELL: Also in Monsey, New York, the suspect accused of stabbing five people during a Hanukkah celebration inside the rabbi's home, that happened Saturday, that suspect is being held on $5 million bail. Grafton Thomas has been pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and first-degree burglary. His attorney says that he has a long history of mental illness and no history of anti-Semitism.

CHURCH: We must warn you. The video 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. A surveillance video from a neighbor's home appears to show the attacker running toward his car after the stabbing.

HOWELL: Here is the thing though. Despite the attack, the Jewish community in that area, they continue with the celebrations on Sunday on the eve of the final day of Hanukkah. More on the story now from CNN's Alison Kosik.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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. He had an open door policy during celebrations like the one that was 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 lighting 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, Josef 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. That is a good thing because the car was electronically tagged as it drove across the George Washington Bridge and into Harlem. That is where police caught up with him.

As you can see in this NYPD video, police is apprehending Thomas. They say he was covered in blood. Prosecutors at his arraignment later said that he also smelled 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 is not a violent person.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Alison, thank you. New York's top officials have been weighing in on what happened. The state's governor, Andrew Cuomo, met with some of the victims and was quick to condemn the stabbings. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): I consider this an act of domestic terrorism. Let's call it what it is. These people are domestic terrorists. The law should reflect that. They should be punished as if it was an act of terrorism. It is a nationwide problem. I refer to it as an American cancer. I believe that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: New York's mayor, Bill de Blasio, tells CNN that the Jewish community just wants to feel safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: More NYPD presence in Jewish communities, more security cameras, the physical measures, but also the community-based measures. We are going to have patrols of community folks who go out working with NYPD from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

[02:05:01]

DE BLASIO: There is a fear that anti-Semitism is growing in America and becoming more and more violent. And for folks, that is very personal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now on the phone is Cedric Alexander. He is the former chief of police for DeKalb County in Georgia. He was a member of President Barack Obama's task force on 21st century policing. He is also author of the book "The New Guardians: Policing in America's Communities for the 21st Century." Thank you so much for being with us.

CEDRIC ALEXANDER, LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER CHIEF OF POLICE FOR DEKALB COUNTY (via telephone): Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So New York's governor says words are not enough and it's time for action. He is calling this attack domestic terrorism. Do you agree?

ALEXANDER (via telephone): Well, certainly I think New York is probably better than anyone in terms of having to have dealt with a great deal of terrorism. And certainly I think the governor's move to put into effect his hate crime task force was clearly evident of them taking this attack upon the Jewish community last night very seriously.

So I think you are going to see a lot of cooperation there between the state and local and federal law enforcement that are going to seek out as much information and intelligence information as they can as to what was the motive behind this attack.

And even just as importantly to begin to look at other attacks to the Jewish community around this country, in particular around the New York community over the last week, over the last month, and a number of years.

CHURCH: Right.

ALEXANDER (via telephone): There is clearly an uptick in attacks towards our Jewish communities here in this country. We can also note that other communities of color and those in the gay and lesbian and transgender community have also seen an increase in violence.

CHURCH: Right.

ALEXANDER (via telephone): That is something that is just not going to be tolerated here in the United States.

CHURCH: I do want to read you a statement from the Anti-Defamation League saying, "This is at least the tenth anti-Semitic incident to hit the New York areas in just the last week. When will enough be enough? It is time for leaders everywhere, Jewish and non-Jewish, to recognize that additional actions to protect the Jewish community are urgent. The Jewish community is under assault. All of America must hear our cry."

So Cedric Alexander, how should law enforcement agencies especially on the local level respond to this?

ALEXANDER (via telephone): Well, not just local law enforcement, but how do we as a community as a whole, both public safety at local state and federal level, have already began to investigate. They're doing things, added patrols to the Jewish communities there in and around New York.

In addition, you have a governor and a state government there that is certainly going to do everything it can to keep the Jewish community and other communities safe. The Jewish community is absolutely right. An attack upon their community is attack upon all of. As a nation, it's something we cannot stand for.

So it is incumbent that all of us in this country speak out publicly, verbally publicly not just at home, but speak out against this type of violence that is currently occurring in our Jewish communities across this country. It is something none of us can tolerate. It puts all of us at extreme risk.

CHURCH: Yeah. Certainly the governor of New York has made it clear, he will not tolerate this. So how much cooperation is there between the Hasidic Jewish community particularly and police and could a better relationship between the two perhaps help prevent more violence and attacks like this?

ALEXANDER (via telephone): Well, you know, I don't know the history between the Hasidic community there and NYPD, but I do know this, that I have a number of friends and colleagues within the NYPD and they work diligently every day to make sure that they establish and maintain relationships throughout that entire community. So I am pretty confident that the Hasidic community and NYPD are working together collaboratively to make sure that that community remains safe.

There are reports that are currently going out today and we heard them from the governor, that there are going to be increased patrols in and around certain Jewish communities and in certain locations. So it is just not incumbent upon police, it is an incumbent upon all of us as citizens there in New York and across this nation to do what we can to keep those in the Jewish community and those that are part of other groups that may feel that they're being threatened and have experienced violence.

[02:10:02]

ALEXANDER (via telephone): It is just something that none of us can tolerate. We must stick together to do this and stand with those in the Jewish community who are certainly seeing this type of violence being imposed upon them in the last number of days. It is just absolutely unacceptable for any of us to stand on the sidelines.

CHURCH: Cedric Alexander, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

ALEXANDER (via telephone): Thank you for having me.

HOWELL: The brutal nature of the attack is striking a chord with Jewish communities around the world. Our Oren Liebermann has more reaction now on this attack from Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: News of the attack broke early Sunday morning in Israel just as the country was starting its work week and getting ready for the eighth and final night of Hanukkah. The chairman of Jewish agency says the attack in Monsey, New York turned the festival of lights into dark days.

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

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

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): Israel strongly condemns the latest surge of anti-Semitism and 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.

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 is 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 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Head of the state will be here, world leaders and dignitaries, trying to figure out and discuss how to fight anti-Semitism. For Yad Vashem, at least 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 a 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We turn now to the deadly church shooting in Texas where police are trying to find the motive behind Sunday's attack just outside the city of Fort Worth.

HOWELL: And as we have been reporting on the story, two people were killed during a Sunday service. Authorities say that two parishioners returned fire, killing the gunman. Our Paul Vercammen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Streaming video of the church service shows a man sitting in the back. He stands up and begins firing with a long gun. According to authorities, two parishioners, also security guards, volunteer guards returned fire. And within six seconds, the suspect is taken down.

According to authorities, the gunman died on the way to the hospital but (INAUDIBLE) to the parishioners. The senior minister from the church said, evil invaded our home, and he said two men have left a legacy.

BRITT FARMER, SENIOR MINISTER, WEST FREEWAY CHURCH OF CHRIST: We lost two great men today. It could have been a lot worse. I am thankful that our government has allowed us the opportunity to protect ourselves. We have a congregation here of open-hearted people. We help. We are here to help people. And have something like this happen destroys my heart.

VERCAMMEN: Those men being praised as heroes by the pastor and by law enforcement officials, they say there were 240 members of the congregation or so whose lives were spared. We understand that two people were also injured during the crossfire. According to the ambulance company, they had docked during that fire and hid their heads. They were treated and released.

Now, as for the gunmen, according to law enforcement officials, he was transient but had roots in the area. He had contact with law enforcement before arrest, contact in multiple different jurisdictions.

Reporting from Los Angeles, I am Paul Vercammen. Now back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Paul, thank you. The United States has carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, hitting facilities linked to an Iranian-backed militia.

CHURCH: A spokesman for the group says the strikes killed at least 25 people in Iraq. Disturbing footage showed rescue workers trying to recover victims from the scene. The U.S. says the strikes were in response to recent attacks on Iraqi bases, including one that killed an American contractor on Friday.

[02:15:03]

CHURCH: CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports the U.S. won't rule out more action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president's top National Security officials emerged on Sunday after briefing President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago state on those U.S. military strikes carried out against an Iranian proxy group. Three strikes were carried out in Iraq and two strikes were 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, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, as well as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, explained the rationale for taking these strikes and also to warn Iran about future actions.

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. I would note also that we will take additional actions as necessary to ensure that we act in our own self defense and we deter further bad behavior from militia groups or from Iran.

DIAMOND: Those 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 clear that President Trump is keeping the door open to taking additional action against Iran or against 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 this 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Earlier, we heard from CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

HOWELL: And he expects some form of retaliation for the strikes. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Iran has used (INAUDIBLE) as a front for many years. It goes back up basically until 2003, which was the same year that the U.S. invaded Iraq in operation Iraqi Freedom. What this group has done has basically served as a front for the Iranians and it allows Iran to maintain a hold on Iraqi politics.

It also tends to direct to the kind of rudeness 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. So this kind of group does a lot of bidding, the bidding of Iraq. 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 policy is 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, you know, the way that they needed to look at this was what kind of Iranian influences are active in Iraq and how they could counter that influence.

Once the attack happened near Kirkuk, they had no choice but to go after this target. Unfortunately, it is going to start a vicious cycle and that vicious cycle will probably include Iranian retaliation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: U.S. forces also involved in another series of airstrikes this weekend. On Sunday, they worked with Somalia's government to target al-Shabaab militants.

CHURCH: The group was blamed for car bomb attack in Mogadishu that left 79 dead and more than hundred wounded. Some of the victims from Saturday's attack have been airlifted to Turkey for treatment.

HOWELL: Still ahead here on "Newsroom," the fireworks in Sydney. The question, will they go on? Some are calling for them to be cancelled. We have a live report from Southern Australia as bushfires continue there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Officials in Sydney, Australia are going ahead with plans to set fireworks -- you can see here on New Year's Eve -- despite a campaign against the iconic display.

CHURCH: And so far, more than a quarter of a million people have signed an online petition calling for the show to be cancelled. The state of New South Wales where Sydney is located is the hardest hit from dozens and dozens of bushfires. Petition organizers want the money allocated for the fireworks donated instead to farmers and firefighters.

HOWELL: But Sydney's mayor says most of the budget has already been spent. CNN is live in New South Wales. Our Simon Cullen is in the state hardest hit by these fires. And Simon, give us a sense there of where things stand with these fires and how might weather play into what is happening there. SIMON CULLEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, this is a fire crisis that is affecting several states. As you said, New South Wales has been hardest hit. But today, a lot of the focus has actually been in Victoria, the east part of the state.

It is where tens of thousands of people have been urged to evacuate although that advice has changed in the last hour or so because the fire is now so intense that several major roads have been closed. People are instead being urged to seek shelter and wait for the firestorm to pass over. Here is a little bit of what the Victoria fire authority said just a few hours ago.

ANDREW CRISP, VICTORIA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMISSIONER: This is a high risk day for Victoria. This is a day we do not often say 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 got to stay across the conditions and listen to the warnings for the day.

CULLEN: So George, that is the condition in Victoria. A small glimmer of hope is a call a change that is moving across the state. That is not expected to hit the fire fronts until about midnight, local time that is still several hours away.

[02:24:58]

CULLEN: And of course, with that call a change comes more erratic wind behavior. That brings its own challenges. But still, here in New South Wales, the fire threat will remain elevated through into Tuesday because the hot weather is still here. That call a change won't reach here until much later in the week.

So here, there are still dozens of fires still burning out of control. In fact, behind me is smoke fire -- sorry, smoke from the local fires and so it is still a crisis here in South Wales.

HOWELL: Indeed. You talk about the wind, Simon. The wind is only making things worse there. Simon Cullen, we appreciate the report. Thank you.

CHURCH: Our meteorologist Ivan Cabrera joins us now. As we heard, there are hot windy conditions, but we are seeing these cooler temperatures coming certainly in the future there. Talk to us about the details.

IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The cooler temperatures are coming. You can see, Rosemary, hundred fires are being worked on right now and about almost half really uncontained. We need containment of all these fires because it is summer and we are only going to have windows of better weather, improved weather before the next heat wave comes in.

So this is going to be a pattern. This is going to be ongoing. I will show you the forecast and what I mean, cooler then hotter once again. So there is the boundary that we are talking about here, the temperatures that continue to fall. Adelaide, there is Melbourne at 35. This is the hottest it will be for the next few days because the front is coming in. Look at Melbourne, 21, and then the front continues, pushes in, and that is where the fires are. That is where you get the cool air. See that boundary, not quite much but that is going to bring the wind shift which brings cooler temperatures. But the wind shift, Rosemary, is going to be just as significant as before the front.

We are still going to have 40, 60, 70 kilometer per hour winds coming from different direction, which firefighters of course have to react to as now they have, you know, realign to fight the fires in another direction. It's a process that we are going go through here until it get full containment.

CHURCH: Yeah. It is just unbelievable when you see just how extensive those fires are right across Australia. Many thanks to you, Ivan Cabrera. I appreciate it.

The battle shifts for a civil rights icon. Coming up, U.S. Representative John Lewis makes an announcement on his health and his plans going forward.

[02:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Wherever you're watching around the world, thank you for being with us. And in the United States, a good early morning to you. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. We want to check the headlines for you this hour. The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will thank President Trump someday for helping to prevent a terrorist attack. Russia's intelligence agency said a tip from Washington led to the arrest of two Russians suspected of planning attacks in Saint Petersburg during New Year's celebrations.

HOWELL: In the U.S. state of Texas, people trying to find out the motive behind the deadly church shooting just outside of the city of Fort Worth, Texas there. Two people were killed during a Sunday service. Authority say two parishioners who also were volunteer members of the church security team returned fire killing the shooter.

CHURCH: 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 video 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.

HOWELL: And we are hearing from some of the U.S. presidential candidates reacting to what happened with that stabbing and other recent anti-Semitic attacks. Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted this. "I'm outraged by the knife attack in Monsey. We must confront this surge of anti-Semitic violence, prioritize the fight against bigotry and bring people together instead of dividing people up."

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Former Vice President Joe Biden tweeted, "The horrifying rise of anti-Semitism is tearing apart the fabric of our communities and the soul of this nation. We've got to stand together as a country and fight these flames of hatred."

Here's a tweet from Senator Elizabeth Warren. "I'm heartsick for the victims of this horrific attack. This is unfortunately just the latest. There were series of anti-Semitic attacks in New York and New Jersey. We must fight anti-Semitism and make clear that hateful bigotry has no place in our society."

HOWELL: And Mayor Pete Buttigieg responded to the attacks while campaigning in the state of Iowa. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We woke up this morning to learned that fellow Americans celebrating a holiday in the Jewish tradition were attacked, violently attacked last night because they were Jewish. People are coming to harm in this country because they are different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Trump called the stabbings horrific, saying, "We must come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism."

HOWELL: A U.S. Congressman who has devoted his career to advocating for civil rights right here in Atlanta now faces new battle.

CHURCH: John Lewis announced he has pancreatic cancer. In a statement he said, "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 four pancreatic cancer. This diagnosis has been reconfirmed. Please keep me in your prayers as I begin this journey."

Our Chief Political Correspondent Danna Bash spoke with CNN's Jessica Dean about Lewis' stature in politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to his role in American history, and basically 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 this every year.

He takes -- he makes a pilgrimage, a bipartisan pilgrimage, takes some reporters with him 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 almost didn't survive. He said he remembers feeling like he was going to die. He was 25 years old.

[02:35:09]

And 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. (INAUDIBLE) the kids that he needs and to adults who are trying to make change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: There's so many people, certainly here in Atlanta, in this country and around the world that are just pulling for John Lewis in this. John Lewis has represented the Atlanta area and Congress since first elected in 1986.

CHURCH: Well, they're missing some key details.

HOWELL: See how investigators are looking for clues as they try to figure out what caused the small plane crash in the state of Louisiana. Standby.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: U.S. aviation investigators are relying on witnesses and videos as they tried to figure out what caused a small plane crash in Louisiana.

[02:40:06]

HOWELL: At this point, they don't have much to go on. Authority say there was no distress call made from the plane and no flight data was recorded on the aircraft to learn about its final movements.

CHURCH: Witnesses say the plane made a steep lift bank, then roll before hitting power lines. One person on board survived, five people were killed. Natasha Chen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've watched NTSB investigators in the field behind me inspecting pieces of the plane that crashed just after takeoff Saturday morning. NTSB vice chairman Bruce Landsberg said this is a sobering situation with a debris field about a quarter-mile wide.

And this is video from a witness when the plane crash just before 9:30 a.m. local time Saturday. Landsberg said there was no flight data recorder which complicates the job tremendously. Investigators now have two videos and two witnesses helping them piece together what happened. Here's senior air safety investigator Jennifer Rodi.

JENNIFER RODI, SENIOR AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATOR, NTSB: One witness who has pilot experience stated specifically that the landing gear was retracted. The attitude at the time of impact is estimated to be wings level. I do not have a nose-down angle indication at this point, but the wreckage is massively fragmented and charred melted and partially consumed by fire.

CHEN: We can see a car at the end of the Post Office parking lot that burned and was flipped upside down. The fire department here says a woman who was in that car Danielle Britt suffered severe burns when the plane skidded through there. Britt somehow managed to get herself out and is now being treated at a hospital in New Orleans.

Only one passenger from the plane survived and is in critical condition. The five others on board died. They include 30-year-old sports reporter Carley McCord. She was on her way to see the Peach Bowl in Atlanta where her father in law Steven Ensminger was the offensive coordinator for LSU during Saturday's game.

Her husband, Steven Ensminger Jr., told me he could not get off work to drive with McCord to Atlanta, so McCord boarded this flight instead. Ensminger Jr. wrote a message to me. "I mean, I could write a book on Carley right now, but I just can't find the words. It's so hard and it hurts too much. I just want her here with me. That's all I want. She is and will forever be my world."

The weather was listed as foggy on Saturday when the plane took off with the FAA control tower reporting visibility of about three- quarters of a mile. Now, with all crashes, NTSB here will be focusing on the pilot, the plane, and the environment. NTSB estimates they'll be able to remove the wreckage from this scene by the end of Monday. Natasha Chen, CNN, Lafayette, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Natasha, thank you. Still ahead here on NEWSROOM, from political instability to massive protest. 2019 was a tumultuous year around the world.

CHURCH: Coming up, which stories made a list of the biggest international headlines? We'll have that just a minute.

[02:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. From terror attacks, and attempted coup, and massive protests.

CHURCH: Yes, just some of the headlines from a busy year in international news. CNN's Clarissa Ward has a look back at the top global headlines of 2019.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As the decade comes to a close, so does another tumultuous year. 2019 was marked by global protests, brutal terrorist attacks, and political instability. And CNN was there has it all happened.

Number nine.

THERESA MAY, FORMER PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: I will shorty leave the job that has been the honor of my life to hold.

WARD: Theresa May step down as British Prime Minister after failing to secure Brexit, the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. She was replaced by Boris Johnson who called for an early election in December, hoping to break the Brexit impasse.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: With a major victory for British, Prime Minister Boris Johnson --

BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: Yes, they will have an overwhelming mandate from this election to get Brexit done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many MPs who lost their seats have blamed Jeremy Corbyn and saying people decided that he just wasn't the kind of leader they want.

WARD: Boris Johnson vowing to get Brexit done by the end of January. Number eight. China ramps up its persecution of Uyghur Muslims.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: China doesn't want you to know the secret behind these walls. Men, women, children, sometimes entire families separated from each other, cut off from the outside world. The U.S. State Department says they live in prison-like conditions, locked up not for what they did, but who they are. Members of Muslim minority groups from Xinjiang province in China's far west.

WARD: Human rights groups allege the two million members of the ethnic minority are being detained in scrawling secret camps. The Chinese government denies this says and the Uyghurs are voluntarily enrolled in "vocational training centers."

Number seven, a holy day meant for rest and worship turns deadly in Sri Lanka.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An entire country shaken after hundreds of people are killed in a wave of bombings. This is Sri Lanka. More than 200 people are dead, hundreds more wounded in three separate cities.

WARD: 10 days before the massacre, an intelligence memo warned of a possible attack, raising questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the bloodshed. Two of the suicide bombers were brothers, members of a prominent wealthy Muslim family. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

Number six, power in numbers. Citizens from almost every continent, flood their city centers and demand systemic change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mass protests against income inequality have gone on for two weeks. 20 people have been killed.

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WARD: Some protesters paid the highest price but their movements force dictators out of power.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This morning, a military transitional council announced the end of Omar al-Bashir's 30-year reign, dictatorship known for its brutality against its own citizens.

WARD: Confronted economic inequality, fought for democracy, and reaffirmed the underestimated power of a people united. Number five, the world's most wanted terrorist cornered and killed.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: We are getting some major news out of the Middle East. ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to have been killed.

WARD: President Trump announces U.S. Special Forces conducted an overnight raid in Syria. Al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest killing himself and three children when he was cornered in a tunnel.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S. special forces were in the compound for about two hours, and were able to gather what's described as highly sensitive material on ISIS before pulling out and flying back to Iraq.

WARD: Days later, ISIS announces a new leader of the caliphate. Baghdadi's death symbolizes the destruction of the Islamic State, but not the end of its violent ideology. Number four, the deadliest terror attack in New Zealand's modern history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say these were the actions of a lone gunman whose rampage began with the attack on the Al Noor mosque and subsequently the Linwood mosque.

WARD: The massacre claims the lives of 51 people, and wounds 49.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ended up having to put the bodies over top of other bodies. There was no -- those people were bleeding, and there's a lot of blood.

WARD: The gunman, a 28-year-old self-described white supremacist, armed with military-style weapons and live streaming the massacre from a helmet cam. He posted an 87-page manifesto on social media just hours before the attack. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern vows to take action on gun

violence.

JACINDA ARDERN, PRIME MINISTER, NEW ZEALAND: Today I'm announcing that New Zealand will ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons. We will also ban all assault rifles.

WARD: Number three, a power struggle in Venezuela ushers in an era of violence and poverty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The breaking news straight out of Venezuela. Juan Guaido, the country's self-declared interim president and opposition leader urging the military today to join him to take to the streets to force out the President Nicolas Maduro.

WARD: After what critics described as an illegitimate inauguration of Maduro, Guaido, challenge Maduro's claim to the presidency. President Trump recognizes Guaido as the legitimate president. Maduro accuses the United States of backing and attempted coup and expels U.S. diplomats from the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The world watched as a stark message was sent to protesters. Maduro's forces would not tolerate dissent. Human rights activists say they're being backed up by an unprecedented police crackdown.

WARD: The United States sanctions Venezuela's government owned oil company. But almost a full year later, Maduro remains in power, more resilient than his opponents expected. As for the Venezuelans, Guaido once inspired, they continue to suffer from government corruption, inflation and hunger, losing faith that much will change.

Number two, abandoning a commitment creating a vacuum.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: An invasion is underway in northern Syria. Turkey's President Erdogan said the military offensive there has begun.

TRUMP: Our soldiers have been coming back over that period of time.

WARD: Days earlier, President Trump makes an abrupt announcement that he is withdrawing U.S. troops from northern Syria, clearing the way for Turkey to launch and offensive. The move essentially abandons Kurdish fighters who have fought alongside American forces to defeat ISIS, seeding power to Turkey, cementing Bashar Al-Assad's grip on Syria, and benefiting the regional ambitions of Russia and Iran.

At number one, a pro-democracy movement fights for autonomy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breaking overnight from Hong Kong, protesters flooding the streets clashing with police, as Hong Kong marks 22 years since it was formerly returned to China.

WARD: Frustrations were ignited with the proposal of a controversial extradition bill that would see mainland China's authority Over the semi-autonomous region grow. At its peak, organizers estimate as many as two million took to the streets.

The extradition bill was suspended but as violent and property damage grew, so did the protester's demands. They wanted an independent investigation into police actions, the release of all those arrested, conditions that proved unpalatable to authorities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there is no end in sight to this short political divisions and this crisis that has plunged Hong Kong into economic recession, the worst crisis the city has seen in a generation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: It has been a busy year, has it not?

HOWELL: Indeed.

CHURCH: Unlivable. Thank you so much for joining us, I'm Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. The news continues here on CNN right after the break.

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