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Ukraine Repels Russian Drone Attack On Kyiv; State Of Emergency Declared In Peru After Weeklong Protests; France Secure Spot In Final After Defeating Morocco 2-0; Grant Wahl's Wife Says He Died If Raptured Aortic Aneurysm; U.S. Federal Reserve Hikes Interest Rates Half A Point; Biden Hosts Summit of African Countries; Tornadoes, Blizzard Conditions Batter Parts of U.S. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 15, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Wherever you are around the world, thanks for joining us.

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, return of the drones, in a pre-dawn attack on Ukraine's capitol, all 13 Iranian made drones intercepted and destroyed.

The U.S. Fed warns taming inflation will take longer than expected and interest rates will remain higher for longer.

And a miraculous and inspirational quest for a World Cup title comes to an end for Morocco, losing to France in the semifinals, but winning worldwide respect, admiration and a special place in history.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Russia has launched one of its biggest drone attacks in weeks in a pre-dawn attack, 13 Iranian made drones were detected on radar, apparently heading for Kyiv's electrical infrastructure. All 13 drones according to Ukrainian officials intercepted and shut down before reaching their target.

Falling debris from the wreckage of the drones damaged a number of buildings but no injuries were reported.

One drone had the words Ryazan written on it, apparently a reference to an alleged Ukrainian drone attack last week on an airbase inside Russian territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says lives were saved by the response of anti-aircraft defenses around the Capitol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I want to thank our anti-aircraft forces and the Air Force for repelling another attack by Iranian drones this morning. In total, 13 drones were shut down. These are 13 saved infrastructure facilities. These are saved lives in one morning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN's Will Ripley reports now from Ukraine's capital on the aftermath of the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A terrifying way to wake up in Kyiv. The chilling buzz of another drone attack on the Ukrainian capital caught on camera.

The rumble was like from a moped, that was the sound it made, says Verwana (PH), it fell behind the houses and then there was a strong roar and explosion.

Some buildings left on fire hit by remains of the destroyed Iranian made Shaheds as they fell. Some landed near a local soccer field.

Did you hear the explosion?

ANDRIY SHAKHOV, DYNAMO KYIV FOOTBALL CLUB: Yes, of course, we all wake up. It was on here first part and the first second one part of the near the end of the training base and the third one near the forest.

RIPLEY: A few hours later, the consequences could have been much worse.

And you have kids playing soccer.

SHAKHOV: No, it's 6:00 now.

RIPLEY: But they would have been here had it happen later.

SHAKHOV: Yes, later. Yes, because we have a tournament here.

RIPLEY: Authorities say Russia launched the drones towards Kyiv on Wednesday, aiming them at the already battered power grid to sow fear and chaos and potentially plunge millions into the dark and cold.

This time, all the drones were shot down.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the terrorists started this morning with 13 Shaheds. According to preliminary information, all 13 were shot down by Ukraine's air defense systems. Well done, he says, I'm proud.

Ukrainian defenses less successful in Kherson. Authorities say multiple Russian rockets hit this administrative building in the heart of the Southern Ukrainian city. Authorities say nobody was hurt, inside the damage, severe. Entire sections destroyed.

Ukraine says attacks like this and the one in Kyiv aimed at wearing down the Ukrainian people, trying to break their spirits, reduce support for resistance against Russia.

But here in Kyiv, people refuse to give in.

You are brave people. I can definitely see that.

SHAKHOV: Yes, children, parents, women, old man that says it doesn't matter. They're so brave.

RIPLEY: Braver on and off the battlefield.

Will Ripley, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: For more now, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and CNN Military Analyst Cedric Leighton is standing by in Washington. Good to see you.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST (on camera): Good to see you too, John.

VAUSE: OK, so the Ukrainian air defense, they're battling a thousand after this wave of attack drones on the capital Kyiv. And all that, they've managed to take about two-thirds of the incoming drone since this began in earnest a few months ago. Does that at least raise the question do they really need the Patriot missile defense system?

[00:05:15]

You know, there's a given a long training time for the Patriot and the costs as well. You know, is it smart to use a $3 million missile to shoot down a $20,000 drone?

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's certainly a key question that needs to be answered by the Pentagon and anybody else who's giving Patriots to the Ukrainians who are potentially doing that.

So, I think in this particular case, what you're looking at is the ability of the Ukrainians has certainly increased. With systems like the NASAMS system and other missile systems, anti-missile systems that the Ukrainians have been able to employ.

When it comes to the Patriot, you're looking at trying to really fill that upper tier of altitude and the weapons systems that the -- that the Russians are using to go after longer range systems to go after systems that are at a much higher altitude than they're able to shoot down right now. And that's really the difference. In essence, complement what the Ukrainians already have, especially if it's wired together in the right way to provide what is known as an integrated air defense system. And if it's truly integrated, it can be highly effective.

VAUSE: We also heard from the Ukrainian president during his nightly address, he talks about the slow grinding progress, which has basically been a situation for Ukrainian troops on the ground. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): There is no column on the front line. There is nothing easy and simple. Every day and every meter is extremely hard, and especially where the whole tactics of the occupiers are boiled down to the destruction of everything in sight by artillery, so that only bear ruins and craters in the ground remain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And on the question of artillery fire, on Tuesday, U.S. defense officials said Russia had almost depleted its supply of artillery rounds. There's now a similar assessment coming from the U.K.'s Chief of Defense Staff who tweeted this.

So, let me tell Putin tonight that his own generals and ministers are afraid to say that Russia faces a critical shortage of artillery munitions, this means their ability to conduct successful ground operations is rapidly diminishing.

OK, so if this is true, how soon will we see evidence of that? And how easily can Russia resupply from I guess their two best friends right now, Iran and North Korea?

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's going to be very interesting. I mean, Iran, I guess is an easier resupply route than North Korea just because of geographic distances. Although the North Koreans and the Russians share a very short border with each other.

The real impact, I think John is going to be, you know, how big are the stockpiles that the Russians have actually moved into Ukraine or in the proximity where their forces can use them?

I'm a bit concerned that the assessments may be wrong and end up to be Russians will have more artillery than we are actually giving them credit for. And that of course is, you know, something that we have to watch out for.

But assuming that the U.S. and U.K. assessments are correct, then the Russians could potentially run out of ammunition, you know, within the next four to eight weeks. And that, of course, would change the course of the war considerably.

Somehow, I don't think that's going to happen exactly like that, though.

VAUSE: Yes. And if there is some kind of ceasefire, I guess, for Christmas or over winter, that doesn't appear to be on the cards, at least, judging by an answer here from the Kremlin spokesperson, listen to this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Are the Russian authorities considering the possibility of a Christmas or New Year ceasefire? And are they ready to respond if such a proposal is made by Kyiv?

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLINS SPOKESMAN: No, we have not received any proposals from anybody. This topic is not on the agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Not on the agenda, and Ukraine is facing some tough choices right now. After months of heavy fighting and operational pause, kind of makes sense to them from a military point of view. But that could impact international support.

And then if they push on, they also face the risk of a failed offensive. And then there's the possibility of Belarus getting involved, opening another front to the north. Where do you see this all heading in the coming weeks or months?

LEIGHTON: Yes, I'm afraid that a Christmas truce like they had in 1914 between the German and British lines which was unofficial, that, you know, unless it's unofficial, it's not going to happen and that's very unfortunate.

But I think in the case of the Russian rejection of even the possibility of such a proposal, what you're seeing John is a really bad path forward where this war will grind on in a very cumbersome, very slow process in certain parts.

However, once the weather freezes, I think things may change a bit and the mobility aspect will become a really important part here. And that's going to potentially let the Ukrainians move forward when the ground really freezes.

[00:10:07]

So, it's very possible that the Ukrainians may have some capabilities, especially with newer weapons systems, that they wouldn't be able to use very effectively against parts of the Russian front.

But their ability to get to, let's say the Crimean border or to move Russian forces out of the Donbas completely, that I think is questionable, at least within the next two months or so. I think that's a very difficult thing for them to do.

VAUSE: We thought we'd be talking about this war getting over in 2023. Cedric, thanks so much for being with us, sir.

LEIGHTON: You bet, John. Absolutely.

VAUSE: Well, court ruling is expected in the coming hours on whether Peru's President Pedro Castillo should remain behind bars -- former president.

Meantime, the military has been deployed across the country at key infrastructure sites. Peru's government declared a state of emergency Wednesday, hoping to end violent protests over Castillo's impeachment and arrest.

CNN's Rafael Romo reports now on the international tourists caught up in this political turmoil and violence.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): International flights are operating normally in and out of the International Airport in Lima, Peru's capital. Even though multiple regions across the country are still in turmoil and some regional airports remain closed, this means many international tourists are stuck without a connecting flight to the capital and must stay in Peru for now.

The government declared Wednesday a state of emergency that will be in effect for 30 days. Defense Minister Alberto Otarola said the National Police and armed forces are responding to acts of vandalism, violence and seizure of roads.

Peru's national police had confirmed earlier that at least 14 highways across the country had been blocked by protesters demanding the immediate return to power of former President Pedro Castillo.

As you may remember, Castillo was impeached and arrested on December 7th, after he announced plans to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government.

He was apparently trying to get ahead of a congressional vote on his impeachment. Castillo is accused of conspiracy and rebellion. He denies those allegations.

He was supposed to appear in court Wednesday for a hearing to determine whether he remains in jail but the hearing was postponed. Some of his supporters say he's a political prisoner.

Dina Boluarte who was Castillo's vice president and succeeded him after his impeachment said Wednesday that it is technically possible to call for new elections by the end of next year. Even though Peruvians are not scheduled to go to the polls until 2026.

Boluarte is Peru's 6th president in less than five years. Peru's health minister informed Wednesday that at least seven people have died in the ongoing protests and an additional 47 have been injured in the turmoil.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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VAUSE: Then, there were two, the table now set for Sunday's World Cup final. It will be France facing Argentina. Les Bleus beat Morocco 2-0.

Fireworks lit up the skies (INAUDIBLE) as well as horn sounding in celebration. Supporter's self tri colored flares.

And from Morocco though, this defeat means the end of a dream and a fairytale story. CNN's Don Riddell reports now from Doha.

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DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The World Champions France are just 90 minutes away from standing on top of the world again. No men's team has won back to back world titles since Brazil in 1962.

But their progress to the final match means heartbreak for Morocco whose historic run is now over.

RIDDELL (voice over): France struck early in the semifinal match at Al-Bayt Stadium, a 50 minute goal from Theo Hernandez was only the second time that Morocco had conceded in the tournament.

France looks strong, but Morocco kept them on their toes. And Jawad El Yamiq almost equalized with a spectacular overhead kick. The French needed their goalie Hugo Lloris and the post to keep it out.

But the French effectively put the game to bed with a second goal 11 minutes from time when substitute Randal Kolo Muani from the back of the net with his first touch. Just seconds after coming off the bench.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back-to-back, like, what else can we say? And like the team, like people came off the bench and everything that they did like, this team is so good. This team is so deep, and players were so talented. I'm proud to be French.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, a bit disappointed. We're so proud of the team. They played very well. A great journey. So yes, quite proud.

RIDDELL (on camera): So, a really disappointing night for Morocco, but they've won so many new admirers for the way they've played during this tournament, making history for both Africa and the Arab world.

All eyes now looking ahead to Sunday in the final which pits France against Argentina. Kylian Mbappe against his PSG club teammate Lionel Messi. It has all the makings of a classic, back to you.

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VAUSE: Thank you, Don. Well, FIFA says it's deeply sad over the death of a Kenyan security guard in Qatar. In a statement, FIFA said we'll remain in constant contact with investigators and make sure his family gets all the money he's owed.

The sister John Kibue says he died in hospital after falling from the eighth floor of the Lusail Stadium whilst on duty.

Local authorities are investigating the circumstances of the death. Kibue is the second migrant worker reported dead since the tournament began.

It's believed hundreds or maybe thousands of migrant workers died during construction products -- projects rather, in the run up to the World Cup.

We now know what causes sudden death of American soccer reporter Grant Wahl in Qatar. His widow Dr. Celine Gounder says the autopsy revealed he died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm. She said it had likely been growing slowly for years undetected, and that no amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. Wahl collapsed while covering the Argentine Netherlands quarterfinal on Friday. He was 49 years old.

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DR. CELINE GOUNDER, WIDOW OF GRANT WAHL: Aorta, that's the big blood vessel that comes out of your heart, sort of the trunk of all the blood vessels. And an aneurysm is a ballooning of the blood vessel wall. And so, it's weak. And it's just one of these things that had been likely brewing for years. And for whatever reason, it happened at this point in time.

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VAUSE: CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us what a an aortic aneurysms look like and why they're so deadly.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's so sad. I mean, what Dr. Gounder was describing, thankfully, is rare, but can be catastrophic if it occurs.

Let me show you this image first of all, if you look at the left side of the screen, that is a normal heart. And you see a large blood vessel right in the middle there called the aorta that is leaving the heart. That's what it should look like.

On the right side of the screen, you see what happens when you develop an aneurysm where the walls weaken, and it starts to balloon out that unfortunately can -- the walls can become so weak that there can be a rupture, or significant bleeding.

Let me show you quickly on this model here as well. Again, the heart, this is the pumping ventricle, the left ventricle and it pumps blood into the aorta, which is over here. And it's this aorta here which can sort of balloon out and potentially cause problems, bleeding that can occur into the chest and a lot of bleeding because this is the largest blood vessel really in the body.

Types of symptoms that people might have. They can be pretty vague. Back Pain, cough, weak voice even just as the aneurysm expands, it can push on your lungs and your trachea, shortness of breath and pain in the chest.

You may remember Grant Wahl said he thought he had bronchitis, he thought he had these chest like symptoms.

Again, it's rare, especially the aneurysm that occurs in this part of the aorta. If you look at the overall numbers back in 2019, there were about 9900, close to 10,000 deaths. But that's aneurysms that occur at any point along the aorta, most of them in men, 59 percent in men. The things like smoking do increase the risk.

People have a family history might get screened for something like this. But in the United States, there's not widespread screening, so there's a good chance that Grant Wahl didn't even know, 49 years old. I will just add one more thing. John Ritter, people may remember that

name. But he had the same problem. This is what led to his death back in 2003. People thought it was a heart attack initially, but in fact, John Ritter died of the same problem that Grant Wahl did. John Ritter was 54 at the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Thanks to Sanjay Gupta for that report.

Now, U.S. Soccer and FIFA will be hosting a memorial service for Wahl next Wednesday according to his family.

When we come back here on CNN NEWSROOM, bad news for those with credit card debt, interest rates in the U.S. set to stay higher for longer as the Fed battles sky high inflation.

Also, dozens of leaders from across Africa now meeting in Washington in a rare Summit, as President Joe Biden looks to counter China's growing influence on the economy.

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VAUSE: Iran has been expelled from a key U.N. Women's Rights group on Wednesday. 29 U.N. member states voted to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women. U.S. made the proposal last month in response to the ongoing crackdown and execution of anti-protesters by Tehran.

The protests in Iran was sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini who was in the custody of the so called morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. Iran called it illegal and the ambassador charged it was built on baseless claims and fabricated arguments.

The Bank of England expected to raise interest rates for the 9th straight time in the day ahead. Policymakers are trying to fight off a recession and deal with inflation as well. They got some good news Wednesday on that, inflation easing a little to 10.7 percent in November.

Most economists expect half a percent interest rate increase, central bank voted in early November to hike rates by three quarters of a percent, the biggest hike in more than 30 years.

The U.S. Fed increased interest rates Wednesday by half a point, notably lower than recent rate hikes of three quarters of one percent. But the central bank warns, even though inflation has started to cool, now, it's seven percent, it remains too high and well above the bank's official target of two percent. And so, rates will likely continue to rise well into next year.

CNN's Matt Egan has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER (on camera): The Fed is still pumping this economy with tough medicine aimed at trying to get inflation under control. It's just lowering the dosage a bit. And that is an acknowledgement of the fact that inflation has cooled off in recent months that the feds medicine is working.

But the Fed's statement, though, reiterated that inflation remains "elevated". That is an acknowledgment that more work needs to get done here.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, he said during the press conference that they're going to see more concrete evidence that inflation really is cooling off before they gain confidence that things are going back on a downward path.

So, no victory laps here at the Fed. And I think that makes sense. I mean, seven percent inflation, of course, is better than the nine percent inflation in the U.S. economy earlier this year. But it's still seven percent inflation, that is still triple the Fed's goal.

And so, that does mean that we're going to see an all-likelihood higher interest rates next year and the Fed officials they're penciling in about 75 basis points of rate hikes for 2023. That means higher borrowing costs.

Remember, mortgage rates recently hit a 20-year high, credit card rates are at record highs, they could go even higher as the Fed continues to raise interest rates. And this also means more downward pressure on the economy.

Now, on that front, Fed officials, they downgraded their view on the economy for 2023. They now see near zero GDP growth in 2023. They also bumped up their forecast for inflation. And they see the unemployment rate going from a historically low level today of 3.7 percent up to 4.6 percent next year.

Now, that is not high overall but it does still translate to the loss of roughly 1.6 million jobs. And it's another reminder of the real pain here caused by not just high inflation, but the Fed's war on high inflation.

Now, the hope is that inflation will cool off enough in the coming months to allow the Fed to stop raising interest rates before it starts a recession.

Matt Egan at the Federal Reserve in Washington, back to you.

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VAUSE: To Los Angeles now, and Ryan Patel, senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Welcome back.

RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY (on camera): Thanks, John. Great to see you. VAUSE: OK, you too, OK. So, even though the size of rate increases has

eased a little from three quarters of one percent to half of one percent. Hold the champagne. Here's the Fed Chair Jerome Powell, listen to this.

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[00:25:02]

JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: It's good to see progress. But let's just understand, we have a long ways to go to get back to price stability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: We have a long ways to go. Right now, inflation in the U.S. seven percent. The goal, two percent. It seems news from Wednesday is the Fed is willing to do more than first expected to rein in inflation and do it for longer. So, what? We should all get used to these higher interest rates for a while?

PATEL: Wait, you have champagne? I don't even have it in the house because we're not even close, John.

I mean, yes, we're going to be holding it for a while. We're going to -- if you think about it, the Fed, out of 17 of 19 Fed members, they think it's going to be five percent, 5.25 percent it's rate next year. So, that means it's going to go above what they thought.

On top of that, the real question, the word pain kept coming up in Jerome Powell's statement and why that word is coming up, because they don't know how long they're going to hold it.

And based on the statements as of today, based on where we are from an economic perspectives, I don't see them decreasing in next year. I think they're going to be holding this rates for a while, like you just mentioned.

VAUSE: OK, so the question now is, how high will they go? And the key number here, what's called the terminal rate, you touched on this, the expectation is now 5.1 percent, official interest rates are expected to hit 5.1 percent. Somewhere around the end of next year. This is the forecast from policymakers, right?

This is the median number. And the expectation is it will then start to fall down to 4.1 percent in 2024, but those numbers are not carved in stone.

Back in September, the forecast peak for interest rates was 4.6 percent. And what is truly head spinning in all of this is 12 months ago, short term rates were what? Zero and then at 4.5 percent more, getting to five percent next year.

You know, in medical terms, this is like being hit with a defibrillator over and over again, it's not pleasant. PATEL: Well, they had to get ahead of it. So, that's why you saw that huge, you know, point, you know, 35 basis points over and over again. And now, next year, they're saying as a total, 75 basis point.

But what's really driving this John, which is we know, they're saying its 75 basis points and that's why I think it's the minimum is because job unemployment number is not where they want it to be. They want inflation to be at two percent.

John, we're not even close. We're not even -- I mean, middle of next year, you're going to come and ask me, I already know, hey, are we going to revise this number, two percent? Is it really -- is it really plausible to get down to two?

And I think that's where they're looking at and obviously, with high wage growth right now, they want unemployment to be at 4.4 percent. But they're at 3.7 and not looking like they're going to get there. That's where we're going to see that continuous of that stress that you're seeing the market thing as well going, are they going to continue to increase it?

VAUSE: Yes, there's a lot of -- a lot of excitement because it was only a half a percent increase instead of a three quarters of percent increase, I guess, that's why, you know, the champagne thing came from.

But this was not a great day Wednesday, because policymakers revised a whole bunch of forecast, slow economic growth next year, just 0.5 of one percent. That was down then earlier than expected, it will pick up at 2024.

Inflation next year has been revised upwards to 3.1 percent, so too unemployment from last month's forecast of 3.7 percent. Now to an expected 4.6 percent.

You know, put all those numbers together. And what are they saying here about the economy? This is not good news.

PATEL: Yes, you know, unfortunately, I know, we've been talking about how this was expected. But you know, from today's meeting, it wasn't good news unfortunately. I wish I would be more hopeful.

And this is the best news you can get without any global variables, any supply chain issues. This is Jerome Powell talking about here. Here's the best case scenario as of today's economy. Where we sit today were consumer, the price index came out, good numbers came out, but going to go into next year, John, when we see if supply chain issues or something fragile happens, what do you think the Feds is going to do? Are they going to -- they're taking a step to looking the economy going, are we really back?

They're questioning is inflation actually still going down? Even though we've seen the last two months to do that, they're not going to really give in real easily. And I think that's the news that I'm reading that hey, there's something more here that they're seeing as well and they're not willing to take the gas off the pedal right now or anytime soon truthfully, John, until February's meeting, even then we'll see what happens.

VAUSE: We're out of time. Next time we come back -- next time we'll talk about -- we'll talk about two percent versus price stability, two different things altogether.

Ryan Patel, good to see you. Thank you.

PATEL: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back here on CNN NEWSROOM, counting the costs from a devastating winter storm, bringing extreme conditions across many parts of the U.S,. the very latest in just a moment.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

[00:31:56]

President Joe Biden says the United States is all in on Africa's future, as he hosts almost 50 African heads of state at a long-awaited summit in Washington. The three days of high-level meeting wraps up on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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VAUSE: On Wednesday, there was a gala White House dinner with entertainment by legendary singer Gladys Knight. The hasn't made this kind of wholesale outreach to Africa since the Obama administration.

But it has good reason to do so. And CNN's Phil Mattingly explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: When President Biden took the stage, speaking to nearly 50 African leaders, there was one clear point that he attempted to make.

It was that this was not viewed as a reboot moment for the U.S. relationship with the continent. This was not an effort to try and resuscitate something that had clearly fallen apart. And more than anything else, this wasn't about, necessarily, countering other countries, particularly China, to some degree Russia, that have made inroads in front of the U.S. over the course of the last several years.

Instead, it was about a clear commitment from the administration, one that wasn't just in this moment, wasn't just tied to the three-day summit that was taking place here in Washington. It was longer-term, and it was significant. Take a listen.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are long-term investments that are going to deliver real benefits to people; create new, good-paying jobs, including here in the United States; and expand opportunities for all our countries for the years to come. All of you, all of you.

The deals you have signed, the investments we've made together are concrete proof of the enduring commitment we're making to one another. Government to government, business to business, people to people.

MATTINGLY: And while President Biden was making clear that there was durability to these commitments, it's something White House officials, U.S. officials are not simply going to walk away from after this three-day summit, a summit that included administration officials up and down the cabinet, making clear what they are willing to do to increase investment; to increase relationships; to increase the ties to the dozens of leaders that are here in town.

The reality is they're going to have to prove that. And while they also say that this isn't about any other country, this is about a proactive effort on the U.S. side, implicit in just about everything the administration is saying, including those words you just heard from President Biden, is the fact that there's a very real geopolitical competition underway between the U.S. and China.

And the U.S., when it comes to the continent of Africa, when you talk to U.S. officials, they acknowledge they are losing that competition, to the extent it exists, to China. There's no question about it. If you look at investment, if you look at trade, if you look at what's been put into place on an infrastructure side of things over the course of the last several years.

Again, U.S. officials not saying this is a purely China-related summit here. However, it's kind of overarching everything that's happening in this moment. Expect more announcements in the days ahead.

One thing everybody is keeping a very close eye on: the expectation that President Biden will include the announcement that he will be traveling to the continent at some point in 2023.

[00:35:01]

MATTINGLY: Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Just a day after the U.K. prime minister announced plans to toughen laws to prevent migrants from illegally crossing the channel, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expressing sorrow over the deaths of at least four migrants in the English Channel.

The migrants died when a small boat capsized in the frigid waters. A major search operation was launched in the early hours of Wednesday. Dozens of people were reportedly rescued. A senior British official was blaming the deaths on human-trafficking gangs. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUELLA BRAVERMAN, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: As the prime minister told the House only yesterday, it is not cruel or unkind to want to break the stranglehold of the criminal gangs who trade in human misery, and who exploit our system and our laws. He was right.

This morning's tragedy, like the loss of 27 people on one November day last year, is the most sobering reminder possible of why we have to end these crossings.

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VAUSE: Extreme weather leaving a path of destruction and misery across parts of the United States. The South has been hit hard with more than 40 tornadoes reported over the past two days.

Authorities in Louisiana say at least three people died. Officials all along the Gulf coast say severe weather has collapsed homes, flipped over cars, downed power lines. Thousands of homes and businesses are in the dark right now.

A different picture of the North, as blizzard conditions blanket the Plain States and begins heading towards the Northeast. North Dakota's capital and other state facilities were closed on Wednesday due to the ongoing weather storm, or winter storm rather, and the white-out conditions.

More on all of this, I'm joined by CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz. Busy couple of days for you. What's going on?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Most of those tornadoes, John, actually occurred across the lower Mississippi valley on Wednesday. Thankfully, they're finally catching a break through the overnight hours.

But 49 reports of tornadoes across the South, and that number likely to go up as the sun begins to rise over the United States.

Twenty-six damaging wind reports and six hail reports across the Southeast. There's that line. Still holding onto strong thunderstorms around the Gulf of Mexico, pushing into the Panhandle of Florida this morning.

If we get any more isolated tornadoes, which that threat still exists, it would be along the Panhandle of Florida and into parts of Alabama and South Georgia.

That line itself takes its track farther East, right on up into Florida and into the Carolinas Wednesday into Thursday, which is why we're seeing these areas highlighted in yellow.

Still holding onto that isolated tornado risk, although it is significantly less than what we've dealt with over the past 24 hours, damaging winds and large hail will become our main concern, on top of the flooding threat that will still exist. Areas highlighted in yellow most vulnerable, from Mobile, Alabama, on

up into Knoxville, Tennessee, where we could pick up an additional one to two inches of rain, with isolated higher amounts possible.

Lake Charles, Louisiana, picked up 2.48 inches of rain. That's a new record as of yesterday.

And on the other end of the storm, we were talking about the colder air and the blizzard conditions. That whole system is now tracking East into New England and parts of the mid-Atlantic.

Areas highlighted in a darker pink or fuchsia color, if you will, under an ice storm warning, where we could pick up a half an inch of ice. If that's the case, that is crippling. Bare facts. Parts of West Virginia back into the Alleghenies and the Northern parts of the Appalachians, or central Appalachians, rather, dealing with this heavy icing coming into the next 48 hours -- John.

VAUSE: Britley, thank you so much. We appreciate the update.

Still to come, not just left to the wolves, but being fed to the wolves. The final episodes of the docuseries on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is about to come our way. And the most damning revelations, could they be saved for the finale? So far, it's been a little bit dull. A look at the new episodes, when we return.

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VAUSE: This Christmas, Pope Francis is asking we buy fewer gifts for friends and family and instead, donate to Ukraine. The comment came during the pope's general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday. He recommended celebrating the holiday with, quote, "Ukrainians in our hearts."

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POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): It is beautiful to celebrate Christmas, but let us lower the level of Christmas spending. Let's have a more humble Christmas, with more humble gifts and send what we save to the Ukrainian people, who need it. They are suffering so much.

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VAUSE: A little generosity and selflessness will go a long way.

UNICEF says Ukrainian children face a long hard winter of sickness, worsening mental health, and other effects from the war. More than 6 million Ukrainians are displaced inside their own country right now. More than one million of them are children.

Just a few hours until the final three episodes of the Harry and Meghan docuseries are released on Netflix. It comes after the limited series became the most watched documented debut ever on the streaming service.

Up until now, the focus has been on how they met and the relationship which followed, but the new episodes seem to reveal what they endured after the marriage. In one of the instances, their relationship with the U.K. press.

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MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: You just see it play out. It's like a story about someone in the family would pop up for a minute, and then they go, We've got to make that go away.

But there is real estate on a website home page. There is real estate there on a newspaper front cover, and something has to be filled in there about someone royal.

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VAUSE: In one trailer for the series, Meghan says she felt like she was fed to the wolves.

No members of the royal family have made a comment on the series, at least not yet, but we are waiting. Any moment now.

I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. In the meantime, WORLD SPORT is up after a short break. See you soon.

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VAUSE: Wherever you are around the world, great to have you with us. Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, return of the drones. In a pre-dawn attack on Ukraine's capital, all 13 Iranian-made drones were intercepted and destroyed by Ukrainian air defense.

U.S. Fed warns taming inflation will take longer than expected, and interest rates will remain higher for longer.

And a miraculous and inspirational.