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Severe Winter Weather Affecting Large Parts of U.S.; Memphis, Tennessee Mayor Jim Strickland Interviewed on Winter Weather Putting Strain on Electricity Grids in Tennessee; Flights Canceled across U.S. Due to Winter Weather. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired December 24, 2022 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:00:33]
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Sara Sidner in for Fredricka Whitfield. Thank you so much for joining me on this Christmas Eve.
We begin this hour with winter weather wreaking havoc this holiday weekend. Many in the United States are facing their coldest Christmas in decades. Right now, more than 175 million people are under windchill alerts. The arctic blast extending from Montana all the way down to, get this, yes, Florida. Some temperatures in the Midwest dipping into the negative 30s. Even Atlanta is seeing negative windchills. The bitter cold proving extremely dangerous. At least 15 people have lost their lives across the country so far.
In Tennessee, people are seeing intermittent power disruptions as the bone-chilling weather pushes the state's power grid to the absolute max. More than 840,000 customers are now without power nationwide. Whiteout continues make it too perilous to travel. New York officials are issuing a driving ban for several counties amid blizzard conditions there.
And if you are trying to fly this weekend, I've got to give you some good luck and a prayer, because more than 1,700 flights have already been canceled today, on top of the more than 5,900 flights canceled yesterday.
Treacherous driving conditions in Tennessee, icy roads causing several cars to spin out in Memphis. We saw this live yesterday morning. That's a four-wheel drive that cannot get up that hill. Officials are warning drivers, if you can avoid going out, do. The state's transportation department has been salting the roads over the last few days, but still warn to go as slowly as possible if you do have to get out there.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Valley Authority is directing local power companies to interrupt service in 15 minute intervals to conserve electricity there.
Joining us now on the phone, the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, Jim Strickland. Mayor, welcome to the program.
MAYOR JIM STRICKLAND, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Good morning.
SIDNER: All right, we have been looking at these pictures. You've got some great reporters out there in Memphis, Tennessee, showing us the dangerous conditions on the roads. Can you tell me what it's like out there right now and what you are warning people?
STRICKLAND: The major thoroughfares have improved significant since yesterday. But the neighborhood roads are still icy. And we're advising people, if they don't have to go to out to stay home. So we hope they take that advice.
SIDNER: Can I ask you about the history of -- I have been to Memphis many times. It's a fun city. And I have been to other parts of Tennessee. Has this happened before in recent times recent times, this cold?
STRICKLAND: It has not happened in my memory to be this cold for this long, below zero with windchills. It's about 14 degrees right now. And just constantly, because sometimes we'll get cold, but throughout the day it will get up above 32. But we're not going to go above 32 for about two more days. So that's the danger to health and then safety on drive. So we declared a state of emergency here, and the community is really trying to reach out and help everyone.
SIDNER: You know what, as they say over there, that ain't right. Now, that weather is just --
(LAUGHTER)
STRICKLAND: No.
SIDNER: That ain't right.
STRICKLAND: You expect this up north. You do not expect this down south.
SIDNER: Because of this, you declared a state of emergency for Memphis. Can you give me an idea what that means? What can you do with a state of emergency that will help people who are dealing with this and in need of help?
STRICKLAND: It gives us flexibility on getting reimbursement for expenses, but it also brings the issue to the forefront. We have several hundred homeless individuals that are being treated and cared for at city-run facilities but also our non-profit partners and churches. So it brings attention to that. And also, as you mentioned, the TVA required rolling blackouts that we're having here, about 55,000 people at any one time are being forced off the grid for 30 to 60 minutes. And apparently that's going to happen to every customer two or three times during the day.
[10:05:04]
So, now, I will say that there are facilities that are excluded from the blackout list, like hospitals, the airport, water pumping station, the sewage treatment plants. But everyone is going to be affected by this over the next two to three days.
SIDNER: Can give me some idea of those blackouts, what's happening right now, and what people need to be prepared for?
STRICKLAND: Well, most people it will, hopefully, just be a simple inconvenience, that they will be without power for 30 to 60 minutes for two or three times a day. It's the individuals that have a health issue and they are on a machine that needs power. So, hopefully, all those people have generators. If not, they need to call in and we'll come help them.
So it's the most vulnerable that we have to really be vigilant to respond to quickly. I stopped by one of our warming centers yesterday, and just folks were just packed in there. And fortunately, we have volunteers who are bringing food three times a day. But just caring for those. And one of the great things about Memphians, that's what he call ourselves, is we are such a giving community, and we have plenty of good volunteers.
SIDNER: I do want to ask you about the power grid real quick, because across the country, the power grid is under extreme stress and duress at this point. This may not be the first time, I know it's an unusual time. Is there something that can be done in the future that you and other officials can do to try to protect the power grid for things like this happening?
STRICKLAND: Well, I will say this is the first time in memory in Memphis. TVA has always prided itself on reliability. This is the first time that they have forced rolling blackouts. After this incident, after we get this behind us and we get through this, I do want to have detailed discussions with TVA on the cause of it, what can be done to prevent this sort of thing. But it's going to take a deeper dive into the reasons this happened. And like I said, this is the first time ever this has happened in the Tennessee Valley.
SIDNER: Mayor Jim Strickland, you all be safe out there, you hear? Thank you so much for coming on.
STRICKLAND: Thank you, sara.
SIDNER: Let's start our coverage from the northeast with CNN's Polo Sandoval. He is live for us, bless him, in Buffalo, New York. Polo, let me apologize because I get to be inside and we sent you outside, and I know it's hard. But what are you experience willing right now?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara, my friend, wasn't it like a little over 24 hours ago and it was 38 degrees out here? And just it's amazing the difference that we have seen. But look, in all seriousness, authorities here on the ground are very much worried about these conditions that are not letting up, Sara. I'll let you -- you can even listen to the howling winds over my voice here as this is a look in downtown Buffalo.
What we heard today from authorities is that at this point, Buffalo and many of the surrounding communities do not have any emergency services. We're talking fire, police, ambulance services. And that's because roughly two-thirds, according to county officials, of the emergency vehicles are actually stuck. And so what they are doing is they're taking advantage of a slight, and I mean ever so slight improvement in weather conditions, not to mention the daylight, to actually have public works vehicles go out and clear some of these streets.
But this, authorities are stressing, is not for people to go to grandma's house. This is to open a pathway for emergency services to respond because they are not saying that they are not going to try to get to people suffering a medical condition, for example, but there are no guarantees that they will actually make it there. County officials confirming that two people died recently in the area due to medical complications because authorities, medical officials could not make it to them. And so that just speaks to the tremendous situation that's happening here in Buffalo, what is being described as ground zero of a massive winter storm affecting millions on this Christmas weekend, Sara.
SIDNER: I know that it has been really dangerous outs there. What are they telling people? I don't see any cars out there, but have you seen people out there? I know there are so many people that have been stranded in that dangerous weather.
SANDOVAL: Yes, and hundreds of people are still stranded, Sara. And so what authorities are saying is, stay put. Wherever you are, if you are safe, even if it's in a house without power, that house without power, maybe 40 degrees or so, that's still much safer than being out in subzero windchill elements.
[10:10:00]
And so that's what officials are saying right now is wherever you are, stay put. Resist the urge to head out to meet with family this Christmas weekend in and around Buffalo because that driving ban is still in place. Unless it's an emergency, there should be no cars on the streets right now. Sara?
SIDNER: All right, get inside. That sounds and looks terrible. Sorry, once again, from us on the Christmas Eve, and merry Christmas to you and the crew out there. Who is with you out there? Who is taking a picture?
SANDOVAL: Merry Christmas, Sara, thank you. That's actually Mr. Tom (ph) Jert (ph) behind the camera. I know you know him well.
SIDNER: Thank you, Tom (ph). Thank you both. Appreciate you.
SANDOVAL: And our producer --
SIDNER: And Nicole (ph). Tom (ph), Nicole (ph), Polo, amazing.
The frigid cold is creating a nightmare scenario for those, as you might imagine, who are traveling this weekend. Sorry, mom. CNN's Carlos Suarez is live at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta. Carlos, I imagine the cancellations are piling up this morning still. What's happening at this hour?
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Sara. So things are busy out here, but they are pretty manageable considering the number of canceled flights out of the airport here. This is how things look like right now. This line we have been seeing most of the morning at this one bag drop off site, as you can see, not too bad. Folks have been showing up the entire day out here, making sure they've got their bags ticketed, they drop them off, and they go on to their flights.
However, everyone is keeping a pretty close eye on the departure board, and that's because out of the airport here well over 100 flights have been canceled. The number, it's not a whole lot better when we're talking about the rest of the country. The latest numbers that we have right now across the U.S., we are looking at well over 1,700 flights that have been canceled and well over 2,000 other flights that have been delayed across the U.S. because of this cold weather.
Next to us just behind me, though, are a group of people that aren't quite happy with the airline because they are not going to be able to get out anytime soon. The folks here, all of these people standing in line have been told they are going to have to figure out another way home if they want to make it in time for the holidays. These folks here are all being rebooked on other flights. Everyone, however, is still hopeful that they are going to be able to make it home in time for the Christmas holiday. We spoke to a up couple of passengers who told us, all things considered, they are OK. They understood what was happening. Their hope is they can still get out at some point today. Sara?
SIDNER: OK, so in the next hour I'm going to ask you about a flight from Miami to New York. My mother is coming this afternoon and she is going to be upset. I know that's going to happen. So I know there are a lot of families waiting for people.
SUAREZ: And I'm from Miami, born and raised, that's where I'm based out of. I am missing that weather dearly. I am not used to this kind of cold. It's like 10 degrees outside.
(LAUGHTER)
SIDNER: It's not. Carlos, thank you so much for joining us.
Let's get a check on conditions across the country now with meteorologist Allison Chinchar who is in the Weather Center for us. Aren't we lucky to be inside, Allison?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I can't tell you what a difference this last 24 hours has been as being inside as opposed to outside. And I actually have some good news, and that is that temperatures will finally start to rebound, in some areas as early as today. But we still do have some locations dealing with the windchill alerts and windchill warnings and advisories for today.
The wind still very strong in some instances, and so not only is that making it much colder in some areas, but also it's making any of that snow that's on the ground blowing it around, reducing that visibility even more. And just as Polo talked about, it's making travel dangerous. So, again, if you do not have to be out, please don't be. Buffalo sustained, that means constant winds of 33 miles per hour, gusting up to 47. Detroit 28 sustained miles per hour, gusting to 39. Even St. Louis sustained winds of 30 miles per hour right now.
We do still have some snow anticipated for today, but it's going to be focused across the Great Lakes region. Michigan, areas of upstate New York. This is a live look at Watertown, New York. Again, there's the plows. They are out. They're doing everything they can. But it's still coming down, and it's coming down so fast, they are just constantly having to do runs.
Most of these areas will likely pick up two to six inches of additional rain, but some spots could pick up as much as a foot. We talked about the good news here. Take a look, Denver, Dallas, and New Orleans all finally going to get their temperatures back above the freezing mark for today. Other places like Atlanta, New York, D.C., it's likely going to be next week before we really start to see the temperatures go up. But I promise eventually they will, and New Year's looks a little bit warmer than Christmas is likely to be.
SIDNER: Allison, that shirt is giving us all cheer. Appreciate you. Thank you, Allison Chinchar.
Those bone-chilling temperatures are reaching as far south as the U.S.-Mexico border where migrants have been left waiting in the dangerous cold as Title 42 remains in limbo. We will take you there coming up next.
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Plus, it's a busy football Saturday, and only two of the 11 games will be held indoors. We'll tell you some of the players tips and tricks to keep warm. You're looking at the craziness that has happened over the past 24 hours out on the roads.
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SIDNER: Police in Minnesota are searching for the gunman who opened fire at the Mall of America on Friday. A 19-year-old man was killed in the shooting, and the gunfire sent shoppers scrambling for cover. The incident happened around 8:00 p.m. on the first floor at the Nordstrom store when a group of five to nine guys got into an altercation. The mall is the largest shopping center in the country with more than 500 stores and two hotels.
Now to the surge of people at the U.S.-Mexico border. They have gotten in a situation that's gone from bad to worse as the unusually frigid temperatures hit both sides of the border. Many of the migrants have little more than the clothes on their backs, and for border towns like El Paso, their resources are overwhelmed. CNN's Camila Bernal is live from El Paso this morning. Camila, when you look around there, what are you seeing at this hour?
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Generosity, Sara, because there are locals who are here who have brought coffee, who have brought oatmeal and sweetbread and donuts. They are just waking up at the moment. They had a difficult night. It was not just hard, but it was difficult. Some of them are still trying to warm up in those blankets. But if you see them, they have a cup of coffee in hand because of those locals who said we will do everything we can to try to keep them warm.
The church here, which is also the shelter, the non-profit shelter, they are also overwhelmed. But they are doing everything they can to sort of juggle both Christmas Eve and mass and all of that celebration, but also all of the humanitarian crisis part of it, having to fit as many people as they can into this shelter. A lot of the men out here who slept throughout the night here, they don't have the proper documentation from Customs and Border Protection, and so they have to come to these non-profit shelters. They are not able to go to the city, although the city really does want to help. Here is the mayor of El Paso.
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MAYOR OSCAR LEESER, EL PASO, TEXAS: Everyone is out of the cold, and we don't want to see people outside. We don't want to see them in these elements. And we are going to continue to be out there day in and all night to make sure they are comfortable.
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BERNAL: And look, they are worried. They are scared to get on the buses. They don't want to go back to their countries. They are doing everything they can to stay here, especially for their children. You talk to people, and they tell you, I'm doing it for my kids. I'm doing everything I can to stay in this country. Sara.
SIDNER: Camila, I know that at some point they were only letting people with documents into some of the government-run shelters and they have opened schools and different places where people can go and get out of the cold. Have they changed that policy yet? Are they going to allow people who are undocumented into any of those shelters?
BERNAL: They can't change the policy because it is state and federal law that doesn't allow the migrants that don't have the proper paperwork to go into those shelters. So they are trying to get a lot of these migrants who go to the immigration processing centers that are run by Border Patrol so they can at least go through that process so that they are able to get the city resources. But at the moment, there is a lot of them that are scared to go with the city people, the emergency management team, they are just worried because they have gone through a lot already, and they think that anything that happens, or getting on to a bus means going back to their country. And of course, they are terrified. Sara?
SIDNER: Camila Bernal, thank you so much. There is one thing that Republicans and Democrats can agree on, is that immigration and our systems here are broken. It is hard to see that. But lovely to see all the people coming out giving people help when they need it. Appreciate you.
Now to the bitter cold temperatures that are blanketing the country from coast to coast, and it's incredibly concerning for those people living on the streets. Up next, how cities are trying to help some of the most vulnerable people in our country.
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SIDNER: Severe winter weather with an icy grip across the entire country. Temperatures are dropping dangerously. So many cities are offering places for people to get off the streets now. Joining us now is Major Thomas McWilliams with the Metro Atlanta Salvation Army. Atlanta is not a place you are used to seeing these kinds of frigid temperatures. I'd like to welcome you to the show, Major. I know that your city fell to single digits overnight. What is happening on the streets? Because there are so many people that are unhoused and that need a shelter.
MAJOR THOMAS MCWILLIAMS, COMMANDER, METRO ATLANTA AREA SALVATION ARMY: And a shock for us in Atlanta as we don't get these very often. So people that have been living outside, maybe throughout the whole of last winter or the winter weather, all of a sudden this is a shock to -- and it is dangerous.
SIDNER: I don't know if you remember. I remember, I think they called it "snow-mageddon" one year, where they were terrified of the weather that was coming. And here we are again. How limited are resources there? And what are you all seeing? I know you are at every single disaster or big major issue that affects people who are in need.
MCWILLIAMS: Yes, the donations are generally down across the nation, and the request for help is up because everyone's feeling the impact of the economy and the increased food prices and power bills and rent and everything else that goes along with that. So the Salvation Army is really feeling a lot of pressure to meet all of those needs. But the good thing about the army is we will meet those needs, and we will do everything we can to help people, which we are doing this weekend in this treacherous weather.
SIDNER: Major, we are looking, I think, inside of one of the warming centers there. That's for anybody that needs it. I think people don't realize if their power goes out and it's freezing inside the house and they need to get somewhere that's warmer, they can come to one of those centers. But what happens when they close? Do they close?
MCWILLIAMS: For the centers in this particular frigid time are not necessarily closing. I know the Salvation Army, we are maximizing our Red shield. We had 371 people stay there last night. And we are encouraging everybody to stay in the building, even through today. Even though the sun is out, the temperatures are still frigid, and to stay in, and we're feeding three hot meals a day, and encouraging men, women, and children just stay with us.
SIDNER: You had just mentioned that you -- donations are down. We always see the Salvation Army. It's like part of the Christmas spirit that you see them out ringing the bells as we shop. Is there anything that you can tell people about the need that you have? How far down are you with donations, and what is it that you do need?
MCWILLIAMS: Nationally, we are about eight percent down. What we were counting on, we always count on the Christmas weekend to really lift us up and take us over the goal line. And obviously, with the weather, standing outside with a bell and a kettle is extremely difficult.
SIDNER: So what do the shelters need? Is there a way for people to come and bring things to help?
MCWILLIAMS: It depends on which shelter it is. But for us, we are mobilizing our volunteer base, and right now we are just bringing in people for monitoring, because we have extra cots everywhere we can stick them. We have pallets on the floor. We have every space utilized. And we are just mobilizing our volunteers right now to help work through this process.
SIDNER: I've got to tell you this quick story. When I was a brand-new reporter at my first job, I did not have gloves, and I was in something like this in Missouri. And the Salvation Army was there handing me hot coffee throughout the morning while I was live. So you literally help everyone. I have never been to a disaster where I have not seen you here in America. So Major Thomas McWilliams, thank you and the Salvation Army for all you do.
MCWILLIAMS: Thank you, Sara. Have a great day.
SIDNER: You, too. Merry Christmas.
As you know, it is Christmas Eve, but that's not preventing Russia from unleashing a new onslaught at Ukrainian citizens. Heavy shelling has battered a key southern city today. We'll have the details next.
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SIDNER: It's Christmas Eve, but that has not stopped the Russians from indiscriminate killing in Ukraine. Russia shelled the southern city of Kherson today. At least seven people were killed according to Ukraine's deputy head of the presidential office, 58 people were injured, 18 critically. CNN's Will Ripley is joining us now with the latest.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Apparently, no time for jetlag for Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. As you can hear, the phones are working, he says. Just back from his whirlwind Washington trip, Zelenskyy told ambassadors in Kyiv, the Biden White House is working on a whooping $45 billion aid package. He says the real work for Ukraine is just beginning. "We must sleep less than the enemy, think more than the enemy, risk more effectively than the enemy and communicate with the world better," he says. The Kremlin's P.R. machine launching its own propaganda blitz. After
publicly calling the 10-month-old conflict a war for the first time Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the world to see his war machine firing on all cylinders. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in western Russia visiting a Kalashnikov production factory. On the front line, overall conditions unchanged. To the south, Russian forces firing artillery across the Dnipro River in Kherson, shelling civilian infrastructure, education and humanitarian facilities, keeping with the Kremlin playbook.
To the east, the Ukrainian military says it's repelling Russian attacks around Bakhmut in the Donbas. The handful still living there describe a living hell as Russia tries to bomb them back to the stone age.
NATALIA BOLIAS, BAKHMUT RESIDENT (through translator): We have no information. We have no electricity. We don't know what is going on. No electricity, no water, no gas. What could we know? We just hear the explosions and that's all.
[10:35:06]
RIPLEY: Power problems even plague the posh capital Kyiv. Electric supplies still running around 50 percent, actually an improvement from recent days. That translates to more than 12 hours a day without power for most. They endure darkness and biting cold, temperatures in the coming days predicted to plummet.
Will Ripley, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
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SIDNER: I have heard those sirens myself too many times there in Ukraine. We wish them all the best. Will Ripley live -- sorry, from Kyiv for us there.
For many in Ukraine the holidays are not bringing any relief from the darkness that has befallen the country, and the hope for some kind of December fairy tale miracle, if you will, is fading fast. In an opinion piece for CNN.com, Sasha Dovzhyk wrote about a Ukrainian mother with a newborn son grieving for the loss of her husband who was killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine. Sasha Dovzhyk is special projects coordinator at the Ukrainian Institute in London and an associate lecturer at the University College London. She joins us now live. Sasha, so glad to have you with us.
SASHA DOVZHYK, SPECIAL PROJECTS CURATOR, UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE, LONDON: Such a privilege to speak to you, Sara. Thank you for having me.
SIDNER: Sasha, can you tell us about Ievgeniia, the woman who you met virtually?
DOVZHYK: We spoke via a video link, and many big moments in Ievgeniia's love story happened via video link as well. Ievgeniia is a very brave, very strong 36-year-old Ukrainian woman who is currently displaced in Poland with her newborn son. She is a Ph.D. candidate and medical physician, a professional. And when the Russian invasion started in February, she considered, she was strongly convinced she should join the army together with her love Denys. So they were planning to enlist. Denys went ahead, but he convinced Ievgeniia to first evacuate his family from Kyiv, which was then under heavy Russian bombardment. Ievgeniia did that. And then in the relative safety of western Ukraine she finally got to the enlistment office, almost signed the contract, but decided to do a pregnancy test just in case. And this is when she found out that she was pregnant and evacuated to Poland.
SIDNER: Well, she has had the baby.
DOVZHYK: And she is currently in Poland.
SIDNER: And how is she and the baby doing at this time?
DOVZHYK: Well, not really great because when the baby was only two months old, the husband and the father Denys was killed on the front line near Bakhmut, which you just mentioned in the previous report. It's the site of the heaviest fighting in Ukraine. The father was about to meet his son just once for a couple of days. He had got leave. So he traveled to Poland. He met his wife there. They spent a couple of days together, which she described as a fairy tale. They did the most ordinary things like shopping, spending time with the baby, and then he left to Ukraine a couple of days later. He was killed on the front line.
SIDNER: What a terrible story. And I understand that once he came over, got to meet the baby, he ends up being killed, and she is unable, correct, to go to the funeral? Is that right?
DOVZHYK: That's right. That's right. She couldn't go because the baby was born prematurely, and, obviously, the baby depends on her, and she cannot take the baby to a big country which is currently a warzone. There is no safe place in Ukraine at this point. So she asked her relatives to livestream the funeral for her so that she could bid goodbye to her husband this way. This was, unfortunately, impossible because of the countrywide blackouts sponsored by -- terrorism currently. They only thing she got from the funeral were a few short recordings.
SIDNER: Wow, that is an incredibly touching and sad story. Can you give us a sense of her story can't be the only one like it. There are so many hundreds of thousands of refugees who have had to leave their home. And there is also hundreds of thousands of people fighting to keep Ukraine out of Russia's hands. Can you give us a sense of how large this scenario is?
DOVZHYK: It is quite a common dark fairytale for Ukraine these days, unfortunately. Many people have left, millions actually, have left Ukraine, were forced to flee from the Russian invasion, and also hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians went to the front line to fight against the invaders.
[10:40:11] They keep connection by video links. Ievgeniia, for example, was married to Denys via a video link as well. He was serving on the front line, and this has become a very common story for many Ukrainian families these days. Unfortunately, this fairytale did not end happily, but I believe it is still in our power to ensure that other stories like this one end differently, because the more support Ukraine gets these days, the more advanced weapons we have to fight against the enemy, the sooner this darkness ends and we will be able to go back to our ordinary lives, and just to enjoy the everyday things we used to enjoy before this war.
SIDNER: Sasha, you really bring the humanity back. This is why President Zelenskyy was here trying to get more weaponry, trying to get more funds to stop stories like this from having to happen, and it's happening to so many families.
Sasha Dovzhyk, thank you so much for bringing that incredibly touching story to us. And good luck. Please send our best wishes to Ievgeniia and the baby.
We'll be right back.
DOVZHYK: I will. Thank you.
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SIDNER: The bitter cold temperatures this Christmas Eve line up against a whole bunch of football games. CNN's Coy Wire knows a thing or two about playing football in the freezing cold. He's got the details.
[10:45:03]
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Sara, I have seen you reporting in knee-deep snow, so I know you know all about working in some wintry weather. Eleven NFL games today, only two are indoors. The coldest players and fans, though, are going to be in Chicago when the Bears host the Bills, and in Cleveland for the Browns hosting the Saints, both games at 1:00 eastern. It feels like temps at both games expected to be around 20 below at game time with gusts of more than 40 miles per hour. In Cleveland there is up to a 45 percent chance that mother nature could let it snow, so players could be walking in a winter wonderland.
Here is a photo of your boy in Buffalo back in the day, number 27 there. Players have all sorts of tricks to stay warm, like wearing rubber medical exam gloves under their football gloves to keep the heat in. There is a thick, pasty cream that you rub on your arms, your nose, and your ears to cut the wind. And the key for windy games like in Chicago and Cleveland is to put tape over your ear holes on the inside so that the wind cannot get in and whip around and make it even colder. They also, Sara, replace Gatorade with hot chicken broth. It still has the electrolytes and the sodium, but keeps you cozy.
All right, Sara, we go now to a story about a Patriots fan whose grace brings great inspiration and hope this Christmas Eve. Jerry Edmond, who was subjected to a Raider's fan's aggressive heckling in the Raiders' win over the Pats in Vegas on Sunday has been invited to sit in the club seats at the Patriots seats in Foxborough today. He will be on the sidelines pregame and meet owner Robert Kraft, who thanked him for representing Patriots fans with class.
I reached out to Jerry and asked how he kept his grace and composure. And he told me, "One thing I've learned as a black man in America dealing with a situation like that, any reactive response would result in a lose-lose situation for me. I didn't want to ruin my experience doing something I would regret afterwards." This was his first NFL game. He also said he didn't want to ruin anyone else's experience that day. Jerry's wisdom and grace are a blessing. He told me that the Raiders also reached out, apologized, and offered him tickets to attend the Pro Bowl in Vegas in February. Sara, wishing you and everyone many blessings and a very merry Christmas Eve.
SIDNER: Jerry is a wise young man. Coy Wire, thank you.
And from Tom Brady's retirement, the unretirement that happened after that, to the release of Brittney Griner, 2022 has been a really dramatic year in sports. CNN's Andy Scholes has a look at the top 10 sports moments of 2022.
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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: In 2022 we saw records fall, an epic World Cup, and many sports legends say goodbye. But the story garnering the most attention was one star athlete's battle for her freedom.
Number 10, Aaron Judge homering his way to an historic season. The Yankees slugger becoming the American League all-time homerun king, hitting 62 long balls, breaking Roger Maris's record.
AARON JUDGE: Getting a chance to have my name next to someone as great as Roger Maris, being with those guys is incredible.
SCHOLES: Before the season, Judge bet on himself, turning down a contract extension in December. The gamble paid off as he received the richest deal ever, a reported nine-year, $360 million to return to New York. And Judge's Yankees were swept by the Houston Astros in the ALCS. The Astros went on to win their second World Series title in six years.
Number nine, Steph Curry and the Warriors also becoming champions once again. Steph with an all-time performance in game four of the finals against the Celtics, scoring 43 points in Boston. The Warriors would take the series four games to two with Steph winning his first ever NBA Finals MVP.
STEPHEN CURRY: Every once in a while, you got to remind yourself.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHOLES: In the WNBA the Las Vegas Aces claimed their first championship in franchise history, beating the Connecticut Sun in four games, crowning coach Becky Hammon as the first rookie coach to win the WNBA title.
Number eight. The NFL playoffs in 2022 was one of the best we have ever seen. Patrick Mahomes with just 13 seconds on the clock got the Chiefs in position to tie the Bills who they would eventually beat in an overtime thriller, 42-36. The Chiefs, though, upset by the Bengals who made it to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989. Super Bowl LVI was another home game for the NFC champion. The Rams playing at SoFi Stadium made a comeback led by Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp to beat Cincinnati 23 to 20, giving the city of Los Angeles their first Super Bowl title since 1984.
The city of L.A. would get to celebrate another title in November as LAFC won the MLS Cup in dramatic fashion in just their fifth season. Actor and part owner Will Ferrell enjoying the team's first title.
[10:50:09]
WILL FERRELL, ACTOR AND LAFC OWNER: Greatest game in MLS history. And if you don't agree with me, I will fight you in the parking lot right now.
SCHOLES: Number seven, despite COVID concerns and lockdowns in China, the Beijing Olympics were held in February. Figure skating under the spotlight once again after it was discovered that 15-year-old Russian skating phenom Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance before the games. Valieva helped the Russians win gold in the team event, but no medal ceremony was held. Nathan Chen, meanwhile, shining for team USA, winning the men's Gold.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight, Novak Djokovic, the world's top ranked men's tennis player, has been ordered to leave Australia.
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: If you are not double vaccinated, and you are not an Australian residents or citizen, you can't come.
SCHOLES: Djokovic, who said he would rather miss tournaments than get vaccinated against COVID only competed in two Grand Slams in 2020, winning Wimbledon for his 21st Grand Slam title.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: An historic agreement for U.S. soccer and equal pay. The men's and women's U.S. national teams will both now receive equal pay and equal prize money, including at World Cups.
SCHOLES: With the U.S. men's team reaching the knockout phase in Qatar, the U.S. women's team received more money in 2022 than it did in the previous two World Cups combined, netting $6.5 million.
ALEX MORGAN, U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM: There was a lot of behind-the-scenes work for years now to get to where we are.
SCHOLES: Number four, less than 15 months after his severe car crash that required multiple surgeries on his right leg, Tiger Woods was back at the Masters. With a huge gallery following him, Tiger coming through with what he called the most impressive performance of his career, making the cut. He finished 47th, which would be his best finish at a Major in 2022. Tiger only competed in three events this year, but he did fight for the PGA tour off the course. The new Saudi- backed LIV golf poaching notable PGA tour player Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau, with the lure of massive multimillion dollar contracts in their first year.
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: To play there, I disagree with it. They turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.
RORY MCILROY, 2022 TOUR CHAMPION WINNER: My dad said to me a long time ago, once you made u make your bed you lie in it. And they have made their bed.
SCHOLES: Number three, 2022 was a banner year for sports stars retiring and unretiring.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: Tom Brady, seen by so many as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, is retiring after 22 seasons.
SCHOLES: Well, less than two months later, Brady changed his mind.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breaking news right now, just into CNN, a surprise word from the NFL that the GOAT is coming back. Tom Brady had only stepped away from the NFL for a month-and-a-half before announcing his return.
SCHOLES: While Brady did come back, other sports legends did ride off into the sunset. Coach Mike Krzyzewski retiring from Duke as the winningest men's coach in college basketball history after 42 seasons, but not before one more Final Four run.
MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, FORMER DUKE HEAD COACH: I want to be in this moment. This team has given me so much joy.
SCHOLES: And in tennis, after battling injuries the past few years, 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer decided to call it a career.
ROGER FEDERER, 20-TIME GRAND SLAM CHAMPION: I love tennis, everything about it. I will miss the competition, the fans cheering for or against me. They are usually with me all the way. So it's been great.
SCHOLES: Serena Williams, meanwhile, declared that she was going to be evolving away from tennis, leading to one of the most anticipated U.S. Opens ever. Twenty-three-time Grand slam winner wowing the crowd one more time, advancing to the third round before saying goodbye.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Honestly, I am so grateful that I had this moment, that I'm Serena.
SCHOLES: Number two.
CROWD: USA! USA! USA!
SCHOLES: The first ever winter World Cup in Qatar ending in what is being called the greatest sporting event in history. Arguably, the best ever, Argentina's Lionel Messi going head-to-head against the game's brightest young star in France's Kylian Mbappe. After more than 120 minutes of thrilling back and forth action, the final went to penalty kicks, tied at three. And in his fifth and last World Cup, Messi finally getting the one trophy that had eluded him so long, winning it all for Argentina.
And at number one --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: This is the breaking news right now. We are getting news that Brittney Griner is free.
SCHOLES: Homeward bound. The WNBA superstar Brittney Griner out of a Russian penal colony, heading for American soil. Griner was arrested for possession of cannabis oil at a Moscow area airport in February and sentenced to nine years in prison.
[10:55:01]
Athletes across sports advocated for months, encouraging the Biden administration to find a way to bring Griner home. Two weeks before Christmas it happened.
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She is safe. She is on her way home. After months being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
SIDNER: Thank you to Andy Scholes.
He sees you when you're sleeping -- not Andy. Santa, that is -- and knows when you're awake. But these days we can keep track of Santa on his annual journey, too, with the NORAD tracker. I know you know this was coming. Right now, it looks like he is near Thailand. The tradition dates back to 1955 when the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, began to track Mr. Claus. To track Santa yourself, you can go to NORAD-Santa.org.
And this quick programming note. Auntie Dionne Warwick is a music icon with 56 worldwide hits, six Grammy Awards, and one extraordinary legacy. She brings her exclusive story to CNN in a new film "Don't Make Me Over" premiering New Year's Day at 9:00 p.m.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dionne Warwick, one of the great female singers of all time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dionne was the first African American woman to win a Grammy in the pop category.
(SINGING) DIONNE WARWICK, SINGER: The music I was singing was not like anything that any of them were singing. The legacy of my family, music. Pure and simple, music.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Dionne Warwick, Don't Make Me Over," premiers New Year's Day at 9:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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