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New Hearing Set For Truck Driver Sentenced To 110 Years; LAPD To Release Bodycam Video After Stray Bullet Kills Teen; Holiday Retail Surges Amid Omicron Variant Concerns. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired December 27, 2021 - 14:30   ET

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

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Both parties want to ensure that any re sentencing decisions don't interfere with his right to appeal.

Now, just to remind our viewers Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was driving at roughly 85 miles an hour in a semi-tractor trailer and 2019 when his brakes failed, causing a crash that killed four people, injuring several others. Earlier this month, he was found guilty on 27 charges which include several counts of vehicular homicide as well as vehicular assault.

But as you point out in the intro, Colorado's mandatory minimum sentencing laws require these sentences for each count to be served consecutively, rather than concurrently, which is how Mederos, who's now 26 years old ended up facing more than a century in prison. His attorney has been calling for legal reforms, when he spoke on CNN earlier today, take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COLGAN, ROGEL AGUILERA-MEDEROS' ATTORNEY: It doesn't really distinguish between people like Mr. Mederos who is not a danger to society and other people that are sentenced to life that are a danger to society. And I think the law needs to make those kinds of exceptions and understand that there is a difference between Mr. Mederos and those other kinds of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: Now this petition to change the sentencing from the prosecution came after the case sparked nationwide outrage nearly 5 million signatures on a petition asking the Colorado governor to reduce Mederos sentence or to grant him clemency. Kim Kardashian got involved.

She tweeted about this saying Colorado needed to change its laws. The governor's office telling CNN that they are reviewing the clemency requests, but we don't expect, Alisyn, them to weigh in before these legal proceedings take place. Alisyn?

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: OK. Lucy Kafanov, thank you for the report.

So today, the LAPD is expected to release body cam video of an officer involved shooting that left a 14-year-old girl dead. The girl was in a department store dressing room with her mom last week when a stray bullet crashed through the wall and hit her in the chest. Police were responding to a shooting where the suspect was killed as well. CNN's Josh Campbell joins us now from Los Angeles. So, Josh, what will this body cam video show?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're hoping this will answer a lot of the important questions that we have, specifically, what was the vantage point of the officer on that day and what was taking place in front of this officer that caused them to fire their weapon in the first place.

Now, we'll remind our viewers this happened on Thursday in North Hollywood. Police received 911 calls about an assault in progress at a department store as they were on the way to that location. That call was elevated to shots fired as they arrived. Police say that they encountered a woman who was bleeding. There was also a male suspect that witnesses say was beating her with a roped bite chain. Those officers opening fire on that suspect and as they conducted a sweep of that building to look for other potential victims, they found something truly heartbreaking. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASST. CHIEF DOMINIC CHOI, LOS ANGELES POLICE: Call was upgraded to possible shots fired, officers encountered the suspect and during that encounter, an officer involved shooting occurred and behind the drywall solid wall that you can't see behind. We went behind it. It turned out to be the dressing room out there and what we did is we were able to locate a 14-year-old female who was found deceased in that dressing room.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who was the (inaudible)?

CHOI: Preliminarily, we believe that round was an officer's round.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, I want to bring you these images we just got in a short time ago. This is a makeshift memorial that has been set up outside that department store. You can see flowers and balloons and cards, members of the community paying tribute to this 14-year-old victim.

I spoke to the coroner yesterday they are identifying her as 14-year- old Valentina Orellana-Peralta. Again, she the victim in this stray bullet fired by that officer with the LAPD. The State's Attorney General's Office is now investigating this as per policy. We're also expecting according to the police chief here that the body camera footage from that incident as well as CCTV footage from inside that store, and the 911 audio that is all about to be released today.

The police chief says they're trying to act with full transparency to show the public but obviously a lot of unanswered questions there. Why did this officer open fire? And obviously we're hoping that a lot of that will be gleaned by looking at some of this video. Again, just a true tragedy here in North Hollywood. A family grieving the loss of this 14-year-old girl. Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Josh. Thank you.

Well, the Americans are spending big again this holiday season. What that means for the economic recovery and Omicron's impact.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:39:14]

CAMEROTA: The Omicron variant might be disrupting the economic recovery, but it did not curtail the holiday shopping season. Even with supply chain delays and rising inflation, shoppers showed up in droves. CNN's Matt Egan joins me now. So Matt, what did the latest numbers tell us?

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Well, Alisyn, the latest numbers show that you really cannot bet against American shoppers, found a way to get this done. Despite sticker shock and Omicron and all these supply chain issues, sales were up by 8.5 percent during the November one's Christmas Eve period, that is the fastest 12-month road since MasterCard spending poll started tracking this figure 17 years ago and online sales alone were up by 11 percent.

Most of the talk about the explosive growth in some of these categories apparel sales up by nearly 50 percent from a year ago, spending was up for jewelry department stores, electronics, all of them much higher than a year ago.

[14:40:13]

You know, this shows two things. One, Americans were shopping early to try to get ahead of the supply chain problems that we've been talking about. And that seems to have worked. Two, the economy answered this period in really strong shape. Growth figures for the end of 2021 are likely to be very, very positive.

I think the real question is what happens next, because Omicron is clearly messing with the economy right now. It's getting workers and consumers sick. It's causing all of these disruptions. We've seen 1000s of flights get cancelled, Broadway shows, college bowl games get postponed or canceled altogether. It is pushing back or mixing this office re-openings.

Normally we'd be talking about this on set in New York, but not so much because of COVID. And so that is clearly going to do some damage to the economy. There's some debate over how much damage but economists are marking down their forecasts. They're not calling for a recession. But a slowdown from a very strong end of the year. Hopefully this passes pretty quickly. That should allow the economy to bounce back.

But Alisyn all of this shows, how here we are, you know, two years into this pandemic, and it continues to really run the U.S. economy.

CAMEROTA: OK, so let's talk about the movies. So, as you know, the latest Spider Man movie broke all of these pandemic era records, but then other movies that were released for Christmas underperformed. So, can we draw any conclusion about the health of the movie industry right now?

EGAN: Well, I think there's some mixed results here. Clearly, Spider Man is coming to the rescue of these beleaguered movie theaters. It's the first film to gross a billion dollars in global box office sales of the pandemic era and it did it in just 12 days. The only ones that have ever done that faster, were the Avengers Endgame in 2019, and Avengers Infinity War in 2018. Spider Man breaking $260 million at the North American box office in the first weekend alone, that is the second biggest the biggest domestic opening of all time.

As you mentioned other films have not done quite as well. I think that the movie -- you know, the movie theater industry clearly will take the success where they can get it. I do think, Alisyn, that because this happened during Omicron this shows that there is demand, there is appetite at least for big, big movie hits, even during a health crisis.

CAMEROTA: OK, Matt Egan, thank you.

EGAN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: And we'll be right back.

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[14:47:15]

CAMEROTA: The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan COVID-19, those are just two of the big global headlines of 2021. Here's more from CNN's Clarissa Ward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As 2021 comes to a close, so does another tumultuous year.

Number 10, the bombshell interview that put the British royal family in an unwelcome spotlight.

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: What?

WARD: Prince Harry and his wife Duchess of Sussex opened up to Oprah in a two-hour TV special, speaking freely for the first time since walking away from a life as working Royals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, opening up to Oprah Winfrey about being singled out. She believes forced out of the royal family.

WARD: A month after the explosive broadcast, Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip died at the age of 99.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight, a shocked and saddened nation remembers the legacy of an irreplaceable figurehead.

WARD: Number nine, hours after Haiti's president was assassinated, gunfire still crackled through Port-au-Prince.

WARD: The assassination of Jovenel Moise took place against a background of extreme violence in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are at least 17 people detained at this point.

WARD: Number eight, the conflict in the Middle East came to a head once again this spring and turned into one of the worst rounds of violence between the two sides in the years.

It's a pattern that shouldn't be familiar. It already is. Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets streaking across the sky from Gaza.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Airstrikes and rocket barrages, artillery and mortar fire, hundreds of people dead in more than 2000 wounded.

WARD: The conflict lasted 11 days before Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. Israeli airstrikes killed more than 250 Palestinians including dozens of children. Palestinian militant fire from Gaza killed 13 Israelis, including children.

Number seven, Myanmar's military junta seized power in a coup, ousting de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clarissa Ward and her team were the first western TV journalists allowed into the country since the coup.

WARD: After days of pushing, we are allowed to visit a public space, an open market. As word of our presence spreads, we hear an unmistakable sound, banging pots and pans and has become the signature sound of resistance.

[14:50:05]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want democracy. We don't want military coup.

WARD: Since the February coup, the military has killed more than 1300 people and arrested more than 10,000 according to an advocacy group.

Number six, a powerful CNN investigation sheds light on a raging Civil War. The Ethiopian government has waged war against Tigray's ousted regional leaders for the last five months. With the help of neighboring Eritrea.

(On camera) CNN was one of the only western media outlets to travel to the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three bodies were found down at the riverfront.

WARD: To investigate reports of mass killings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One by one they enter the church carrying in sacks all that's left of loved ones executed by Ethiopian soldiers. This is fresh evidence of a January massacre.

WARD (voice-over): In late April, a CNN team traveling through Tigray witness Eritrean soldiers, some disguising themselves in old Ethiopian military uniforms, cutting off critical aid routes to starving communities.

CNN, CNN, we're CNN journalists.

WARD: Eritrea's government has denied any involvement in atrocities and Ethiopia's government has pledged investigations into any wrongdoing. But the bloody conflict rages on, spilling into other parts of the country, raising fears of an all-out war.

Number five, turmoil at European borders. Shocking images of 1000s of migrants stranded on the Belarus-Poland border in freezing conditions, desperate to make it into the European Union. The situation at times surging out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Poland has sealed the border and now has 15,000 troops here to make sure that no one can pass, Jake.

WARD: European leaders have accused Belarus of manufacturing the crisis as retribution, sanctions over human rights abuses claim Belarus denies.

The year ends with tensions between Ukraine and Russia at their highest in years with a massive buildup of Russian forces along the Ukrainian border, fueling fears over Moscow's intentions.

Number four, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping steel grip on power tighten.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: David, how has President Xi been able to cement his hold on power for so long?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really sets him up as the undisputed supreme ruler for years to come.

WARD: And with this an ever more assertive China, 2021 saw sophisticated propaganda campaigns deflect criticism over allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The arrest of pro-democracy activists and former lawmakers in Hong Kong as well as aggressive military maneuvers aimed at Taiwan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This island is potential flashpoint for what their president calls a fight between authoritarian China and democratic Taiwan allied with the United States.

WARD: Number three.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Protests, rallies across Russia today in supportive detained Kremlin opposition activist Alexei Navalny.

WARD: Russia's best known opposition politician, Alexei Navalny sent to a penal colony to dare to return home five months after a near fatal nerve agent attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shortly before his detention Navalny saying he's not scared.

WARD: Number two, the new year brought with it great hopes for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, ushering in of widespread vaccinations. But the virus continued to mutate, killing millions of people around the world. The uneven vaccine rollout hasn't kept up with the speed of the spreading virus, especially in poorer countries.

In Delhi now, you're never far from heartbreak. Almost everyone in the city has been visited by grief.

Despite high vaccination rates, Europe became the epicenter of the pandemic once again this winter. The fourth wave of COVID-19 is now sweeping across the continent, with lockdowns reinstated in some countries.

Across Europe protests against mandates and health passes and thrown 10s of 1000s of people.

In November, South African scientists discovered the new Omicron variant. It has since spread around the globe.

Number one, the last U.S. military planes left Afghanistan marking the end of its longest war.

They took the city of 6 million people in a matter of hours, barely firing a shot.

WARD (on camera): This is a sight I honestly thought I would never see, scores of Taliban fighters and just behind us the U.S. embassy compound.

[14:55:03]

(Voice-over) Thousands scrambling to leave before the U.S. military exit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, they saying they all worked at American Camp, as translators for the Americans, and they can't get into that airport.

WARD: A terrorist attack at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghans during the evacuation.

(On camera) And there's no question, everybody here is doing their best. But it's not clear. If it's fast enough.

The collapse of Afghanistan's U.S. backed government was perhaps the most damaging setback. It was a blow to us credibility and to democratic advances, especially on women's rights and media freedoms are stifled overnight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Out thanks to Clarissa Ward for that look back.

All right, so we know that COVID testing is not keeping up with demand. How often should you be testing? Stick around.

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