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Trailblazing Journalist Barbara Walters Dies At 93; Suspect In Idaho Killings Arrested In Pennsylvania; Global Celebrations To Welcome In The New Year; Global Celebrations To Welcome In The New Year; Mayor: At Least One Dead, 20 Injured In Explosions In Kyiv; TikTok Banned From All U.S. Government-Owned Devices; Top Five Investigations To Watch In 2023. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 31, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

PAULA REID, CNN HOST: Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world and home to a breathtaking light show and fireworks display every year. Let's take a minute to watch as they count down.

Tonight, CNN will join the global celebration live from Times Square with your hosts Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. The action gets started at 8:00.

And today we are honoring the life and legacy of trailblazing journalist Barbara Walters. Walters passed away yesterday in her home at the age of 93. She is of course known for her decades-long broadcasting career and her iconic interviews with world leaders and celebrities. Walters interviewed every U.S. president and first lady since the Nixon administration. She also became the first female news anchor of an evening news program when she joined ABC in '70s.

Here's a look back at some of her memorable interviews.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA WALTERS, LEGENDARY JOURNALIST: Are you sorry you didn't burn the tapes?

RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The answer is I probably should have. But mainly I shouldn't have even installed them.

WALTERS: Monica, you have been described a bimbo, a stalker, a seductress. Describe yourself.

Why did you kill John Lennon?

MARK DAVID CHAPMAN, SHOT AND KILLED JOHN LENNON: I thought by killing him, I would acquire his fame.

WALTERS: Did you mind be thought of sex, sex, sex?

SCARLETT JOHANSSON, ACTRESS: I never put on a sexy face so I don't know. I don't know, you know, I don't know what it means to be -- to act seductive. WALTERS: Does he hit you?

ROBIN GIVENS, MIKE TYSON'S FORMER WIFE: He shakes. He pushes. He swings.

WALTERS: Next week, you will meet again with President Bush. The first time you two met, President Bush said that he looked into your eyes and got, quote, "a sense of your soul." Some people smiled when he said that. What do you think he saw in our soul?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Tributes are pouring in including from journalist Connie Chung, who knew Walters for decades. The two often competed for interviews and Chung tells CNN Walters not only paved the way for women in news, she also changed the game for men.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONNIE CHUNG, JOURNALIST: I can't imagine journalism without Barbara. Barbara was one of a handful of women who was in the news business at the time that I started. But beyond that, she blazed a trail for the men, too. In other words, the men were sitting back there not aggressively going after interviews. One-on-one interviews. And they were not picking up the phone, frankly. She did everything she could to get an interview.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: President Biden honored Walters, tweeting, "Barbara Walters has always been an example of bravery and truth, breaking barriers while driving our nation forward. Her legacy will continue as an inspiration for all journalists." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also paid tribute, writing, "An incomparable journalist, Barbara Walters knew what it took for women to break barriers and succeed. From the Capitol to 'The Views,' Barbara Walters uplifted women making history and progress for other women and for the world."

I'm joined now by another esteemed journalist, Joan Lunden.

Joan, you knew Barbara for many years. You co-hosted with her. In your view, what is the legacy that she leaves behind?

JOAN LUNDEN, FORMER BARBARA WALTERS CO-HOST: To go the extra mile, you know, I'm listening to all this. And she paved the way for women. But men could learn a lot. Male journalists could have also taken a lesson from her. I remember one time she came -- the very first time I interviewed her on "Good Morning America" about one of her primetime specials. And I don't remember anything from the special.

But I remember that she took me aside and said, I'm going to give you some advice. If you fight for equality there, you're going to hear from women all over the country, you should be able to start the show. Also you should get bigger interviews, just keep your head down and take all the small things that they're willing to give you and make every one of those shine. [15:05:09]

And that's how you'll make your way. If you try to fight for equality, you will be out the door just like your predecessor because not just the industry but the country is not ready to give that kind of equality yet. Then she said, and the other thing I'm going to tell you is that -- she said, write thank you notes. She said when I would get interviews and everyone would wonder like how did she get that interview?

It was usually because when I read in "Variety" or somewhere that someone had gotten a part in a movie or a television show or a Broadway show, I would immediately drop them a note. And I would say this is fantastic. You're going to be perfect for that role. I hope the production goes well. I can't wait to see the end result. She said so then when the movie came out, who did they go to? They went to me because I had already invested the time and I kind of set the table for it.

And you know, and I followed her much of her advice. And she was -- I mean, she was kind of motherly to be very honest. She used to invite me to parties at her apartment in New York, which is still this amazing memorabilia from all of the stories she did. But the minute I would come in the door, she would come over and take me by the arm and say, all right, first, I'm going to put you over here with these ladies by the piano, and she'd tell me who they are. And this is an idea of what you could talk to them about.

And pretty soon I'd feel her hand on my arm and she'd take me somewhere else. She was producing. She was making connections for other people. And that -- I mean, she was always doing this for other people. She was very generous in her leadership and being a teacher and mentoring other people.

REID: All about relationships.

LUNDEN: Yes.

REID: As one of the first women in the news business, Barbara was not always welcomed with open arms. Did she ever give you any advice on how to deal with some of the hostility? You just talked about sort of the smaller opportunities that you'd be given, how to handle that. But what about the hostility and other issues that women were facing in the '70s, in the '80s, and really up to today?

LUNDEN: I mean, she basically would always say to me, it's not about you. It's about them. It's about where their head is. She said it's about where kind of the national thinking is. And, you know, and she was just -- she wouldn't mind if I called her a workaholic because she certainly was a workaholic. She really dedicated her entire life to the industry, to the profession, to her career. And I have to tell you, I mean, we co-hosted "Good Morning America" together many, many times first when David Heartman was gone, later when Charlie Gibson was gone.

But during the commercial breaks we didn't talk business. We usually talked as two women, two moms. And she often told me that her biggest regret was that while she adored her profession and got satisfaction out of it, that it came at a personal price to her. That she regretted not spending more time with daughter Jackie when Jackie was young. And that was at a time when I remember the "Today" show was traveling all around the country. Like for one year they came from a different city like every week.

I know that because I was just starting out as a little NBC affiliate in Sacramento, California. And one of my jobs was to watch that show every morning and I could pull pieces from it because I produced and anchored the local news there in Sacramento. So I saw her every single morning before I ever came to ABC and New York City. And she -- and she also told me how she felt that it really also cost her some of her marriages.

You know, that she wasn't, you know, where he would want to, you know, come with me and go on a vacation somewhere and she would have to say, but I have a story to do. But I have an interview to do. And she said I really paid a huge personal price in my life in order to attain, you know, the career that she had.

REID: Joan, that's so interesting you say that because that's been a theme throughout all the interviews we have done today with Melissa Rivers, Lisa Ling, all that people have said the same thing that Barbara turned to them and said based on my experience, don't make the same mistakes I made. Make sure you don't sacrifice your personal life. It's a really interesting part of her legacy.

And we're looking right now at a clip from her departure from "The View." All of these journalists, different ages, races, networks. It really speaks to her legacy.

LUNDEN: I mean, every one of the women that you see up there almost, she literally paved the way for them. Every one of us.

[15:10:05]

So she certainly was a trailblazer for women. But I've heard in a few of the interviews that she was also a trailblazer just for men as well in the industry because back when she first came to ABC, you know, the stories are that Sam Donaldson went running through the halls of AB yelling, the women are coming, the women are coming. And -- I mean, and Harry Reasoner, I mean, I know somebody who go up in the elevator with them and they said, Harry, like, couldn't get far enough away from her. And didn't look at her. Didn't speak to her. I mean, to say that she had an icy, icy welcome is the understatement of the year. I'm sure you have been playing clips so you could see a little bit of the iciness that existed.

REID: Oh, yes.

LUNDEN: And she really just had to -- that's not easy to endure. I mean, you have to have great inner strength to endure that. And you know, Barbara was, in my opinion, very comfortable in her own skin. When she was on the air, she was totally at ease and comfortable. And she was the same way off camera. Like whether you were at a business occasion with her or at a party, and I mean, I saw her all the time because we were at the same network. And she just made people feel at ease.

And that's really -- you know, people have asked me, you know, what the hardest part of doing, you know, a show like "Good Morning America," I said it's not -- we're briefed. We have questions that we're going to ask. We've seen the person's movie or we've read their books. But it really comes down to being able to make the person across from you feel comfortable and safe so that they can, you know, get their head clear and tell their story.

And I think that her disarming way about making you feel like she was completely listening to you and cared about you, even the way you always see the way that she's leaned forward in her interviews. And that's how I think she got a lot out of guests that other people couldn't have.

REID: Joan Lunden, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your memories of the legendary Barbara Walters.

LUNDEN: Oh, it's my pleasure.

REID: Also passing overnight, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The former pontiff was 95. He made headlines in 2013 when he unexpectedly stepped down from his role, the first Pope to do so in 600 years. The Vatican says Benedict's remains will lie in St. Peter's Basilica beginning Monday. His funeral is set for Thursday in St. Peter's Square.

Benedict served as Pope for nearly eight years beginning in 2005 when he was 78 years old, making him the oldest person to be named Pope. President Biden in a statement today saying the late pontiff will be remembered, quote, "for his lifetime of devotion to the church."

And coming up, how police tracked a suspect cross country and then arrested him seven weeks after four Idaho college students were killed as they slept.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:10]

REID: We're learning new details about the suspect arrested in the horrific murders of four University of Idaho students. 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths that took place inside an off-campus home back in November. Sources say an FBI surveillance team tracked him for several days before arresting him in his home state of Pennsylvania.

CNN's Camila Bernal is following these developments for us.

Camila, what more are you learning about the suspect and what led investigators to arrest him? CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Paula. So, two things.

That while Hyundai Elantra that authorities have been looking for for weeks, we know they linked the car to Bryan Kohberger, and as you mentioned, at some point when he was driving from Idaho all the way to Pennsylvania, authorities began tracking him. The other thing that was really important in this case was the DNA. They found his DNA at the crime scene and they compared it to a database. So when they had the DNA and they had the car, that's when they began surveilling him, watching his every move.

According to his public defender, it was about 3:00 in the morning on Friday when authorities went into his family home in Pennsylvania. My colleague Jean Casarez spoke to that attorney. Here's a little bit about what he told her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON LABAR, MONROE COUNTY CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER: He's doing OK. He's shocked a little bit. Obviously he's calm right now. You know, we don't really know much about the case. I don't have any affidavit of probable cause. I didn't want to discuss the case with him because I'm merely his representation for this procedural issue as to whether or not he wants to be extradited back to Idaho.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: So the attorney does not that that information because the probable cause affidavit, that has been sealed and it will not be made public until the suspect is in Idaho. So a lot of the details that filling in the blanks, all of that will come when we get those documents. But he needs to be in Idaho in order for us to learn those details. And so a lot of the questions that we're asking and of course the families who've been grieving for seven weeks. So many people want all of those details -- Paula.

REID: Camila Bernal, thank you.

And let's discuss all this with Ed Davis, he's the former Boston police commissioner who is Boston's lead police official during the tragic marathon bombing.

Ed, we've learned that authorities tracked this suspect all across the country as he drove home, carefully surveilling him before making an arrest. That can't be easy.

ED DAVIS, FORMER BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER: Hi, Paula. It certainly is not. I have been involved in surveillances that went across state lines for maybe 100 miles or so. Thousands of miles is a completely different equation. And it's a very difficult thing to do. The FBI is very good at it. They have special surveillance teams. They also have aircraft and other tools that help in the process. But when you're traveling thousands of miles, the ability to discard evidence, to disappear for a little while is more likely than not.

REID: And we know investigators zeroed in on the suspect through DNA evidence. How often are police relying on these genetic genealogy databases for investigations like this?

DAVIS: Well, this technology is sort of -- came about in the mid-'80s. So it's fairly new. This is certainly a 21st century investigation that we're seeing here. But every year more and more cases are built on DNA processing. The technology is getting more accurate. It's getting faster. And it is extremely reliable. So police are relying on it more and more.

[15:20:04]

REID: And it took nearly seven weeks for an arrest to be made here. Law enforcement investigators, they have come under some criticism for the amount of time that it took and some statements that they had to walk back. So why do you think that it took seven weeks to make an arrest here?

DAVIS: Well, what the police and district attorneys, prosecutors, what they release in a case like this is very little of what they know. They try to keep as much as they can under wraps so that they can continue the investigation without interference from the public. On the other hand, they're always balancing the public's need to know and to feel safe. And I think that this is a perfect example of that.

Seven weeks is not a long time to do the type of investigation that's needed here. There are weeks needed to do the DNA analysis. And then you have to go through and process all of the digital evidence. They looked at cell phone records. They looked at digital information that came in via ring doorbell cameras and other cameras. It takes weeks to go through effectively.

So the bottom line was seven weeks is a really quick turnaround in a case like this, where you are running down DNA. Then you have to compare it to family DNA on the international data bases and then try to find the vehicle and run the vehicle down. And then you've got a vehicle that is registered in Pennsylvania. It's not even in the Idaho database. So that complicates the process.

I think the police did an incredible job here. They did it timely. It can be frustrating for the public. But it is necessary in the course of justice.

REID: Even some victims' families are backtracking on their previous criticism of law enforcement. And one interesting detail in all of this is that the suspect was a PhD student studying criminal justice. Is that relevant in the investigation?

DAVIS: It's not really relevant to the charge. What the person does is not critical to developing probable cause and proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The question is, was he there, was he the one that committed the crime? But under the category is you can't make this stuff up. That's the incredible part of this. This is a man that's studying criminal justice, involved in the -- from what we're hearing, in the psychological components of people who want to commit a crime, and then possibly does something like this. It's just an incredible coincidence.

REID: Yes. You can't make this up. And even if you did it would probably be rejected by editors or film studios.

DAVIS: True.

REID: Ed Davis, thank you so much.

DAVIS: Thank you, Paula.

REID: And coming up, we're counting down to the new year. But in other parts of the world, 2023 is already under way. Take a look at some of these incredible fireworks in Sydney, Australia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:52]

REID: The U.S. is gearing up to welcome 2023 with a new year just hours away. But the celebration has already happened in some parts of the world. The party peaked just 30 minutes ago across the United Arab Emirates with massive fireworks displays seen in several cities.

And we have reporters covering celebrations around the world. Gloria Pazmino is in New York's Times Square, Gary Tuchman is in Boise, Idaho, and Larry Madowo is in Mombasa, Kenya with our new friend Ali the camel.

But, Gloria, I want to start with you. It's 3:00 p.m. in New York but the party has already started in Times Square.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The party is just getting started. And it's going to be hard to outdo the camel but I am going to try because these folks have been lined up on the streets of Times Square for hours. They are ready to greet in the new year.

Tell me where you're from and why you want to come out today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I am from Chicago and I am here to see J-Hope. I absolutely love him. I love BTS. I am so proud of him. And this is just so big. I saw him back in Chicago at Lalapalooza, too.

PAZMINO: So the performers, and that is a big part of the celebration. It's starting to get very loud here. But this is what's going to keep this crowd alive. It's drizzling but it's not very cold yet. So that's a good thing because we have a long way to go.

REID: All right. Thank you so much for that.

Gary, what are the celebrations looking like for tonight in Boise, Idaho?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, it is expected that about 40,000 people will be on the streets of downtown Boise tonight for a very unique celebration. This state is famous for its outdoors, its majestic mountains, its skiing, its parks. And also famous for its potatoes. And rightfully so because more than 13 billion pounds are harvested here each year. If you love potatoes, you eat Idaho potatoes. Even the license plates save famous potatoes. So what's to be done here on New Year's Eve? Drop a potato.

This is a 2500 pound potato with a fog machine. It's not a real potato. It's made of fiber glass. But you could see this is going to go up 20 stories in front of state capitol building here in Boise. And you can actually go inside this potato. We're going to give you an exclusive look. Take a look inside. It looks like a disco. There's 1,000 LED lights inside. It is the most technologically advanced potato in the world. Not that there's many technologically advanced potatoes, but this is it.

You'll go up 20 stories on a crane in front of the state capitol building. It will be dropped to signify New Year's in the Mountain Time Zone. But that's not all that is happening here. Music, entertainment. And right over here you can see a ski ramp. Some of the best skiers and snowboarders in the state of Idaho will be doing demonstrations and competitions on the ski. The snow has been trucked in from a local ski resort. And they will be doing death-defying feats for the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.

So we will bring you the beginning of the new year on the Mountain Time Zone.

[15:30:00]

My daughter, Lindsay Tuchman, and me, it's a tradition that we've been doing this for years in different parts of the United States. We look forward to being here.

We hope you join us after Anderson and Andy ushering in the New Year in Times Square. Join us, 2:00 a.m. Eastern time, 1:00 a.m. Central time, midnight our time for the New Year right here.

Paula, back to you.

REID: Gary, I thought it was going to be hard to top the camel but I think you did it with the disco potato.

I want to go our friend, Larry, and the newest member of our CNN team, Ali the camel.

What is going on there in Kenya?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, we need to get him a CNN email. Ali.camel@CNN.com.

I had to get back on top of the camel because this crowd is really increasing. Everywhere I look, hundreds and hundreds of people. By my guesstimate, a few thousand people here.

I will try to navigate the crowd as I tell you what's happening here. We are on the Indian Ocean in East Africa. It is a popular tourist destination for this region.

The locals call it Mbasa Raja (ph). Raja means pleasure in Swahili. When they want to wind down, they come here. (INAUDIBLE) -- over the waterfront. It's just over 30 minutes to welcome the new year. It's been a difficult year for many people here in the country.

(INAUDIBLE)

Are you guys excited for the New Year?

(CHEERING)

REID: Well, riding a camel during your live shot comes with some technical difficulties.

Thank you to all our reporters and Ali the camel.

Tonight, CNN will ring in the New Year live from Times Square with your hosts Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. The action gets started at 8:00. It's going to be an action-packed show.

And we're getting a preview of some of the things to come.

Let's go live to CNN's Stephanie Elam, who got the dream assignment in the Bahamas.

Stephanie, you're joined by a special guest?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am. Paula, you know, I've got to tell you, I am at the Atlantis Paradise Island in Nassau, the Bahamas. The people are warm and friendly. And so is the entire vibe at this resort.

And I don't want to pit competition against my domestic correspondents, but I think I won.

We're here where they will have a big old party tonight. They are telling everyone they will party like the royals.

Maybe some 3,000 people are going to be here at this resort. They are already taking in the beach, in water adventures, and all around the park.

And they're also getting ready to get their dance on.

And one of the people who is going to help to get the people moving tonight is none other than Nick Cannon, who is here with me right now.

(CROSSTALK)

ELAM: Good to see you. Happy New Year.

NICK CANNON, TELEVISION HOST & ACTOR: Absolutely.

ELAM: Why did you want to be here for the New Year?

CANNON: Party like a royal. What better place to be than on a tropical island in the Bahamas. It's paradise.

ELAM: It's paradise. You had an eventful December. You started off sick, hospitalized. How are you feeling?

CANNON: A lot better. I'm not quite 100 percent. People who deal with lupus always have to deal with that. But I'm surrounded by god's energy.

ELAM: The moist air has to be helping it. You also welcomed baby 12, Halo Marie.

CANNON: The dozen is complete.

ELAM: Is this the magic number?

CANNON: Oh, man. For right now, yes. This year.

ELAM: But you're not making a full commitment.

CANNON: We don't make New Year's resolutions.

ELAM: A baker's dozen? Could there be a 13 in there?

CANNON: You never know. I feel like I'm done.

ELAM: I feel like this is a little bit of breaking news. But it could change.

CANNON: You never know. I could be lying to you right now.

ELAM: You could also be having a great time tonight. And then who knows?

CANNON: That won't happen.

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: OK. That won't happen.

But what will happen is that you're going to be deejaying.

CANNON: Yes.

ELAM: What vibe are you going for tonight?

CANNON: A New Year's vibe. It's all about inspiration, having fun. That's what we're going for. We're in the islands so you might hear some island vibe.

ELAM: Hips moving, some shoulders moving, all of that going?

CANNON: Safely.

ELAM: Safety.

CANNON: Yes.

ELAM: In your case, that's a different of

CANNON: All kinds of safety and protection is what we're talking about.

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: So we know there's going to be a special guest tonight.

CANNON: Yes.

ELAM: Don't tell us.

CANNON: I don't even know. They told me it's exciting. They said I'll be excited when I see who we've got.

ELAM: Do you have any guesses?

CANNON: I have no idea. I saw people running around in costumes. I have no idea.

ELAM: This is kind of your lane, though. You kind of know.

CANNON: I think it's best if they keep it from me. I'll spill the beans.

ELAM: You will just tell everybody?

CANNON: Exactly.

ELAM: We don't want to do that. We know there are 3,000 people are excited.

[15:35:03]

CANNON: Ready to party.

ELAM: Ready to go.

You're familiar with the Bahamas.

CANNON: Yes.

ELAM: What's your favorite part about coming here?

CANNON: The people. The people are so kind and loving. I think it's the energy. The vibration.

ELAM: It's true.

I don't know, Paula, if you can hear behind us, but there are steel drums playing behind us --

REID: Oh, yes, we can hear it. Absolutely.

ELAM: -- adding to the ambiance.

You can hear it?

REID: Yes.

ELAM: I'm trying not to dance here because I didn't want to put on a show too early.

Because tonight, as we get closer to the Eastern Time Zone, we are going to have a ball. I will be out there watching Nick deejay. We'll have other guests.

CANNON: You'll be dancing?

ELAM: I'll definitely be dancing.

(CROSSTALK)

ELAM: I may or may not enjoy a good wiggle.

We will be dancing. We will have a good time with Anderson, Andy and Don Lemon.

We hope you come and join us and feel the beat.

I know it's cold in a lot of the United States. We'll make you feel good.

CANNON: Yes. We're bringing the heat.

ELAM: We're bringing the heart right here -- Paula?

REID: We look forward to that wiggle, Stephanie.

Impressive pressing Nick on his family planning. Trying to break news even in the Bahamas. Very impressive.

We look forward to --

(CROSSTALK)

REID: -- later tonight.

Join Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen for a global celebration tonight New Year's Eve live from Times Square. It all gets started at 8:00 right here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: Ukraine's prime minister says Russia is trying to leave the war- torn country in the dark for the New Year.

Those comments as the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv suffered further attacks today. At least one person is confirmed dead, 20 others injured according to the city's mayor.

CNN's Ben Wedeman was on the roof when some of the strikes hit. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSIONS)

[15:40:00]

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: OK. There have been several loud explosions. We have seen three points of impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Ben Wedeman is with us now.

Ben, that was scary moment a couple of hours ago. You barely flinched. What are you seeing there now. It's dark. What is the situation on the ground?

WEDEMAN: Paula, we are 20 minutes to the beginning of nightly curfew. Below us, we saw a garbage truck in one of the squares cleaning up. There's a handful of people out. Most people are heading home.

It's been a day not of, as we have seen elsewhere in a world of celebration, but of fear.

Many people spent a good part of the day in basements, bomb shelters, in the subways taking cover as these -- yet again the Russians are firing missiles into Ukrainian cities.

Now, according to the Ukrainian military, around 20 missiles were fired from Russia proper and also from warships in the Black Sea not only toward Kyiv but several other Ukrainian cities.

Here in the capital, as you mentioned, one person was killed, 16 people injured, including a Japanese journalist. The targets included hotels, residential blocks and shops.

And what we heard from the prime minister today is that, unlike previous -- for instance, day before yesterday, there were massive strikes across Ukraine. Many of them targeting infrastructure. Today seems to be random residential civilian areas.

Here in Kyiv, 30 percent of the city is without electricity. This is an emergency measure taken. They don't want it running at top capacity when missiles are coming in.

It may be people are celebrating the New Year elsewhere. But here there are no celebrations -- Paula?

REID: Ben Wedeman, thank you.

And TikTok is no longer allowed on federal government devices amid concerns that the Chinese-owned app is a security risk.

As CNN's Josh Campbell reports, many states are following suit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beyond the overnight sensations --

(MUSIC)

CAMPBELL: -- and viral four-legged superstars --

(SINGING)

CAMPBELL: -- a potential threat to U.S. national security.

This, according to a growing number of federal and state official.

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We, the FBI, do have national security concerns about the app.

CAMPBELL: The app, the popular global social media giant, TikTok, which now boasts more than a billion users.

WRAY: Its parent company is controlled by the Chinese government.

CAMPBELL: The director of the FBI spoke at the University of Michigan this month. He says one key threat is the Chinese government's ability to potentially control the platform's algorithm.

WRAY: Which allows them to manipulate content. And, if they want to, to use it for influence operations.

CAMPBELL: And the potential threat, officials say, also includes data collection and espionage.

AVRIL HAINES, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: It's extraordinary the degree to which China, in particular, but they're not the only ones, obviously, are, you know, developing just frameworks for collecting foreign data.

CAMPBELL: Even in a politically polarized America, the Chinese Communist Party's influence in the digital space has garnered increasingly bipartisan concern.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): TikTok is enormous. They can visualize even down to your keystrokes.

REP. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-WI): The question we have to ask is whether we want to give the CCP the ability to track our location, track what Web sites we visit even when we're not using the TikTok app itself.

CAMPBELL: TikTok says they have been negotiating with the U.S. government on a potential deal to resolve national security concerns that could include content moderation and data security access.

Despite those claims, federal legislators have taken action. This week, banning the app on devices used by the U.S. House. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley spearheaded an effort to ban the app from

all U.S. government devices.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed legislation making the ban law.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: TikTok should not be president on any devices sitting in the hands of the people that we trust to run the government.

CAMPBELL: It's not just Washington. Wednesday, the governor of Kansas barred TikTok from state-owned devices. The latest in a series of state leaders who have vowed to rid their systems of the app.

GOV. KRISTI NOEM (R-SD): It's off our networks. It's blocked off our servers.

Anybody who uses our systems no longer will be able to download or utilize this app because of the national security threat that it is. It will be a criminal offense if they do.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Thanks to the people of the state.

CAMPBELL: Despite the warnings from the intelligence community, some elected leaders across the country continue to maintain a presence on the social media giant.

(KNOCKING)

CAMPBELL: Like California Governor Newsom.

[15:45:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor?

NEWSOM: Thank you very much. Thank you.

CAMPBELL: His office did not respond to CNN's request for comment.

Still, the warning from U.S. intelligence leaders remains stark.

WILLIAM BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: It's genuinely troubling to see, you know, what the Chinese government could do to manipulate TikTok.

CAMPBELL (on camera): For those who might be thinking, who cares if a foreign government is spying on me watching dog videos on TikTok, cyber security experts say the vulnerabilities goes far beyond the app itself.

And they should only download apps from companies that you trust. Because any software you put on your Smartphone could open up that device to tampering.

Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE) REID: Coming up, we're counting down the top legal stories to watch in 2023.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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REID: There's no question that this has been a year filled with blockbuster news in the legal world. But next year could bring bigger headlines.

CNN senior legal analyst, Elie Honig, joins me now to count down his top five legal stories to watch in 2023.

Elie, I'm curious to see this list.

First up, a new fraud case out of your former office, the Southern District of New York, that has drawn comparisons to the Bernie Madoff case.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Paula. This happened real quickly. The prosecution of Sam Bankman-Fried. It took just a couple of weeks between the collapse of FTX, which was his crypto trading platform, and the federal indictment of Sam Bankman-Fried.

The allegations are essentially fraud. Bankman-Fried took his customers' money and used it for his own personal purposes and investments.

[15:50:00]

Now, he has been extradited from the Bahamas. He is facing prosecution and potential trial in the Southern District of New York, my former office.

We have a long and storied history of prosecuting the biggest many frauds from the 1980s penny stock junk bond traitors, through Benie Madoff. Some people are saying Sam Bankman-Fried is the next Madoff.

We will see in 2023 whether he we will see in 2023 weather he joins that list.

REID: Next up, the Supreme Court and affirmative action.

HONIG: Big one pending here. This case was argued back in October. This was a challenge to race-based affirmative action programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.

It's going to apply to universities and colleges across the country. The argument is it's unconstitutional for colleges to consider race.

The colleges responded that racial diversity is a legitimate goal that we are entitled to consider.

If you listen to the arguments here, it seemed to break along ideological lines, the six conservatives seemed inclined to strike down affirmative action, the three liberals seemed inclined to hold it up.

So it seems quite possible that we are going to see an end to race- based admissions in colleges and universities.

I expect a decision towards the end of the Supreme Court's term, so looking at May or June.

REID: And staying with the Supreme Court, they have a case that could change the way we vote for our elected leaders.

HONIG: Yes. This goes right to the heart of our democratic process.

This comes out of a dispute in North Carolina. The state legislature redrew the district lines in 2020 but then the state Supreme Court struck it down, saying the way you've done this is unconstitutional.

The Constitution said it's up to each state legislature how to draw congressional lines, how we vote. The argument they're making is -- and nobody can do anything about it, the governor can't veto it and the courts can't even review it.

That's a strong argument that's made its way to the Supreme Court. That argument happened in early December.

But this time, it looks like the justices are not going to take an extreme position. Looks like they want to find a middle ground where the state legislatures have a primary say but not the full say to themselves.

So looking for a decision somewhere around the end of June.

REID: You have a case on President Trump's efforts to steal the 2020 election in Georgia.

HONIG: Yes. Specifically the Fulton County district attorney's investigation, the centerpiece is the phone call from Donald Trump to secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, where Trump asked him to find exactly 11,780 votes.

This case has been going on nearly two years, picking up steam the last six months. We've seen a flurry of subpoenas to powerful people.

This case is going to a grand jury that would make a recommendation whether the case should be indicted or not.

The D.A. needs to decide whether to take the case to a regular grand jury to seek an indictment.

But if this case results in an indictment, and it may well, it's going to be a serious legal obstacle to turn this case from indictment into a conviction. We'll be watching that.

REID: Yes. We'll be busy this year.

The number-one case you'll be watching in 2023?

HONIG: It's two cases. I cheated here.

It's the special counsel's investigation, Jack Smith, who's in charge of not just January 6th investigations. But also the Mar-a-Lago documents case.

He was made special counsel by Merrick Garland in November and now he is off and running with both of these cases, Paula.

Important to keep in mind how this is going to work. The special counsel gets to make the first requirement, indictment or no indictment.

But ultimately, it goes to the Attorney General Merrick Garland. He will have the final say. He has to give weight to whatever the special counsel wants to do. But the buck stops with the attorney general, Paula.

We know that special counsel, Jack Smith, is still recuperating from this bike injury but he's expected back in the United States soon. And I'm sure we'll be covering every nuance of this case in 2023.

REID: It's a great list. I feel like five isn't enough. You need 10. You need the Hunter Biden investigation. And the Idaho investigation getting weirder by the day.

You and I are going to have a lot of analysis and reporting this year.

HONIG: We always say it can't be busier than last year but it is busier. I think the same will be the case this year -- Paula?

REID: Happy New Year, Elie.

HONIG: All right, you, too.

REID: That does it for me. I'm Paula Reid, reporting from Washington. Thanks so much for joining us.

Pamela Brown takes over the CNN NEWSROOM live after a quick break.

[15:54:56]

And as we go, here's a look at some of the celebrations from around the world. Have a good night and happy New Year.

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(CHEERING)

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this New Year's Eve. It's 4:00 p.m. here in Washington D.C.

Just eight hours until we turn the page on 2022 here in the United States. Many parts of the world have already ushered in 2023 with dazzling celebrations.

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BROWN: This is Sydney Australia, one of the first major cities to cross into the New Year.