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Hawaii's Mauna Loa Volcano Spews Lava into the Air; Raphael Warnock Holds Narrow Edge Over Herschel Walker Before Runoff; On the Front Lines of Ukraine's Battle for Bakhmut; Ukrainian Sergeant Severely Injured Months After U.S. Visit; Kanye West Unleashes Pro- Hitler Rant on Alex Jones' Infowars; Jon Stewart On Antisemitism; North Carolina Power Outage; Kennedy Center Honorees. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired December 04, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: -- was walking from the car when the cayote grabs her, and you can see it in this video, and begins dragging her away. Her father quickly reacted after hearing his child screaming. He throws a water bottle at the coyote and the cayote rans away. The child had blood on her pants and was rushed to the hospital where she received a multiple rabies shot. She is now recovering and authorities are working to catch that coyote. Terrifying stuff.

And you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. And you're looking live right now at Mauna Loa volcano erupting in Hawaii. Lava spewing into the air. The lava flow is scarcely two miles from a major highway right now. This is the world's largest active volcano and it's now becoming Hawaii's newest tourist attraction.

Just look at these incredible images, they continue to come in here at CNN. Joining us now on the phone to talk about this, Jess Phoenix, she's a volcanologist, geologist.

Jess, thanks again for joining us. We appreciate it. As someone who studies volcanos like this, I guess what is your reaction to this video that's coming in? It is stunning to look at.

JESS PHOENIX, VOLCANOLOGIST AND GEOLOGIST: Yes, it is. Visually spectacular. It's a classic lava fountain. The material that you're seeing being erupted, that is basically right what happens when magma makes its way from the underground on to the surface and then it becomes lava. So you're seeing fresh lava. That's about 2,000 degrees plus that is being pushed out because of the pressure from deep underground. And it almost instantly cools when it spatters in those little pieces, and it's very, very glassy once it hits the ground.

ACOSTA: And as exciting as this is to watch, and it is pretty spectacular, it's also dangerous. Walk us through what some of your biggest concerns are. As this goes on. I imagine we're just going to have the potential for more situations where tourists, visitors, thrill seekers are going to be tempted to try to get close to this.

PHOENIX: Yes. We can't deny the pull of seeing a natural phenomenon like this. It is really exciting. And so I think you do have people who want to get up close and personal. Please don't try that if you're watching this, do not try that. Leave that to volcanologist because you are working in an extremely hazardous situation with training. Now if a regular member of the public approaches this lava fountain or any of the lava flows, they may not be aware of the multitude of hazards.

You've got gas inhalation, you've got volcanic glass, superheat, obviously, and it's uneven terrain. Everything is constantly changing and you don't know if a crack could open up beneath your feet if you're walking on freshly cooled lava. So I really advise everybody who has the good fortune to be in Hawaii to stay where Hawaii county has designated as viewing areas.

ACOSTA: And yesterday when we spoke you told me this was the first volcano you've studied. What are you hoping to learn from it now?

PHOENIX: Well, it is the first that I ever experienced myself and we really can learn a lot about how eruptions proceed. Getting to watch the start of an eruption when a volcano has been quiet for some time, we want to know now is the lava that's being erupted, was it left over? Was it basically hanging out below the surface waiting for the next eruption? Or is this fresh lava unique to this particular eruption?

And in this case, all the lava is new. So that tells us that Mauna Loa has been brewing quite a while, 38 years, and we'll be able to see how the eruption unfolds in the next days and weeks, and hopefully that will give us info that will allow us to keep communities even safer in the future.

ACOSTA: All right. Jess Phoenix, thank you so much for your time. We'll keep an eye on this. And we know you will as well. We appreciate it. Thanks very much.

PHOENIX: Yes. Always great to talk, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Thank you.

And it's not just the volcano we're watching. We're also keeping a very close eye on the runoff election in Georgia for the U.S. Senate seat which is still up for grabs. On Tuesday, just a couple of days from now, Georgia voters who haven't already voted will choose between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Both are making final pitches to voters and rallies across the state this weekend.

Tuesday's runoff will determine if Democrats gain a more solid hold on their Senate majority or if the balance of power will remain a 50-50 split with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tiebreaker.

Let's begin in Loganville, Georgia, with our CNN's Dianne Gallagher.

Dianne, how are both candidates trying to, you know, make this race happen for them here in the home stretch?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, you can probably see behind me and perhaps hear as well, Herschel Walker, the Republican candidate in Georgia for the Senate race, is speaking at this moment.

[16:05:05]

We just heard two of his surrogates, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana speak to this crowd. And look, Senator Kennedy has spent most of his time actually talking about former President Obama who, of course, came here on Thursday to rally for Senator Warnock, trying to not just tie Warnock to Obama but of course Joe Biden.

Now I can tell you that listening to Herschel Walker's speech so far, he hasn't really changed that much of his typical campaign stump speech throughout these final days. In fact, this is actually his only public event today. They are going to be busy tomorrow. Perhaps the busiest I've seen them with five separate events. But he kind of goes through his biography and then begins talking about Warnock.

Warnock notably, Jim, has also been sharpening those attacks on Herschel Walker's character as well as his fitness to serve if he were elected.

ACOSTA: All right. Dianne Gallagher, thank you very much. We'll keep an eye on it. We know you will as well.

And joining me now is Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution," a great newspaper of Atlanta, Georgia.

Tia, the latest polls give Senator Warnock a slight edge over Herschel Walker. Based on the reporting that you've been doing, is this race as close as the polling suggests? I suppose one might think that while Republicans already know they're not going to have the majority in the Senate, and so they may let up a bit in this race. Are you finding that to be the case?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION: No. I'm not finding that to be the case. I think the race is as close as the polls reflect. You know, just today talking to voters here in Loganville at the Herschel Walker rally, you know, they still see a lot of upside to taking Raphael Warnock out of office, putting a Republican in that seat, forcing Democrats to have to split power in the Senate.

Yes, Democrats would have the tie-breaking vote, but they still would have to have 50-50 splits in committees. And we've seen that for the past two years and how that has had an impact, for example, on President Biden's appointments and even their ability to move forward on legislation or investigations. And so Republicans say they're just as fired up about Herschel Walker as Democrats are about Raphael Warnock. But for Republicans, it's that bigger picture of the balance of power in the Senate, not just about their candidate.

ACOSTA: And let me ask you this, Georgia's Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan waited an hour to vote but left his ballot blank because he couldn't bring himself to vote for Herschel Walker. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. GEOFF DUNCAN (R), GEORGIA: Herschel Walker is going to go down as probably the worst Republican candidate in the history of politics, right? It's just no way to run away from that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: You know, I was down there in Atlanta just before the midterms and I was finding this to be the case, talking to some Republicans saying essentially the same thing. Do you think that dynamic might be enough to put Warnock over the top?

MITCHELL: Yes. I mean, it definitely is an interesting dynamic on the Republican side where you've got some Republicans who are those, you know, ultra conservative, evangelical Christians, Georgia fans who are all in for Herschel Walker. And then you have other Republicans who say he's not the best candidate. I have some concerns. But I want to support Republicans.

Those are the people like Geoff Duncan and some of them are moving forward and they voted for Herschel Walker in the general election. They say they'll do so in the midterms even though they have reservations but there are some Republicans and the moderates, the independents who say Herschel Walker's controversies are too much for them to stomach.

The question is, are there enough of them to sway this election and how many of them are going to follow in Geoff Duncan's footsteps and stay home, or go with those 200,000 split-ticket voters we saw in the midterms and vote for Raphael Warnock. That's going to be a big question mark going into Tuesday.

ACOSTA: All right, Tia Mitchell, it's a fascinating race. We know you'll be watching. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

And make sure to join CNN for special election coverage of the Georgia Senate runoff Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.

And we want to take you now to Ukraine and the town that has become target number one for Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. Well, you can hear the incoming rounds, the incoming rounds from Russian artillery fire are really intensive here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:10:05]

ACOSTA: That's CNN's Matthew Chance on the frontlines of Ukraine's battle for Bakhmut. After months of relentless missile attacks, Ukrainian troops continue to hold on as both sides have made minimal gains. Here's more of Matthew in Ukraine with this exclusive look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): The brutal fight for Bakhmut. Where Ukrainian troops are battling Russia's onslaught.

These exclusive images are from the soldiers themselves. Their commanders tell us dozens of lives are now being sacrificed here every day.

The road into town is heavy with thick smoke and danger. Explosions ahead force us to pull over before another slams into a building close by.

(On-camera): All right, well, you can hear the incoming rounds. The incoming rounds from Russian artillery fire are really intensive here as we have entered the outskirts of Bakhmut which is, you know, certainly for everything we're seeing, everything we've been told, is now the most fiercely contested patch of ground in the entire Russia- Ukrainian conflict.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quickly. Quickly.

CHANCE (on-camera): OK. OK, let's go.

(Voice-over): So fierce we made a rapid exit, leaving the relentless barrage behind.

(On-camera): It's a new passage (INAUDIBLE).

(Voice-over): Much of this battle is fought avoiding the artillery threat. In underground bunkers like these where local Ukrainian commanders like Pavlov (PH) can respond to Russian attacks.

There are assaulting oppositions from early morning until night, he tells me. But the real problem is we are heavily outnumbered, he says.

But the innovative use of low cost tech is helping to bridge that gap. In another frontline bunker we saw how commercially available drones are giving Ukraine an edge.

(On-camera): Wow. That's incredible because we've just seen an artillery strike in this position that the Ukrainian drone operators have identified as being full of Russians like you can see. Russian soldiers as we look at them live now running for cover as Ukrainian artillery pounds their positions.

(voice-over): But battery commanders at the frontline like to Tuman (PH) tell me they're now running low on ammunition rounds. That even guns sent from the United States are breaking under such constant strain. They need more of both they say if this battle for Bakhmut is ever to be won.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Our thanks to Matthew for that report.

And we have a devastating update today on Ukrainian special forces weapons sergeant who sat down in this very studio just a few months ago. Today we learned Sergeant Andriana Arekhta was severely injured. You may remember Sergeant Arekhta gave me a special coin, you can see it right here, made from pieces of a Russian tank at the time she was visiting the U.S. as part of a special Ukrainian delegation asking for aid.

And we're joined now by phone by another member of that delegation. Yarna Chornoguz is a senior corporal and combat medic.

Corporal Chornoguz, thank you so much for joining us on the phone. Tell us how Sergeant Arekhta is doing right now and what happened?

She's not there. All right. It sounds like we lost the connection with Yarna. We're going to try to re-establish that connection. We'll be right back. Back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:18:26]

ACOSTA: Right before the break we were telling the story of a Ukrainian special forces weapons sergeant who sat down in this very studio just a few months ago. Today we learned Sergeant Andriana Arekhta was severely injured. You may remember this sergeant gave me a special coin made from pieces of Russian tank at the time. She was visiting the U.S. as part of a special Ukrainian delegation asking for more aid to their country.

And we're joined now by another member of that delegation, Yarna Chornoguz, a senior corporal and combat medic.

Corporal Chornoguz, can you hear me this time?

CPL. YARNA CHORNOGUZ, UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I hear you well, Jim, again. Yes, I'm here.

ACOSTA: Good. Good. And tell us how is Sergeant Arekhta is doing right now. What happened?

CHORNOGUZ: (INAUDIBLE), about her, she's really remarkable for Ukraine army and we (INAUDIBLE). She has intense injuries. Her jaw, her spine. Until yesterday she was in coma. But right now she is conscious and she is under the control of the best Ukrainian doctors. We hope she will survive because she's very strong. Her unit did some cleanup operation under Kherson and her car run over a mine. That's what was happening. And because of critical life in Ukraine, our armor military vehicle, this situation is -- has happened, unfortunately.

[16:20:11]

ACOSTA: And what is her prognosis? What do you think we're going to see? Do you think she'll be able to pull through?

CHORNOGUZ: Well, at first the prognosis were very bad. Her unit come under such -- it's a miracle that she has survived this explosion of the car. Very rarely someone survives that. But yesterday she became conscious. She's speaking and she's breathing herself so we believe she will survive that. Again, she is very strong.

ACOSTA: All right. Yarna, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it. We're watching the video right now of when Andriana was on set with us, giving us that special coin. It was such a moment for us here because it reminded us, once again, of what you and your fellow soldiers are dealing with on the battlefield each and every day. Our hearts go out to you and, please, tell Andriana we wish her the best. Tell her to pull through for us if you can.

CHORNOGUZ: Thank you for your support, Jim. I'll tell her that.

ACOSTA: Thank you very much, Yarna. We appreciate it.

In the meantime, back here in the U.S., Kanye West has been upping his bizarre antisemitic tirade by praising Adolf Hitler and posting images that even surpassed Elon Musk's apparent new tolerance for hate speech on his recently acquired Twitter.

CNN's Brian Todd looks at the hip-hop mogul's fall from grace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Kanye West's brazen antisemitism is rolling on, unabated, despite losing deals with Adidas, The GAP, "Vogue" and other corporations over his recent "death con 3" on Jews tweet, West appearing in an odd black mask on "Infowars," a show hosted by conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, praising Adolf Hitler.

KANYE WEST, RAPPER: I see good things about Hitler also. I'm done with the classifications. Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler. There's a lot of things that I love about Hitler, a lot of things.

TODD: West has apparently jumped so far off the deep end that he's even too outrageous for Elon Musk's new Wild West Twitter. The rapper, who now goes by the name Ye, has just had his account suspended by Twitter.

CNN could not confirm which specific tweet prompted the suspension, but just before it happened, West tweeted an image of a Star of David with a swastika inside. Then Musk tweeted, "I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated a rule against incitement to violence."

JONATHAN GREENBLATT, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: While I want to see Twitter do more to address intolerance and incitement on the platform, I'm glad they've taken down Kanye's account.

TODD: Why should we care about the rants of an ostracized artists like West? Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League points to West's 30-plus million followers on Twitter before his account was suspended.

GREENBLATT: The truth is, he still has a lot of cultural cache. His name is still, you know, known around the world. So when someone like that is popularizing antisemitism, we've all got a problem. TODD: But if you think Elon Musk has written in to save social media

from the likes of Kanye West, think again. Despite Musk's recent declaration that hate speech had been reduced on Twitter since he took over, two new studies show the opposite. The Anti-Defamation League and the Center for Countering Digital Hate both have new reports saying the volume of hate speech on Twitter has risen dramatically under Musk's leadership.

IMRAN AHMED, CENTER FOR COUNTERING DIGITAL HATE: Elon Musk took over a platform that was working OK and first of all, fired all the people whose job it was to clean these things up. And second, he put up the bat signal saying, you know what, we're open to business to racists, to homophobes, to transphobes, and to misogynists, too.

TODD: And Imran Ahmed warns there is genuine danger here beyond the keyboard anonymity of social media rants.

AHMED: Look at the rise in transphobic hatred on social media platforms and homophobic hatred and look at what happened in Colorado Springs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And joining me now is Rabbi Joshua Stanton. He's a senior fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.

Rabbi Stanton, great to see you again. It's been a while but we appreciate you coming back on. Let's talk about this. After this happened President Biden tweeted this. "I just want to make a few things clear. The holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure and instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity."

You know, Rabbi, let me ask you, I mean, where are we as a country if the president of the United States has to remind people that Hitler was bad?

[16:25:02]

RABBI JOSHUA STANTON, SENIOR FELLOW, NATIONAL JEWISH CENTER FOR LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP: I fear that we're heading to a darker place and, indeed, Elon Musk appears to be using his platform for some combination of narcissistic glee and just plain narcissism, and he is aiding and abetting people who traffic in hate and has much more of a public responsibility.

I'm so grateful for the public figures who have stood up against hate, who have called out Twitter as a platform that is going in a terrible direction, and I'm so grateful to President Biden for reminding us of the very basics of human decency. That fascists are not OK, that Adolf Hitler was a terrible human being, that the holocaust happened, and that we need to acknowledge the pain and suffering that Jews have experienced.

I've been so gratified that, on the other hand, though, by all of the allies, and you included, people who have stood tall, so it's complicated. There's a lot of darkness but there's a lot of light.

ACOSTA: Yes, but there shouldn't be this much darkness. I mean, I think that's one of the issues. In this day and age, it boggles the mind while we're having to go through all of this. And of course, this comes after Trump dined with Kanye West and another antisemite Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago. Trump has yet to condemn their views. What is the impact of that?

STANTON: You're absolutely right that there are people on the extreme right who are normalizing antisemitism and outright neo-Naziism. This is fairly unprecedented, certainly within the last 75 years, and I think within living memory of politics, that a former president would dine with neo-Nazis, that so many people would seek to normalize antisemitism.

And at the same time I can't help but have some degree of hope. And Jewish tradition has seen moments of antisemitism like this. There are very few in our history that have also had allyship like this. I think of my friend, the Reverend Dr. Jackie Lewis, I think of Dr. Eboo Patel. Those are two of the first people to call me when something horrific happens to the Jewish community or there's a public display of antisemitism.

I can't imagine my grandparents having similar experiences. You are doing so much to call out antisemitism where it exists. I'm not sure a generation ago or two generations ago, public figures were doing this. So this is a moment for people to get off the sidelines and to be upstanders. This is a moment to go and learn about Judaism and Jewish tradition. This is a moment to go visit a holocaust museum.

This is a moment to double down on education to make sure that antisemitism cannot become the norm. We can't be passive in the face of such hatred, and thankfully many people are standing up, doing what is morally incumbent upon them to care about their Jewish friends and relatives, to learn about Jewish history and to make sure that the Jewish community in America never is made to feel alone.

ACOSTA: And, Rabbi, let me ask you about this. TV host Jon Stewart made some really interesting comments recently pertaining to the situation with Nets star -- Brooklyn Nets star, the NBA superstar Kyrie Irving after Irving was suspended for tweeting a link to a documentary containing antisemitic messages. I should put documentary in quotes. It isn't certainly much of a documentary. But let's get your take on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, TV HOST: I think, you know, penalizing somebody for having a thought I don't think is the way to change their minds or gain understanding. This is a grown ass man and the idea that you would say to him, we're going to put you in a timeout, you have to sit in the corner and stare at the wall until you no longer believe that the Jews control the international banking system.

Like we have to get past this in the country, the ability to -- look, people think this. People think Jews control Hollywood. People think Jews control the banks. And to pretend that they don't and to not deal with it in a straightforward manner, we will never gain any kind of understanding with each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes. He makes some important comments there. Stewart is also saying that he doesn't think censorship is the way to end antisemitism. What's your reaction to that? Should there be some penalties for this?

STANTON: I think absolutely. Antisemitism cannot go unanswered, but the long-term answer is education. It is holocaust education. It is teaching about Jewish history. It is teaching about the origins of anti-Jewish hatred. And it is teaching about this unique era in American Jewish life that is filled with growth and possibility, and calls for allyship that need to be answered.

So, education needs to be the response. And I think that the most charitable interpretation of what Stewart was saying is that penalties, alone, cannot resolve anti-Semitism.

I think that's correct And I think there needs to be real penalties. I think advertisers, those that remain on Twitter, need to leave Twitter and need to be called to leave Twitter, until Musk makes it a safe, respectful and appropriate environment for public discourse.

I'm all for free speech, but I can't continence hate speech under its pretense.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Rabbi, I did notice that you tweeted that you were going to take a pause on Twitter. Why did you decide to do that?

STANTON: I am (ph) taking an indefinite pause. I believe that human beings can change. I believe that even deeply troubled human beings, and I think that Elon Musk might be one of them, is capable of change. And I eagerly await his change.

He made one baby step in calling out the most egregious anti-Semitism that Ye had posted, but it is but one baby step. He called for a number of white supremacists and known haters to rejoin the platform.

He tried to create an amnesty for extremists and radicals, so that they could rejoin and tweet their hate. He has gotten rid of basic standards that require truth, or attempts at truth, or attempts at being factual. And, as a result, more COVID-related falsehoods are being spread on the platform.

So, he has much more to do as a corporate steward. He has much more to do as someone who is a public figure. In a Jewish tradition, we hold our leaders to a higher standard. And it's for reasons and moments like this.

What can he legally get away with? I don't know, though I do hope the FTC regulates the daylights out of Twitter.

What can he morally get away with? Certainly not this.

ACOSTA: But Musk has been saying this is all about the first amendment. He's been beating his chest about the first amendment. But free speech comes with some responsibility. You can't shout fire in a crowded theater, for example. That sort of thing.

STANTON: I'm no lawyer, and it's clear that Musk is not either. What he's getting very confused about free speech is that the right to say something is also not an excuse.

I have a right to live without vile threats against me, because I'm Jewish. I have a right to free expression of my religion.

And when he creates a situation and normalizes hate, I lose those rights in the process. So, he has rights, up until the point that they start to impact mine and detract from mine. And I think he is far over that line.

And for us to have a healthy society, a healthy democracy, he needs to do some careful examination and reexamination of his actions. Because he's doing American civil society a great deal of harm right now and is trying to profit off of it.

ACOSTA: All right. Rabbi Joshua Stanton, definitely some food for thought for Elon Musk. I hope he's watching. Thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it.

STANTON: Thank you very much.

ACOSTA: All right. And coming up, why a massive power outage in North Carolina is now being investigated as a criminal occurrence.

[16:33:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Cleveland Browns' quarterback, Deshaun Watson, returned to the field today. He had been suspended for 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. He has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women.

Watson ran out to a mix of boos and cheers today. Some of his accusers plan to attend the game.

In North Carolina, all schools in Moore County will be closed tomorrow after a massive power outage. The outage cut power to more than 40,000 residents, and it's being investigated, at this point, as an act of violence. That's how it's being described by local authorities.

Our Gloria Pazmino is tracking developments and joins me now. Gloria, what are authorities saying? Have they had anything to say today?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jim, we just got an update from local officials. The sheriff in Moore County saying he believes the person behind this act knew exactly what they were doing. That means that he believes they went in there intentionally wanting to damage the power equipment, which has left more than 40,000 people in the area without power starting last night.

The sheriff talking about the investigation, which is just in its initial stages, and announcing that Moore County will be instituting a curfew, beginning this evening at 9:00 p.m. They want as many people as possible to stay off the roads. Traffic lights in the area are not working.

And these neighboring counties that may have power, may not know that the power is out and that's causing some traffic headaches in the area. So, a curfew for this evening.

And I just want to play some sound from that press conference which just wrapped up a few minutes ago. Listen to the sheriff describing what might have possibly gone on here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONNIE FIELDS, SHERIFF, MOORE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: We faced something last night, here in Moore County, that we've never faced before. And I can promise you, to the perpetrators out there, we will find you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, during that press conference, the sheriff also confirmed what we had been reporting here earlier today, that that electricity equipment, those two substations in Moore County, sustained some sort of gunfire damage. He also confirmed that a gate had been taken off the hinges.

[16:40:00]

PAZMINO: A gate that was completely removed, presumably, for these person or persons to gain access to the property. And that the equipment sustained gunfire damage.

We also heard from a local official with the power company who said that the damage is very serious. And that it's going to take days, potentially for them, to be able to get the power back up. We had been hearing it could take a day or two.

But in this briefing, Jim, they just said it could be as long as Thursday. So, a concerning situation, considering it is winter. It is the holidays. And, of course, you know, power being such an essential necessity in the day -- in people's lives.

ACOSTA: A very troubling investigation there. All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you very much for staying on top of that. We appreciate it.

Coming up, the White House is set to host a star-studded event tonight, as President Biden welcomes this year's Kennedy Center honorees. We'll have a live report next.

[16:41:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: The White House is set to host a star-studded event tonight, as President Biden welcomes this year's Kennedy Center honorees. The Kennedy Center recognizes a group of artists every year for their contributions to America's art and culture scenes.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is following all of this for us from the White House. Arlette, this is one of the cool parts of covering the White House. All these famous celebrities there in one room. Tell us more.

ARLETTE SAENZ, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim. So many familiar faces and voices will be honored tonight at the Kennedy Center Honors. And, in just a short while, President Biden will be celebrating these honorees with a reception at the White House. This is, really, one of the highest honors that those in the arts and in the entertainment world can receive in the country.

And I want to tick through a list of some of the people being honored tonight. There is George Clooney, perhaps one of the most recognizable faces in movie theaters across the world. He is being honored, as well as Christian singer, Amy Grant.

There is also Gladys Knight, the -- also known as the empress of soul, who will be honored there as well. As well as Tania Leon, who has a remarkable story. She was a refugee from Cuba in the 1960s and has gone on to become a world-renowned composer.

And then, there is a little rock -- Irish rock band, that you've heard of from time to time, and that is U2. All four members of U2 will be honored at the Kennedy Center tonight.

Now, this reception, that's being held here at the White House, is part of the tradition that goes into these Kennedy Center Honors. And then, President Biden and first lady, Jill Biden, will make their way with the honorees over to the Kennedy Center for that event this evening. Now, this will be the second time that the Bidens have attended the Kennedy Center Honors.

Jim, you'll remember well that former President Trump skipped the Kennedy Center Honors, while he was president. But the Bidens have restored that tradition now, and they are going to be honoring these honorees in just a short while.

ACOSTA: Yes, and we're looking at some live pictures right now, Arlette. I'm seeing Michael Fanone, cap --

SAENZ: Yes.

ACOSTA: A Washington D.C. form -- a Washington D.C. police officer, sitting next to Sean Penn. Dr. Anthony Fauci is there. I believe that is Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam, if I'm not mistaken. And behind him, Sasha Baren Cohen. I'm having some phono (ph) right now, Arlette.

SAENZ: And, you know, Garth Brooks is the host. He was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors, himself, a few years ago. I'm a huge fan of Garth Brooks as well. So, it's certainly a star-studded event. And this is, really, the

second night of glitz and glamour in just the past week for the Bidens here at the White House.

They hosted that state dinner, for French president, Emmanuel Macron. That also had celebrities, like Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, as well as Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jennifer Garner.

So, they're definitely getting their dose of celebrities this week.

ACOSTA: No question about it. And I suppose we're going to hear from the president here in just a few moments. And when he starts speaking, we'll take that to you live.

But, Arlette, why do you think it is that the president and first lady have put such a priority in bringing arts, and culture, and music, and these kind of events, back to the White House and emphasized them so much during this administration?

SAENZ: Well, it's something that you have definitely seen presidents do in the past, especially when you think back to President Barack Obama's administration. But last year, at the Kennedy Center Honors, or ahead of that, the president talked about the importance of arts and education as well. Of course, his wife is an educator. But last year, they hosted this reception.

I'll also note that, back in 2020, the Kennedy Center Honors was postponed, due to the global pandemic of COVID-19. Now, they eventually did hold one later in 2020, one the Bidens did not attend, but they still held that private reception with the honorees.

ACOSTA: All right, very good. I hope -- maybe I'm -- I don't want to put anybody on the spot. But I'm hoping to hear a little U2 tonight. That would be great. A little Joshua Tree would be terrific this time of year.

All right, Arlette, thank you very much. Take a quick break and we'll see if the President emerges here in just a few moments. Be right back.

[16:49:05]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: All right. Let's go live to the White House right now, where President Biden is hosting the Kennedy Center honorees. Let's listen in.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (live): Jill and I are truly honored to host for our -- some of our most favorite events here in the White House. This is -- this ranks right up there.

And a special thanks to our friend, David Rubenstein. David, you've become a friend. David is chairman of the board of the Kennedy Center and probably puts more time in there than he does his business. But thank you, David, for all you do. And president of the Kennedy Center, Deborah Rutter. Deborah, raise your hand. It is good to see you (ph).

And to all of you supporters of the arts and families and friends of this year's honorees. You know, this year's reception is a fitting way to cap what has been a special week.

On Monday, Jill unveiled the theme of this year's holiday at the White House. The theme that's reflected in the incredible decor that you see in every room that is grounded in the very idea of America. We the people. We the people. The first words of the Constitution.

[16:55:01]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The beating heart of our democracy. The story of our nation that makes America, America.

A part of democracy is something I talked about a few days before, when President Macron was here. And the president of France. We hosted in our first state visit.

France our oldest ally. We talked about the inflection point we face, as free nations, and how the choices we make, in today and the next several months or in the next years as well, they're going to determine the future for decades to come. Dealing with everything, from an unjust war in Ukraine, to climate crisis to the global economy on the move. But we share confidence and optimism that we'll meet this moment because of our faith in we the people. And that's the truth.

And at our state dinner, Jill and I asked an artist to capture the faith on what only an artist can do. John Baptiste was our guest. The son of a famed -- the son of a famed New Orleans family, jazz musicians and civil rights' leaders.

An Oscar and Grammy winner, he sang the song called "Freedom" and spoke about the power of art that brings people together, despite our differences. To see each other. To see ourselves in one another. To unite in common cause.

Tonight, we celebrate a truly exceptional -- and this is no -- it's not exaggeration, a truly exceptional group of artist -- group of artists. Who embody the very spirit that we the people -- at this year's Kennedy Center honorees, they're all an incredible group of people. And we the people, we see character.

We saw Amal Clooney's husband. George is one of the most celebrated actors, directors, producers and screenwriters of our time. Two academy awards. One of only three people nominated in six different categories. You know, he portrays iconic characters. An heroic doctor, a daring astronaut, a wise-cracking con man. The list goes on.

I respect -- one thing I respect most about George, and I mean this sincerely, is his deep empathy. He's never forgotten, before the fame back home, what it was like back in Kentucky and Ohio as a kid. A kid with dyslexia. A college dropout, figuring out life. After missing his dream of playing baseball for the Cincinnati Reds -- you think it's a joke, I'm not joking.

He chases a new dream in Hollywood, working on a tobacco farm to earn some scratch. Sleeping in his friends closet with nowhere to go until he finally gets his break. No matter where he is or what he does, he always remembers where he came from.

You know, he's a son of Nick and Nina. Both of them are here tonight. Nick and Nina, raise your hands, please. Dad is a reporter and mom a councilwoman. But mom looks more like his sister. They taught George and his big sister that the life spent challenging the powerful, on behalf of the powerless, is a life of purpose.

He's traveled to war zones to end genocides and war crimes. Exposes war profiteers. Helps refugees and advances the rights of journalists. Raises millions of dollars to support 911 first responders, victims of national disaster and advocates. And advocates who, along with him, are combatting hate.

Mentors -- he mentors these -- those historic kids from Parkland on their march in their lives against gun violence. I met with every one of those kids, and they really appreciate what you did, George. Not a joke. He knows that work remains unfinished.

Yet, he is unrelenting and undaunted. That's character in real life and that's George Clooney.

We the people, we see faith and light. We see Amy Grant, a child of Nashville. A child of Nashville, sitting in the front pew of church with her great grandmother, singing hymns and learning harmony. With her parents' love, she recorded her first album, while she was still in high school. The start of more than three-decade career and still counting.

She established a contemporary Christian music as we know it today.

[17:00:00]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Six Grammies. Six Grammies, 19 nominations. The first contemporary Christian artist to be number one on the pop charts.