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Over 200 Million under Wind Chill Alerts from Deadly Arctic Blast; January 6 Committee Report says Trump Responsible for Riot; U.S. Passes $1.7 Trillion Measure to Fund Government; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Warns of Russian Strikes over Christmas. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired December 24, 2022 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It is Christmas Eve. A warm welcome, wherever in the world you are watching. I'm Richard Quest. I'm in London.
Ahead on the CNN NEWSROOM --
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QUEST (voice-over): -- the dangerous arctic blast now slamming across the Earth. With it, snow, ice, howling winds and all before Christmas. We'll have a full forecast for you. We'll also tell you about --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Kansas City, delays here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Driving in was wild, with all the weather and, you know, winds and rain.
QUEST (voice-over): There's the people hoping to fly home for the Christmas holidays. May simply not make it. We'll also update you with the travel delays in your world.
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QUEST (voice-over): And there's a new nativity display at the Vatican and it sends a message of hope to the people of Ukraine.
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QUEST: A very good day to you. We begin, of course, with the massive winter storm that's barreling across United States; 11 people so far have died from the storm. At least 200 million people are under winter weather advisories. It's an arctic blast that's knocked out power to more than 1 million
homes and businesses. It's brought with it a combination of frigid temperatures, gusty winds, heavy snow and ice and, as a result, hundreds of travelers are stranded on the roads.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's seriously -- it's dangerously cold. I mean, I would advise anyone, if you don't have to be out, don't go out. And if you do go out, well, you need to bundle up.
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QUEST: Air travelers are finding major flight delays and lots of cancellations. In fact, nearly 6,000 flights were cancelled in the United States on Friday. And the bad weather is impacting all of North America.
In Canada, airports from one side of the country to another, from Vancouver to Toronto and beyond into the Maritimes, are all reporting massive delays and cancellations.
And so the storm and what we know about it, across several states, the National Guard has been activated. As a result, 1,000 flights already cancelled for this Christmas Eve. Take New York state, for instance, where the police have responded to more than 650 weather-related crashes.
The weather is going to be the coldest in Atlanta and Philadelphia on record for Christmas Eve. More than half of the United States is feeling this winter storm in one way or another. CNN's Omar Jimenez has more.
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OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From record snowfall in the Midwest to dangerous road conditions in the deep South. Now more than half of the country is under massive winter storm and wind chill alerts.
A blizzard whips through Buffalo.
Storms ravage Rhode Island.
Wichita experiencing a whiteout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really hard to find where the worst weather is. It's just about everywhere from coast to coast.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The extreme weather blamed what is being called a bomb cyclone across nearly every state, from the Rocky Mountains to the South. Some temperatures free-falling, a record 30 to 47 degrees within a matter of hours on Thursday.
In Denver, Colorado, below zero temperatures prompted a wind chill warning. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's still not safe for people to be outdoors.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Even Texas is experiencing a deep freeze.
And as arctic temperatures hit near the U.S. border with Mexico, many migrants are now facing the harsh elements without shelter.
Almost 1.5 million Americans are now braving the cold without power. Some now stocking up to ride out the storm, the dangerous combination of ice and wind creating extreme road hazards and major disruptions to holiday travel.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: I know we all want to get to our loved ones for the holidays. But please, please, pay close attention to what local authorities are saying.
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BUTTIGIEG: And if they're saying it's not safe to drive, it's not safe to drive.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): And that many airports, transportation authorities are saying it may not be safe to fly, either. More than 7,000 flights have been cancelled today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been changing by the minute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be a long trip. And now it's just part of the adventure to get there.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Snow even disrupting travel in Seattle and creating a domino effect around the country. The frigid temperatures are expected to last throughout the holiday weekend, breaking 40-year records in the Midwest and the Plains.
For millions of Americans, this may be the coldest Christmas they've ever experienced.
JIMENEZ: And across the country, the travel situation just hasn't been great. In total, we've seen more than 5,200 flight cancellations over the course of Friday. That's on top of, I should say, around 9,000 flight delays we've seen amid this intense winter weather we've seen descend over most of the country.
And as so many people are trying to make it either to warmer climates or more importantly to their families for Christmas -- Omar Jimenez, CNN, Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
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QUEST: The U.S. House committee that's investigating last year's insurrection has now released more transcript of witness interviews. And that includes depositions from key figures like the White House counsel and Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka. CNN's Jessica Schneider has the latest.
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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: More than 40 new transcripts have been released, filling thousands of pages, some of the biggest names include Ivanka Trump, Hope Hicks and former attorney general Bill Barr.
Our team has been parsing through the pages and we've learned for the first time that Ivanka Trump did hand over text messages to the committee though we're still not clear about the content.
Ivanka, though, telling the committee that she never exchanged texts with Trump on any device. The committee interestingly also uncovered a White House press release that was drafted but never sent, that would have called for the firing of anyone who disagreed with Trump's election fraud claims, of course, that were false.
The committee has said that these transcripts will keep coming out through of the end of the year. But the most riveting details are contained in that 845-page report that was released on Thursday night.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we fight, we fight like hell.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The January 6 committee leaving no doubt that former President Donald Trump was the one singularly responsible for the attack on the Capitol.
The 845-page report saying none of the events of January 6th would have happened without him drawing a clear line between Trump's election denials and the violence that unfolded that day.
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SCHNEIDER (voice-over): After sending four criminal referrals for Trump to the Justice Department, the committee is also recommending that he is barred from holding government office ever again, zeroing in on a section of the Constitution that says any office holder who engaged in an insurrection can be disqualified from serving again.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): No man who would behave that way at that moment in time can ever serve in any position of authority in our nation again. He is unfit for any office.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): House investigators say Trump and his inner circle engaged in at least 200 attempts to pressure State officials to overturn the results, including this call with Georgia's Secretary of State.
TRUMP: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more that we have because we won the State.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The report also highlighting other key players in the alleged conspiracy identifying pro-Trump lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro as the architect of the fake electors plot and a 23-minute call between Trump and Attorney John Eastman as the genesis of the pressure campaign against Vice President Mike Pence.
TRUMP: If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): This leading the committee to recommend an overhaul of the 1887 Electoral Count Act that is close to becoming a reality as the House and Senate have each passed their own reform bills.
But back in 2020, Trump did not agree with every outlandish theory his team presented.
SIDNEY POWELL, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: The massive influence of communists money through Venezuela, Cuba and likely China in the interference with our elections here in the United States.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): When Sidney Powell repeated these conspiracy theories in a phone call to Trump, White House aide, Hope Hicks told the committee, the President muted his speakerphone and laughed at Powell, telling the others in the room, "This does sound crazy, doesn't it?"
The committee also laying out Trump's failure to act for 187 minutes during the riot, writing, "President Trump did not contact a single top National Security official during the day."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Trump responding to the report, calling it a witch hunt and today he is still falsely claiming he won the 2020 election.
SCHNEIDER: The committee's work is officially wrapped up but we will see more in the coming days. The committee plans to release additional transcripts from their 1,000 witness interviews before the end of year. But then we should really see things ramp up in terms of criminal investigations.
The Fulton County, Georgia, DA is deep into her investigation. And special counsel Jack Smith has issued a flurry of subpoenas in recent weeks -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
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QUEST: Ahead of the Christmas holidays, the U.S. House passed an enormous bill that will fund the U.S. government operations over the next year. And within it is the emergency aid for Ukraine. I'll give you the details of the measure and what's there. In a moment.
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(MUSIC PLAYING) QUEST: The U.S. House on Friday passed a massive $1.7 trillion
spending bill that will fund the government operations for the next year. It also provides emergency aid for Ukraine and natural disaster relief.
It changes a law that president Trump tried to use to nullify the 2020 election. CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju has been looking at the new law.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now the 117th Congress is now coming to a close after a messy spending fight that led to the passage of a bill and that exposed deep divides among the Republican Party, as Congress ultimately got its act together and funded the federal government nearly three months after the initial deadline to do just that.
The bill that passed the House on Friday was approved by 225 to 201 votes, one member voting present, that was Senator Talib of Michigan. One Democrat voted against it, that was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over her concerns over immigration spending, immigration enforcement.
But most -- all other Democrats in the House and Senate voted for it. Republicans, however, were divided. There were nine Republicans who voted for it in the House. That is half the number of Republican members who voted for it in the Senate; 18 voted for it in the Senate yesterday.
And that significant because there are 50 Republican senators and more than 200 Republican House members. There's a difference between the tactics and the decision-making among the top leaders. Kevin McCarthy in the House, Mitch McConnell in the Senate.
McConnell believed it was time to cut a deal. Now he got behind this deal because of his belief that the defense funding in particular was what he wanted, what he had been pushing for, in the $45 billion in aid to Ukraine, a big priority of Mitch McConnell's.
Kevin McCarthy is trying to become the next Speaker of the House. He is a Republican majority incoming January 3rd, 10 days away. He did not want this deal to be cut now. He wanted to wait until the new Congress, believing Republicans would have a stronger hand to negotiate a deal.
But McConnell and Senate Republicans disagree. Some Senate Republicans were concerned that, if they punted to the next Congress when McCarthy would have a narrow Republican majority, they would have a difficult time passing a bill, probably couldn't even get a bill out of the House.
Some were concerned it could potentially lead to a shutdown fight in the new Congress. They did not want that. Essentially Senate Republicans jammed Republican leaders in the House and they pushed this bill through with Democrats and Joe Biden, who plans to sign this into law. Now this bill, $1.7 trillion sweeping in nature, funding all aspects
of the federal government, not just funding for Ukraine but domestic programs as well, disaster relief needed for communities hit hard by natural disasters.
Also included an overhaul in the Electoral Count Act of 1887. That governs how Congress counts the certified presidential election votes --
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RAJU: -- when they meet to do that after a presidential election. Remember, Donald Trump tried to exploit that law, tried to get Mike Pence, presiding over that, to discount the state certified results showing that Joe Biden won.
That couldn't be done under this new legislation. Among the issues, billions of dollars of earmarks, special projects for different states as well as a wide range of other programs as well, including a ban for federal devices to use the social media app, TikTok, no longer will that be allowed.
Now this will be headed to Joe Biden's desk. Lawmakers have rushed home for the holidays. Many did not even appear in person to vote on Friday in the House, voting remotely instead, something that was used for the pandemic.
But they started their holidays early and avoided the difficult travel during the storm season. Nevertheless, this is all wrapped up now as Congress is home for the holidays and ready to begin action January 3rd -- Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
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QUEST: Now the $45 billion set aside for Ukraine is a very large amount of money. It'll be used for more weapons and military training, also money for economic assistance. For comparison, the total U.S. aid before this bill was around $50 billion so far this year.
It all comes on the heels of President Zelenskyy's visit to Washington earlier this week. The Ukrainian leader has now returned to work in Kyiv on Friday. In doing so, he's warning the Ukrainians not to let down their guard during the Christmas holidays.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): With the approaching holiday season, Russian terrorists may become active again. They despise Christian values and any values in general. Therefore, please heed the air raid signals. Help each other and always take care of each other.
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QUEST: With me, Clare Sebastian. Two things to talk about, Clare, this large amount of money and how to
redisburse. Secondly, once we do that, we'll move on to the idea of Christmas.
First the money, it's a very sizable amount now. But Zelenskyy pretty much said, you know, thank you for the missiles. And, please, I'll have some more.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Richard. This is a very large amount of money, as you said, almost double the amount that's already been given by the U.S. and sort of justifies the trip that Zelenskyy took, which was a major deal, having not left the country at all since the beginning of the war.
I think events this morning back up the need for more support for Ukraine. We're hearing of a pretty major attack on the center of the city of Kherson. This report coming from the deputy head of the president's office, Zelenskyy's office.
We're getting images as well, pretty terrible scenes. The reports are that five people have been killed, 20 injured. Terrible scenes but, sadly, not completely out of the ordinary for the city, liberated by Ukraine after long months of Russian occupation in the middle of November.
We've seen pretty relentless shelling ever since in the last few days, Ukrainians warning of an uptick. Just yesterday on Friday, shelling in that region; today, another attack on the center of the city.
For context on the city, this is the only regional capital that Russia managed to occupy during this war. Ukraine then took it back. Very strategically important, the Kherson region borders Crimea, also the Black Sea. So Russia withdrew and is now on the other side of the Dnipro River and is not willing to let up on this.
QUEST: As we go, we're now in the depths of winter. And as we move forward with these various campaigns, one view is that Russia is, if you will, reforming and preparing for a new onslaught. Another is, no, they're really throwing everything they've got at it already.
SEBASTIAN: I mean, I think in some ways both could be true, Richard. As you know, there have been multiple reports of how their resources have been depleted. Troops on the front line were without the kinds of equipment, plus even the amount of food that they would need to continue.
But the other point to note is that Russia wants Ukraine and the West to believe they are planning something, even if it perhaps it doesn't go the way you expect.
The visit by Putin to Belarus raised a lot of questions around whether they could be planning an offensive over the northern border, possibly even toward Kyiv. That causes Ukraine to potentially step up surveillance of that border.
It may cause them to bring troops from other areas. This may be what Russia is looking for. And they're also doing counter programming for that Zelenskyy visit, Putin addressing his defense chiefs, visiting other defense officials on Friday, talking about stepping up its military readiness and improving the provision of weapons and all of that.
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SEBASTIAN: So, look, Ukrainian officials have said they think another Russian offense could be possible in the new year. They are preparing for that. And you have to be aware of the kind of information operations that go around that as well.
QUEST: Clare Sebastian, grateful, thank you.
Pictures now, protesters back on the streets of Paris, following an attack on a Kurdish community center that left three dead and three wounded. These are pictures. All three of the people killed were Kurds. Prosecutors are not ruling out possible racist motivations behind the attack.
The local Kurdish community said they're fed up with the lack of support from French authorities.
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AGIT POLAT, SPOKESPERSON, KURDISH DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL IN FRANCE (through translator): How is it, once again, that despite our alerts, despite our calls of distress, despite the attempt at trying to get the government to listen to our view, how is it that we are murdered here once again, that we be assassinated yet again, once again, under the responsibility of the French authorities?
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QUEST: The French president has expressed his condolences and he condemned what he is calling a heinous attack. The suspected gunman has a long criminal history, as CNN's Jim Bittermann reports from Paris.
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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Within minutes of the shooting at a Kurdish center, police had a suspect in custody. A witness described the scene.
ALI DILEK, WITNESS (through translator): They had arrested a guy, an old man, elderly and tall. And that there were three wounded people in the room. The guy continued to shoot but he couldn't shoot anymore because there were no more bullets in his magazine.
BITTERMANN (voice-over): When the French interior minister arrived, he seemed confident of the shooter's motive.
GERALD DARMARIN, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): It is not certain that the killer, who wanted to assassinate these people -- and there was little doubt he wanted to assassinate people here in Paris -- was specifically targeting the Kurds. He was clearly targeting foreigners.
BITTERMANN (voice-over): Within hours of the shooting, crowds gathered in the racially mixed and sometimes tense neighborhood where it occurred, shouting, "murderers." Some in the crowd hurled objects at police and eventually at firefighters, called to put out fires set by the protesters.
Police fired volleys of tear gas to disperse them.
BITTERMANN: What we know about the gunman is he's a 59 year-old Frenchman who only got out of jail 11 days ago because he was being preventively held because of a similar crime a year ago.
Police are still investigating it but, at the moment, they think this is crime of racist nature, not necessarily a terrorist crime.
BITTERMANN (voice-over): They're investigating the crime as murder and attempted murder. Officials at the scene of the murder said those killed were activists and said there would be a vigil to remind everyone of the plight of the Kurdish community, a reminder not needed in this neighborhood -- Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
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QUEST: The infamous French serial killer has arrived back in Paris after being freed by Nepal. Charles Sobhraj is now 78 years ago old. He was serving a life sentence for the killing of two tourists back in the 1970s.
Many of his other alleged murders remain unsolved. He is known as The Serpent and his case rose to prominence after it was dramatized on a popular TV series of the same name. When he was boarding the plane to France, he said he didn't commit the crimes and the case was built on false documents. And said he also plans to sue Nepal.
As we continue in the CNN NEWSROOM --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's definitely wet and cold and it's dropping, you can feel the temperatures dropping by the minute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be treacherous.
QUEST (voice-over): Stay off the roads, say the officials. The whiteout conditions are treacherous and there are hundreds of people stranded.
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QUEST: More than 175 million people are under wind chill alerts this morning. The visibility at Buffalo's New York airport has been at or near zero for hours. And a blizzard warning is effect until Sunday morning at least. The mayor of Buffalo spoke to us last night.
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MAYOR BYRON BROWN, BUFFALO, NEW YORK: This has been a very challenging storm. We've also seen trees down, power lines down, poles down; visibility at zero for driving. So we want people to put their safety ahead of their desire to travel right now.
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QUEST: CNN's Polo Sandoval is in Buffalo, from where he shows us just how awful are the conditions.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are the wicked winter conditions that first responders here in Erie County, New York, will have to endure overnight, as they work to rescue what may be hundreds of people in stranded cars.
What we know, according to Buffalo's mayor, that they have identified at least 150 stranded vehicles in and around Buffalo. So authorities will be working throughout the night, making sure that there aren't any people that need rescuing from inside.
They fear, however, there were many that disregarded what was a driving ban that was put in place on Friday morning, basically making sure that people would not head out and brave these kinds of conditions. And sadly, it seems that did, in fact, happen.
What we expect throughout the night is that these winds will continue. The snow, according to meteorologists will begin to scale back, come tomorrow. However, those winds will continue, which means that freeze threat will also continue.
So really, the main recommendation from authorities are, after issuing to the public, not just here in Buffalo but all the way to New York governor Kathy Hochul, which is, those folks who live around the region that are not with their family members, to resist the urge to actually hit the road to try to be with their family this Christmas -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, Buffalo, New York.
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QUEST: Now the freezing temperatures are affecting migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border especially. Many are sleeping outdoors. They continue to struggle staying warm as they wait to be Processed. So many of them arrived in totally unprepared clothing. CNN's Camila Bernal reports from Texas.
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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Nights have been extremely difficult and even dangerous here in El Paso, as these migrants do anything they can to stay warm.
We've been here when the temperature is 17, 18 degrees. All of these migrants just lining up, one next to the other, trying to stay warm. You're seeing that right now. Families and children who are cold and having to wait for help from these shelters.
Now the city has opened some city-run shelters. The problem is that a lot of these migrants don't have the proper documentation from Border Patrol to be allowed in those city shelters.
And if they don't have those documents, the city is saying they're not allowed in because of federal and state law. Now the only option they have is a nonprofit shelter. And these shelters are at capacity. Their capacity is actually about 130 people.
They're trying to squish in about 200 of them, to be able to have a place to sleep at night. Now we know that this is likely going to be the scenario over the next couple of days. But the migrants say that they want to be in this country, so they will do whatever it takes to stay here -- Camila Bernal, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
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QUEST: As we continue, growing concerns the Iranian regime is going to take its brutality to a new level to discourage protests. Families of some of those people who are detained, some of the protesters, are telling us they fear the worst.
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QUEST: Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric is now urging the government to stop executing protesters. The religious leader said during his Friday sermon, the government cannot hold on to power by force.
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QUEST: Many Iranian families are fearing that while the West is preoccupied by Christmas, Iran's government will carry out a new wave of executions against protesters. Sunnis comprise only 10 percent of Iran's Muslim population; 90 percent are Shia and that includes the country's top leaders. Our Nima Elbagir has this report.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: For many Iranian families whose children are in the custody of Iran's authorities, much of the pain comes from not knowing whether their children will be held indefinitely, whether they will be handed down prison sentences, not knowing whether their children will face execution.
In collaboration with Iranian activist group 1500tasvir, we were able to verify and identify just some of the dozens of names of those who could face execution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My son has been sentenced execution.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Ahmed Mohammad Ghobadlou is only 22.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My son is innocent. For the love of God, help him.
ELBAGIR: 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.
ELBAGIR: In collaboration with Iranian activist group, 1500tasvir, we worked to verify court documents which show that dozens of Iranians, including high-profile Iranian athletes face execution.
We also worked to verify video pleas like this one, from this 81-year- old mother of one of the detainees.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): 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, all which carry the possibility of the death penalty.
ELBAGIR: 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 charges 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.
ELBAGIR (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 Amir 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 translator): 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: And despite being told he would be freed --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): 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: 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 Basij militia operatives and one policeman during protests in late November, a charge they deny.
Now sources close to Nasr-Azadani says he and four others have had their charges upgraded by the Isfahan Court to Baghi, a charge punishable only by execution.
There's more. In the Regional Court of Khuzestan, west of Isfahan, CNN has confirmed with 1500Tasvir 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 1500tasvir have confirmed that at least five more Iranians are facing execution, including 21-year- old Iranian-Kurdish karate champion, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, whose parents have also gone public with their pleas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Please, I beg you to please lift the execution order from my son's life.
ELBAGIR: In messages shared with CNN, his family say Karami was not only sentenced to death but he's also been tortured in prison.
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ELBAGIR (voice-over): In another message shared with CNN, they said Karami was somehow in good spirits but physically damaged having suffered torture on his head and body.
ELBAGIR: Including those whose families recorded public pleas for help, that brings the total of those verified by CNN as facing execution to at least 43.
And that's in addition to the two executed by Iran amid the excitement of the World Cup. ELBAGIR (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.
Yasin tried to end his life, sources say, with pills, after enjoying 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 translator): Please save them. For the love of God, save my sons.
ELBAGIR: CNN reached out to the Iranian authorities for response and did not receive one.
We also shared our findings with the U.S. State Department who, based on what we shared with them, said that they strongly denounce the charges Iran has handed down to these protesters -- Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
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QUEST: As we continue this Christmas Eve, Ukrainian refugees are trying to celebrate the season. They're far from home but they are doing what they can to make it a festive season, if not doing it just for the young.
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QUEST: At Christmastime, you do your best, whatever the circumstance is, which is why Ukrainian refugees are doing their best to celebrate Christmas far from home and loved ones.
Russia's invasion has forced nearly 8 million people to flee to neighboring countries, mostly. And yet, despite, many are doing their best to keep some form of holiday spirit going. Lynda Kinkade reports.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the Berezhko family from Kyiv, this Christmas is about getting together with the Polish family that took them in soon after Russia invaded Ukraine.
SERHIY BEREZHKO, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE (through translator): We arrived here with just a couple bags and with the things we had on ourselves. We left all necessary things in Ukraine and all that we have now is thanks to the Poles. KINKADE (voice-over): More than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees have
registered for temporary protection in Poland, many with help from strangers.
MAREK MIODUSZEWSKI, BEREZHKO FAMILY HOST (through translator): It was a natural impulse to help. It was in the first days of the war. We met on a freezing night outside of my house. I invited this family to my house. And I hugged them to my heart.
KINKADE (voice-over): Traditionally, Ukrainian orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th. But today, many celebrate on December 25th. And Ukraine has made it a public holiday as part of a larger break with Russian tradition.
People all over eastern and central Europe are helping refugees enjoy new traditions. These proud residents organized a party for refugee children.
HANA HILLEROVA-HARPER, CAROLING ORGANIZER: We felt like these kids, there's 130 children living here and they're spending their Christmas not at home but in a strange dormitory. So we're just trying to make it a little bit better for them.
KINKADE (voice-over): In this Bucharest shelter, Ukrainian refugee children decorate trees with ornaments as families wait in line for packages. Many refugees are saving money for their relatives back in Ukraine, like this family now living in Prague.
VASIL KHYMYSHYNETS, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE (through translator): As refugees we don't have many possibilities. We had to think if we could afford to buy a Christmas tree or not. That's why we decided to just use some branches for the decoration so that it looks good and makes the children happy.
KINKADE (voice-over): A few simple decorations that carry a lot of meaning -- Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: King Charles III is donating money, including that given to him in condolence cards after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II passed away. It's been sent to the fuel bank foundation, to help people pay heating and electric bills.
The king has also made a donation of his own to the charity, the energy crisis and to the rising lost of living have made it very hard for some Britons to stay warm this year.
In the hours ahead, Pope Francis will mark Christmas Eve with the traditional might mass in the St. Peter's Basilica, one of many ways the Vatican is celebrating the holiday. They've installed dozens of nativity scenes that represent regions around the world. CNN's Delia Gallagher is in Rome.
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(MUSIC PLAYING)
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Christmas at the Vatican is not complete without the nativity scenes, an Italian tradition that dates back to St. Francis. There are 100 of them in the Vatican, including here in the Sistine Chapel.
Giuseppe Pastori (ph) and his wife, along with two friends, spent nine months creating this Neapolitan inspired scene, making sure the colors complement Michelangelo's famous frescoes.
Artisans from the Venice region used sustainably sourced cedar from trees that had already fallen down to sculpt statues.
GALLAGHER: With all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas, Pope Francis says the nativity scene is what the season is all about.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): A Franciscan priest in charge of the St. Peter's Basilica explains the paradox of the Christian belief.
FRIAR AGNELLO STOIA, PASTOR, ST. PETER'S BASILICA (through translator): In order to come close to men and women, that makes himself a baby for the most (INAUDIBLE) in the world.
[05:55:00]
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Each nativity scene is an expression of the people who made it, he says, like this one from Ukraine.
STOIA (through translator): So beautiful that there are miniature nativity scenes, Japanese scenes, Indian, African. Each one represents the meaning of the nativity.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): The friar says the true nativity scene is in each person's heart. The important thing is that it's open and ready to welcome the hope of the season -- Delia Gallagher, CNN, Vatican City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Now before I go, we're obviously watching Santa because it is now past midnight. And there's a bit of a dispute at the moment. NORAD doesn't have Santa on the move yet. However, Google has him already to gone to all these places and he's on his way to New Zealand.
But as you can see, even though it's after midnight in the -- well, the far part of the Pacific, no sign of Santa.
So is NORAD sleeping on the job?
Probably not watching as closely as they should. They say they're going to start at the top of the hour. Questions need to be answered.
Why Google has Santa on the move and NORAD does not?
Anyway, whatever, they'll post Santa going around the world shortly. Coming up to midnight in New Zealand. That's the start of Christmas Day and then on to Australia and beyond.
I'll be here, by the way, on Christmas Day, part of the tradition with the Christmas crackers as always, a fine show with a silly hat. I thank you for taking the time to join me this morning. I'm Richard Quest.
In North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, "CULINARY JOURNEYS." Around the world, around the clock, this is CNN.
