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Teen Girl Shot by LAPD While Shopping for Party Dress; CDC Cuts Isolation Time After COVID from 10 Days to 5; Omicron Hospitalizations Not Rising as Fast as Feared. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 28, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:46]
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers, joining us from all around the world. Live from Hong Kong, I'm Anna Coren. This is CNN Newsroom.
A brand new COVID guidance from the CDC, why the suggested quarantine period has been slashed in half. A 14-year-old girl killed by police while shopping for a birthday dress. The moments that led up to the heartbreaking shooting and Christmas with COVID how some get the holiday cheer live despite testing positive.
Despite a surge in COVID cases in the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control is issuing new guidelines to shorten the isolation time for people who test positive for the virus. The CDC now recommends people can stop isolating after five days rather than 10. If they don't have symptoms, and they wear a mask for another five days. Experts say transmission usually happens early in the course of the illness a day or two prior to symptoms. And two to three days after.
Well, the number of children admitted to hospitals with COVID is up 35% in just the past week. New York City has seen a fivefold increase this month, or meanwhile sick outs from COVID who force airlines to cancel or delay 1000s of flights worldwide. The infectious disease expert in the US says the administration is working hard to increase access to testing across the country.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: It's a combination of people concerned appropriately about Omicron which is spreading so rapidly, as well as the fact that we're in the holiday season. And people want to get tested before they start mingling with their family and their friends and travelling. So, it really has made a major upsurge in demand for the tests when we already are in a situation where quite frankly, we don't have enough test at this particular point in time.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COREN: We're getting reports from our correspondents around the globe on all the Coronavirus developments. We begin this hour with CNN's Tom Foreman in Washington.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The CDC announcement shortening isolation time came just hours after President Biden admitted to the nation's governors COVID testing has not kept pace with the Omicron threat.
JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: It's not enough. It's clearly not enough provided we'd known we would have gotten harder quicker if we could have.
FOREMAN: With COVID cases soaring more than 2000 flights were grounded worldwide, nearly 3000 delayed in the U.S. just today. At sea several cruise ships have been infected, in some cases being turned away from ports in all dampening the festivities.
ASHLEY PETERSON: CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER: And they weren't really enforcing masks until a lot of people started getting COVID and then they were kind of -- you know, enforcing masks more. I don't think I'll ever go on a cruise again, honestly at this point.
FOREMAN: As the Omicron variant rages testing lines are stretching out and test running short in some places. New York City is enforcing a COVID vaccine mandate for private businesses.
DR. ASHISH JHA, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: No one thinks that this is the holiday season we were hoping for but contrast it to last year, it's so much better.
FOREMAN: Also better, hospitalizations are not rising as quickly as feared. Though in many places, patients and staff alike are staggering against the surge.
DIANA RICHARDSON, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER: We have as of this morning 115 staff members out ill with COVID who have tested positive.
FOREMAN: Even the holiday fun and games are getting shaky with five college football bowl games cancelled or scrambling to find new teams as COVID rips through locker rooms. Brand new rules allow for the championship itself to be delayed or decided by forfeit if necessary. Although nobody wants that.
ELI GOLD, RADIO VOICE FOR ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE FOOTBALL: Everybody wants to play so the players are looking out for themselves. They really are.
FOREMAN (on camera): Simply put, if you have plans to be out on New Year's Eve you might want to rethink that and then brace yourself. Health officials say the Omicron winter season could last six to eight weeks. Tom Foreman CNN Washington.
[01:05:06]
COREN: Well, Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider is an Internal Medicine Physician at California Pacific Medical Center, and the founder of endwellproject.org. She joins me now from California. Doctor, great to have you with us.
Let's start with the CDC reducing isolation period from 10 to five days. Why are they doing this at a time when cases are surging across the United States?
SHOSHANA UNGERLEIDER, INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN AT CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER: You know, this change in recommendation for both isolation and quarantine was made really by looking at the science, which indicates that while Omicron is certainly more contagious, the majority of transmission of the virus happens early in the course of illness, usually in the one to two days before the onset of symptoms, and in the two to three days after. So regardless of vaccination status, people who test positive should isolate for five days as we heard, and then if they don't have any symptoms at that time, they can leave isolation if they can continue to wear a mask for five more days to minimize the risk of infecting other people. So, you know, a big shift here from CDC based on the science in an effort to minimize interruption of work of school and really of our daily lives.
COREN: For sure, it's based on the science, but isn't there a risk of spreading the virus considering that the infectious period can vary, as you say, mainly, it's a few days, but it can go up to a few weeks?
UNGERLEIDER: You know, it certainly can. But that's not the majority of cases, of course. And you know, one thing that I would say is if you have access to a rapid antigen test, and you are in fact, in isolation five days in or so by all means use it, you know, this is extra information, so people can make the best decisions to stop the spread of the virus to others. Of course, if you have symptoms, plan to continue to stay home. But the fact is, of course, these tests are in short supply in many parts of the country. We expect there to be many more available later in January. But that doesn't help the people who are infected right now. And so that's why the current recommendation is to leave isolation, only if you do not have symptoms, and then continue to wear a mask for five more days to lower that risk of infecting other people.
COREN: Yeah, let's talk about that rapid antigen test because there are doctors out there calling on people who are released from the that five-day isolation period to get one of those tests. This is something that has not been recommended by the CDC, why not?
UNGERLEIDER: You know, it's a great question. I certainly can't speak for the CDC. I suspect it's because there is a shortage of tests as I mentioned, we do think that come first and second week of January, as President Biden has spoken to this last week, there will be many, many more tests available. Again, that doesn't help the people who are infected right now. And so that's why we all have to proceed with caution and with the current recommendation of leaving isolation, again, only if you are asymptomatic, and of course continuing to wear a mask for five more days to lower that risk of getting other people sick.
COREN: Doctor, one health visual said that people should brace themselves for a tough January. We know that cases are at near record levels with the spread of the Omicron variant. What are you predicting in the weeks ahead?
UNGERLEIDER: You know, Anna, it's hard to make predictions, right? We are often wrong but because Omicron is spread is so transmissible, it's spreading like wildfire. There are some optimistic signs coming from Europe and South Africa that it may cause less severe illness. But the very real concern here is that Omicron spreads so fast, that our hospitals could still be overwhelmed. You know, here's the thing, if there are massive numbers of people who are suddenly infected all at once, and just a small percentage require hospitalization, that's still a really large number of people. And that could collapse hospital systems, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. We do expect that every healthcare worker will be essential in the coming weeks. But what I'm really worried about is what happens when more of us get sick and need to isolate at home, 20% of healthcare workers during South Africa's Omicron surge fell ill and that's already starting to happen here. You know, you can only receive high quality medical care if there's enough beds and hands and supplies to go around. And so, we need everyone's help. And we truly are all still in this together.
COREN: And doctors, nurses health officials are burnt out considering they've been fighting this for the past two years. That is clear evidence that a booster or third shot will lift your immunity to about 75%. And now that the Israel is studying the effectiveness of fourth vaccine dose, what are your thoughts about this?
UNGERLEIDER: Well, Anna to date, we know that immunity wanes over a period of months and a third shots or a booster dose as we're calling it is the best way to protect yourself from having a severe case, I'm certainly among the highest risk people another. Another booster may prove to be the right call, you know, the whole world is watching Israel. And we'll see what the data show.
[01:10:17]
You know here in the U.S., though, the fact remains that 10s of millions of people are unvaccinated. And only 30% or so of eligible Americans have received a booster dose. And this is a real problem given everything I've said and that we know that boosters are really the best way to reduce severe illness from Omicron. So, we have a lot of work to do.
COREN: Well, Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, great to get your perspective, your insight, and we thank you for everything you're doing.
UNGERLEIDER: Thank you for having me.
COREN: Let's turn our attention to China now where authorities are racing to contain a growing outbreak in the city of Xi'an. For more now we're joined by CNN's Steven Jiang live in Beijing. And Steven, this is a city of 13 million people where cases are rising. What's the latest that authorities are doing to tackle this outbreak?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Anna, the authorities in Xi'an are doing what their counterparts in other parts of China have done in previous cases of local outbreaks as the Beijing leadership in systems sticking to a zero COVID policy that is mass testing, mass quarantine and extensive contact tracing at least publicly officials in Xi'an are putting on a very brave face saying despite the alarming numbers in their city we have seen in the past few days triple digit number of new locally transmitted infections 175 recorded on Monday a record for Chinese city since March of 2020. But they say this kind of numbers is only to be expected as they continue to conduct city wide testing for 13 million residents and as they keep doing these testings, these numbers will stabilize soon and eventually start decreasing according to officials and experts with some predicting this outbreak a major one will come to an end in about a month because remember this sprawling metropolis remains under a strict lockdown. Not only travel in and out of the city has been halted but even within the city public transportation and most public venue -- venues have been closed with most people confined to their homes, the city's top officials actually have set what the city needs to do right now is to come to a complete standstill, as the government focuses on containing this virus in the city and also stops it spread to other parts of China.
Now, this kind of draconian measures obviously only possible in a top- down power structure like China. But officials say this strategy has been working well for them and pointing to the fast spread of the Omicron a very in other parts of the world, which of course has caused a massive flight cancellations but in this country sudden, massive flight cancellations has been a new norm for many travelers for quite some time because whenever new local cases emerge in a city, local authorities almost always immediately shut down the airport and that includes Xi'an's major aviation hub, which actually last year handled more than 31 million passengers and now that major aviation hub is almost abandoned as all domestic flights have been cancelled since last week. Anna.
COREN: Steven Jiang joining us from Beijing. I appreciate the update. Thank you.
Well, the stray bullets killed a teenager at a store in California, now police releasing surveillance and body cam video showing what led up to the shooting. And from heartbreaking legal cases to an alarming rise in gun violence, we'll take a look at the top 10 crime and justice headlines in 2021.
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COREN: At least five people are dead including a suspect after a shooting spree across Denver, Colorado. Police say the suspected shooter opened fire at four different locations Monday evening. Three people were killed before police identified the suspect's vehicle and pursued them. The suspect opened fire on police and then tried to run away on foot. After shooting an officer, the suspect was killed at the scene by other officers. So far, the motive for the shootings is unknown.
A warning, our next story contains images that may be hard to watch. They show the moments leading up to the deadly shooting of a teenage girl by Los Angeles police. The 14-year-old was trying on clothes in a store dressing room with her mother when a stray bullet passed through the wall and killed her. Police were aiming at an assault suspect who had been attacking women at the store. CNN's Kyung Lah has the details.
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KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This video is from the perspective of the Los Angeles Police Department, it was released so that people in the community could understand what responding officers were arriving to, there were reports of multiple reports of a possible shooting happening inside a store. So, the LAPD released 911 call store surveillance video and body cam footage video. We want to warn you, the video you're about to see may be upsetting.
In the store surveillance video, you see a man acting erratically carrying a solid bike lock and then attacking three random women, one of the women he strikes her multiple times pulling her by her hair and then strikes her until she his bloody. Officers enter the store. They see the injured woman as well as the attacker and then they fired.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Victim down, victim down. Hey, hold on. Hey, slow down, slow down, let me take point with the rifle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, back up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out. Out, out, out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got -- he got a tube.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey get her out, get her out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, on you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's hitting her now on the right-hand side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slow down, slow down, slow down. Slow it down, slow it down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, she's bleeding, she's bleeding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold up, hold up Jones. Hold up, hold up. I got.
(SHOTS FIRED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots fired, shots fired, shots fired. [01:20:01]
LAH: One of the bullets fired by one of the officers skipped off the floor and went through the dry wall into a dressing room where 14- year-old Valentina Orellana Peralta was there, she was hiding with her mother hugging her mother and praying according to her family. The LAPD did not recover a gun from this attacker.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
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COREN: Well, the teen victim was reportedly from Chile. Her family members there told local media that she was in the U.S. learning English and studying to become a resident. Her uncle says he feels dead inside.
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RODRIGO ORELLANA, VICTIM'S UNCLE (through translation): They get that they took away her American Dream. They took this girl's American dream away. Everyone fled the dressing rooms and unfortunately, the bullet caught her while she was hugging her mom and praying. They killed her, they killed her. They're supposed to be the best police department in the world, and they shot her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: 2021 is on pace to be one of the worst years for gun violence in the U.S. The largest gun violence prevention group in America says historic trends that began in 2020 continued through 2021, and gun violence dominated headlines over the summer CNN's Jean Casarez take a look at the top 10 Crime and Justice stories including some of the most heart wrenching legal cases of 2021.
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JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A musician behind bars, a manhunt that gripped the nation, a call for social justice finally answered all part of some of the most gripping crime and justice stories in 2021.
Number 10, in June prominent South Carolina Attorney Alex Murdaugh says he discovered the bodies of his wife and son shot dead outside the family's home. Three months later, Murdaugh told police he had been shot in the head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A prominent attorney in South Carolina has resigned from his law firm and entered rehab. Police say Murdaugh admitted to arranging for a hitman to kill him so that his son could collect millions and life insurance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Deaths, murders, and allegations of thefts of millions of dollars from his former law firm and clients.
CASAREZ: Murdaugh is now facing criminal charges and more than two dozen financial crimes, but the murders of his wife and son remain unsolved. He denies any involvement.
Next, at number nine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Cosby is a free man this morning.
CASAREZ: In June, Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Bill Cosby's 2018 conviction of aggravated indecent assault, charges he repeatedly denied. The case mark the first high profile celebrity criminal trial of the Me Too era.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justices explaining their decision saying Cosby was originally promised immunity in exchange for testimony in a civil case. A decade later, a different prosecutor used his testimony against him in a criminal trial.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm sad and I'm feeling like this is a loss for me and for the other women who came forward.
CASAREZ: In a rare move, prosecutors are now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the overturned conviction.
Number eight, R. Kelly convicted.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news in our national lead, disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly was found guilty late this afternoon.
CASAREZ: Jurors found R. Kelly guilty of racketeering, including acts of bribery and sexual exploitation of a child along with separate charges of sex trafficking. Kelly has been defending his innocence for years, but now faces up to life in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for next year.
Number seven, the rise of shocking incidents involving airline passengers becoming violent, some over refusing to wear masks. And attacking flight attendants.
This man even needing to be duct taped to his seat. The FAA has now announced that abusive and unruly passengers can face federal penalties as high as $45,000.
Number six, another alarming trend, 2021 is on pace to be one of the worst years for deadly gun violence in decades.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: At least 150 Americans are dead and more than 380 wounded after an outburst of gun violence over the weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really tragic milestone for the city of Philadelphia 500 homicides so far this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN analysis of more than 40 of the most populous cities in the U.S. shows nine they have already said homicide records before years end.
[01:25:05]
CASAREZ: Law enforcement experts point to a mix of factors behind the rise including high gun sales, fewer cops and shifting police resources, changes in the court system and the pandemic.
It was a mystery and a manhunt that gripped the nation, Number five.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, hello. Good morning.
CASAREZ: In June, 22-year-old Gabby Petito and her fiance Brian Laundrie set out on a cross country road trip. The couple documenting their summer adventures on social media.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But Petito's text her family and her social media posts stopped abruptly in late August. About two weeks after this incident in Moab, Utah on August 12, where police pulled the couple over after receiving a 911 call about a possible domestic dispute.
CASAREZ: Vloggers travelling through the Tetons discovered they had a clip of Petito's van in a camping area, where authorities later found her remains. Laundrie had returned home to his parents' house in Florida while Petito was missing. Then he vanished.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The FBI just confirming the human remains found in that Florida nature reserve are indeed those of 23-year-old, Brian Laundrie.
CASAREZ: The story ignited calls for other missing persons, especially indigenous and African American victims to go into the same attention.
Number for a killing spree in Georgia that rattled the Asian American community. 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long allegedly open fire on three Asian spas leaving eight dead, six were Asian women.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At the moment, you can just see the palpable, you know, anxiety of this community.
CASAREZ: Investigators say Long had been a customer at two of the locations before the shootings. He was charged in two counties in one Long has already pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and was sentenced to over four life sentences. But in another Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Our next two stories high profile trials that put Race and Justice, self-defense and vigilantism in the spotlight.
Number three.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breaking news in our national leaders, the jury finding Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges.
Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he fatally shot two men and wounded a third with an AR15 style rifle that he brought to racial justice protests in August of 2020.
CASAREZ: Dozens of witnesses came to the stand over the course of six days.
KYLE RITTENHOUSE: There was not a crowd a mob was chasing me. I continued to run after hearing people say, people were saying cranium him, and get him, kill him. So, I didn't do anything wrong. I defended myself.
CASAREZ: After 25 hours of deliberations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury find the defendant Kyle H. Rittenhouse, not guilty.
CASAREZ: The jury acquitted Rittenhouse of all charges.
Number two, it was a trial that nearly never happened, but a mother and a movement made sure it did. Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man was shot and killed while out for a jog near Brunswick, Georgia. At the time, no charges were filed.
WANDA COOPER JONES, MOTHER OF AHMAUD ARBERY: It took 74 days, 74 days to get an arrest.
CASAREZ: The three men who chased and shot Arbery claiming self- defense.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't force someone to defend themselves against you. So, you get to claim self-defense. This isn't the Wild West.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We, the jury find the defendant, Greg McMichael guilty.
CASAREZ: The day before Thanksgiving, those three men were convicted of murder, their claim of self-defense rejected by a nearly all white jury.
And number one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Find the defendant guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This feels like we can breathe, this feels like something new. It's hopefully a new day in America.
CASAREZ: The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police officer found guilty of murdering George Floyd. This spring, the trial, video of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while he cried mama, played over and over for jurors.
CHARLES MCMILLIAN, SAW GEORGE FLOYD BEING DETAINED: I don't have a moment either. I can't just.
VAN JOES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: If a police officer can do this, what can they do to us? What can't they do to our children? So that is what's at stake here.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts.
CASAREZ: Chauvin never took the stand in his own defense. But jurors would go on to tell CNN it would not have made a difference.
[01:29:46] PHILONISE FLOYD, BROTHER OF GEORGE FLOYD: George had no choice but to give up, because he shut off all the oxygen off in his body. My brother, he did not deserve it, but he has changed the world.
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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, outbreaks of the omicron variant have airlines and passengers scrambling to adjust travel plans at the last minute.
After the break, expert tips for traveling during the pandemic.
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COREN: Welcome back.
The coronavirus pandemic seems to be finding a new target across the U.S. -- children. Pediatric hospital admissions are up 35 percent in the past week. New York City has seen a five-fold increase this month and admissions in Washington have doubled.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is revising its guidelines for people recovering from COVID. It now says five days of isolation is enough as long as the person has no symptoms continues to wear a mask for the next five days.
The top infectious disease expert in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci says he expects COVID cases will continue to surge, but he is dismissing the need for a vaccine mandate for air travel at least for now.
Well, the omicron variant is causing big problems for the airline industry. Thousands of flights were canceled at the last minute due to staffing shortages leaving passengers stranded after Christmas just wanting to get home.
Well, CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has more from New York.
[01:34:55]
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SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than 1,300 flights canceled on Monday and hundreds more expected on Tuesday as airlines try to keep up with crew members and pilots calling out sick because of the coronavirus. They're moving crews around trying to get passengers home after the holiday weekend which saw thousands more cancellations. Of course, all of this coming as the omicron virus continues to spread through the country.
The big question that was asked of Dr. Fauci if the passengers should be vaccinated, should there be a mandate for passengers to be vaccinated. Here is what he said.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR: Everything that comes up as a possibility, we put it on the table and we consider it. That does not mean that it is going to be likely to happen. Right now, I don't think people should expect that we are going to have a requirement in domestic flights for people to be vaccinated. When I was asked that question, I gave an honest answer. It is on the table.
PROKUPECZ: With the new CDC guidelines shortening the amount of time people need to quarantine or isolate because of the coronavirus, that could potentially help airlines ease some of the staffing shortages that they now have.
Shimon Prokupecz, CNN -- New York.
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COREN: But easing the travel chaos won't happen overnight. CNN's Richard Quest explains why airlines will continue the face challenges in the coming weeks.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN EDITOR-AT-LARGE: It is not a surprise that the largest number of cancellations are in the United States and China. China is locked down to outsiders, therefore, the domestic industry has managed to continue. Whilst in the United States, there has been a huge upswing in travel demand as things get back to normal.
However, the airlines are working on very thin margins in terms of staffing shortages. So when the staff started to calling in sick with COVID or isolating or in quarantine, well, that is when the effects were truly felt.
In Europe, not so many cancellation, but that is because the industry isn't fully back on its feet. So now you've got airlines like Lufthansa that are already announcing cancellations for the winter schedule, not because they don't have the staff, but because bookings are down as a result of omicron.
Overall, the airline industry is once again trying to do its best, trying to keep things going, and essentially trying not to lose more money.
But it is flying into some very heavy weather and it doesn't seem like that is going to change any time soon.
Richard Quest, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, traveling during the pandemic means plans can be disrupted at any point. CNN has gathered some expert travel tips to put you at ease if you hit unexpected delays.
First avoid getting trapped at the airport. Check your flight status from your home or hotel so you don't have to wait at the airport.
If you are already at the airport, speak with an airline agent as soon as you find out your flight is being rescheduled. Representatives often operate on a first come-first serve basis.
Next, ask for hotel accommodations, if your flight is delayed overnight, and you're out of town. However, airlines may have different policies on this matter.
And finally, be open to rescheduling your trip. You may be eligible for free flight changes without penalty.
You can find these tips and more on our Website, CNN.com.
Well coming up, Thailand is preparing for Myanmar's violence to cross their border after of dozens of people were killed on Friday. We will head to the region for the latest on the conflict there.
[01:38:34]
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COREN: Thailand is increasing border security as it prepares for more violence in neighboring Myanmar. Thai police are monitoring the border villages after Friday's massacre in eastern Myanmar.
A local human rights group says that more than 30 people were killed when Myanmar's military reportedly attacked villages. The international NGO Save the Children says two of their staffers are also missing. Fighting has flared recently between the junta and armed groups opposing its military rule.
Well joining me now from Mae Sot, Thailand is Ye Wint Thu (ph), he's senior producer and host of "Democratic Voice of Burma". Great to have you with us.
Let's start with the Christmas eve massacre in Kayah State. The U.S. embassy in Myanmar has called the killings a barbaric attack. The U.N. is calling for an investigation. Tell us, what have you learned?
YE WINT THU, PRODUCER, DEMOCRATIC VOICE OF BURMA: It was such a tragic news for the Christmas eve. So, as you know, what happened there, like more than 30 people killed, massacred including two staff from Save the Children. So many women and children killed. And a member of the victims' family, she said, you know, they killed -- they burned -- the human beings on fire, alive.
COREN: Yes.
THU: So it's really -- yes, it's such a tragic news for the Christmas eve. And for the Burmese military troops they have been doing that kind of thing for so long during the civil war.
(CROSSTALK)
THU: During the past --
COREN: Yes. I want to talk to you about this. But first, you know, Save the Children employees are, as you say, believed to be among the dead. This is an organization that has been operating in Myanmar since 1995. I mean what does this mean for other NGOs operating in Myanmar?
THU: You know, it's really dangerous for them. Even for (INAUDIBLE), you know, they can't really do their job. Just like back in Rakhine, you know, situation there. Compared to that, it's the same -- still the same. So they are in danger, like walking at NGOs, volunteers, they are in danger like, you know, walking on the ground, on the field.
(CROSSTALK)
COREN: We know that , as you say, fighting has been going on for decades in Myanmar. But do you believe that there are other massacres occurring across the country that the world has not seen?
THU: Yes, of course. Like back in the first week of December, they came at least 15 people in villages in Zagan (ph) region, (INAUDIBLE) township, they killed -- that's massacre. So, you know, they have done it so many times.
[01:44:58]
THU: So during this Christmas season, the news that many people are reading everyday, it is like, you know, tragic news and massacres. Military troops killed, shot, burned down the village.
You know, they set, you know, humans alive on fire. So those news every day. Many people are reading those news everyday.
COREN: And you are based in Mae Sot on the Thai-Myanmar border where there has been heavy fighting. Can you tell us about what you have been witnessing?
THU: Yes, many people flee the border, cross the border. And you know, thousands of refugees here in Thailand, Mae Sot. So yes, but for the refugees in Mae Sot, they need help and women -- many women and they need also like medicines as well here.
A lot of, you know, refugees coming across the river of (INAUDIBLE) everyday. So more are coming.
(CROSSTALK)
THU: So the fighting is -- the Burmese military, they bomb the villages and, you know, on the ground, they fire heavily everyday since from the morning.
COREN: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
COREN: We have been hearing the reports of this.
You went to -- I'm sorry Ye Wint Thu, we're going to have to leave it there. But thank you very much for joining us.
THU: Thank you. COREN: Well coming, the U.S. is seeing record high and low
temperatures from coast to cast. We'll have the latest forecast, that's ahead.
Plus families go to great lengths to stay together for Christmas after one of them tests positive for COVID. We will see how they kept their holiday cheer while also keeping their distance.
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COREN: We are seeing the more dramatic images coming out of northeastern Brazil where at least 40 cities have been hit by heavy flooding. Officials report 18 people are dead and hundreds more injured as the waters overtake whole neighborhoods.
Thousands of people are now homeless or displaced. More rain, flooding, and landslides are possible in the coming days.
Well, aid group Christian Aid says climate change-related weather events are costing billions of dollars and killing hundreds of people. Its new study counting the cost of 2021 found that ten events this year each caused damage of at least $1.5 billion.
Hurricane Ida which made landfall in Louisiana in September caused insured losses of $65 billion and 95 deaths.
These floods which hit Europe in July were responsible for losses $43 billion and 240 lives.
And this flooding in Henan, China in the same month cost $17.5 billion and killed more than 300 people.
From extreme cold in the west to unusually warm weather in the southeast. Parts of the United States are seeing record-breaking temperatures this week. And along with frigid temperatures in the northwest coast, heavy snow has been falling in the mountains of northern California causing traffic delays and dangerous road conditions.
CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins me now with the latest and to explain what is going on. Hello Pedram.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, what an incredible set up as you described really well here. Incredible warmth taking place -- we're talking spring-like warmth in some cases, even approaching summer-like warmth across the southern United States while back towards the western U.S. it is an entirely different story as these scenes (ph) have kind of pointed with the significant amount of snow that has accumulated, the significant amount of rain even into southern California.
a stark contrast to what, of course, was taking place in the last few months. And all of it kind of turning on a switch here and bringing with it an impressive run of wintry weather. 50, 75, even 100 centimeter snow depths across portions of the Sierra Nevada even into portions of the Olympic Mountain and parts of 11 states in the western half of the United States underneath these winter weather alerts.
Now when you look at how have played out, in some cases, these are very beneficial. Look at the state of California in the month of December, the snowiest December on record taking place there, 193 feet -- almost 194 feet, which is about 59 meters of snow has come down across portions of the Sierra.
Snow depth prior to that the previous record from the 1970s was 179 feet, or about 55 meters. So again, a lot of this beneficial especially when you consider about 40 percent of California's drinking water is from Sierra snow melt. So that's great news going into the upcoming spring season.
The flooding though in southern California, that has been very impressive and then you take a look even into the Pacific Northwest, incredible amount of cold air -- unusually cold by their standards down to minus 8 on Monday.
Keep in mind, Seattle set an all-time hot record back in June, just six months ago, when it was 42 degrees above. And now 8 below -- the widest spread of temperatures in one year taking place across the northwest.
Now, in the eastern United States, almost 200 record temps on the opposite end of the scale running 10 to almost 20 degrees above average taking place. All of this, Anna, comes in with a potential for severe weather. That's going in from Wednesday into Thursday.
Another round of tornados possible in the southern U.S. and of course, we saw how things played out in December. So something we're watching carefully.
COREN: Wow. That certainly is warm in Atlanta. Much warmer than here in Hong Kong.
Pedram, great to see you. Many things.
Well, some families did not let a little thing like a little positive COVID test get in the way of their holiday festivities.
As CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, they celebrated safely apart but together with some creative solution.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Santa isn't the only one who got decked out for the holidays.
Nothing shameful about the COVID Christmas Hut of Shame unless you're a brother teasing your sister while making it possible for her to join in the festivities. "Best brothers ever," someone posted. "Y'all still going to get it," commented someone else. But the Griswalds (ph) weren't the only one not letting a positive
COVID test turn the holiday negative.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God, no. Do not let her in.
MOOS: Even dad got into the teasing as Matty Haynes donned something called the under the weather shield that her mom bought on Amazon at the beginning of the pandemic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some people are like, could she breathe.
MOOS: The Texas family had Christmas dinner outdoors.
CARLY HAYNES, HOLIDAY SOLUTION GOES VIRAL: It was my sister's idea. She wanted to be in the shield. Hey, guys, look what I found, you know. Why don't I put this on, and we just stay outside.
MOOS: And this guy, Anthony Huerta (ph) just stayed outside the window at his Michigan family home, cake and presents cookies were left outside for him like cookies for Santa.
In Ireland, Thomas Wright posted this photo of his brother Peter in a van outfitted with a table and lights. Peter had a close COVID contact, so he just pulled the van up to the window and dined alongside the others gathered inside.
It is a weird holiday being handed presents using a grab-it --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It grabs where you cannot reach.
MOOS: -- in hopes COVID can't reach the rest of the family.
Jeanne Moos, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Nothing is going to dampen the COVID spirit.
Well thanks so much for watching. I'm Anna Coren.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with Paula Newton next.
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