Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

January 6th Committee Ends Meeting On Criminal Referrals; Bombmaker Of Pan Am Flight 103 In U.S. Custody; NASA's Orion Capsule Safely Returns To Earth; Altercation Between L.A. Councilman And Activist Caught On Video; A 14,000-Barrel Oil Spill In Kansas; Congresswoman's Gay Nephew Criticize Crying Moment In Congress On Same-Sex Marriage; Sen. Bill Cassidy Interviewed About Paid Family Leave; Alicia Keys Releases First Christmas Album; CNN Heroes: An All- Star Tribute. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired December 11, 2022 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: The Justice Department finally has Abu Agila Mas'ud in custody, the person who was the bomb maker, the Pan Am flight that blew up over Lockerbie in 1988 and killed 270 people. He will be facing the court in the coming days.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People are calling for Kevin de Leon there, the council member and others to resign, but he is refusing to resign --

UNKNOWN: And there it is, high over the Pacific, America's new ticket to ride to the moon and beyond now in view. Splashdown, Orion, back on Earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington and you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Those stories in just a moment, but first, new reporting tonight and to CNN. The House Select Committee investigating January 6 has ended its meeting where members discussed criminal referrals. This is according to multiple sources as reported to me, Annie Grayer and Zachary Cohen. One source told me, the meeting was seen as successful by committee members but didn't want to elaborate on that.

The subcommittee focused on those referrals, presented its recommendations to the full panel, and one source telling my colleague, Jamie Gangel, the committee agreed on a path forward on referrals. Let's bring in CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. So, Elie, what are you expecting on this front? And just help us better understand, what are some of the complexities with making a decision like this? ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Pam, first of all, the

committee obviously is in the process of deciding what they're going to do. They've said different things in the past. They've said they intend to. They said today's meeting was successful. So, we'll see what they do.

But what's important to understand about a criminal referral from Congress or anybody else is that legally it has no specific impact. It's not binding on DOJ. They don't have to investigate because Congress or anybody else asks them to, and they don't need to be asked in order to investigate. They can do it on their own.

We know DOJ is already investigating Donald Trump. But of course, this is an important way that the committee is going to have to think about how they want to end their presentation of evidence to us and do they want to sort of use a criminal referral as a capstone to all the findings and all the hearings that we've seen.

BROWN: Right. And Congressman Adam Schiff, he spoke earlier today and he talked about one of the challenges being, well, if we put some names forward for criminal referral, we don't want to leave the impression that we didn't think these other people may have committed crimes or there may have been wrongdoing with them. And so, getting everyone on the same page could be a challenge. Here is what else he said about the possibility of referrals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIF (D-CA): We are as a subcommittee, several of us that were charged with making a recommendation about referrals, going to be making that recommendation full committee today. We will be releasing a report, I think, around the 21st. That will include whatever decision we've made on referrals.

If we do make referrals, we want to be careful about how we do them. But I think we're all certainly in agreement that there is evidence of criminality here and we want to make sure the Justice Department is aware of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, you heard there, December 21st. A source I spoke with tonight also reiterated that at that date, that is when the committee hopes to announce the criminal referrals along with the final report. And I'm wondering, because what was suggested to me tonight, the implication was that they made major headway on who is going to be on that list for criminal referrals to DOJ.

But the announcement they know won't be made until December 21st. What do you think about that gap in time? What would they need to do in that time before sending over criminal referrals?

HONIG: Well, I think there's a couple factors at play here, Pam. First of all, they have to obviously finalize the criminal referrals. Now, there's no set form. There's no worksheet that you just fill out for a referral. It can be as short as a couple sentences. Dear DOJ, we hereby refer all of this to you for investigation, or it can be a long document.

They can list out specific names. So, they need to figure out, first of all, who are they going to name. Second of all, are they going to name specific federal statutes, specific crimes that they think might have been violated? And then third, how much depth are they going to go into? Are they going to say, we think you need to investigate this person for this crime or are they going to say, and here's our evidence and turn it into essentially a prosecution memo or even an opening argument like you might see in court.

So, these are all decisions that they have to make fairly quickly. And I think they are targeting December 21st, as you said, Pam, to coincide with the release of the report itself.

[17:04:57]

BROWN: I'm curious, given what you just said about, you know, that they could include a statute and say this is the crimes we believe were committed, this is the evidence we have, but does the committee run a risk of potentially interfering in any DOJ investigations that are happening right now, depending on what information they put forth?

HONIG: Well, that's exactly the down side here, Pam. First of all, if the committee makes a referral over to DOJ -- this is Congress. Remember, the committee is staffed with a bunch of elected, partisan members of Congress. And so, like it or not, it will look political and Donald Trump will say, you can bet, if he is part of this or anybody who is part of this referral, look at that, this is a political prosecution.

You have Congress, a bunch of elected partisan officials, asking DOJ to prosecute. And there goes DOJ doing just as they're asked. So, that is the risk here. There's also the risk potentially of DOJ sort of recoiling and saying, listen, we don't take our marching orders from Congress. We're an independent body. We're part of the executive branch. So, it could cut both ways. There is a very delicate balance that the committee needs to achieve.

BROWN: All right. Elie Honig, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

HONIG: Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: Well, 34 years after Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the tiny village of Lockerbie, Scotland, the accused bomb maker is in custody tonight, U.S. custody. The blast killed all 259 people aboard the New York-bound flight. Most of them Americans headed home for Christmas. Eleven people on the ground were killed by falling debris. And it remains the deadliest terror attack in British history.

CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now. I mean, this is a huge deal, Nic. And you have covered this terrorist bombing for years. Tell us more about the suspect and the arrest that was made.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's significant because this is the first suspect who has been brought to the United States for trial, so that is very significant. The only other person convicted, professed his innocence, went to jail in Scotland for eight years, then was released when he had prostate cancer. He later died protesting his innocence essentially all the way to the grave.

But this new suspect who has now been brought to United States, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is his full name, was being held in custody about two years ago in Libya, which gave -- on other unrelated charges, which gave an opportunity for investigators perhaps to get a closer look at him, but that was two years ago when those charges were first detailed.

Then this attack, the bombing took place on the 21st of December 1988. So, this is almost 34 years to bring this particular suspect to U.S. justice. And this is significant. He is accused of making the bomb. The bomb was put in a cassette player, wrapped in clothes, put in a hard-shell suitcase, went between several airports. The contention was worth, it was Libyan intelligence officials that did this.

He was one of those intelligence officials. And the courts are going to say, when he appears in court, it's not quite clear when but soon, they're going to say that he worked with those others, with the other bombers who were involved.

BROWN: All right. Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

And I want to bring in someone who has fought for justice for those killed and their families. Kara Weipz is the president of Victims of Pan Am Flight 103. Kara, welcome. Your brother, Richard Monetti, died in the bombing. What does this arrest mean to you and the other families?

KARA WEIPZ, PRESIDENT, VICTIMS OF PAN AM FLIGHT 103: The fact that he is in U.S. Custody is -- it's monumental. It's a huge step in our quest for justice and our quest to bring all of those responsible -- to hold them accountable for the bombing of Pan Am 103, the second largest terrorist attack against the U.S. in our history.

BROWN: It's interesting because those younger generation, they may hear this news and think, you know, what is Lockerbie? They may not be as familiar with this. And I'm wondering what you have to say about the significance of what happened in Lockerbie and this arrest.

WEIPZ: It's -- I mean, not just for my family and the families of the other, you know, 269 victims, but in just what's come out of after the bombing of Pan Am 103. There have been so many significant changes over the last 34 years. But just the fact that 34 years later, we're still bringing those accused to justice says that we have the fortitude.

Number one, the determination of the families to keep fighting after 34 years, but also the fortitude of our government to keep fighting and holding those people accountable, that the investigators didn't stop, the prosecutors haven't stopped.

[17:10:00]

Six administrations have, you know, been in power since or been in place since the bombing happened. And, you know, it's still been a priority and been at the forefront. And today he is now in U.S. custody and now we will have a trial in the U.S. to hold him accountable, and that is very important to the families.

It has been one of our -- it has been the top priority, to find the truth and hold these people accountable. And the fact that this is now going to happen in the U.S., is -- it's monumental I think is the only word I can use at this moment. It's not the end, but it's a great first step and we're very anxious and eager to hear what comes out of this trial.

BROWN: And if convicted, what would you like to see for him?

WEIPZ: I think that's a long way down the road. It's more about hearing what truth comes out of this trial and the facts and the evidence that comes out of this trial.

BROWN: The anniversary of the bombing, we should note, is just 10 days away. How do you normally spend that day?

WEIPZ: I spend that day in Washington at Arlington. We have a memorial service where we remember the 270 victims. And I will do the same again this year.

BROWN: Kara Weipz, thank you so much. We appreciate you taking the time to talk about this significant, as you say, monumental development and to talk about your brother as well. Thanks.

WEIPZ: Thank you.

BROWN: Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, on this Sunday, NASA celebrates a successful Artemis I mission. And now the countdown to a lunar landing is on.

And an opponent of same-sex marriage gives a tearful speech in Congress. Her gay nephew spoke out and his reaction went viral. I'll speak to him.

Plus, a pipeline spills thousands of gallons of crude oil in Kansas, one of the worst disasters of this kind in years. The latest on that spill and the troubling update from the company. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

BROWN: Well, we are learning more about Brittney Griner's flight home from one of the people who negotiated her release. This morning, Roger Carstens who led the mission to conduct the prisoner swap in the UAE described the moment Griner boarded the government plane that would ultimately take her home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER CARSTENS, SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR HOSTAGE AFFAIRS: When she finally got on to the U.S. plane, I said, Brittney, you must have been through a lot over the last 10 months. Here is your seat. Please, feel free to decompress. We will give your space. And she said, "Oh, no, I've been in prison for 10 months now listening to Russian. I want to talk. And first of all, who are these guys?"

And she moved right past me and went to every member on that crew, looked them in the eye, shook their hands and asked about them and got their names, making a personal connection with them. It was really amazing.

And then later on, on an 18-hour flight, she probably spent 12 hours just talking. And we talked about everything under the sun. And I was left with the impression that this is an intelligent, passionate, compassionate, humble, interesting person, a patriotic person, but above all, authentic. I hate the fact that I had to meet her in this manner, but I actually felt blessed to having -- had the chance to get to know her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And Carstens added there is, quote, "ongoing and open dialogue for the release of Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine held in Russia since 2018, but declined to give specifics on what the U.S. could offer in exchange.

Well, NASA's next giant leap into space exploration took another step today. Its Artemis I mission to put the moon -- to the moon, ended with a successful splashdown off Baja, California. The unmanned Orion capsule touched down gently in the Pacific Ocean earlier today. You see after a 25-day journey around the moon and back. And this sets the stage for the next mission. CNN's Kristen Fisher has all the details.

KRISTEN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Pam, a textbook splashdown for the Orion spacecraft, capping off a successful Artemis 1 mission for NASA. The return -- the beginning of the return of American astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo program.

And Pam, what's really wild about the timing of today is that this splashdown happened on the 50th anniversary of the last time that humans walked on the moon, the Apollo 17 program. That timing, that history, not lost on NASA in this moment. And so, what we've been seeing over the course of this afternoon is the Orion spacecraft barreling through the Earth's atmosphere at about 25,000 miles per hour, reaching peak temperatures of 5,000 degrees fahrenheit.

These are temperatures, these are conditions that cannot be replicated here on Earth. And so that's why today was so important for NASA and for the Artemis program. They are testing the heat shield on the Orion spacecraft so that hopefully, this is Artemis 1, for Artemis 2, they'll be able to put actual people on board.

And this time, instead of going back to the moon to leave flags and footprints like the Apollo program did, Pam, the goal here is to return American astronauts to the moon, but this time to stay. This time, they want to build a base on the moon. They want to build a continued human permanent presence on the moon and then some day go on to Mars.

So, Pam, this was a momentous day for NASA, something that they have been building towards since the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet back in 2011. This rocket that got the Orion spacecraft up into the moon's orbit, it endured so many technical setbacks. It almost got hit by -- it did get hit by one hurricane, almost got hit by another. So, NASA really breathing a sigh of relief that Artemis 1, this first beginning of the Artemis program had a successful ending and a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean today. Pam?

[17:20:07]

BROWN: All right. Good news. Kirsten Fisher, thanks so much.

An up next hour, I'm going to speak to a former astronaut about the Orion capsule and what that means for NASA's mission to the moon.

Well, you are in the "CNN Newsroom" on this Sunday. A holiday tree lighting ends in a brawl involving an L.A. council member, under fire for controversial comments and activists are demanding he resign. The story is up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

(VIDEO PLAYING)

BROWN: As you see right here, this is cellphone video and it shows a chaotic altercation between a Los Angeles City council member and an activist demanding his resignation at a community Christmas event. Things turned violent after the activist and others with him confronted the councilman and demanded his resignation for racist remarks he made earlier this year. CNN's Nadia Romero joins us now. So, this is just the latest crisis for him. Isn't it, Nadia?

ROMERO: Yeah, Pamela. This is not an isolated incident. We have seen these really big controversies surrounding L.A. council member Kevin de Leon for quite some time now. Let's go back to October when recordings were released of Kevin de Leon and other city council members making horrific remarks about one of the council member's adopted black son and about members of the Oaxaca community.

People said that those comments were flat out racist, anti-black, anti-indigenous and they called for his resignation. Now, the council member president, she did resign, de Leon did not. He said he was going to take some time away. And now he is back in the public spotlight at this toy drive that ended in something that doesn't look anything like what the holiday spirit is supposed to be about.

You can see him there wearing a Santa Claus hat. And then the activist that he was having this argument with, this altercation with, was wearing the green coat. You can see for yourself what happened. But who was the aggressor? Who committed assault potentially? That depends on who you ask. Let's look at a statement released by Kevin de Leon. Part of that

statement where he says that he was simply acting in self-defense. He says, "Once we were able to push open a door, try to get out, he says that Reedy, Jason Reedy, the activist in the video, launched a pelvic thrust, head butted his forehead. And his response was simply self- defense."

But an attorney for that activist, Jason Reedy, says, "No, no, no, that's not what happened." He says, it was de Leon's supporters who initiated physical contact by shoving the activist when he confronted the council member, and that his hands were straight up in the air. He did not initiate physical contact.

You can see, though, in the video that this is terrible for the L.A. city council. This is our nation's second largest city. De Leon has been called a racist over and over and over again. And there have been calls for his resignation. This only adds fuel to that fire that he is not the right person for this job.

Now, we've reached out to the LAPD. We were told that they do have this video. They know about the incident. No word yet on if any criminal charges have been filed, but this will continue. And Pamela, it really dates back to this ongoing issue within the L.A. City council about some members of the council, some from Latino heritage, who have been accused of trying to weaken, dilute the power of black city council members and the black community in L.A.

This is a longstanding feud that has been boiling over in recent months because of that recording that was released in October. And now you have this cellphone video to add to it all. Pamela?

BROWN: Wow. Nadia Romero, thank you.

A republican congresswoman breaks down in tears while protesting the bill to protect marriage equality. Her nephew, who is gay, wasn't having it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW HARTZLER, NEPHEW OF REP. VICKI HRTZLER: It's more like you want the power to force your religious beliefs on to everyone else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And he joins us live up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:00]

BROWN: An environmental catastrophe in Kansas. Have you heard about this? Officials at Canada's TC Energy say they are still looking for the cause of a pipeline leak that spilled at least 14,000 barrels of oil into a creek. So far, there's no time line for reopening, but here is a satellite image that shows the true extent of the damage. Look at this. One family is just devastated by what she has happen to their land.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS PANNBACKER, LANDOWNER: It's our land. It's our livelihood. Our kids grew up there. Bill's (ph) -- Don (ph), his sisters grew up there. There's a lot of heritage and history there. We know we have pasture grass that's black, that probably will have to be removed. Things happen and we just have to repair it and move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: TC Energy says it will only resume service when it is safe to do so. The pipeline shutdown last week caused oil prices to shoot up 4 percent.

Well, landmark legislation protecting same-sex marriage is expected to be signed into law by President Biden this week. Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act with votes from both parties. But 205 Republicans in the House and Senate voted against the legislation. And that includes Congresswoman Vicki Hartzler of Missouri. She held back tears as she criticized the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. VICKI HARTZLER (R-MO): I hope and pray that my colleagues will find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and this dangerous bill. I yield back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, that speech caught the eye of a lot of people, including Andrew Hartzler. He is the congresswoman's nephew and he also happens to be gay. And he responded with this now viral video of his own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:34:56]

HARTZLER: It's more like you want the power to force your religious beliefs on to everyone else. And because you don't have that power, you feel like you are being silenced. But you are not. You are just going to have to learn to coexist with all of us. And I'm sure it's not that hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Not that hard, indeed. Andrew Hartzler joins us now. Hi, Andrew. So, tell me, I mean, your aunt as we heard there on the floor --

A. HARTZLER: Hi.

BROWN: -- speaking, getting very emotional, called this legislation protecting same-sex marriage, quote, "dangerous." What is your message to her and others who cite concerns about religious liberty for opposing it? A. HARTZLER: Yeah. I remember the first time I had ever saw someone

stand up to my aunt. I was 13 and I saw a video posted on YouTube of someone at the University of Missouri confronting her on her homophobic policies. And the courage that that man had lived with me through today. And I felt that it was needed to counteract her message of hate with a message so that other people who are young seeing this would know that there's someone out there that counteracts it. But her words have real power and they have real harm and consequences, as we saw in Colorado.

BROWN: And you say -- so, partly what inspired you to speak out was what you saw when you were 13. I believe what I read is you were 14 when you came out to your parents, right? When you were 13 and you saw that, did you know that you were gay and had you ever thought that you would reach this moment?

A. HARTZLER: Yeah, I did know that I was gay. From a young age like, I would say 11 or 12, it was a common pastime of me Googling like Vicki Hartzler and LGBTQ or gay and seeing what she had said that week about it. But the harmful policies that she is a proponent of, they have like real consequences for young people like me. Like, when I was at Oral Roberts University, I was subjected to conversion therapy like practices.

And that was totally legal because of the policies that my aunt has helped put into place. So, after I graduated, I partnered with the Religious Exemption Accountability Project, and together with 40 other students from institutions across the country, we are advocating for all students at religious universities to receive equal protections.

BROWN: I'm curious, you know, given the fact that your TikTok has gone viral in response to her speech on the floor, have you spoken to her since the exchange or received any other reaction from your family? I know your parents, as I understand, are Christian conservatives as well.

A. HARTZLER: Yeah. Yeah. My entire family is very deeply conservative and very Christian, but regardless of what my family may think, the negative implications of my aunt's rhetoric and her power that she holds, that outweighs any disapproval my family might have.

BROWN: So, when you came out to her in February because you did. And you came out to her in February this past year, what was her reaction then? Was she supportive?

A. HARTZLER: Like when I, like, disclosed my sexual orientation to my parents, it was -- it's very typical to just receive a message of like love the sinner, hate the sin or like we love you, but we don't accept you or you know that's wrong. So, growing up being gay was like demonized and it was like seen as something that was abominable.

BROWN: Yeah. What's your message to our LGBTQ viewers who may struggle with their family members rejecting this core part of who they are?

A. HARTZLER: Yeah. I would say that you can't choose your family, but you can choose how you react to your family and ultimately then you can choose your chosen family. And for some people, speaking out is not an option because they may not be safe or they -- there might be serious consequences of like their parents kicking them out or enacting violence on them if they were to stand up to their parents' opposition of their sexuality.

So, I would say that always make sure that you're safe and always make sure that you're doing what's safe for you.

[17:40:00]

But ultimately, when I saw my aunt's video, I felt that silence would have been complicit and that silence is equal to death in this situation because the harm that it projects.

BROWN: You did what you felt like was the right thing to do, what you felt compelled to do in your heart. Andrew Hartzler, we really appreciate you coming on and sharing your story. We appreciate it.

A. HARTZLER: Thanks.

BROWN: Well, common ground on bills like the Marriage Equality Act maybe hard to find in Congress, but that doesn't mean lawmakers will stop trying. And one big issue is paid family leave. This past week, the Senate averted a rail strike despite its lack of paid sick leave amid opposition from some lawmakers.

Well, this week, I spoke to Republican Senator Bill Cassidy about paid sick leave and the new Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Railroad workers, they aren't the only Americans without paid sick days.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Yeah. So, we have been working on different ways around that and there's a sophistication you can bring to the issue. I'm not speaking about the rail workers and we can speak about them separately.

BROWN: Yeah. Big picture

CASSIDY: Bu if you just speak about the population in general. I have worked with Senator Kirsten Sinema so, on something that would be paid leave for parents when they first have a child or adopt a child.

Now, if you look at it -- in our own proposal the person would be able to get $5,000, the kind of a forward credit from the credits they would get for having their child over the next 10 years, and they could use it either for childcare if they wish to go back to work or to replace their income if they wish to not go back to work.

And we like it because it's paid for to. It doesn't put further tax burden on the American people. We have not been able to get it passed but suffice it to say, it's good policy.

BROWN: If I hadn't had paid leave, I would not have been able to function at work and I was lucky.

CASSIDY: Yes.

BROWN: Because my company offered it.

CASSIDY: Yes. If you look at people who are above a certain income level, then they either have a paid leave policy or they have leave they can take otherwise, which is paid. Vacation, for example. So, if you look again above a certain income level and it's off the top of my head, maybe $70,000 a year, so really the vulnerable population are those less well off.

Now, the person who works for, you know, janitorial services for somebody that cleans three buildings, not a big business, a small one. And that's where we thought that our legislation specifically worked for. So, I hope that we can get it eventually passed.

BROWN: Okay. Quickly, I want to ask you about the health committee. You and Bernie Sanders are expected to take on leadership roles. How do you expect to find common ground with him given your diametrically opposing views on many political issues?

CASSIDY: A couple things. I think we're going to agree on the diagnosis of things. Can we say that health care costs are too high? Absolutely. Can we say that we have a nursing shortage? Absolutely. Now, what is going to be our prescription, if you will? How are we going to fix the problem? That's where we're going to diverge a little bit.

And so -- but if it's something which is good for the United States of America, I will work to that solution. And I'd like to think, since -- if anything is going to pass the full Senate, there's got to be something that he and I can agree upon that we will be able to find those areas of common ground.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Such an important issue, paid leave. Something we've been very focused on, on this show. And we want to thank Senator Cassidy for sitting down with me. Still a lot of work to be done on that issue. But you can see much more of that interview, including our discussion about mental health and how it impacted him personally on CNN.com.

Well, you are in the "CNN Newsroom" on this Sunday. Alicia Keys is back with a new Christmas album and her own record label. What she told us about both, up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA KEYS, GRAMMY-WINNING ARTIST: I'm really, really ecstatic about Alicia Keys Records. It's a big statement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:00]

BROWN: 'Tis the season for holiday music with classics like "White Christmas" and "All I Want for Christmas is You" on heavy rotation, certainly in my household. But if you are in the mood for some fresh festive tunes, 15-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys is out with a new album titled "Santa Baby."

(MUSIC VIDEO PLAYING)

BROWN: CNN's Chloe Melas joins us now with more. I like -- I like that. Chloe, these albums, they are big. I mean, they are big this time of year. It's also big business in the music industry these holiday albums. And it's a new chapter for Alicia Keys' career.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Pamela, first of all, can you believe that this is Alicia Keys' first ever holiday album? She's been in this business for decades. Like you said, 15 Grammy awards. She finally decided to do a holiday album. But what makes this special is that for the first time in 20 years, Alicia Keys, she's an independent artist. She launched her own record label and this album is the first album on her own record label. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEYS: Really, really ecstatic about Alicia Keys Records. It is a - it's a big statement. You know, being an artist who has been able to have the gift and the tenacity of longevity, you know, you think a lot about how many artists just never made it.

[17:50:03]

You know, they started out. They had a great start or they had a great few years, and then after a while, you know, the business can get the best of you and, you know, can kind of take everything from you, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELAS: Look, I mean, artists like Taylor Swift, even going back as far as The Beatles, artists have been fighting for the rights to their music and she now has total ownership. We also talked about the holiday season not being a joyful time for everyone, especially amid these current difficult economic times.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEYS: Actually, one of the songs on the album is "Santa Baby" is called, "You Don't Have to be Alone," and I really wrote that for the people in the world, for all of us who are experiencing difficulty, we're experiencing loss, we're experiencing something that is very, very challenging. And you do feel alone. You do feel like it's just accentuated during this time.

The truth is, you know, the time that you have together is limited. It's short, and we have to make the most of it, the best that we can. And to continue to reach out to each other and help each other and be there for each other. So, you don't have to be alone. That's definitely a song that I think would give you good energy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELAS: Pamela, I love that she said that because it is -- it does feel like a heavy time right now for many people. Also, if you want to actually watch Alicia perform these songs, she hosted a masquerade ball in New York City last night and that's going to stream later this month on Apple, on Apple Music.

BROWN: Yeah.

MELAS: But Pamela, she was a delight to talk to.

BROWN: I'm sure. And I echo what you say. I'm really glad that she pointed that out, that the holidays this time of year can be tough. Certainly, it is for me. I just lost my dad late November. And I think it's important to recognize that it's not always joy for people around this time of year. So, really looking forward to listening more to the interview and also listening to her music. Thank you so much, Chloe Melas. We appreciate it.

Well, tonight, CNN honors 10 extraordinary people who are making a positive impact in the world. Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa host the live event at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. And CNN's Brynn Gingras is there. She joins us now. She has the fun assigment. Looking at all the action on the red carpet. So, bring us there, Brynn.

BTYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, Pam, get ready to be inspired. That's what this night is about. You can see me. There is a lot of action. These are the CNN 10 top heroes that are going to be honored tonight. And we're going to hear about their inspirational stories.

There is an Iraq war veteran who helps those who leave the battlefield heal through the visual arts and through music. There is a woman who grew up om rural Kenya and brings back computers back to Kenya so that people don't have to grow up the way they -- she did. That they can learn a trade.

There is another woman who also is helping other woman get involved in the construction industry, one so populated, of course, by men. And she's learning how to and teaching how to empower other women in this industry. I want you to actually hear from her. We caught up with her a little bit earlier tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORA EL-KHOURI SPENCER, CNN HEORES HONOREE: It took a pandemic to make everyone realize there was an entire gender missing from the workforce. But you know, women, we're good at this work. We need these opportunities. There's a great, you know, doesn't matter what you're into, there is a place for you in this industry and I saw that, and I saw women who really needed these opportunities and I thought, you know, it's time. It's time to make this happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: Just incredible people who are doing just small things in their community and having just an enormous impact. Pam, everyone can go to our website, learn more about their stories, donate on their own. And tonight, we are going to be here on the red carpet. We are going to have some celebrities coming by a little bit later. We'll see you again, but it's going to be just an exciting night, of course, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa. Pam?

BROWN: Can't wait. Annual tradition, Brynn Gingras, thanks so much. We'll be checking back in with you. And don't miss "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute with Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa." That's tonight at 8:00.

Well, one young man refused to give up on his athletic aspirations after losing an arm. And now he's living his basketball dreams. This is such an inspiring story. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:55:00]

BROWN: We want to give you an update on the story that we told you about last weekend. Officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife say they captured and euthanized a coyote that attacked a little girl in Woodland Hills earlier this month. And we have to warn you, this can be hard to watch.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

BROWN: Just every time I see that, it breaks my heart. My mama heart. And you can see there, that toddler, 2-years-old, being bitten and dragged to the ground.

[17:59:57]

Fortunately, her father, as you saw, was able to chase off the animal and that little girl suffered some bruises and scratches, but is doing okay.

Well, you're about to see inspiration and grit personified.