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Ukraine Not Denying Responsibility For Drone Attack In Engels; Putin Ready To "Negotiate With Everyone Involved" In War; Zelenskyy Calls For Patience And Faith In Christmas Address; Aid Groups Suspend Work After Ban Of Female NGO Staff; China To End Quarantine Requirement For Inbound Travelers. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 27, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Laila Harrak. Ahead on CNN Newsroom, no relief for soldiers fighting in Ukraine's hardest hit frontline towns as Zelenskyy warns that Russian troops will stop at nothing to gain just a little ground.
Plus, China's about face on COVID-19. The government rolling back yet more pandemic restrictions, even as new infections appear to be skyrocketing. And a deadly arctic blast slams the United States. How communities currently buried under snow are trying to dig their way out.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Laila Harrak.
HARRAK: Painful and difficult, that's how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is describing the situation in the Donbas as his forces are locked in fierce battles with Russian troops. Among the cities seeing ongoing fighting is Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Mr. Zelenskyy says Ukrainians must be prepared for any possible Russian attacks or provocations. And had this update on the frontlines.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Bakhmut, Kreminna and other areas in Donbas that require maximum strength and concentration now. The situation there is difficult, painful. The occupants are spending all the resources available to them, and these are significant resources to squeeze out at least some progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: And as the fighting rages on, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry is calling for Russia to be excluded from the United Nations Security Council and from being a U.N. member. In a tweet, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia's presence at the U.N. illegitimate, saying the country bypassed a procedure set by the U.N. charter 31 years ago.
Meantime, the Ukraine's security service says it has neutralized more than 4,500 cyberattacks this year. One official says energy and military facilities and government databases are among the typical targets.
In Russia, meantime, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is issuing a warning to Ukraine. According to state media, he says Ukraine must fulfill Moscow's proposals for demilitarization and denationalization of Russian controlled territories, quote, before it's too late. He's quoted as saying if that doesn't happen, the Russian army will take matters into its own hands.
We're learning more about a deadly drone strike deep inside Russian territory on Monday. CNN's Will Ripley has the latest on that and other developments from the war.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Ukrainian air force is falling just short of claiming official responsibility for yet another drone attack deep inside Russian territory. But they're certainly not denying it either. An air force spokesperson saying that this is simply a consequence of what Russia is doing, which is the relentless bombing of civilian infrastructure targets across this country, plunging millions of people into the dark and cold in the dead of winter.
What we know about this latest drone strike is that at least three Russian servicemen were killed on Monday in the western port city of Engels, which is along the Volga River, about 500 miles southeast of Moscow. We also know this is the second attempted drone strike believed to be by Ukraine on this area. They didn't claim responsibility for the last one either, but, again, didn't deny it.
There's a strategic bomber air base in the area, which makes it a very attractive target for the Ukrainians as they try to stop these drone attacks and before they get their new Patriot missile defense systems up and running. Russian state media claiming that this Ukrainian drone was shot down. CNN cannot independently verify that claim.
President Putin, meanwhile, is saying that he wants to talk. He says he's ready to negotiate an end to talk about acceptable solutions, to bring about the end of what he calls a special military operation. Everyone else calls a war and he even did call it a war once in recent days. But an adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that this is simply a way for Russia to buy time to allow their forces to potentially regroup, analysts say.
But also, because, as this adviser put it, Moscow doesn't want to negotiate. They just want to avoid responsibility. And there are some members of the E.U. where there is war fatigue setting in. And so, this call, this willingness by Russia to negotiate, could potentially stoke tensions, analysts say, between the United States and Ukraine and NATO allies who are ready for this war to end.
Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy in his Christmas address, a defiant address calling for patience and faith by the Ukrainian people here in Kyiv. They lit up a Christmas tree, an energy efficient Christmas tree run on generators.
[01:05:00]
But Zelenskyy's warning of very dark and difficult days ahead as we head towards the end of the year here. The Ukrainians are certainly bracing for a potential retaliatory strike by Russia. It could be of large scale. They just don't know, but they say they have to be ready.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is renewing its calls for Russia to be punished at the United Nations. Removed as a permanent veto holding member of the United Nations Security Council, may be to kicked out of the U.N. altogether, although it's more political rhetoric than anything else at this stage, because there's actually no mechanism written into the U.N. charter to remove one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
Will Ripley, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
HARRAK: Well, joining me now is Matthew Schmidt. He is a professor of National Security and Political Science at the University of New Haven. A very good day, Professor. I want to start off with this storyline that's coming out of Ukraine. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is quoted as saying that his country wants to hold peace talks at the U.N. in February.
But for Russia to participate, it first needs to face prosecution for war crimes at an international court. Very hard to see that happening right now. How do you see it?
MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOC. PROF. OF NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE: Russia does need to face trial for war crimes, right? Putin and other commanders do. Ukraine has said over and over again, especially since the massacres in Bucha, that war crimes, war trials are essential, and that Russia has to remove its troops from Ukrainian territory, and that's not going to happen.
HARRAK: And earlier, in a related development, Russia message that it was ready to negotiate, at the same time launching 40 rocket strikes against Ukraine on Christmas Day. What's the thinking in the Kremlin? What's their perspective?
SCHMIDT: I think we have to understand that Putin isn't crazy. We often use that terminology, but he's not crazy. However, he does see things really differently than we do, and we have to try to get inside his head. And he sees this war as an attempt to bring together two brother Slavic countries, Ukraine and Russia.
And he sees the thing that is causing all of the death and the destruction and requiring those missile shots as being the United States and the west. And so, when he's talking about negotiating, if you look at his speeches internally, what he's saying is, we need to stop the bloodshed. We need to stop killing Russians, by which he means Ukrainians in the east, right?
And therefore, we need to come together, Ukraine and Russia, agree to stop the war and then pit ourselves against the west, pit ourselves against America diplomatically in order to do this. He's not talking about stopping the war because he's losing.
HARRAK: So do you feel that he thinks time is on his side?
SCHMIDT: That's an interesting question. I think he knows that things are going badly. I think he thinks that time is on his side in the sense that the story we don't talk about is that the Ukrainian economy is in dire shape. That's part of the reason Zelenskyy came to the U.S. when he did.
Zelenskyy understands that a long war that goes on, another year or more, is going to be bad for Ukraine. It will be very hard for the economy to sustain itself and very hard for the European and the American allies to continue to supply at the rate that they're doing and to keep the political alliance together.
So Putin thinks that that time is to his advantage. Yes, but he does see that right now the battlefield is against him in the short term.
HARRAK: Now, looking ahead, we are inching closer to the one-year anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine. Ukraine is believed to have launched a drone attack at an air base deep within Russian territory. They are not confirming or denying their involvement. But if we, for second, believe that this did happen, what does this signal to you?
SCHMIDT: Well, it signals that Ukraine is a technically advanced military, that they're able to do this. It also, however, signals that this is a limited attack. This is an attack that signals we can reach deep into your country.
And it signals that we sort of are willing and possibly capable of extending this war deep into your country and at a higher level of intensity, right? So that's really, I think, what the importance of that attack is, rather than anything that target that was hit, you know, in it.
HARRAK: Want to get your quick take on Patriot missile. Battery is now expected to be ready in operation in less than six months. This is according to Ukraine's foreign minister. Will it be a game changer?
SCHMIDT: It will when it starts. It's the kind of system that, if there are enough of them and if there are capable operators of it, that they could really blunt Russian long-range missiles and those attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure. But six months is a long time, and Russia has the missiles and will use them to good effect between now and then. The pressure is going to be on Ukraine to go on the offensive as soon as they're capable.
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HARRAK: Matthew Schmidt, thank you so much for taking our questions.
SCHMIDT: My pleasure.
HARRAK: The family of one of Iran's most famous sports figures has been prevented from leaving the country. That's according to Iranian news outlets. They say a plane carrying the wife and daughter of football legend Ali Daei was forced to return to Iran while on its way to Dubai. They were reportedly ordered off the plane because they were supposed to tell authorities if they were leaving the country, but they were not arrested. Daei has been a vocal supporter of the antigovernment protests in Iran, which broke out in September following the death of Mahsa Amini.
The global outrage is growing over the Taliban's decision to ban women from working for non-governmental organizations. At least half a dozen major international aid groups have now suspended operations in Afghanistan. They're demanding the decision be reversed and that both men and women be allowed to work equally.
CNN's Nada Bashir has more.
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NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Yet another blow to women's rights in Afghanistan. This time, targeting aid workers. NGOs across the country have been ordered to stop their female employees from coming to work with immediate effect. It's a decision taken, according to the Taliban, in response to violations of the group's so called Islamic values.
But the move has sparked widespread international condemnation. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeting that he is deeply concerned and warning that the decision could disrupt vital, lifesaving assistance to millions in Afghanistan. Taliban officials, however, were quick to respond, telling the U.S. not to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs.
Now a number of aid groups say they are suspending their operations in the country without reach, made near impossible without female aid workers.
DAVID WRIGHT, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SAVE THE CHILDREN: We need our female colleagues to help us get access to women and children, because you can't access young mothers or your young children in education if you don't have female staff.
BASHIR (voice-over): Since the Taliban's takeover in August of last year, the rights and freedoms of women and girls have been eroded on multiple fronts. In addition to the closure of secondary schools, the Taliban has now suspended university education for all women, triggering protests across the country. Women seen here in Herat chanting education is our right.
PASHTANA DURRANI, FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LEARN AFGHANISTAN: They still (INAUDIBLE) these Taliban, and they still think that women should be only limited to homes, and that's what they're doing right now.
BASHIR (voice-over): The stakes here are incredibly high, with the country already facing a crippling economic crisis. But this latest Eid (ph) could push families even further into poverty.
JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: People are hungry. People are without shelter. That's why we are there to help them with female and male employees. So when they tell us to take away one third of our able, committed humanitarian workers, we cannot operate.
BASHIR (voice-over): The U.N. says it has called directly on the Taliban to reverse the ban on female NGO workers. But hope in Afghanistan is dwindling as the Taliban continues to chip away the rights and freedoms hard won by women over the last two decades.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
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HARRAK: Well joining me now is Deep Mala Mala. She's the Vice President of Humanitarian Affairs for CARE, one of the eight organizations that suspended operations in Afghanistan. So good to have you with us. Can you talk to us about the impact CARE's decision has had suspending its operations in Afghanistan? What can you tell us?
DEEPMALA MAHLA, VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS, CARE: Thank you very much. I first want to emphasize the point that this decision or this context, it is not about humanitarian groups, it is not about care, it is not about any of the NGOs. It is about the millions of advance who are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The women and girls who urgently need help in the context of food, water, sanitation, hygiene and health care. Now, CARE's decision to suspend the activities temporarily while we assess the situation and understand what this means, I do want to say this decision has really limited and hampered our ability to serve the people who are in need.
As some people know that in Afghanistan for any woman to interact, the man has to be related to her. If not, she's not allowed to interact. What does this mean? That if our field teams are only males, they can talk only to males, which means our humanitarian aid reaches only men. That is not the commitment of humanitarian aid.
[01:15:11]
That is not the promise of the international humanitarian law. Everybody has agreed that humanitarians are allowed to be neutral, impartial, reach everybody with urgency. And the saddest part, Laila, is while we're having this conversation, while we have been forced to suspend our activities, people are freezing, people are starving, and many of them have been forced to flee their home multiple times.
So we are deeply concerned. My female colleagues, the women in CARE staff, they are shattered, they are devastated. And you can only imagine how helpless a humanitarian feels when he has a means to serve, but is not allowed to do.
HARRAK: So, to help possibly reverse this decision, are you engaging with the Taliban? Are you included in talks with them?
MAHLA: So it is a very active conversation right now in which CARE and several agencies are involved. So we coordinate with our U.N. agency partners, we coordinate with our local national partners, women's groups, women's advisory groups, so that we ensure that we, I mean, we all are on the same page, so that we ensure that our collective voice reaches for these negotiations with the de facto authorities.
So, yes, conversations and negotiations on behalf of the humanitarian aid community are ongoing. And as a humanitarian, I truly want to be pessimistic, truly want to be optimistic in this pessimistic time, I have to say, because people cannot wait. Mothers are being forced to make a decision to take food out of the mouth of the hungry and put it in the mouth of the starving.
No person should be forced to undergo this. So hopefully we will get back our ability to reach vulnerable people in an impartial way through our teams, which include men as well as women.
HARRAK: But you're in a very, very tough position, like all the other NGOs and the humanitarians trying to work in Afghanistan, because will it be possible for you to support people in Afghanistan without abiding by the rules set by this Taliban led government, which will remain in power for times to come?
MAHLA: I mean, if there is a decision and we operate in the country, we have to abide by the rules. So not abiding by the rules would not be feasible for us, and abiding by the rule does not allow us to be true humanitarians. I mean, how can we agree to something which deprives half of the population of the country from humanitarian aid?
For example, last year alone, CARE reached almost quarter of a million people. And out of this quarter of a million, half a million were women and girls. So this decision has really tied our hands, because when we deliver aid which does not reach everybody who is in need, that is not true humanitarian aid. That is not our commitment, that is not our aspiration, that is against our principle. This one is a red line.
HARRAK: A red line. Deepmala Mahla, thank you so much for joining us.
MAHLA: Thanks for having me.
HARRAK: Well, after nearly three years of restrictions, China is easing entry rules for foreign travelers. Details on the major COVID policy change. Plus, a suspect in an alleged bombing plot in Brazil explains why he wanted to create chaos over the Christmas weekend.
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HARRAK: China is taking a major step toward reopening its borders after nearly three years of COVID restrictions. The country announced that from January 8, it will no longer require inbound travelers to quarantine on arrival. However, they'll still need a negative PCR test, but the process will be more streamlined.
The country also says it will call COVID an infection instead of pneumonia, saying that's more in line with the characteristics and danger level of the disease. Even so, these changes come as the virus is spreading uncontrollably.
President Xi Jinping has acknowledged that the country faces a new outbreak situation, and he's calling for a targeted strategy to save lives. Beijing appears to be taking more action. Earlier, state media said the city would soon distribute Pfizer's COVID antiviral drug to community health centers.
And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now with more. Kristie, China turning the page, ends quarantine for international arrivals, a major move toward ending three years of isolation.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Laila. Look, COVID-19 cases are still skyrocketing across China, but this is very welcome news for scores of people across China who have waited almost three years for a chance to travel overseas, for a chance to go abroad, and to reunite with their loved ones.
Look, starting January the 8th, China will lift all quarantine restrictions for inbound for international arrivals. International arrivals still have to take a COVID test before flying into China, but no longer have to submit the result of that test to a Chinese consulate or to the embassy in order to get a code.
But a lot of other issues, you know, remain unclear at the moment, include how easy is it going to be for Chinese nationals to travel overseas. And also, how many flights will be allowed into China. But still, the excitement over this news is palpable. So much so, that, according to trip.com, this is the popular Chinese online travel booking service, they said within 30 minutes of this policy being announced, that the number of online searches for popular destinations overseas reached a three-year peak.
And you're looking at those top 10 travel searches, including Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the leader of China, Xi Jinping, finally made his first comments in regards to this unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak underway that has been brought about as a result of the reversal of China's zero-COVID policy.
And according to the state run CCTV, they said this in regards to Xi Jinping, quote, he emphasized that our country is currently facing a new COVID outbreak situation and new responsibilities. We need to conduct our patriotic health movement in a more targeted manner. Targeted being the very key word there.
Look, as China ends years of its punishing zero-COVID policy, it is now facing an unprecedented wave of COVID-19 infection and deaths across the country. And the National Health Commission has recently announced that it may have to reimpose certain pandemic restrictions, for example, like lockdowns at nursing homes, if the situation deems it.
Back to you, Laila.
HARRAK: Kristie Lu Stout reporting. Thank you so much.
STOUT: Thank you.
HARRAK: Well, earlier I spoke with Yasheng Huang, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about the strain on China's health care system. He says that despite similar experiences to its neighbors, Beijing's actions may have made the situation worse. Here's part of our conversation.
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YASHENG HUANG, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT, MIT: What we can speculate is that China is not in a very strong position to prepare for this current surge. The ICU beds per population, per capita is lower than it is in Japan, then it is in Hong Kong, then it is in Taiwan.
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Hong Kong had a very, very bad experience with the COVID various surge when they opened up. So now if you take that into account, China is not as strong in terms of the healthcare and ICU beds as compared with Hong Kong. Now they are facing with a similar situation.
The situation in terms of mortality, in terms of the infection rate are probably worse in Hong Kong. That's what we can speculate. And the other difference between mainland China and the Hong Kong is Hong Kong had a variety of vaccines made available to its population including the vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer. Those are known to be more effective than the Chinese vaccines.
Within China, those MRN vaccines are now available. So we know on the vaccine side it's weaker. We also know in terms of the healthcare situation is weaker as compared with Hong Kong and they are facing the same situation as Hong Kong faced earlier this year.
HARRAK: Now, with no mitigation measures in place, help us understand the thinking behind this in terms of, you know, do they just want to get this over it, just let it rip or was it just no longer sustainable?
HUANG: I think there are a number of reasons and again, we're speculating because we don't really have the first-hand knowledge. There are a number of reasons. One is that the economic toll of the COVID control was getting intolerably high. So the authorities had to move to a different policy.
And the demonstrations in late November, early December forced the hand of the authorities, maybe accelerated the schedule that they had planned to open up the economy, open up the society. So that's one reason.
And the other reason is that the -- I think authorities may have relied on flawed information about Omicron variants -- virus. There are reports that Chinese medical specialists working for the government argued that the mortality rate is very low, infection rate is very, very high. That's true. But they are using the western data to make their case for easing up controls in China.
The problem with that comparison is that the western data incorporate the effects of effective vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna. So you cannot simply apply that situation to China when China doesn't have the more effective vaccines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: Our thanks to Professor Huang for his expertise.
The man arrested for an alleged bombing attempt at Brazilian International Airport over the Christmas weekend says he wanted to, quote, create chaos and prevent next week's presidential transition. Well, that's according to a written statement given to police which CNN has seen.
It says the plan was to create a siege states in Brazil so incoming President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva could not take power. Police say an explosive device was found in a tanker truck near the airport and that the suspect had more devices, numerous guns and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition at his home.
While the gunman suspected of opening fire at a Kurdish community center in Paris, has been placed under formal investigation. A French prosecutor says the 69-year-old man is being probed for murder and attempted murder with a racist motive. The prosecutor also says he admitted to a pathological hatred of foreigners triggered by a burglary in his house in 2016.
Well, meantime, the Kurdish community in France took to the streets again on Monday, calling for action.
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AGIT POLAT, SPOKESPERSON, KURDISH DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL (through translation): At this stage, the future of the Kurds in France is a very sensitive issue. Doubt hangs over the future of the Kurds in France. The feeling of insecurity remains. This is why we have appealed to the French authorities to be listened to, to be heard, to be reassured, to be protected. We expect the French authorities to implement concrete actions.
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HARRAK: Well, at least three people were killed and three others injured in the deadly shooting last week.
Still to come, the U.S. is scrambling to keep up with the growing number of asylum applications as more and more migrants come into the country every day. Plus, CNN's Matthew Chance has been covering Russia's invasion from Ukraine since it began. He reflects on nearly a year of war coming up.
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[01:29:47] HARRAK: Still to come, the U.S. is scrambling to keep up with a
growing number of asylum applications, as more and more migrants come into the country every day.
Plus, CNN's Matthew Chance has been covering Russia's invasion from Ukraine since it began. He reflects on nearly a year of war, coming up.
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HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
In Japan, heavy snow is responsible for at least 17 deaths across the country. This according to an official in the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. More than 90 others have been injured over the Christmas holiday. Japan's west coast has been hit particularly hard. One city reported more than 80 centimeters of snow or about 2.6 feet.
Well, parts of the northeastern United States are trying to dig out from the deadly winter storm that's been tormenting the region for days. The blizzard blamed for the deaths of at least 27 people in Erie County, New York bringing the nationwide death toll from the severe weather to 49.
More than a meter of snow is smothering areas of western New York and the U.S. president has now issued an emergency declaration.
There is so much snow, even some of the rescuers need rescuing. Plows had to dig out ambulances over the weekend. Lots of vehicles have been abandoned on impassable roads. And thousands of people were without power over the Christmas weekend.
Warmer temperatures are expected later this week. But, the New York governor warned more snow is on the way.
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GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): The storm is coming back. We are expecting another 6 to 12 inches and in the south towns, the southern part of your county, a little bit south of here, they had 30 to 40 inches of snow overnight.
So anyone who declares victory and says it's over, it is way too early to say this is a completion of -- maybe the severity is downplaying now. And right, now it is not as bad as it has been over the last couple of days. But it is still a dangerous situation to be out.
HARRAK: Well, according to Flight Aware, almost 4,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Monday. And more than 8,000 others were delayed.
A new study shows more than one and a half million asylum applications are pending in U.S. Immigration courts. The highest number on record.
An analysis of federal data by Syracuse University, finds the asylum cases in seven cases increase sevenfold between 2012 and this year. Well, meantime the lines of migrants are growing longer at the U.S.
Mexico border, with a Trump era emigration policy known as Title 42 still in limbo.
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HARRAK: The policy which allows border officials to quickly expel migrants to slow the spread of COVID was due to expire last week. But the Supreme Court's chief justice stepped in to put its termination on hold.
CNN's Camila Bernal spoke with one migrant family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMILA BERNAL: A dream come true in the form of a hula hoop. Toys their parents say they would not be able to afford in their never in their native Venezuela.
BERNAL: An opportunity for his children, says 30-year-old Elvin who left this country more than three months ago with his partner and four children. In November, they made it to the U.S. and turned themselves in to immigration authorities.
They sent us back, he said, and because they're not legally married, the two got separated. And after about a week in a detention center, they ended up in two different cities in Mexico.
Alvin's partner, Caroline says she was told they were being sent back to Mexico because of Title 42 which allows border agents to immediately expel migrants, citing covid-19 concerns.
And this is what they say led them to an illegal crossing 20 days later.
I wanted to cross legally, says Carolyn (ph). But as a family, they felt they had no other option.
It's the desperation felt by many here, and as a result, they end up on the streets during a cold front in El Paso. The city accommodates those who have documentation taking more than 400 people into this makeshift shelter in its convention center over the holiday weekend.
Others ending up in WASHINGTON, D.C., outside of Vice President Kamala Harris' residence.
AMY FISCHER, MIGRANT SOLIDARITY MUTUAL AD NETWORK: The majority of them are planning to, you know, stay in D.C. or head up to New York.
BERNAL: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been busing migrants to northern states, since April. These migrants were bussed from Texas to D.C. on Christmas eve. Some wearing only a T-shirt in 18-degree weather.
For Alvin and Carolyn, the final destination is Chicago. They say they want to apply for refugee status, find work, and provide for their four children.
And every single one of these migrants has a similar story. I've been speaking to them over the last couple of days, and most of them tell me that they are waiting to be able to afford a bus ticket to get to their final destination.
In the meantime, many of them are out here and preparing, as the sun sets, to sleep out on the streets, because the shelters are at capacity.
Camila Bernal, CNN -- El Paso, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: A boat full of Rohingya refugees has finally reached Indonesia. The U.N. Refugee agency says it had been drifting at sea for nearly a month. Officials say all those on board survived the treacherous voyage from Bangladesh, where about a million Rohingya are living in squalid conditions, after fleeing ethnic violence in Myanmar. The U.N. says another boat carrying 180 refugees on a similar route is still missing at sea with all on board presumed dead.
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is describing a difficult and painful situation on the front lines as Ukrainian forces battle Russian troops in the Donbas. Mr. Zelenskyy specifically mentioned the city of Bakhmut which has been the scene of fierce fighting.
He's also urging all Ukrainians to stay vigilant and be prepared for any possible Russian attacks or provocations.
CNN's Matthew Chance has been covering Russia's war from Ukraine since it began and he's got the footage to show it. He looks back on his experiences in Europe's biggest conflict since World War II.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When the invasion first began, I was standing on top of the roof of a hotel in the center of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, basically on television.
I'm having a conversation with a bunch of colleagues about how it was unlikely that Vladimir Putin, even though he had built up tens of thousands of forces on the borders of Ukraine to the east, how unlikely it was that he was going to take that step across the Rubicon Khan (ph) and launch a full scale invasion. It is on the hand of the Ukrainians to resist, ok.
I just heard a big bang right here behind me.
And it was a really shocking experience because, you know, not only was I having to report on the bombardment of Kyiv but I also had to, you know rapidly (ph) recalculate what was going on, what was happening in this country I've been covering for so many years.
[01:39:54]
CHANCE: Oh. There's another one.
I've got a flak jacket right here. Let me just get it on.
Those first hours after the invasion were pretty frenetic. We did not know what was really going on. There were all sorts of reports about Russian paratroopers moving in to positions around the city.
There was one particularly worrying report that airborne Russian special forces had moved into a airbase, north of the Ukrainian capital in an area called Gostomel. Gostomel as you see at Antonov Airbase.
These troops, you could see over here, they are Russian airborne forces.
I started chatting to that commander and in the conversation, I said to him so look, give me an idea of what we're seeing here, where are the Russians, I said.
And he said to me, you know, what do you mean? He looked really confused. What do you mean where are the Russians?
And I said, well, I'm going to go live in a minute on CNN. And I want to tell people where the Russian forces have gone to.
And he looked at me and he said we are the Russians, we are the Russians.
And at that point we suddenly realized that we came face to face across the front lines inadvertently.
This just shows us now for the first-time, just how close Russian forces have got towards the center of the Ukrainian capital.
I think what was most amazing, the most surprising, I suppose about those first few days was the level of resistance that we saw that we witnessed by ordinary Ukrainians. As well as the Ukrainian military of course.
We saw ordinary Ukrainian people pick up weapons, defend their streets, their buildings, their yards.
YURI, VOLUNTEER FOR TERRITORIAL DEFENSE: I didn't think I would join this unit just two days ago. I thought that, you know, I don't know how to handle guns.
CHANCE: And I remember looking down and they had a crate full of petrol bombs. You know, bottles full of gasoline with rags at the top that they were going to throw at Russian forces as they can. And I asked one of the guys there, I said did you make these?
They're like no, we did not make them. It is the old women in the apartment blocks that are making them and then delivering them to us. And it just really, you know, rammed home what a multi-layered sort of defense the Russians were confronting. If they thought they were going to walk into the Ukrainian capital and
take it over without a fight, I mean what a massive miscalculation that was.
You know, within a couple of days of the invasion we traveled to just a short distance from the capital, a bridge where there had been a battle just an hour or two before we got there.
Right within the past few hours, there has been a ferocious battle here on the outskirts of Kyiv and this is one of those Russian Soviet era vehicles which is completely burned out.
You can see, this is a bridge actually. There is an access point to the northwest of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. And the Russian column that has come down here has been absolutely hammered.
So that was a very, very disturbing moment in the conflict. But it was also very profound in the sense that it just showed that Russia's calculation of sending light armored columns into Ukraine to take the capital to decapitate the Ukrainian government was not working. And it was not just not working but it was devastating to the Russian armed forces.
I think one of the most incredible aspects of this conflict so far has been the dramatic transformation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president from an actor and comedian turned politician to president turned, you know, iconic war leader.
I managed to speak to him -- I was one of the first journalists to speak to him in his bunker in central Kyiv.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It was very important for people in the United States to understand that despite the fact that war is taking place in Ukraine, it is essentially for values in life, to democracy, to freedom. Therefore, this war is for all the world. And that message should be sent far and wide from Ukraine, to people in the United States. So they understand what it is like for us here. What we are fighting for and why support for Ukraine matters.
CHANCE: And it is incredible that Zelenskyy, from very early on knew that he had to make this war much broader in its impact. And it wasn't just -- it couldn't just be a war that Ukraine was fighting. It had to be a war that the rest of the world, at least the rest of the west was invested in.
[01:44:55]
CHANCE: I think 2022 will be remembered as the year that Russia hurled itself into the abyss, or was hurled into the abyss by Vladimir Putin with his extraordinary war in Ukraine.
Not only is the country facing a potentially devastating military defeat with tens of thousands of dead if not more. But also it's facing economic catastrophe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Still to come, the holidays weren't cheap for American consumers. We'll take a look at how much they spent and whether the inflation hawks say the feds are really doing anything to help ease the pain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRAK: The day after Christmas is traditionally a day to shop in the U.K. Well, on Boxing Day, London's Oxford Street is usually bustling with people looking for bargains or returning gifts that didn't quite hit the mark.
Well, this year with no COVID-19 restrictions in place, shoppers are back at it, but one retail data company thinks spending will be lower this year down by almost 4 percent from last year. They say many shoppers are thinking twice before buying because prices have gotten so high.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will be more cautious this year to spend. But, either way I will just spend it if it's really worth it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have gone into the stores and looked at the prices and I'm like the discounts are still not -- they're not significant enough for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: Well, another factor for shoppers, some retail chains have decided to stay closed on Boxing Day. A factor that began during the pandemic to give employees a day of rest.
Well, here in the United States, 'tis the season to spend more money. Inflation for consumers took a more for-retail goods and dining this holiday season, according to Mastercard. While retail sales increased more than 7 percent from last year, American shoppers also spent more online with sales growing more than 10 percent from last season.
Well, it wasn't an easy year for central banks around the world. In the U.S. alone, the Fed raise the rates seven times to combat soaring inflation. CNN's Richard Quest and Rahel Solomon looked at whether those efforts will pay off in the year ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: Rahel.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Richard.
QUEST: Look at our delightful Christmas trees and I see markets, recession, higher interest rates. All of the things that you have been talking to us about over the course of the year.
What has been going on? SOLOMON: It has been in and then full year, right? I mean if you think
about where we are coming from, it was just March, not even a full year ago where the feds started to raise interest rates and they have done so much in a short period of time.
[01:49:59]
SOLOMON: Now, we are sort of in a wait and see -- not yet but soon. Keep them higher for longer and let's just see how this plays out.
And I think the big question heading into 2023 is how much pain and how much damage will the fed potentially have caused.
QUEST: When I heard Chair Powell in the December meeting talking about 425 basis points of interest rates hike -- 4.25 percent, and you look at the graph and you see -- well it's not even -- it is straight-up.
It is an economic conundrum that the economy hasn't just gone into full scale recession and reversed. That's what people don't understand.
SOLOMON: It has been a dizzying pace, right. I mean because when you look at previous rate hike cycles, you see a sort of a gradual 25 basis points, this was not that.
And so I think the question, as Powell has pointed to, there is no painless way to do this. So I think the question is, how much pain will that sort of dizzying pace of rate hikes ultimately cause. And I think that's the big question next year.
QUEST: Why hasn't the economy slowed faster?
SOLOMON: There is so much happening right now that is a result of the pandemic. Think about how strong the labor market is, right. I mean think about how much excess savings people have because of a few things -- stimulus packages, not just one but two that really infused a lot of cash into the market.
And then, two, people were sitting home for about a year with nowhere to spend their money. Right, I mean how many decorative pillows can you buy? And so people have this buffer that has sort of been powering consumer spending. But, we're starting to see that change.
QUEST: Right, because the point is you've had this very fast increase of interest rates because of these other factors. As these are the factors that start to abate, you're left with just high interest rates.
SOLOMON: Yes, exactly. And it's interesting because I think at this point in the inflation cycle, you are no longer seeing good inflations, right. You're no longer seeing supply side inflation. You're starting to see a lot of wage inflation. You're starting to see a lot of service side inflation.
And so now, the question, is well how much damage does that cost to the demanding side of the equation. I think investors, heading into the December meeting were hoping finally for some dovish language, finally hoping to hear Powel say, all right, you know, we're going to take a wait and see the approach. And they didn't get it, right.
And so I think even heading into 2023, it will still sort of the investors holding their breath, waiting to finally hear those words from Jay Powell.
QUEST: What are you looking forward to next year?
SOLOMON: I am looking forward to a return to cooler (ph) inflation.
QUEST: No.
SOLOMON: Personally, or professionally.
QUEST: Yes.
SOLOMON: I mean personally too. I mean look, I am a consumer as well. I mean, I was --
QUEST: You don't have time to consume. You'd be too busy.
SOLOMON: I would like to be paying less rent in New York City. I would like to be paying a lot less for practically everything. So personally and professionally, I am looking forward to less inflation.
And I'm also looking forward to sitting in your chair while you're on vacation. Because that has been a great part of 2022 for me.
QUEST: Well, as anybody knows, I don't have vacations very often. So I look forward to --
SOLOMON: Hold my breath?
QUEST: Thank you very much.
SOLOMON: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: Well, well as prices soar and temperatures drop, some in the United Kingdom are turning to warm spaces this winter. These are community centers that offer a warm place for people struggling to pay high energy bills.
CNN's Anna Stewart has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A hot drink, somewhere to sit and chat. The Oasis Center in London is one of thousands of organizations across the U.K. now running warm spaces for those struggling to pay their energy bills.
STEVE CHALKE, FOUNDER, OASIS TRUST: Being warm helps a person relax. The more relaxed they are then the more logically they can think about all their other worries and stresses.
There are so many other people though that are cold because given the choice between being warm and eating, you've got to eat. And you've got to feed your family. What's happening this year is that more and more people are being pulled into that trap.
STEWART: Some people call these warm banks. But you don't use that term.
CHALKE: We think that's really important because it's being stigmatized all of this. Once you're running a warm bank if I come into your warm bank, I'm admitting that I can't heat my house. But if you're running the living room, as we call it at the Oasis Center, well, actually you might be a millionaire.
STEWART: Charity, National Energy Action predicts over 8 million U.K. households will be in fuel poverty by April. Almost double the number since last year despite the government spending billions to subsidize rising energy bills.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I spent over 100 pounds in a few weeks on gas alone.
STEWART: Mom of four, Charlotte Hilton, works for the center but also uses its services to help support her family.
[01:54:54]
STEWART: Do you think there will come a point where you won't be able to meet all of your bills?
CHARLOTTE HILTON, OASIS TRUST EMPLOYEE: Yes. Yes, there will be. There will become a point because everything is going up but wages, benefits, all of those things. And it's not just affecting, obviously, lower class people. It's affecting everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought, what about if the health service just can prescribe people a warm home?
STEWART: The National Health Service is so worried about the impact of the cold on people's health, it is testing paying for some of the most vulnerable (INAUDIBLE).
DR. ROSE CHARD, FAIR FUTURES PROGRAMME: So there will be 1,000 homes helped this winter as part of this winter's trial. And they will be people at risk of being admitted during the winter because they live in a cold time.
STEWART: It is a worrying new reality for so many. And the message here is that those who need help mustn't be afraid to ask for it.
CHALKE: People are scared of community. They are scared of being judged by others. I won't go to that warm bank in that church. I won't go along to these events, wherever it is because I'll be judged.
Venture out. The world is full of wonderful people. You'll meet friends.
STEWART: Anna Stewart, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRAK: Well, if you think winter here on earth has been brutal, try Mars. New images show the red planet has snow, ice, frost and temperatures as low as minus, get this, 123 degrees Celsius.
Scientists have been able to get a better understanding of the red planet thanks to NASA's robots. And they found it gets cold. But it doesn't actually snow that much. Martian snow is made of water, ice and carbon dioxide.
And because the air is so thin, and the temperatures so cold, the water ice becomes gas before it reaches the ground.
I'm Laila Harrak. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Rosemary Church after a short break. See you next time.
[01:58:33]
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