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U.S. Braces for More Migrants Despite Title 42 Ruling; Netanyahu Cabinet to be Sworn in Today; At Least 16 People Killed in Cambodia Casino Fire; Iranian Chess Player Doesn't Wear Hijab in Tournament; Russian Elites Who Criticize War End Up Dead. Aired 4:30- 5a ET

Aired December 29, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo. And if you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories at this hour.

Heavy snow continues to fall across Denver and Boulder, Colorado. Denver International Airport has already received more than six inches. The National Weather Service says that snowfall will continue for another few hours.

And Ukrainian officials say Russia hit multiple cities with more than 120 missiles. At least three people were wounded in Kyiv including a 14-year-old child.

The U.S. is bracing for more migrants coming from Mexico despite a court ruling that makes it easy to turn them away. Officials are putting up 10 new temporary processing facilities in anticipation of the arrival of more migrants. That's despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to temporarily keep a policy called Title 42 under which many of them can be expelled without an immigration hearing. As Leyla Santiago reports from El Paso, Texas, many migrants don't plan on going back.

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LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, what she wants now, is she's hoping to get to Dallas to -- where she knows someone to be able to, as she has repeated, find a better future for her children and work. Shipped

SANTIAGO (voice-over): Medellas Montecinos (ph) and her 1-year-old son just finished a four-months long journey from Venezuela, through nine different countries, just to be here in the United States of America.

SANTIAGO: Her question is, to the people of the United States, to the government of the United States, why don't they want her here?

SANTIAGO (voice-over): That sentiment echoed by many mothers here with their futures in doubt after the Supreme Court ordered Tuesday to keep in place the Trump-era Title 42 policy, while legal challenges play out in court over the next few months. Their policy allows the U.S. government to expel migrants legally seeking asylum before they've had a proper hearing.

PASTOR TIMOTHY PEREA, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER: It breaks me because there's no directive. And what we're trying to provide with the minimal resources that we have is a direction, so they can go from point A to point B.

SANTIAGO (voice-over): Over the past few months, tens of thousands of migrants have been surging to the southern border, creating a humanitarian crisis. It's left border towns like El Paso overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the challenges of providing care, food, and shelter for those in need.

OSCAR LEESER (D), EL PASO, TEXAS MAYOR: We've had as many as 2,500 crossings a day. And that's will continue. And this is while Title 42 is still in place.

SANTIAGO (voice-over): El Paso is preparing for an even larger surge should Title 42 be rescinded, transforming two vacant schools into temporary housing.

LEESER: This is just a band-aid on a broken immigration system. The system has to be fixed, because we can't continue to go this way.

SANTIAGO (voice-over): U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it's setting up a new processing facility in El Paso to increase capacity. It's one of ten new temporary processing facilities being added on the U.S./Mexico border. For now, local organizers in El Paso are asking people to just try to see the humanity in everyone.

PEREA: They're here, some of them are here. And what are we going to do? It's time to step up. It's time to say, you know what, they're here, regardless if I'm a red shirt, blue shirt, whatever the case maybe, let's help out these people.

SANTIAGO: And as night falls here and the temperature drops, the winds pick up, you can see there are actually piles of blankets for those who will spend the night on the streets here. You know, as the country braces for what will be another potential surge of migrants, we've learned that the Department of Homeland Security are also concerned about another potential surge. We obtained a memo that circulated just days ago warning of potential violent extremist attacks targeting migrants and critical infrastructure should the Trump era policy come to an end.

Leyla Santiago, CNN, El Paso.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: On Wednesday TikTok was banned from all electronic devices managed by the chamber of the House of Representatives according to an internal memo. Separately the U.S. is also expected to prohibit the app from all federal government devices in a new bill that President Joe Biden has yet to sign. U.S. policy makers say that TikTok is a potential security risk because China may use it to get personal data off U.S. users. Some U.S. states have already banned the app from their government devices. TikTok has called any efforts to be in the app a political adjuster.

[04:35:00]

Legal problems continue to mount for the disgraced founders of FTX, the bankrupt crypto exchange. According to an affidavit FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried said that he and cofounder Gary Wang borrowed more than $.5 billion from another hedge fund to buy shares in the trading app Robinhood. Prosecutors allege that the hedge fund, Alameda Research, was also illegally funneling customer funds from FTX. Wang has pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud and conspiracy. Bankman- Fried has been indicted on eight criminal counts and is expected to appear in a New York federal court next Tuesday.

Benjamin Netanyahu will be sworn in for a record sixth term as Israel's Prime Minister. It is a stunning political turn around for a man who's already led Israel longer than anyone else. But first, parliament will vote on Netanyahu's new cabinet which is widely expected to be the most right wing government in Israeli history. Elliott Gotkine is covering all of this for us from Jerusalem. Elliott, security officials and many have expressed concern about the direction of this government. What is the expected outcome of the vote today?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: I think the outcome of the vote, Bianca, is beyond doubt. Benjamin Netanyahu will be sworn in as Prime Minister. He's just been speaking to the Knesset. Right now, it's outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid who's speaking. So, Netanyahu will again be Prime Minister. His ministers who he's just presented will be sworn in. And as you say, this will be the most right wing government in the history of Israel.

I should say that Netanyahu when he went up to the podium in the Knesset -- which is where we are now, they're obviously in the chamber -- he was greeted by applause but throughout his speech it was punctuated by heckles from members of the opposition. At least five of them were physically ejected from the chamber. I should also say that this is pretty much par for the course for the rambunctious Knesset or parliament that we have here in Israel.

In terms of the agenda, this is something that was laid out by Netanyahu just yesterday in which he reiterated in what he was outlining to the members of the Knesset just now. A few of the highlights, I can't give you all of them. But a few of the highlights included promotion and development of land in the words of new government, and all parts of the land of Israel, they say. Galilee in the north, and Givat in the south. And they specified Judea and Samaria, a.k.a. the West Bank. So, we should not be surprised if there is more settlement building going on there, something that is likely to arouse the ire of the United States and others in the international community.

Another of the highlights, talking about restoring, in their words, a proper balance between the legislature, executive and the judiciary. There are concerns that they're going to dilute the powers of the high court and the checks and balances on the government will be much more diminished than all governments in the past -- Bianca. NOBILO: shipped Elliott Gotkine live in Jerusalem. Thank you so much.

Victims trapped by fire jumping to their death to escape the flames. Still ahead, we'll have heartbreaking eye witness accounts about a fire in Cambodia.

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NOBILO: A huge fire has killed at least 16 people at a casino in Cambodia with some people so desperate to get out they leaped to their death. That's according to a rescue worker who spoke to CNN after flames engulfed the structure on Wednesday night. He says he saw two people die when they jumped from the building while other people suffered broken legs.

The fire tore through the building which contains a hotel located near the border with Thailand. The death toll is expected to rise as emergency crews search hotel rooms for more victims. For more now let's bring in journalist Manisha Tank and she's joining us from Singapore. Manisha, good to have you with us. What more do we know about the potential origin of this fire and also, the status of those who have been taken to hospital after their injuries?

MANISHA TANK, JOURNALIST: Well so far, we do have an idea from some of those rescue teams that you've been mentioning, they've been speaking and engaging -- speaking to and engaging with our teams over in Thailand and giving them some information as they're finding it out from the scene.

So, we know that from them that this started in what they're describing as a lower restaurant at the hotel and then it spread from there. I have been looking at a number of videos that have been coming from the scene. These started coming out overnight and into the morning and as the day has gone on and you can clearly see this blaze in what looks like a restaurant area. And on one side of it actually slot machines.

I'm mentioning that because I want to give a little context around this place. It's a town call Poi Pet where the Grand Diamond hotel and casino is located. This is where the blaze broke out overnight. It's really popular with large groups of Thai tourists who are enthusiastic about gambling. So, they crossed the border. It's very close to the Thai border and go over for these activities. It's also stop off point for people who are venturing further into Cambodia to visit the temples. So, it's popular with tourists. It's popular with gamblers.

We do know in terms of numbers of the people that might have been there -- we're still waiting for confirmation of numbers -- but I can tell you that rescue team said about 700 Thais were rescued. But what we are learning is that the death toll has been creeping up. We now know that 16 people have lost their lives and we are tracking all of the feeds and all the information from the rescue teams to keep a check on that number. These rescue teams, as you mentioned, they saw people jump for their

lives. Watched two people die on the spot. In fact, I just want to quote you what one of those rescue workers said to our CNN team.

I was shouting and trying to stop them from jumping off the building. I shouted in Thai because most of them are Thai. I saw people who died immediately after jumping off the building.

You can imagine how harrowing those sorts of scenes are. We've also learned that some of those who have died, have died as a result of smoke inhalation. The fire didn't reach them, the smoke did.

NOBILO: Just heartbreaking. Manisha Tank, thank you so much for your incredibly comprehensive reporting. Appreciate it.

A female Iranian chess player did not wear her hijab when she took part in an international tournament. Sara Khadem played in the world Rapid And Blitzed Chest Championships in Kazakhstan. According to the Iranian news outlet Jamaran on Tuesday. It also showed a picture of her without a head covering.

Joining me now for more is Nada Bashir. Nada, you've been covering all of these stories where we have Iranian athletes or competitors who defy the dress code which is imposed by the regime. What do we know about potential repercussions or what might you expect?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, the fear is that upon her return to Iran Sara Khadem could face severe repercussions.

[04:45:00]

Now in the past, the sports ministry, the deputy minister for sports has said they won't face punishment. This is not something that we could expect to see. But of course, we have seen sports women in the past who have chosen to remove their hijab -- perhaps in showing solidarity with the protest movement -- facing repercussions.

You'll remember Elnaz Rekabi, a notable rock climber, she competed in Seoul in October in South Korea without her hijab in a show of solidarity. Now she later said that this was an accident. Word is widely believe that she was speaking under duress. And just weeks after that we saw her family home being demolished. We could hear in video -- in video circulating on social media, people commenting that this was the result of her taking a stand in solidarity with the regime.

Of course, you remember in the World Cup the team there choosing not to sing the national anthem in their opening game. We later learned from a source working very closely on the security of the games that they had faced pressure, that their family members back at home in Iran had also faced threats.

So, there is concern around what Sara Khadem could face upon her return to Iran. But she is the latest on what has been a string of females sports and then actresses, other notable figures in Iran who are using their platform to take a stand against the regime. To show solidarity with the protest movement. And this is, it has to be said, a very brave show of defiance against the regime.

NOBILO: Incredibly brave and bold. And Nada, I know that you'll be keeping a close eye on what happens to her when she returns.

Speaking out against the war in Ukraine can have deadly consequences for Russian elites. There's no direct evidence tying their deaths to Moscow. But observers say the string of accidents seems more than just coincidental. CNN's Melissa Bell reports.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They were part of the Russian elite, some at one point critical of the war in Ukraine. Several died after falling through windows, at least 13 dead in suspicious circumstances this year.

The latest Russian tycoon to plunge to his death Pavel Antov who died on Saturday in India. Over the summer, Antov denied criticizing the war in a WhatsApp message. His death and that of a friend he was vacationing with now under investigation by Indian authorities.

Another tycoon to fall from a window this time in Moscow was Ravil Maganov, the head of Russia's oil giant.

In March, LUKOIL released a statement calling for the soonest termination of the armed conflict.

Maganov was just one of several Russian energy executives whose deaths have raised questions. Some of the insiders who've died have done so alongside their families like Sergei Protosenya and Vladislav Avayev, both of whom were said to have murdered relatives before killing themselves.

The Kremlin has remained tight lipped, but Vladimir Putin's message has been chillingly clear.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It's safer at home. Those who decided to ignore this obvious call lost hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in the West. This is how much of a so called safe haven for fortune as it turned out to be.

BELL (voice-over): Some of those who've stayed at home like oligarch Oleg Deripaska have been more fortunate without mincing their words about Ukraine.

OLEG DERIPASKA, RUSSIAN OLIGARCH (through translator): We have abandoned what was achieved in the 2000s. And now we're waiting for victory, winning what? This is, of course, a colossal mistake.

BELL (voice-over): The outspokenness of some of those closest to the regime, a measure of what they stood to lose. And while no ties between the Kremlin and these deaths have been proven in court, for many, they stir fears of Russia's reach.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: A woman caught up in the Southwest Airlines fiasco took matters into their own hands. Just ahead, the luggage fairy helped reunite total strangers with their bags.

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NOBILO: Amid all the travel nightmares tied to the Southwest Airline's fiasco, there are some feel-good stories that have come out of it. A passenger named Brittany Loubier-Vervisch in Tampa, Florida, was looking for her bags in a sea of luggage when she decided to start helping others reunite with their own bags.

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BRITTANY LOUBIER-VERVISCH, SOUTHWEST PASSENGER: We got to the front of the line after waiting, you know, over an hour. And they said, no, you need to go down to baggage. So, we got in that que which was over an hour, well over an hour. And my husband Carl was standing in that line and I was like, we don't need both of us to stand here.

So, I started walking around thinking maybe I would find our luggage. Maybe it was already in the pile. I have never seen anything like this. Just hundreds and hundreds of bags getting pulled off the carrousels and placed in the space between carrousels. People were having to climb on carrousels to like get through the aisleways of bags and look for their own luggage. So, I started walking around looking for my own and thought, oh, this one has a phone number on it. I will text them. And you know, I texted as many people as I could.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: How many? How many people did you text?

LOUBIER-VERVISCH: It was a small thing. I think I sent around 70 texts. Some of them turned out to be the land lines so those obviously didn't go through.

CAMEROTA: And just tell me, so of the 70, how many responses did you get?

LOUBIER-VERVISCH: I want to say I think 30 people texted me back. You know, it ranged from, OK, I need you to give them my phone number so they can call me to oh, thank you so much and then I actually met a man and a woman that came down, they got seven pieces of luggage. I guess it belonged to themselves and their parents. So, like as I was standing there I kind of helped them find their seven bags. They're like, do you work for the airline? It was like, no, no, I'm like you, I'm looking for my bag.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: One passenger tweeted her thanks to Brittney saying, she did more to help with our luggage then Southwest could.

Now to the NFL where Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion on Sunday. That's the second one for the Dolphin's quarterback this season. Tagovailoa played the entire game against the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday. McDaniel's says he can't pinpoint exactly when he may have been injured.

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[04:55:00]

MIKE MCDANIEL, MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH: He's better, better than yesterday. You know, he's, you know, beyond that I feel like it's kind of weird to extrapolate beyond good which is what he tells me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Tagovailoa's status for this week's game against the New England Patriots is uncertain. And the dolphin's are planning to start Teddy Bridgewater.

Now to the NBA and the struggle continuing for the Milwaukee Bucks. Playing in Chicago the Bulls DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high of 42 points helping his team to a 119-113 overtime win on Wednesday. It's the fourth straight loss for Milwaukee, their longest losing streak of the season so far.

And in Sacramento, three Kings players topped 30 points including Malik Monk who hit a free throw with only a second remaining. And the Kings pulled off a 127-126 come-from-behind win over the Denver Nuggets. Sacramento was playing without head coach Mike Brown who was put in the league's health and safety protocols this week.

And before we go, the final Mega Millions drawing of the year in the U.S. is now up to $640 million. No winner emerged in the drawing on Tuesday. And that means there's one more chance for people in the U.S. to head into 2023 with millions of dollars in your pocket. The cash prize comes out to about $328 million. The full jackpot will be the largest Mega Millions size ever offered in the final week. And the last drawing of the year will be held on Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern time.

And that does it here on CNN NEWSROOM. I am Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" with Whitney Wild is up next.

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