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Final Episodes of "Harry & Meghan" Docuseries Released; Fed Acknowledges Inflation is Easing; U.S. Prepares for Migrant Surge After Title 42 Ends; U.S. Student Missing in France. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 15, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top story this hour. Some 50 reports of tornadoes across the U.S. south and as the severe weather moves east, a new tornado watch is in place for Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

At least three people are dead and multiple injuries after several tornadoes tore across Louisiana. Officials are telling residents in hard-hit areas to stay indoors until crews can clean up the damage.

And we're learning more about the challenges faced by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex while deciding to give up their senior Royal duties. It's all part of the record-breaking Netflix documentary which premiered its final three episodes earlier today.

And CNN's Anna Stewart joins me now live from London. Good morning to you again, Anna. You've had more time now to view the three new episodes that dropped just last hour. What are the headlines?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Right. So, I think last hour I just sort of started episode four -- the first of the ones released today. And really it starts off on a pretty positive note looking back at that wedding day, about the excitement that built up in the press. There's some wonderful moments where Meghan talks about her first official engagement to the Queen -- and I remember that event -- and said how it was and how she very much spoke to the Queen as her husband's grandmother. You can see pictures of that. She talks about how they had a good old laugh.

And unfortunately, then we have a real change in the arc of the narrative. And I think they're identifying a trip in Australia, a Commonwealth score, as the turning point. And they say that there was jealousy within the Royal family, within the institution, about how much media attention Meghan and Harry at that stage were getting -- Meghan in particular. And Harry said, the issue is when someone is marrying in, who should be -- and he, quote, a supporting act, who is then stealing the limelight and doing a job better than the person who was born to do it. He said that upset people. That shifted the balance.

So, I think they identified this really as the turning point. There's a moment he says where he and Meghan were staying at Buckingham Palace for the evening following an event that all the Royal family were at, including the Queen and other senior members.

[04:35:00]

And they say that when they came out to breakfast they saw on the front page of the "Telegraph," it was all about Meghan. And Harry said, Meghan said, it's not my fault. And he said, I know, my mum felt the same way. There are many comparisons, and not for the first time of course, with Meghan and Princess Diana, Harry's mother.

And then it comes to a difficult part in the episode to watch. The heartbreaking fact that Meghan said she felt suicidal at one point, saying all of this will stop if I'm not here. And that was the scariest thing about it. She said it was such clear thinking.

And we also hear from Doria Ragland, Meghan's mother, relaying how she found out from Meghan, hearing that news, how difficult that must have been for her as a mother. You know, she worked through her tears and said, I can't protect her. Harry can't protect her. And you can see that is a really devastating moment, Rosemary, in this episode. So, still watching, but a lot of old ground but I think more bombshells to come.

CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Anna Stewart joining us live from London. Many thanks. Appreciate it.

Well, later today the U.S. Senate could vote on a bill that would fund the government for another week. That's after the House passed a so- called stop-gap measure to avert a government shutdown on Friday. This bill, which is just a quick fix, was mostly pushed through by the Democrats with just nine Republicans crossing party lines. And it gives negotiators more time to hammer out a broader, full year deal with new spending levels. On Tuesday they announced there was an agreement on the framework. Most of the disagreements are over how much money should be spent on non-defense domestic priorities.

Well, U.S. financial markets are looking to rebound from a disappointing performance on Wednesday. But right now, the futures look a little bleak, all in negative territory there. Stocks fell after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a half point interest rate hike. The Dow closed down .4 of a percent. The Nasdaq fell 3/4 of a percent. More now on the Fed decision from CNN's Matt Egan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Rosemary, the Fed is still pumping tough medicine into this economy trying to get inflation back under control. It's just lowering the dosage of that medicine a bit. After four straight rate hikes of 75 basis points, the Fed is now raising interest rates by 50 basis points. That is an acknowledgment that inflation is cooling off, that the Fed's medicine is working. But the Fed is making clear that their job is not nearly done here yet.

In the Fed's statement they said that inflation remains, quote, elevated. And during the press conference Fed chair Jerome Powell, he said it's going to take substantially more evidence to gain confidence that inflation really is on a sustained downward path. So, no victory laps from the Fed and I think that makes sense. Seven percent inflation is of course better than the 9 percent inflation from earlier this year, but it's still 7 percent inflation. That's still triple the Fed's target.

And so, Fed officials are penciling in even more rate hikes next year. They see their fed target range going up by 75 basis points next year. That means even higher borrowing costs. Mortgage rates, don't forget, recently hit 20-year highs. Credit card rates are at record highs. They could go even higher next year. This also means that the Fed is going to be putting even more downward pressure on this economy slowing it down trying to get inflation under control.

Now on that front the Fed darkened its economic projections for next year. They now see near zero GDP growth for 2023. They bumped up their inflation forecast and they see unemployment going from a very low level from 3.7 percent today to 4.6 percent next year. Now that's not high overall but it does still translate to a loss of roughly 1.6 million jobs.

Another reminder, I think, of the real pain here caused by not just high inflation but the war on high inflation from the Federal Reserve. Rosemary, the hope remains that inflation is going to cool off enough in the coming months to allow the Fed to stop raising interest rates before it causes a recession.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The United States is trying to crack down on TikTok. The Senate passed a bill Wednesday to keep the app off federally owned government devices. It must still be approved by the House. It comes after a number of states passed similar bans on state-owned devices. Some lawmakers fear the app could relay data to the Chinese government. TikTok says those concerns are fueled by misinformation and it's happy to meet with lawmakers.

[04:40:00]

Well, the U.S. government is suing Arizona for using shipping containers as a temporary wall along the border with Mexico. The controversial plan was put in place by Arizona's Republican governor and it was done without official permits or authorization. The lawsuit says the federal government has been battling with the state ever since to get the containers removed.

Well meantime, U.S. border officials are gearing up for an influx of migrants after Title 42, a Trump era border policy put in place during the pandemic ends next week. Authorities are concerned the surge could overwhelm the resources of cities like El Paso, Texas. El Paso is expected to receive $6 million of FEMA funds to address the issue. But with more than 2,000 migrants already arriving daily, that may not be enough. CNN's Ed Lavandera is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN MARTIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, OPPORTUNITY CENTER FOR THE HOMELESS: We're going to get the women over to the rescue mission.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a frigid El Paso night and John Martin is coordinating an outreach team trying to figure out where newly arrived migrants have been released on the city's downtown streets.

MARTIN: They're working with the new arrivals that came in just within the past hour.

LAVANDERA: So, there's a lot of confusion right now.

MARTIN: To a great extent, I'll probably get myself into trouble. I think confusion is an understatement.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Martin helps run a homeless shelter program in El Paso. Three of its shelters are open to migrants. This family welcome center can fit about 80 people, but in recent days, they've taken in as many as 125 per night.

MARTIN: The concern that we have is at some point you just simply run out of physical space. And we don't want to be in a position to say no, but I think the reality is very close.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): In recent days, the El Paso area has seen a major wave of migrants crossing into the United States.

LAVANDERA: The average number of migrants arriving here in El Paso has been about 2,500 day. And because of that, many people here, city leaders in El Paso are concerned about what this could look like if Title 42 is lifted next week.

LAVANDERA (voice over): The public health policy known as Title 42, which was used during the pandemic to remove some 2.5 million migrants from the U.S. is set to expire next week. But for many migrants, the talk of Title 42 isn't on their minds. Joel and Rena Velasquez (ph) left Nicaragua six weeks ago with their nine-year-old girl.

LAVANDERA: No. He said they came, they were unaware of Title 42 and that Title 42 could be lifted. So, they really just want to come here to work for a couple of years and go back home to Nicaragua.

LAVANDERA (voice over): The family is headed to Georgia to await immigration court proceedings. But El Paso leaders say the humanitarian safety net that has long existed in this border city is stretched too thin already.

PETER SVARZBEIN, EL PASO CITY COUNCIL: We need people to step up. We need to stop pointing fingers. We need to work together. We need to collaborate and we need to make sure that we keep folks that are passing through our neighborhoods safe also keeping our communities safe as well.

LAVANDERA: These are the scenes on the streets of downtown El Paso that officials are starting to become much more alarmed about. These are migrants who have been processed through Border Patrol. They have paper work to be able to enter the country and move but really, they have nowhere to go right now as they're either awaiting a bus ride out of town or they're waiting for other family members to get released from custody as well and they're trying to get reunited here. But this is the growing concern.

Nightfall is coming and it will be another frigid night. These people will be here on the streets sleeping unless they are able to get on a bus out of town. But this is the concern, this is what many people are very concerned about and are worried that this is a site and seen that will only continue to worsen in the days to come.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Questions are growing about what happened to a U.S. college student missing in France. Next CNN goes to the city where Kenny DeLand Jr. was studying.

[04:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Family members are increasingly worried about the fate of a U.S. college student missing in France. His parents spoke earlier with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH DELAND, FATHER OF MISSING U.S. STUDENT: I talked to the FBI today and I asked the FBI agent, you know, is there -- do you feel like there's any progress? What's the status? And I don't get anywhere. It just feels like the wind has gone out of the sail as far as what's being done to find my son. You know, the more time that goes by, the more worried we become.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Kenny DeLand Jr. has been missing for more than two weeks. His father is disputing a French prosecutor's claim that DeLand had trouble making friends and adjusting to his study abroad program and likely left on his own. CNN's Melissa Bell spoke exclusively with the mother of the host family caring for DeLand in the city of Grenoble.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Social media posts give little away, just images of a young American enjoying his exchange program in France. But Kenny DeLand, Jr. vanished 15 days ago without a trace after leaving the home of the host mother he was staying with.

She explains that she's only spoken once to Kenny's mother, never to his father, but agrees to speak exclusively to CNN without the camera. What the host's mother told us was that of all the exchange students she'd had at her home, Kenny DeLand was the one that seemed to be having the most trouble fitting in and settling down to life here in Grenoble. She also said that, of course, since he's disappeared, she'd been inundating him with messages to which he hadn't responded. And she added that she had been reassured by that sighting of him about an hour south of here in that sports shop because she said it confirmed the possibility and her hope, that in fact, he'd gone and cut off communications voluntarily.

BELL (voice-over): It was taken on December 3rd. Kenny DeLand spent just over $8 before vanishing altogether, according to his family. Leaving behind only Facebook pictures of his life in France from Paris to the University of Grenoble Alps.

BELL: The last time Kenny DeLand turned up for lessons here at the university he was studying at was November 28. By the 29th when he failed to turn up, a missing person's report was filed and an emerged that he had left his host family that morning taking a packed lunch, a change of clothes, his wallet and his phone. Kenny DeLand hasn't been heard from since.

BELL (voice-over): We show Kenny's picture around the campus in the hope that someone may recognize him. When we find Kenny's friends, they prefer not to speak on camera, but tell us that Kenny had friends that were exchange students and some that were local. We care about him and we want him to come back safely.

[04:50:00]

Statements that contradict what French authorities have said that Kenny struggle to make friends.

DELAND: What I'm telling you is he makes friends and he's easy to talk to like me. If you don't know my son, then it's tough for you to make some statement, some bold statement.

BELL: One of the things Kenny's friends told us is that he may have been stressed about the upcoming exams. Is that something that you recognize?

DELAND: He's in a foreign country. He's pretty upbeat kid. You know what I mean? So, it's possible, sure. He was anxious. He was -- he wanted to do good. He wanted to prove that he could get good grades even on the trip of a lifetime.

BELL (voice-over): Kenny DeLand, Jr. chronicled his journey to France in August. His father still hopes he'll be able to pick him up as planned on Saturday.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Grenoble.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And much more ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Do stay with us.

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CHURCH: NASA is delaying its mission to take a deep look into water resources on our planet. The so-called SWOT mission, or surface water and ocean topography, was originally set to launch today.

[04:55:00]

But the space agency is now aiming for a liftoff early tomorrow after engineers found moisture on two rocket engines. The mission will create the most accurate 3d maps of rivers, lakes and oceans on our planet. NASA says those maps will help scientists understand the role that oceans play in climate change.

Well, Superman fans will have to say good-bye to the actor who's portrayed the man of steel for nearly a decade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY CAVILL, ACTOR: I keep testing the limits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Henry Cavill announced on Instagram Wednesday that his time to wear that iconic red cape has passed. One of the heads of DC studios says Cavill is being replaced because the next superman movie will focus on an earlier part of the hero's life. And we should mention CNN and DC are both divisions of Warner Brothers Discovery.

Well, the National Film Registry which archives the world's greatest movies has named this year's list of 25 master pieces deemed worthy of special recognition. The list spans just about every genre and includes this Disney classic from 33 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A splash to get his attention --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down here is your home. Ariel, listen to me. The human world ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: That, of course, is "The Little Mermaid." A perennial favorite among all ages. Also on the list, "Mardi Gras Carnival" in 1898 -- 124 years ago. The two minute film shows a parade in New Orleans. It had been long lost but was recently discovered at a museum in the Netherlands.

And thanks so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "EARLY START" is next right here on CNN. Do stick around.

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