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President Putin Thanked President Trump; Rep. John Lewis with Stage Four Cancer; Authorities Investigates the Attacks on Jewish Community; Parishioners was Attacked During Hanukkah Celebration; U.S. Carried Out Air Strikes in Syria and Iraq. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 30, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: We are learning more about the man accused of carrying out a knife attack at a Hanukkah celebration. We will have that plus details of how he was caught.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, a deadly church shooting in the U.S. state of Texas. What police there say saved many lives during that Sunday service.

CHURCH: And a new fight for a U.S. lawmaker. Why U.S. Civil rights icon John Lewis says it's a battle unlike any other he's faced before.

HOWELL: Live from studio 7, welcome to viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, CNN Newsroom starts right now.

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 details in just a moment.

HOWELL: And then also in Monsey, New York, the suspect accused of stabbing five people during a Hanukkah celebration inside a rabbi's home, that suspect has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and first-degree burglary. The attorney for Grafton Thomas says that he has a long history of mental illness.

CHURCH: And we must warn you the video you're about to see may be disturbing. These are photos from inside the rabbi's home right after that attack. You can see blood on the floor and chairs overturned.

HOWELL: Despite the attack, the Jewish community in that area, they continued with the celebrations on Sunday. That was the eve of the final day of Hanukkah.

CNN's Alison Kosik has more now on what happened. ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're 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 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.

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 thing because the car was electronically tagged as it drove across the George Washington Bridge and into Harlem. That's where police caught up with him, as you can see in this NYPD video. Police apprehending Thomas. They say he was covered in blood.

Prosecutors at his arraignment would later say 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 he's not a violent person.

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

CHURCH: Thanks, Alison. Well the brutal nature of the attack is striking a chord with Jewish communities around the world.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has reaction from Israel.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: News of the attack broke early Sunday morning in Israel just as the country was starting its workweek 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 of lights into dark days. On the holidays when Jews are supposed to be able to feel their safest, whether they're 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 in 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 (through translator): Israeli strongly condemns the brutal attack in the middle of 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 to local authorities in New York but also to any country that's interested in looking for help in fighting anti- Semitism.

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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 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 in Monsey or New York or America, and it should be treated as a much bigger phenomenon.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

HOWELL: Fighting anti-Semitism, it is front and center. Ans to talk more about it now, live from London, Gideon Falter is with us. Gideon the chairman of the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism. It's good to have you with us.

GIDEON FALTER, CHAIRMAN, CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM: Good morning.

HOWELL: Obviously the focus right now is on what happened in Monsey, New York. There's still a lot of questions about the suspect's motive, questions about mental illness. But just in this week, this past week alone in New York State, there have been several incidents targeting Jews, and it plays into a trend across the United States, an increase in hate crimes against Jews in New York and nationally. From a global perspective, how concerned are you about a rise in anti-Semitism?

FALTER: This is something very worrying because for a lot of American Jews, they've observed what's been going on in Europe and other parts of the world with horror and with mounting fear for Jews around the world. But they have been thinking that in the United States, the same sort of phenomenon wouldn't take root.

And then of course with each attack from Pittsburgh to Poway, now to all of the attacks happening in New York and this weekend's attack in Monsey, we've seen that sense of safety of American Jews really shattered by what's been happening. And what we're now seeing is that the exact same trends, attacking Jews around the world, are now starting to threaten American Jews as well.

And in certain ways, American Jews are even more at risk than Jews around the world because in Europe we have hate crime laws. We have strong gun control laws. In the United States, those things are not in existence.

And so, what you have is the ability of people to incite hatred against Jews much more easily and to carry out their attacks and their weapons for their attacks much more easily. Now without taking a view on gun control or issues like that, there are certainly a couple of areas where the United States does seem to have very little focus although there's been a little bit of a change in that under President Trump.

One is the social media networks which have become real incubators of anti-Semitism. What we're seeing a lot of time after these attacks against American Jews is a discovery that perpetrators were radicalized online, that they found the serials online. That's where they learned to hate Jews. That's where they planned their attacks.

And then we're also seeing a lot of anti-Semitism and incitement incubation on university campuses. I think that's why the executive order that the president signed just now has been so important because it has enabled Jewish students on campuses to make use of the international definition of anti-Semitism, and I believe that the first lawsuit has already been filed against a university over its anti-Semitism on campus.

But I think what we're seeing now is the entry of American jury into that wider global phenomenon of anti-Semitism. And as one of your contributors just said earlier, what starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews.

HOWELL: And the other question you touched on this as far as people getting access to that type of material online, the mainstreaming of anti-Semitism, look, where people feel more emboldened, people feel free to engage in this hateful behavior, is there a concern that when one incident happens, that it encourages another and then another and then another?

FALTER: I certainly think that's what we've seen in the United States. You know, the Pittsburgh attack was the largest attack on American soil in peacetime, domestic terrorism attack. And you see something like that happen, and then you see an attempt to repeat it at Poway.

You see what's going on in the New York -- in the greater New York city area where you see these attacks happening against Jews. And I think what we're seeing in America is very similar to what we've seen in other parts of the world, including Britain, including Europe, where perpetrators see that there is no real consequence for attacking Jews. They understand there is no major attempt to find them, to find the perpetrators, to prosecute them, to put them in prison.

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And so, with each attack, anti-Semite is becoming bolder and bolder and what we're also seeing is this gives power to those people who are inciting this hatred. And some of the conspiracy theories we see about Jews, once somebody attacks Jews in the name of that conspiracy theory, it emboldens other people who also believe those conspiracy theories then also carry out attacks.

HOWELL: Gideon, just briefly here, a very important question. Do you feel that enough is being done to curb this trend?

FALTER: No, and that's not just in the United States. That's globally. We are seeing a massive resurgence of anti-Semitism in living memory of the Holocaust. We are seeing Jews who feel so threatened in some countries that they are feeling that they are forced to leave.

We are seeing now the murder of American Jews at their places of worship, in the places where they just go about their daily lives, community centers, their shops even. Now is the time for American -- the American authorities as well as authorities across Europe particularly to stand up and say this is an area where we're going to have masses of resources of law enforcement to actually protect our Jewish communities because if they do not do that now, it will soon become too late.

HOWELL: Gideon Falter, we appreciate your time. Thank you.

CHURCH: And now we turn to the deadly church shooting in Texas. CNN has obtained video of the attack just outside of Fort Worth. We do want to warn you it is very disturbing. Just watch the top of your screen here. The whole attack unfolded in just six seconds. The shooter killed two people before two parishioners returned fire killing the gunman.

Our Paul Vercammen has more now.

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 so did two of the parishioners. The senior minister from the church said evil invaded our home, and he said two men have left a legacy.

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

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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 ducked during that fire and hit their heads. They were treated and released.

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

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

CHURCH: Thanks for that. Earlier CNN's Jessica Dean spoke with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and asked him what can be done to keep people safe.

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KEN PAXTON, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS: We can't stop this from happening in all cases. There's just no way we can predict what every person in our state is going to do. I think a focus on mental illness is obviously something that we need to be mindful of.

But the reality is I think our laws in Texas allow for -- allow us to protect ourselves. And so more people need to carry in our state in churches, in places of business, so that if something like this horrible thing does happen, at least we have people that can react and save the lives of those around them.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we don't know details yet of how this gunman got a hold of his gun, what his state of mind was. That is information that will come out in the days to come.

In the meantime, what message do you want to send tonight to the people there in white settlement and to people, you know, who are going to worship like the people in New York, the Jewish community in New York who may be afraid right now, people in Texas who may be afraid right now to go to their church?

PAXTON: Well, I do know that there's always discussion about, you know, imposing more gun restrictions. The reality is somebody like this who is willing to kill somebody is unlikely to follow a gun law.

And so, we need to continue to be vigilant, and we need to allow our citizens to protect themselves. Exactly what happened tonight -- or today, and I'm so grateful for the quick reaction because what happened in other churches, you know, about a year ago, in other places around my state when people were not armed, we had a lot more people die.

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HOWELL: Still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, U.S. air strikes targeted a militia group backed by Iran. We'll tell you where the attacks happened and the impact they've had as Newsroom continues. Stay with us.

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, the U.S. has carried out air strikes in Iraq and Syria, hitting facilities linked to an Iranian-backed militia. U.S. officials say the strikes are meant to defer the group from aggressive behavior against American forces. They blame the militia for recent attacks on Iraqi bases including one that killed a U.S. contractor on Friday.

CNN's Arwa Damon joins us now from Istanbul with more. So, Arwa, what more are you learning about the impact of the U.S. air strikes in Iraq and Syria?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is great concern about what the potential repercussions of these strikes are going to be. Now, of the five strikes, three occurred inside Iraq. The other two in Syria, and all were targeting this militia that is known as Kata'ib Hezbollah.

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Now, this militia is under the umbrella of the popular mobilization forces. That is the predominantly Shia force that was instrumental as a ground unit to bring about the defeat of ISIS in Iraq. But it is a militia, an entity that was formed specifically to respond to ISIS, but it brought underneath its fold all of these other smaller groups like Kata'ib Hezbollah that are very allied to Iran.

Now, the U.S. secretary of defense reportedly called the Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi to warn him that these attacks were going to be taking place about half an hour before they were actually launched.

Adil Abdul-Mahdi saying, no, please stop these attacks, but the U.S. went ahead despite that. Now we are hearing from the upper echelons of the Iraqi government that this was a violation of the Iraq's sovereignty and that it could lead to a very serious escalation in the future.

Iraq has, for some time now, really found itself stuck between the United States and Iran, and this is a position that Iraq has repeatedly warned is untenable because ultimately the use of Iraq as a proxy battlefield between Washington and Tehran is extraordinarily destabilizing for the country at a time when it can hardly afford it, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And just very quickly, U.S. officials say that the aim of these strikes is to avoid further aggression, but you indicate there it sounds like the worry is that this could actually lead to some sort of retaliation.

DAMON: Well, if we look at Iraq's history since 2003, there have very rarely been occasions where the U.S. military has responded in this kind of a manner, especially when it comes to these Shia militia groups, which are known as the special groups during the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq that were at the forefront of attacks against U.S. Forces.

Very rarely have counterattacks by the U.S. against them not led to some sort of very serious escalation, and that is the main concern that Iraq has at this stage. It doesn't want to once again, as I was saying, be used as a proxy battlefield between these two forces. And Iraq right now is in severe political turmoil.

Remember, the Prime Minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi stepped down earlier in December following mass protests in Baghdad. He's now the caretaker prime minister. The president himself has missed two deadlines to nominate a prime minister simply because the candidates being put forward by the political blocs are viewed as being too linked to Iran.

So on the one hand, you have forces within Iraq who are trying to move Iraq away from Iranian influence, but then you have an escalation like this one carried out by the U.S. as a retaliation for an attack carried out by these Iranian proxies that risks driving certain elements within Iraq further towards Iran.

So, there's so many factors at stake when we look at everything that this could potentially implicate, all of whom have a direct effect on the stability of Iraq.

CHURCH: Right. Arwa Damon joining us there with that live report from Istanbul. Many thanks.

HOWELL: Somalia says that it conducted several air strikes in coordination with the United States military against Al-Shabaab. This comes just one day after a suicide attack in Mogadishu, an attack that killed dozens of people.

Following this story, our Farai Sevenzo is in Nairobi in neighboring Kenya with details. Farai, is there any indication that these air strikes had anything to do with direct retaliation for that suicide attack that we saw in Somalia's capital over the weekend?

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, George. Good morning to you.

Yes, since last time we spoke, events moved rather quickly. It was indeed a retaliatory strike by the Federal Government of Somalia in partnership with the U.S. Africa Command.

We learned from the government spokesman, Mr. Ismael Mukhtar Omar who told CNN that, yes, the strike demonstrated the resolve of the federal government of Somalia and its partners in continuing the fight against Al-Shabaab, and it was a response to Saturday's attack. Remember, 79 people died. Our reporter in Mogadishu tells us people are still flooding into

hospitals in search of their lost loved ones. And indeed the U.S.- Africa Command did not mince their words. Let me read you a section of what U.S. Major General William Gayler, the director of U.S. Africa Command said.

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He said, "Al-Shabaab, they have killed African partners, allies and fellow Americans. They are a global menace. And their sites are set on exporting violence, regionally, and eventually attacking the U.S. homeland itself."

So, of course, we have seen as we cover this story, George, many drone strikes against militants from Al-Shabaab, and we gather that several leaders were killed in Sunday's attack, leaders of Al-Shabaab, that is.

But of course, this still raises the question that despite all these attacks, despite the presence of African union troops and despite all the drone attacks by U.S. Africa Command, Al-Shabaab still manages to kill so many Somalis.

Remember this attack happened near (Inaudible) university, so students, complete innocents, the very brightest, people who have been the very brightest Somali citizens in their country, they've all lost their lives because this menace just will not go away, George.

HOWELL: Farai Sevenzo in the story, live for us in Nairobi, Kenya. Farai, thank you for the insight and the reporting.

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

For those of you watching around the world, thank you for being with us. The 100 Club is next on CNN international.

CHURCH: And if you're joining us from here in the United States, do stay tuned. We'll have more news for you on the other side of the break.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this morning.

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

CHURCH: The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Trump Sunday 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 St. Petersburg during New Year's celebrations.

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

A resilient Jewish community in Monsey, New York, will be celebrating Hanukkah on Monday despite a terrible attack at a rabbi's home. The suspect, Grafton Thomas, is accused of stabbing five people on Saturday. His attorney says that he has a history of mental illness, and he's pleading not guilty.

CHURCH: We now have video of the moment he was arrested in New York City. Two officers stopped his car, and he was handcuffed without a struggle. Meanwhile, New York City's mayor is promising to increase security in front of homes and worship centers so people feel safe.

HOWELL: And we're hearing from the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, telling CNN that the Jewish community just wants to feel safe, but he says it appears anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise.

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MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY): I think it's a combination of real fear that we've seen these attacks now all over the country, most horribly at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. And there's a fear that anti-Semitism is growing in America and becoming more and more violent.

And for folks, that's very personal. It's literally if their kids go out in the street, are they going to be endangered? If they wear a symbol of their religion, will they become a target? It's getting very, very personal.

What the Jewish community is asking for is support and protection, and what I announced today was three things. One, more NYPD presence in Jewish communities, more security cameras, the physical measures, but also the community-based measures.

We're going to have patrols of community folks who go out, working with the NYPD, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds to make sure particularly if young people are in any way, shape, or form thinking of getting involved in hate crimes and anything negative, that there's intervention, that there's community members out there to find them and put them on the right path and stop them from doing the wrong thing. And then lastly in our schools, we have to continue to improve our

curriculum to talk about the consequences of hate. If someone commits an act of anti-Semitism, well, they may think that's against a different community, but you know what? That's eventually going to come back to hurt you and your own community because that hatred spreads and never ends up in a good place.

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CHURCH: Joining me now on the phone is Cedric Alexander. He is the former chief of police for Dekalb County in Georgia, and he was a member of President Barack Obama's task force on 21st century policing. He's 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: Thank you for having me.

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

ALEXANDER: 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're going to see a lot of cooperation there between the state and local and federal law enforcement who 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, and particularly around the New York community over the last week, over the last month, and a number of years.

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CHURCH: Right.

ALEXANDER: Because there's clearly an uptick in attacks towards our Jewish communities here in this country. But 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: And that is something that is just not going to be tolerated here in the United States.

CHURCH: And 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 area in just the last week. When will enough be enough? It's 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: Well, not just local law enforcement, but how do we as a community as a whole, both public safety at our local, state, and federal level have already begun to investigate. They're doing things to add patrols to Jewish communities there in and around New York.

But in addition, you have a governor and a state government there that is certainly going to do everything that they can to keep the Jewish community and other communities safe.

And the Jewish community is absolutely right. An attack upon their community is an attack upon all of us. And 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, public, not just at home, but speak out against this type of violence that is currently occurring in our Jewish communities across this country. And it's something none of us can tolerate, and it puts all of us at extreme risk.

CHURCH: Yes, and 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: Well, you know, I don't -- I can't -- 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 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's reports that are currently going out today, and we heard them from the governor, is 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's incumbent upon all of us, the 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 are being threatened and have experienced violence.

It is just something that none of us can tolerate and we must stick together, do this, and stand with those in the Jewish community who are certainly seeing this type of violence being imposed upon them for 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: Thank you for having me.

HOWELL: The latest battle for a U.S. Civil Rights icon is personal. Congressman John Lewis opens up about his health and what lies ahead.

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HOWELL: A U.S. Civil Rights icon now faces a battle for his health. John Lewis says that he's been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.

He writes in a statement, quote, "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 that I have now. Please keep me in your prayers as I begin this journey."

CHURCH: Lewis has received well wishes from across the country including from former President Barack Obama. He says "If there's one thing I love about representative John Lewis, it's his incomparable will to fight. I know he's got a lot more of that left in him. Praying for you, my friend."

HOWELL: CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talked about the possible treatments for John Lewis.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's obviously a tough diagnosis. People who have heard of pancreatic cancer at all know it's a challenging cancer, and when it's stage four, that basically means the cancer has spread somewhere outside of the pancreas itself.

So that's what that statement is basically telling us. You know, he also talks about the fact that he had this diagnosed on a routine visit, and that's important to note. I think part of the reason this cancer is often found late is because there's no symptoms typically.

And I think that's what the congressman was telling us. One of the goals, you know, typically, if it's earlier cancer, is to try and remove the cancer surgically. If it's stage four, that means that the cancer has spread, so surgical removal is not going to be a cure. That's one thing that doctors are sort of thinking about in terms of going forward.

They may do surgery to -- if there's blockages or something that the cancer is pushing on to sort of relieve that pressure. But really most likely it's going to be some form of chemotherapy and possibly radiation. But typically, chemotherapy is given into the bloodstream and specifically targets these cells and tries to prevent them from growing.

CHURCH: Lewis has represented the Atlanta area in the U.S. House since he was first elected back in 1986.

CNN's chief political correspondent Dana Bash describes his stature in Congress.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: 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 this every year.

[03:44:59]

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, 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, 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, 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 he can provide. You know, he always says we need to get into trouble, good trouble.

HOWELL: A true icon. The sacrifice by people like him opened the door for my parents, for me. It's so important to pull for him.

CHURCH: He has been a great leader.

HOWELL: Indeed.

CHURCH: And shown great leadership too.

HOWELL: Indeed.

CHURCH: All right. We'll take a short break.

(CROSSTALK)

HOWELL: We'll be right back after the break.

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: The climate crisis, a measles outbreak, and the opioid epidemic all made news in 2019.

CHURCH: CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at the top health headlines of the year.

GUPTA: Beyond 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. It's turning some of the best foods we humans have into junkier food.

The cannabis craze is here to stay, and as we reported in our documentary weed five, 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It wasn't the benefit that they were necessarily seeking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: All of it, though, underlying 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 as 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. At January's State of the Union, President Trump announced his commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Scientists also discovered a new strain of HIV for the first time in nearly two decades. It doesn't pose a new 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 counts received a landmark settlement of $260 million from a top drug maker and three major drug distributors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARMOND BUDISH, CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OHIO EXECUTIVE: We need resources from the parties that caused this problem. They need to make it right, and that's the benchmark that this sets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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 that are not getting vaccinated.

I 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 superbugs that have the ability to outsmart even our most sophisticated medications.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can pick something up just about anywhere. It literally has the potential to affect every person on the plant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: And now a landmark CDC report shows a person dies from one of these superbugs every 15 minutes in the United States. That's about 35,000 deaths every year from superbugs.

In 2019, a story that started out as a cause for concern turned into a full-on outbreak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The CDC has narrowed its investigation into the vaping-linked lung disease.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Since the first report of a vaping-related death in August, all 50 states have now been hit by this illness. That includes more than 2,000 that have been hospitalized and more than 50 deaths.

[03:55:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANNE SCHUCHAT, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: The outbreak of pulmonary injury associated with vaping or e- cigarettes is an emergency. We're seeing young people become critically ill and die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: The CDC has zeroed in on THC containing products and a more specific culprit. It's a common cutting agent known as vitamin e acetate. I think the larger issue though, is the staggering rise in vaping among young people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: The CDC says that more than six 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 here as well. Here's to 2020.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed. Thanks for your company. I'm Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. Early Start is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END