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Major Cities Facing Coldest Christmas in Decades; Migrants at the Border Struggle to Find Shelter from Bitter Cold; 18-year-old killed in Shooting at Mall of America in Minnesota; January 6th Committee Releases Final Report After 18-month Probe; Families Of Protesters Facing Execution In Iran Speak Out; Adnan Syed Hired At Georgetown's Prisons And Justice Initiative; French Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj Released From Nepali Jail; Dwayne Johnson Updates Fans On Uncertain Future Of "Black Adam"; Marvel Unveils $25M Real-World Infinity Stones At San Diego Comic-Con; Pope Francis: "Do Something Good" This Christmas; Touching Photo Shows Pele In The Hospital With His Daughter. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 24, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:34]

PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Reid in Washington.

At least 16 people are dead as a monster winter storm clashes many of people in its path. Officials in Erie County, New York, say hundreds of people are likely still trapped in their vehicles in these dire conditions. One of those is an 85-year-old grandmother who has been stuck since yesterday afternoon with her son. The pair have been turning the car on and off for heat and of course to save gas.

Jefferson County, New York, is experiencing a life-threatening blizzard banning travel and declaring a state of emergency. And subzero temperatures are covering huge swaths of the country. More than 100 million people remain under windchill alerts. And nearly two million are without power. A power grid operator for 13 states is now asking residents to reduce their power usage to avoid widespread outages.

And for the third consecutive day, people hoping to travel home for Christmas have been met with frustration. Road travel in some areas is dangerous if not impossible. And today alone, more than 2,000 flights have been canceled. Almost 5,000 have been delayed.

Now CNN's Carlos Suarez is in Atlanta. But let's begin with CNN's Polo Sandoval in hard-hit Buffalo, New York.

All right, Polo, in Buffalo, they know snow. This is what they do. When they say it's bad, it's clearly bad. And as we can see, it's pretty bleak there. What's going on?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, that's our colleague Tom Jurek making sure we have the clearest view of the situation right now because it's just incredible how that snow, just shoved up against the lens here because these winds are just relentless. You're talking 50, 60-mile-an-hour winds at some point. Your conversation with Buffalo's mayor in the last hour, it is very sobering when you hear from him that a third storm related death has been already confirmed.

The person that was found unconscious on the sidewalk here in Buffalo, that was one of the biggest concerns we were hearing from officials last night is that people's vehicles would basically get stuck. They'd be stranded in the middle on of it all while visibility was zero. They'd get out of their cars, venture out, and then become disoriented. And sadly we saw what could potentially have happened there as we try to find out more about that particular situation.

But that is why as we speak you have emergency responders that are driving in and around Buffalo in any way that they can. Some even aboard snowmobiles with the help of a snowmobiling to rescue what could hundreds of people still stranded in their vehicles. The mayor in that last hour, Paula, telling you that yesterday they rescued roughly 65 people, and the concern that they could potentially final more people who lost their lives.

So it's just a reality check for so many folks around here. And I have to tell you, largely based on what we've seen, we haven't seen a whole lot of folks driving around. However, city officials, county officials they're saying they are still seeing individuals violate that driving and that travel ban that's been in place since yesterday. It will be in place until tomorrow as these conditions are still going to be this way.

And by the way, the last thing I should mention, one of the reason why authorities right now are scrambling to go rescue as many people as they can, as night falls, the potential for that subzero temperature, at least those conditions, is certainly one of the biggest concerns. They don't want anybody to have to spend the night in their car. The windchill is the word I was trying to think of.

Can you tell the cold is finally getting to me, Paula? But yes, kidding aside, it certainly is a serious concern. And officials are certainly going to do everything they can to get as many people as they can to a warm place tonight. Back to you.

REID: Polo, we really appreciate these reports on the ground. It's a dangerous situation. My dad is up there in Buffalo.

Dad, just stay inside.

All right. Thank you so much for those reports. I appreciate it.

Now we're going to move to Carlos Suarez at Atlanta's Hartsfield- Jackson airport.

All right, just like in Buffalo. They do now. In Atlanta, this airport, one of the biggest in the world, they do travel. Are these travelers going to be able to make it home? A lot of flight options. But it seems a lot of delays, a lot of cancellations. What are you seeing there? CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So things were here at the

airport were really busy when we got here this morning, though in the last couple of hours, things have slowed down a bit in large parts just because we've seen flight after flight after flight being canceled out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

[15:05:09]

The one line that we could find at this hour is the rebooking one at the Delta Terminal out here and that's because all of these folks here, as you can see, they'll probably not going to make it home in time. When we're talking about just the number of flights out of this airport alone, we're looking at nearly 200 flights that have been canceled because of this cold weather that has moved across much of the country.

Now when you take a look at the number across the U.S., well, now we're talking about well over 2,500 flights that have been canceled on this Christmas eve. And nearly 5,000 other flights have been delayed because of all of this weather. A number of folks we talked to that are in this line at this hour told us the issue really for them has been their connecting flights. They were able to get to Atlanta from other destinations.

However, they were told that their connecting flights had been canceled. So now they are trying to see exactly when they're going to be able to get out. Here are just a few of the passengers that we caught up with.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We got a flight, connection flight here that was cancelled, we found out, since we got on the plane. We got a notification. Hey, your connection was cancelled. So tried rebooking, tried getting a rental car as well to drive back to Raleigh. This was going to take too long anyway. Takes a little bit of time. Went out to the rental car place and they were already overbooked. So they didn't have any cars for the day wo we had to come on back over here, and now we're waiting in line to have our tickets reissued and get back there, scared to get back in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flight got delayed. We missed our connection flight here in Atlanta to go to Hawaii. And now we can't get our bags, now we're flying back to Kansas City. 10:00 tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUAREZ: And so you can imagine just the frustration that a lot of these passengers have. One guy told us that he was on the phone with the airline and was told he may not be able to get out of here until sometime late next week -- Paula.

REID: Whew. All right, Carlos, thank you so much for that reporting.

And the state of Michigan is getting buried. Four cities there saw at least 20 inches of snowfall over just the last 24 hours. Today temperatures are in the teens with some cities even dipping into the single digits.

I'm joined now by the fire chief and emergency manager of Grand Rapid, Michigan, Brad Brown.

All right, Brad, thank you so much for joining us. Want to make sure people out there are safe. Obviously, Michigan is no stranger to snow. But this kind of snow? I mean, what kind of calls are you getting right now?

BRAD BROWN, FIRE CHIEF AND EMERGENCY MANAGER, GRAND RAPIDS: Yes. The blowing snow is what's really challenging for us. Like you said, we get 65 to 70 inches of snow here in Grand Rapids. So snow is not a big deal. But the visibility and our track side on the road, our response times are quite a bit slower. We did have a two-structure fires in the last day. And it was brutal operating out there. Lines are freezing. We're concerned about frostbite, rotating crews out. It's just -- it's pretty hard to operate in these conditions.

REID: Yes. It seems like our first responders having trouble if you do call for help. I mean, you have people getting stuck. What other kinds of challenges do they face once they get out there?

BROWN: Yes. So just making it to the call has been somewhat challenging. Out public works crews have been working triple time doing a great job to keep the roads open. But we also, in Grand Rapids, we have our own plows for the fire trucks. So we have four-by- four pickups. Sometimes will lead our fire trucks in the calls. And that's something that we do every couple of years so this is a pretty unique situation for us.

REID: So what advice do you have to people who are at home trying to brave this brutal storm. Is your advice just to sit tight, stay home?

BROWN: Yes. Stay home. I can tell you that the Grand Rapidians have done a great job of just staying home. Traffic volume is very light. And that really helps us out and makes sure that we don't get into another accident on the way to help you. So just stay were home. And be careful with your heating sources. We have had some fires due in the last few days as well due to alternative heating just because the windchill and the temperatures are just so cold.

REID: And you've been on this job for a long time. Put this in context. I mean, how does this storm compare to the others you've seen before?

BROWN: Honestly, Grand Rapids in southwest Michigan, even though we shut down highways and had a couple foot drifts, this isn't really out of the ordinary for us. We go back to 2011, the Polar Vortex. That was probably the last time we had this amount of wind and snow. But again, this is Michigan, so we're kind of used to this. We fared better than much of the country.

REID: Well, that's good to hear. And I hope you continue to fare better than most of the country and that your residents heed your advice and stay safe during this time.

Thank you so much, Brad. Appreciate you joining us.

BROWN: Thank you.

[15:10:02]

REID: And it may be sunny right now in El Paso, but the Christmas Eve high is only hitting about 50 degrees. And when night falls, temperatures are expected to plummet below freezing. So just imagine the thousands of migrants who will spend yet another frigid night outdoors because they cannot get into a shelter. Although El Paso has opened government-run shelters at its convention centers, hotels and several unused schools, those shelters do not accept migrants who don't have the right documents from Customs and Border Protection.

CNN's Camila Bernal is in El Paso, Texas, right now.

Camila, I've been watching your reports over the past few days. You're doing a great job. It's hard to imagine, though, these people having to sleep on the streets in these kinds of temperatures. So how are people coping based on your reporting?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, a lot of help from locals, from people from El Paso. It is lunchtime right now. And there are people hear who cooked chicken, rice and beans. And you see the line. It is a gigantic line. This is the most people we've seen over the last couple of days. Remember, they are usually inside of the shelter at night. During the day, they are outside. But there is a lot of people there today just trying to get food from the locals.

And the locals saying that they want these people to have a good Christmas. A lot of people from South and Central America they celebrate Christmas on the 24th. So today is sort of that special day for them. Many of them are going to go to mass later here at the church. But they're enjoying a Christmas meal essentially for them. And that's why you're seeing so many of the migrants here. You're seeing the families, the children.

You see them just sitting down and having that meal. It's difficult because a lot of them have told me it's cold. It's been a very tough couple of nights sleeping outside. They sleep one next to the other along the sidewalk. And a lot of them telling me that they've gone through a lot already. They've spent months trying to come to this country. And so what they say is that they're going to do everything they can to try to stay here.

The shelters are at capacity, especially the nonprofit shelters. Because as you mentioned, if they don't have the proper documentation, they can't go to the city shelters. So a lot of the work falls in the hands of the nonprofits, of the volunteers, of the locals who come out and here today and say we are going to do everything we can to help these migrants feel comfortable on Christmas Eve -- Paula.

REID: And as you said, the local officials are doing all they can. But is there any other option for these people? What do they do now that the shelters are full? BERNAL: They sleep outside in the cold when it's 17, 20 degrees. But a

lot of them are trying to get to other places. They don't necessarily want to stay here. This is not what they see in their feature. They are trying to get to places where they have family or where they have friends. I've heard people tell me, look, I'm going to Denver or I'm going to New York. But in the meantime, we do know that the city of El Paso opening up the convention center.

We just got word from them they had about 300 people overnight. They had about 200 the night before. So we are seeing an increase in those numbers. Emergency management teams they are trying to convince as many people as possible to register and go through the process with Border Patrol so that they're able to get those city services.

And those city services coming thanks to an emergency declaration that the mayor essentially put in place in order to get more resources from the state. Again, they say they are overwhelmed but they say they are going to do everything they can so that you don't see people sleeping on the streets. That's the one thing that the mayor of El Paso says he wants to avoid. He wants to avoid so many people having to spend the night here, especially during the holidays, especially those families, those children because it's not only difficult, it is also dangerous -- Paula.

REID: Camilla Bernal, thank you for your great reporting. We appreciate it.

And a 19-year-old man is dead and another person injured after a shooting broke out last night at the Mall of America. Video posted to social media shows the exact moment gunshots went off in the background.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, babe, did you find the purse that you want? (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: CNN senior law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey joins us now with more.

Chief Ramsey, thanks for joining me. This appears to have been the result of an altercation between a group of about five to nine people inside a Nordstrom. Are you hearing anything else about this incident?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: No. So far that's all I've heard. But it really just points to the fact that, you know, these disputes take place. Someone is armed, they actually do not care when they start firing a gun. I mean, think about it, this is, you know, two days before Christmas, the Mall of America. It's crowded.

[15:15:01]

You're just fortunate there's only one dead and I believe one bystander grazed. But that just shows just the recklessness of some people that we have to deal with on an unfortunately regular basis when it comes to gun violence.

REID: Yes. It feels like this is every day in America, sadly. It seems that we're at the point where if you're in public, particularly a place like a mall, a lot of people are thinking about an exit strategy in case they too hear gunshots. I mean, that appears to be the reality of American life today, isn't it?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, but that's a sad state of affairs when people have to even think about that, especially when they're out trying to Christmas shop or any kind of shopping at all. They shouldn't have to think about that sort of thing at all. But the reality is gun violence in America is an epidemic. And until we do something about the people committing the crime as well as dealing with the accessibility of guns this is going to continue.

It is not going to get better on its own. I mean, some of these guys that engage in this kind of violence need to be locked up, in my opinion. I know that's not a popular thing to say, but it's true. There needs to be some hard look at gun control of some kind to keep the guns out of the hands of individuals that should not have it. So it's a combination of a couple of things that need to happen.

I don't really think it's going to happen. But in my opinion, until it does, we're not going to see any difference.

REID: Yes. Certainly no sign that that is going to happen any time soon. From a policing perspective, I mean, how do police approach something as massive as the Mall of America or any American mall? I mean, is it even possible to fully secure or protect a place like that?

RAMSEY: Well, you can't fully protect it. I've been to the Mall of America. It's largely handled by private security. In a situation like that, when a shot is fired, you go into your active shooter protocol and getting in there as quickly as you can, and you neutralize the individual responsible. Now in this case the individual was able to flee before police arrived. But that's basically what you would do.

But that is a huge, huge mall. And very difficult to protect every single part of it. But they have surveillance cameras throughout. And I'm sure they've captured a lot that they're not showing publicly that the police will use to identify and apprehend the people involved.

REID: So it sounds like that's what will happen next in this investigation. They'll look at the videos, they'll gather evidence and then try to go from there.

RAMSEY: Yes. I mean, that's the next step. They may have some witnesses and someone who may actually know or be able to identify the individual. But yes, they'll eventually find the person or persons responsible for this sort of thing. But the tragedy is that something like this would occur in a crowded shopping mall. But, remember, I mean, we're talking about it because it was the Mall of America.

But we have stuff like this happen on the streets of our city every single day. You go to a crime scene and you find 40, 50, 60 shell casings on the ground. Each one representing a bullet flying down the street that hit innocent people, children. I mean, this is not a good situation we're in right now.

REID: Absolutely. Charles Ramsey, thank you for joining us to discuss what is, as you say, an everyday occurrence in America.

RAMSEY: Thank you.

REID: Up next, the January 6th report is placing the blame for the Capitol riot squarely at the feet of the former president. So what happens now? We'll discuss, next.

And as we go to break, a look at the Vatican where Pope Francis just wrapped up leading Christmas Eve mass. We'll bring you a live report from Rome ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:45]

REID: Newly released transcripts of more than 40 witness interviews include details about some of the most prominent members of the Trump White House. This latest batch includes depositions from Ivanka Trump and the White House counsel. Also included former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and former Attorney General Bill Barr. The committee's final report recommended that Trump be barred from holding office again, although it's unclear if there is a path to do that, and place the blame solely on the former president.

Now CNN political analyst and senior editor of "The Atlantic," Ron Brownstein joins me now.

Ron, thank you so much for joining us. For your latest piece in "The Atlantic" several experts told you that they had sort of mixed feelings about this decision by the committee to focus completely on Trump and put the blame solely on Trump. What did they tell you?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. I mean, you know, the committee did remarkable work in excavating incredible amount of detail about the actions of Trump and his inner circle in driving this multi-faceted, multi-month campaign to overturn the election results. And they really did change our understanding of what happened on January 6th from a flashing momentary, you know, kind of eruption, a peak, to the culmination of what had been a sustained effort to reverse Donald Trump's loss in 2020.

But the committee zoomed in so tightly on the culpability of Trump and those in the narrow circle around him, that to a large degree they cropped out of the picture the complicity of dozens, maybe hundreds of other Republican elected officials, both in the states and in Congress, in supporting and enabling his effort to overturn the election. And the concern is that while this made a very strong case for the Justice Department to move against Trump, it left open the question of whether there will be any broader accountability for this wider improvement inside the GOP to enable his efforts. REID: It's a great point. It was clearly, we know from our reporting,

there was some disagreement about whether to do this. But it was clearly a very deliberate choice to focus on Trump and then make it a point to lay the blame squarely at his feet.

Now you also write in your piece that, quote, "It would be naive to assume that the committee has extinguished or even fully mapped a threat that has now spread far beyond Trump. So how much influence could that threat have on the 2024 election? And describe what exactly that threat is.

BROWNSTEIN: Right. I mean, look, the committee is right when it says, you know, flatly that this would not have happened without Donald Trump. But that doesn't mean that he could have done this alone. He was only able to do this in part because so many others were willing to go along with it, whether it was the fake electors in the states or other officials at the federal level inside the administration, even in Congress.

You know, you had the Republican member of Congress who urged him to declare martial law. The committee really did not -- chose not to grapple with that. They focused on what was real, the significant number of local officials who stood up to Trump.

[15:25:00]

But in talking about, for example, the fake electors, they, as Norm Eisen said to me, really bent over backwards to argue that many of them were misled or duped rather than willing participants in the scheme. And so you have, I believe the "Washington Post" number is 180 election deniers who were elected to office of one kind or another. And so the question of how they will behave in 2024 and whether there are going to be further challenges to a free and fair election, particularly in that very small number of swing states that get to decide who our president is, that seems to be very much an open question.

REID: Now, the rollout of this report was -- I mean, it wasn't smooth sailing. It was delayed. They missed their own deadline. They released it wearily a couple of days before a holiday. They dropped over a dozen transcripts late last night when most people were spending time with their family, trying to get food before the storm. I mean do you think that this report is really breaking through in the court of public opinion?

BROWNSTEIN: So that, I think, has to be seen through kind of two levels. First of all,, by any standard this is one of the most remarkable congressional investigations ever. The tenacity of investigation, the creativity and presentation, they have put together a really powerful case that not only provides kind of a road map for the Justice Department but points a finger at them.

Now, if you ask, did it move public opinion, it has not really moved opinion among the Trump base. But, you know, as one of the experts that I talked to made the point to me, it may be the wrong lens to look at it. Because in this sense in the past when we have had issues comparable to this, not exactly the same but comparable, you often heard the argument that it would be too destructive to the country, too divisive for the country, where one administration to look back and assess as criminal the actions of a predecessor administration.

That was the argument General Ford made when he pardoned Richard Nixon in 1974. That was the argument even Barack Obama made it in 2009 when he chose not to prosecute anyone in the George W. Bush administration for torture.

You are not hearing that now. And that is a direct result of the committee's efforts. An elite opinion, the idea that it is too destructive or volatile to impose accountability I think has been completely -- in fact,, you're hearing more of the opposite argument. That it is dangerous not to impose accountability. The saying that a coup without consequence is practice. That I think is more the prevailing view at this point that is very different than what we've seen in earlier episodes, and I think that is a direct result of the committee's success at moving at least a leak opinion on this question.

REID: So to that point, do you need these referrals from a political committee when you know the Justice Department is already looking into these issues? I mean, Jack Smith is really interested in the evidence. Plus the transcripts. He wants all that. But by making these symbolic recommendations, I mean, do you politicize an investigation that's already ongoing that Merrick Garland has tried so hard to paint as apolitical? Does it really help?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, and look, I think you can argue that either way. That, you know, there is a concern that they will be -- you know, that this would be seen as kind of a political recommendation. The quantity and quality of the evidence, though, I think makes it hard to really make the claim that they are simply targeting Donald Trump out of some ideological difference with him over the course of his administration.

I think on balance, while that concern is real and, you know, it can be simply waved away, I think on balance this more puts the Justice Department on the spot because they have laid out what seems, you know, having read the whole report, a remarkably detailed case not only against Trump but Mark Meadows, John Eastman, others in his immediate circle. And the question of whether the Justice -- I mean, the Justice Department would face the question more I think at the end of the line, why didn't you act based on the evidence they have accumulated than you acted under political duress?

REID: Well, we know the special counsel is receiving most of this information, most of this evidence, and journalists, defense attorneys, special counsel, prosecutors, all waiting for the rest of these transcripts. Thanks so much for joining us.

BROWNSTEIN: Merry Christmas to you and everybody watching. Thank you.

REID: And coming up, a CNN exclusive. Families of protesters facing execution in Iran are now speaking out. Hear their messages next. You're live in the were CNN NEWSROOM,

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:57]

PAULA REID, CNN HOST: The families of protesters facing execution and Iran are speaking out in their defense. They're concerned that while the western world is distracted by the holidays, Iran will carry out a wave of executions. CNN's Nima Elbagir is reporting exclusively in this investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): My son has been sentenced to execution.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Mohammad Ghobadlou is only 22.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): My son is innocent. For the love of God, help him.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Desperate families in Iran risking it all with a plea to the world to save their loved ones from execution. Fearing that detainees in Iran are set to face a wave of executions in an accelerated judicial process, while holiday celebrations have the world's attention elsewhere.

(on-camera): In collaboration with Iranian activist group, 1,500 Dastgir (ph). We work to verify court documents which show that dozens of Iranians including high profile Iranian athletes face execution. We also work to verify video pleas like this one. From this 81-year-old mother of one of the detainees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We don't know his whereabouts. No information about him, nor do we even know where he is.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): This document from inside the Isfahan Regional Court shows that at least 10 people have been charged with moharebeh, war against God, spreading corruption on earth and other charges or which carry the possibility of the death penalty.

(on-camera): Through obtaining and verifying court documents and witness testimony, we have evidence which supports a rushed through judicial process. Defendants having court appointed counsel forced on them. Many defendants having their right to appeal refused. Some defendants faced with challenges which could carry the death sentence being handed down in a single sitting.

Terrified Iranian families believe that while the world is busy celebrating the holiday season busy with their families that, they, in Iran, face imminent execution of their loved ones.

[15:35:09]

(voice-over): CNN has confirmed that Iranian footballer Amir Nasr- Azadani is among those facing execution. Here he is training ahead of Matchday. Now, he's on death row waiting. This is social media video from the night of his arrest. CNN made contact with someone close to Nasr-Azadani inside Iran. We are not disclosing their identity.

They told us that in the days after his arrest, they were unable to get word from him or about him from authorities, even as the Iranian authorities denied his arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): It was one month and 19 days, I think maybe even perhaps longer since the security forces came and wanted to see Amir's home.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): And despite being told he would be freed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): They would tell us in the first few weeks that they will release Amir, and that Amir will be released by the end of the week.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Then came a charge of the crime of moharebeh, war against God, which Nasr-Azadani and nine other people have been accused of, relating to involvement in the killing of two besieged militia operatives and one policeman during protests in late November, a charge they deny.

Now, sources close to Nasr-Azadani say, he and four others have had their charges upgraded by the Isfahan court Tubari (ph), a charge punishable only by execution. There's more. In the Regional Court of Khuzestan, west of Isfahan, CNN has confirmed with 1,500 Dastgir (ph) through court documents that 23 more people have been charged with the same crime punishable by death. We're redacting their names out of fears for their safety.

There is still more. In Karaj, CNN, and 1,500 Dastgir have confirmed that at least five more Iranians are facing execution, including 21- year-old Iranian Kurdish karate champion, Mohammad Medhi Karami, whose parents have also gone public with their plea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Please, I beg you to please lift the execution order for my son's life.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): In messages shared with CNN, his family say Karami was not only sentenced to death, but it's also being tortured in prison. And another message shared with CNN, they said Karami was somehow in good spirits but physically damaged, having suffered torture on his head and body.

(on-camera): Including those whose families recorded public pleas for help. That brings the total of those verified by CNN is facing execution to at least 43. And that's in addition to the two executed by Iran, and that the excitement of the World Cup.

(voice-over): Just this week, 27-year-old Iranian Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin attempted suicide whilst in detention, according to a source from the prison. A scene tried to end his life sources say with pills after enduring extreme psychological torture in the harsh prison conditions in northern Iran. As much of the world gets absorbed with their festivities, Iranian families have one message.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Please save them. For the love of God, save my sons.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:36]

REID: After being exonerated, Adnan Syed is now working for the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University. Syed spent 23 years behind bars for the 1999 killing of his ex-girlfriend. The case gained international attention following the serial podcast. He was exonerated in September after DNA testing of the ex-girlfriend shoes and clothing ruled him out.

Now the initiative at Georgetown addresses the root causes of mass incarceration and offers educational programs to inmates. Syed says he also hopes to attend law school.

And an infamous French serial killer is now walking free. Charles Sobhraj was released from the prison in Nepal Friday and is now back in France, according to AFP. The 79-year-old was serving a life sentence for killing two tourists in 1975. But many of his alleged murders remain unsolved. His story inspired the award nominated series, "The Serpent." He was released because he has heart disease and needs open heart surgery.

And one of D.C.'s studios newest blockbuster characters may not be back for a sequel. "Black Adam" star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson took to Twitter this week to say that his character is not in D.C.'s plans for the immediate future. And opposed to wrote in part, "I will always root for D.C. and Marvel to win and win big. You guys know me, and I have a very thick skin. And you can always count on me to be direct with my words. These decisions made by James and D.C. leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens."

Now D.C. studios and CNN are both part of Warner Brothers Discovery.

Now CNN's Chloe Melas joins me now. All right, Chloe, thanks so much for joining us. This is just one of many moves by D.C. that has perplexed and even angered some fans. So help us understand what exactly is going on here.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, first of all, I want to start with, you know, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. This announcement actually still leaves the door open because Johnson says that although a "Black Adam" sequel is not in D.C.'s immediate future that they are working with his production company to find ways to tell more of "Black Adam's" story in the future. And remember, Dwayne Johnson work to bring this to the screen for nearly a decade. And that movie is still expected to do very, very well. It's still at about the $400 million mark at the box office. And it's expected to do quite better. Remember, Dwayne Johnson is a galvanizing force in Hollywood. So, you know, really, people say everything he touches turns to gold.

But yes, in the D.C. universe, there has been upheaval ever since. The "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn became the co-CEO with Peter Safran. And what happened is that when it comes to Wonder Woman, when it comes to Superman, fans are really upset that Henry Cavill is not going to be back. Many fans are worried that Gal Gadot has been booted from the franchise, and so people are upset.

But this isn't all the fans. But look, James Gunn has taken to social media to say just cool it. Everything that I'm doing is to benefit you and to tell the best stories possible. But yes, it's an understatement to say that D.C. fans have been upset for the last week or so.

[15:45:07]

REID: All right, I guess the message is stay tuned. Now if you're looking for a last-minute gift and you have a cool $25 million to spend, you can now purchase real-life Infinity Stones. Chloe, what can you tell us?

MELAS: All right, so we're moving on now, as you can see the theme of today's segment, we're moving on from the D.C. Universe to Marvel. I had a chance, yes, in real life to see the actual Infinity Gauntlet. And it's actually up for grabs, if you have a cool 25 million plus. I caught up with the guy who created it, Adam. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM MIRZOEFF, PRESIDENT OF EAST CONTINENTAL GEMS: I love Marvel, I always have. And I love it even more now. Working with the Marvel teams have been, you know, truly, almost, you know, really just one of the best things that I've ever had to do in my life.

When I was at Comic-Con and I -- and they revealed the gauntlet, it was right up there with one of the best days of my life. You know that feeling that, you know, rush of adrenaline of appreciation, not just for me of what I've done, but for the art, for how beautiful the pieces and how well received it is in this world.

We have almost 25 carat green emerald, a sapphire that's over 30 carat, a diamond that's close to 40 carats in the center of the gauntlet, which is a yellow diamond, a canary diamond. And these are extremely, extremely valuable. But that was the nature of making sure that the gauntlet was going to meet the -- all the criteria, it had to be something unique. It had to be something special. And it had to be something extremely rare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELAS: So you can also buy Infinity Stones yourself or for your kids. They are much less than like $25 million. And look, Adam is in the jewelry business. And he actually came up with the idea to create the Infinity Gauntlet after his daughter said, dad, why isn't there a real one. And like he said, they debuted it at Comic-Con in San Diego and it has been such a hit.

REID: Well, now I know what to get my husband for Christmas. Thank you for that, Chloe. I'd been looking for ideas. Now, of course, it's Christmas Eve, it's time to snuggle up with a holiday movie. So what options are there? I know in my house, we love "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," of course, but there's so many other options, so lay them out for us.

MELAS: I know. Well, look, I mean, we've had "Home Alone" on repeat and we've actually introduced it to our three-year-old and our five- year-old for better or worse. I know I'm sure some parents are like, what? But in case you're looking for something to watch tonight on Christmas Eve on Freeform, you can watch some good old classics like "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," those are at like 5:45, 6:50 Eastern.

On TBS, "24 hours of a Christmas Story." So you will definitely get your fill there. And like I said, ABC 8:00 p.m. "Home Alone." Now Christmas day again on ABC, they're having this really, really cool thing that they're promoting called Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade. And then you if you skip over to the day after Christmas, yes, I'm going to take you to Monday, you have Dolly Parton's of Many Colors.

But, look, here and at our parent company on HBO Max streaming, you can always catch like "Happy Feet." Like you said, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," "Fred Claus." And one of my favorites that I watched the other night for Christmas is "Vince Vaughn," "Reese Witherspoon." They are just cinematic magic.

I just love them together and it's just such a funny movie. And, of course, "Elf" and all those good old modern day holiday classics. But, listen, you don't have to be streaming to enjoy holiday movies to season. Like I said, there's a lot just on television that you can catch tonight and tomorrow.

REID: I'm glad that Christmas Story marathon continues. Remember watching that unloop as a kid. Chloe, thank you so much for joining us and I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season.

MELAS: Thank you. Merry Christmas.

REID: And up next, Pope Francis leading Christmas Eve mass. Hear his message to Catholics this Christmas.

You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language) (END VIDEO CLIP)

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[15:53:07]

REID: Just moments ago, Pope Francis wrapped up leading Christmas Eve mass. His Christmas message, do something good. CNN's Delia Gallagher joins me now from Rome. All right, Delia, what else did we hear from the Pope this evening?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, as you can imagine, the war in Ukraine has been on Pope Francis' mind and has been speaking about it a lot all this year. He didn't specifically mention Ukraine, but he did speak about children who are victims of war and poverty because of a world which he said is ravenous for money and power. Here are a few other things the Pope had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS (through translation): Don't let yourself be overcome by fear, resignation or discouragement. God was born in a manger that you could be reborn in the very place where you thought you'd hit rock bottom. There is no evil. There's no sin from which Jesus does not want or can save you. God does not want appearances, but concreteness. May we not let this Christmas pass by without doing something good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: And we know that Pope Francis is doing something good this Christmas time for the people of Ukraine. He's arranging for thermal underwear to be sent to them and the Vatican has opened a donations page for anybody who wants to donate to that at www.eppela.com, E-P-P- E-L-A.com. So that's one way you can start to do something good.

The Pope has asked people to buy fewer Christmas presents and to donate instead to Ukraine. Paula?

REID: Delia Gallagher, thank you so much for that report.

[15:55:01]

Now the daughter of Brazilian football legend Pele shared a moving picture of her and her father in the hospital. In the photo, she is embracing Pele as he lies on a hospital bed, and she captioned it, "One More Night Together." Doctors say the 82-year-old's cancer is progressing and he will now require greater care. His daughter says he will remain in the hospital over Christmas.

Pele is, of course, one of the greatest soccer players who ever lived. He led Brazil to three World Cup championships and scored more than 1,200 goals in his career.

Up next, 16 people are dead and hundreds of thousands of customers are without power as a winter storm at pummels the East Coast. We'll bring you the very latest next. You're live in the CNN Newsroom. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: You're live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Paul Reid in Washington. As a monster, winter storm slams the United States, hundreds of people are likely still trapped inside their vehicles in dire conditions. That's according to officials in Erie County, New York. One of those trapped is an 85-year-old grandmother who has been stuck since yesterday afternoon with her son.

The pair have been turning the car on and off for heat and of course to save gas. The storm has claimed the lives of at least 16 people across the country where sub-zero temperatures are widespread. More than 100 million people remain under wind chill alerts.

A power grid operator for 13 states is now asking residents to reduce their power usage to avoid widespread outages. Road travel at some areas.