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Vatican Announces Funeral Plans For Benedict XVI; Buffalo, New York, Residents Work To Clear Snow Before Temps Rise; Putin's New Year Message Is Rallying Cry For Russians; "Baraye" Becomes Anthem For Iranian Protesters; China Seeks More Growth As It Reopens; Santos Campaign Funds; "White Lotus" Star's Wishes For 2023. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired January 01, 2023 - 04:00 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 (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world, I'm Laila Harrak.
At the Vatican, the first holy mass of the new year will commemorate the late Pope Emeritus Benedict. We're live from St. Peter's Square.
And the year begins with flooding and evacuations in California, as over 25 million could be affected by extreme weather. Details and the forecast ahead.
And defiance as Ukraine enters the new year under a barrage of Russian missiles. We will hear from the Ukrainian and Russian leaders on two very different visions of what lies ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Laila Harrak.
HARRAK: From New Zealand to the U.S., most of the world has now ushered in 2023 with a mix of hope, excitement and flare. Hours ago New York held its traditional ball drop in front of a jam-packed Times Square. It was a spectacular show, complete with fireworks, music and a ton, literally a ton of confetti raining down on the crowd. Celebrations were also held across Europe, Africa and Asia. And in the next hour, Hawaii will become one of the last places on Earth to welcome the new year.
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HARRAK: Pope Francis is at the Vatican, celebrating Sunday mass at this hour, one day after his predecessor, former Pope Benedict, passed away at age 95. The Vatican announced that the pope emeritus, who was the first to resign the papacy since the 15th century, will lie in state from Monday at St. Peter's Basilica.
At Benedict's request, the Vatican says his funeral on Thursday morning will be, quote, "simple." Burial will be in the papal tombs beneath St. Peter's Basilica. Barbie Nadeau joins us live now from St. Peter's Square.
The worshippers have been paying their respects behind you?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been seeing people filtering into the square all morning, this is the New Year's Day mass. We can expect that Pope Francis will say something about Pope Benedict in this mass.
And then there will be the noon blessing, which he does every noon. But it's especially important on New Year's Day and we expect him as well to speak about Pope Benedict at that moment.
It's an interesting moment. These celebrations were already in place and Pope Benedict's death has added a certain poignancy to it. To have two popes inside Vatican City at the same time is something that hasn't happened in 600 years.
And Pope Francis and Pope Benedict had a cordial relationship. Pope Francis speaking highly of him and asking every one to do the same.
HARRAK: Do we expect Pope Francis to pay tribute to the pope emeritus during the holy mass?
NADEAU: Yes, we do expect him to make mention of it, especially during that blessing. But he's mentioned him last night during his -- during his mass as well. Let's listen to what he had to say last night.
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POPE FRANCIS, PONTIFF, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): We are moved as we recall him as such a noble person, so kind. And we feel such gratitude in our hearts.
Gratitude for God for giving him to the church and to the world, gratitude to him for all the good he accomplished and, above all, for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his life. Only God knows the value of his sacrifices for the good of the church.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NADEAU: And, you know, what's really important about that messaging is that Pope Benedict really did have a very complicated legacy. He was -- a lot of people blamed him for a great deal of the coverup of the clerical abuse, not while he was pope so much but while he was head of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith.
So Pope Francis, we're hearing, trying to change the messaging back to his dedication of his life to the church, all of the things he did.
[04:05:00]
NADEAU: And even during his 10 years of retirement, he continued to write, he continued to have audiences, he continued to give interviews. He was very influential and didn't get in Pope Francis' way.
I think what we're seeing is Pope Francis saying, OK, let's focus on the good that this pope did as we celebrate, as they celebrate his -- his life and his legacy.
HARRAK: Barbie Nadeau reporting, thank you so much.
Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the stabbing deaths of four Idaho college students, is awaiting extradition from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested on Friday.
Authorities say he made the cross-country drive home from Washington state with his father, who flew out to make the trip with his son. But even though a suspect is in custody, the investigation is far from over.
The Moscow, Idaho, police chief says more than 400 calls came into authorities after they announced Kohberger's arrest. The chief welcomes the information and he says he hopes tips will lead to the murder weapon and provide more details about the suspect.
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CHIEF JAMES FRY, MOSCOW POLICE DEPARTMENT: Because now we're at a new point. Now we know who we're looking at. We want information on that individual. We want that updated information so that we could start building that picture now.
Every tip matters. Everything -- every piece matters. So we just want, you know, our community and the nation to continue to send us that.
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HARRAK: In nearly seven weeks since the students were killed, investigators say they have conducted more than 300 interviews and checked approximately 20,000 tips.
Kohberger faces four counts of murder in the first degree and one count of felony burglary. CNN's Jean Casarez is in Pennsylvania, with more on the suspect's arrest and what happens next.
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JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bryan Kohberger remains right here at the Monroe County correctional facility. And we do know that it was on Friday in the early morning hours that he was arrested at his family's home in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, a small town about 10 miles away from here.
But what has been not known is exactly what happened at the time of his arrest. The chief public defender for Monroe County told me after speaking with his parents that happened.
JASON LABAR, CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER, MONROE COUNTY: His father, Michael, answered the door and he was cooperative from that point forward.
CASAREZ: And then Bryan came to the door?
LABAR: Yes, and Bryan was also very cooperative. He went with state police to the barracks. I don't think there were any issues and he was cooperative.
CASAREZ: I asked the chief public defender for Monroe County, Pennsylvania, if he had all talked to his client about having a psychological assessment at this point, because defense attorneys many times want to get that mental state right from the beginning.
He said he spoke with his client but he does not know who is going to represent him once he gets to Idaho.
LABAR: Obviously given the charges and the serious nature of the offenses, it's likely that it's going to be a capital case, so there is a select number of people in Idaho that can actually try the case and represent Bryan.
CASAREZ: The next legal proceeding for Bryan Kohberger will be in Monroe County on Tuesday. It will be the extradition proceeding. We do know from his attorney he will waive that and then he will be on to Idaho to face those very serious criminal charges -- back to you.
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HARRAK: People in northern California are being told to shelter in place and avoid the roads as heavy rains cause widespread flooding there. Officials in one area using armored rescue vehicles to evacuate residents and also providing emergency sandbags and plastic sheeting to residents and businesses.
The National Weather Service says the San Francisco Bay area is close to breaking the city's record for the single wettest day because of the nonstop rain. About 250,000 homes and businesses are without power in California and Nevada due to the storm.
There is one spot of good news; the California Highway Patrol is reporting that all lanes of U.S. Highway 101 have reopened to all traffic. It had been closed due to major flooding.
More than 25 million people are under flood watches across California and parts of Nevada, as heavy rain, strong winds and snow continue to pummel the area. The snow is expected to spread to the Rockies late Sunday and into Monday, causing hazardous driving conditions.
Meantime, residents of Buffalo, New York, are working to dig out from under more than 4 feet of snow that fell during last week's historic blizzard. In the coming days, temperatures are expected to rise well above freezing, putting the area at risk of flooding as well as all that snow and ice melts.
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HARRAK: Erie County officials say they've prepped -- they are prepped -- stockpiling pumps and generators and digging drainage ditches for melting snow.
After mass cancellations and chaos during Christmas, Southwest Airlines says it's back on a full schedule. The U.S.-based carrier had only five cancellations on Saturday as the vice president of the airline's pilots' association is urging people to give them another chance.
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MIKE SANTORO, V.P., SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PILOTS ASSOCIATION: I encourage them to give us another shot. I think we are going to end up fixing this going forward. It does take a very large event to make this happen.
And the union is definitely going to be pressing the company very hard to make sure things get fixed.
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HARRAK: The airline canceled more than 15,000 flights since December 22nd, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers. Luggage was almost lost, misplaced or delayed, prompting the Department of Transportation to send the airline a formal warning.
Officials in Alabama are investigating why an airline worker was killed at Montgomery's airport on Saturday. The incident involved an employee, who was on a ramp, where an American Airlines regional jet was parked.
The airport briefly shut down operations following the incident. In a statement, American Airlines offered condolences to the worker's family and called the death an accident. But circumstances of the death have not yet been released.
The New York police commissioner said three officers are in stable condition following a machete attack near Times Square. The unprovoked assault happened two hours before midnight near a screening site to get into Times Square.
One received a skull fracture and a large cut on his head and another officer suffered a laceration. The third officer's injuries were not specified.
A 19-year-old man began swinging a machete at the officers without warning before he was shot and wounded. Mayor Eric Adams praising the officers' professionalism while maintaining security for the celebration.
Ukraine's capital is not backing down in the face of Russia's aggression. We will show you how the city demonstrated its defiance just as Russian missiles rained down on it.
Plus, how this Ukrainian band is helping to unite their fellow citizens as the war rages.
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HARRAK: North Korea is starting the new year by showing off its super large multiple rocket launcher. The country says it tested the weapon this weekend and presented it during a meeting of the North Korean Workers Party.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hailed as it as a key offensive weapon. He said it's capable of carrying tactical weapons and that all of South Korea is in its range.
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HARRAK: Ukraine's president is telling Russians they will be fighting a losing battle in 2023. Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to them directly in his evening address on Saturday.
He said Russians are not fighting NATO, as Moscow keeps telling them. He says the truth is they've been sent to war to keep president Vladimir Putin in power for life. But in his new year's message to fellow Ukrainians, Mr. Zelenskyy made a wish for the entire country.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We woke up on February 24th to another life, being another people, another Ukraine. The first missile finally destroyed the labyrinth of illusion.
We don't know for sure what the new year 2023 will bring us but ready for anything. New achievements, we will be happy. New hits, we will be steadfast. Continuation of the fight, we will fight. And when we win, we will hug. I want to wish all of us one thing: victory.
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HARRAK: Kyiv rang in the new year on a patriotic note, including by decorating the street in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. But the Ukrainian capital showed its defiant side shortly after the new year was ushered in.
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HARRAK (voice-over): People shouted "glory to Ukraine" and "glory to heroes" as Russia unleashed new attacks on Kyiv. The city's mayor said air raid warnings were activated. The strikes came on the heels of a wave missile attacks on New Year's Eve.
Ukraine said they left at least six people dead and more than 2 dozen wounded across the country. Let's get you more on these developments, Clare Sebastian joins us from London.
We heard earlier from Mr. Putin.
What did the Russian leader have to say?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He was pretty steadfast in his talking points, sticking to his traditional justifications for the war, making clear he has no intention of compromising really on anything.
The optics were interesting. He usually delivers the address standing in front of a lit-up Moscow Kremlin. This year he did it on a visit to the southern district of Russia, not far at all from the Ukrainian border, about 75 miles, visiting soldiers there.
You can on the left of the screen last year, on the right of the screen this year. The difference, standing in front of what appears to be soldiers in uniform. He already delivered the highest military honor to the Russian general commanding the forces in Ukraine.
And he said that Russia is working in Ukraine to protect its own people in its historical territories, referring to the regions that it has illegally annexed.
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SEBASTIAN: He has railed against the West, accusing of fomenting this conflict and using Ukraine for its own end. Take a listen.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): The West lied about peace but was preparing for aggression. And today they openly admitted without shame and (INAUDIBLE) Ukraine and its people to weaken and split Russia. We have never allowed and never will allow anyone to do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So Russia presenting this as a war not with Ukraine but with the West. And almost as those words, that speech was being released, there was this big cruise missile attack across Ukraine, Ukraine saying it repelled 12 out of 20 cruise missiles.
And that followed up overnight by what seems to be a pretty large scale drone attack. The Ukrainian air force said it shot down about 45 drones in Kyiv. The regional military administration says that around 3 dozen drones were launched at that region, reporting damage to infrastructure, though, as of yet, no casualties.
HARRAK: Clare Sebastian reporting. Thank you so much as ever.
A Ukrainian orchestra won last year's Eurovision contest. The band's frontman tells CNN how their tune is unifying the nation. Here is Christina Macfarlane.
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You wrote your song, "Stefania," for your mother.
What has it now come to symbolize to the people of Ukraine?
OLEN PSYUK, FRONTMAN, KALUSH ORCHESTRA (through translator): For me, it will always be a song about my mom and was above all dedicated to my mom. Yes, it was a song about my mom, which then passed our national selection and later won Eurovision.
When the full-scale war happened, this song was everywhere to hear. They call it the anthem of our war.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): He says winning Eurovision was a victory for all of Ukraine.
PSYUK (voice-over): It was the same in Lviv, I mean, for all of Ukraine, it was a celebration, a great victory that cheered everyone up.
MACFARLANE: You have been making a lot of new music, I understand, back in Ukraine.
How difficult has it been to be creative when you're living and working in a war zone?
PSYUK (voice-over): At first after the start of the full-scale war, it was very difficult to gather ourselves and understand what to write and how to write at this time. But then we realized that we needed to write and support people in any case so we have already somehow got accustomed to it.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): As Putin tries to destroy Ukraine and its culture, Olen says the work of every musician was taken on more meaning.
PSYUK (voice-over): I think this is a valuable contribution, both ours and that of every Ukrainian performer, musician, artist. What's very important is we see our culture has really taken off. And this is good. We hope that this is just the beginning and that our culture will be even bigger and shared even more widely around the world.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Kalush's rap and folk music lit up the stages at Glastonbury and the MTV Europe Music Awards this year and they have big plans for what's next.
MACFARLANE: If there was one artist in the world that you would like to collaborate with musically, who would it be?
PSYUK (voice-over): We want to work with Eminem. I'm not joking. I'm a fan of his and I have always wanted to do it. If he happens to come to you, ask him to get in touch.
MACFARLANE: What message do you have from the people of Ukraine to the world as we look ahead to 2023? PSYUK (voice-over): Our message is that every person can help us, not necessarily financially or whatever, one can help out with information, volunteer or in some other way. If everyone makes at least some effort, this war will end sooner because, together, we are strong.
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HARRAK: In Iran, a song by a singer who was arrested has become an anthem for anti-government protests, called "Baraye," it's rapidly spread across the movement in Iran and around the world. Nada Bashir has more.
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NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "For my sister, for your sister, for our sisters," lyrics inspired by a series of tweets, highlighting the many reasons as to why the people of Iran are protesting.
It was created by Iranian singer-songwriter Shervin Hajipour. He was arrested after the song's release on charges, including spreading propaganda against the regime. But the piece has since been described as the unofficial anthem of Iran's ongoing protest movement and has inspired artistic displays of defiance across the globe.
PARMIDA BAREZ, SONGWRITER AND ACTOR: It's one of the most powerful shared languages we have that can create unity and stir strong emotions and engage audiences and inspire people to take action. And that power is threatening to an tyrannical, authoritarian regime.
BASHIR (voice-over): It's this desire to show solidarity and inspire action which drove Parmida Barez to create a now-viral spoken word piece.
BAREZ: The deaths of all the martyrs we have lost won't be in vain.
If I were in Iran under the Islamic Republic murderous regime, I would either be kidnapped, raped, jailed, handed a death sentence, maybe even killed for writing and reciting that poem. I have more freedom to create living outside of the country. So it's my duty.
BASHIR (voice-over): More than three months passed since protests first began in Iran. The movement has grown to become a national uprising, calling for regime change but the fight for women's rights remains at its heart.
And despite a brutal and deadly crackdown by the regime, women continue to protest, removing their mandatory hijabs and dancing in the streets; acts long forbidden, now symbols of freedom.
Their defiance has inspired acts of protests from many Iranian creatives and displays of solidarity across the globe.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Their fight is our fight.
BASHIR (voice-over): From art installations in New York, the word "baraye" displayed here, featuring the names of those believed to have lost their lives at the hands of the regime and musical renditions of hadjipour's globally celebrated protest song.
To this rousing performance in Buenos Aires, an Iranian actress joining British band coldplay, together singing the now unforgettable chant of "Women, life, freedom" -- Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: After years of crippling COVID restrictions, China is now hoping for better days in 2023. Details on their economic goals this new year.
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HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and Canada, I'm Laila Harrak and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
In New York, thousands of nurses threatening to go on strike next week. The state's nurse association says at least 16,000 caregivers have delivered notices to eight private hospitals. They want a new negotiation of their union contract.
The president of the association tells CNN, hospitals aren't doing enough to invest and retain nurses.
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NANY HAGANS, PRESIDENT, NEW YORK STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION: We need to have enough nurses to care for our patients. You cannot have a nurse working in a medical-surgical unit, where she should have five nurse -- five patients. And that nurse is taking care of 12 patients.
There are nurses in the emergency room that are caring for 20 patients. We are asking in this contract to have proper, safe patient to nurse ratio. We are also asking for wages that is equal to the inflation. That is all we're asking for. We are not asking for a strike.
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HARRAK: Well, the potential strikes come as hospitals are already short staffed and grappling with three major viruses, COVID, flu and RSV.
Air travelers from China are facing a growing number of restrictions around the world, including a ban on entering Morocco starting on Tuesday. Canada and Australia will require a negative COVID test before those travelers can board a plane.
That applies to all travelers, regardless of nationality. On Friday, England and France joined the U.S., Spain, South Korea and other countries in announcing similar restrictions. All this comes as Beijing's rapid drawback of its zero COVID policy has led to a huge outbreak in coronavirus cases.
Taiwan's president, meanwhile, has offered to assist Beijing in dealing with that surge. She made the comments in her new year's message.
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TSAI ING-WEN, TAIWANESE PRESIDENT (through translator): We have seen the recent escalation of the epidemic situation in China. As long as there is a need, based on the position of humanitarian care, we are willing to provide the necessary assistance to help more people get out of the pandemic and have a healthy and safe new year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: As China eases its COVID restrictions and begins to reopen, officials are now shifting their attention to economic growth. As Selina Wang reports, the country has high expectations for 2023.
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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): People in China will take any opportunity to celebrate. The country is finally opening up after years of lockdowns, abandoning its zero COVID policy.
There's hope that 2023 will look more like that.
This year China even managed to pull off the Beijing Winter Olympics.
WANG: Here we go, we're taking off.
WANG (voice-over): I flew into Beijing for my previous posting in Tokyo to cover the games in January.
WANG: First thing I saw walking off the airplane is a sea of hazmat suits.
WANG (voice-over): The literal walls separating us from the rest of China.
WANG: He said the police will take me if I try to walk out of the gate.
WANG (voice-over): In 2022, China became a giant sanitized bubble under constant high-tech surveillance. The country growing more isolated as ties frayed with the West and grew tighter with Russia.
Military tensions rise over Taiwan while the man who is calling the shots, Xi Jinping, stepped into an unprecedented third term as China's supreme leader this year. [04:35:00]
WANG (voice-over): His goal is to make China great again and turn it into a technological superpower. And not just on Earth. This year China successfully launched crewed missions to its new space station, fueling national pride.
2022 also marked a milestone for China's national animal; 15 panda cubs were born at this research base alone. And next year China is preparing to host the Asian games, an event that people hope will boost the COVID battered economy and morale.
There's relief and joy that people have their freedom back. Finally in 2023 there's hope people in China can party and travel without fear just like they used to -- Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
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HARRAK: Still ahead, a divided Congress and a series of investigations. U.S. President Joe Biden is facing a number of political challenges this new year. We will take a look at how he plans to address them.
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HARRAK: Here in the U.S., Representative-elect George Santos has been under intense scrutiny for false claims about his family history and resume. And now some finance experts are questioning Santos' explanation that dozens of election campaign expenses all came to the exact amount of $199.99.
That's one penny below the dollar figure which the Federal Election Commission requires campaigns to keep receipts. Santos' attorney says all campaign funds were spent in compliance with the campaign finance laws.
He also said the suggestion that the Santos campaign engaged in any unlawful spending of campaign funds is irresponsible at best.
[04:40:00]
HARRAK: President Biden is spending the new year in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's his last chance to rest before a busy political season in the weeks and months ahead. CNN's Arlette Saenz looks at the challenges he faces.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden is ringing in the new year here in St. Croix. A big decision about a possible campaign in 2024 is looming. His advisers say they're taking the president at his word when he says that he intends to run for president once again. And they're starting to make the plans to put those mechanisms in
place, should he decide to launch that campaign in the coming months. The president has said that he would spend these holidays speaking with his family about that decision. And he was asked about those conversations while he was out to dinner here in St. Croix.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Happy new year.
QUESTION: Did you talk to your family about running for reelection, sir?
BIDEN: There is an election coming up?
I didn't know that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: In addition to making the decision about a 2024 campaign, President Biden is set to return to Washington in a new political reality, as Republicans are about to take control of the House, taking control of a chamber of Congress for the first time since Biden has been in office.
As he's entering this era of divided government, Biden said he hopes there will be areas for bipartisan cooperation. But the White House is also fully cognizant of the resistance that they could meet in the coming years.
One thing the White House is watching very closely is the race for House Speaker, to see if Kevin McCarthy will be Speaker of the House coming up in this next term in Congress. Additionally, the White House has been preparing for an onslaught of congressional investigations spearheaded by Republicans.
Republicans have promised to look into things like Hunter Biden's business dealings with the White House, believed it's actually politically motivated, to issues like the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Biden for the first time will be in office during the divided government with a very steep climb ahead for getting any of his agenda passed in Congress -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in St. Croix.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Brazil is ringing in the new year with a new president. The inauguration for Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is hours away, to be followed by a massive party with his supporters. Here is one Lula fan ready to celebrate.
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CAIO SILVA, DA SILVA SUPPORTER (through translator): I am very happy. Very excited. This victory is much bigger than a party or a candidate. It is the victory of a country, of people who believe that we can renew our hope and repair all that has been taken away from us. This is victory of democracy against fascism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: Outgoing far right president Jair Bolsonaro won't be at the inauguration. He left the country on Friday and headed for Florida. His administration says it's cooperating with the transition of power, even though Mr. Bolsonaro hasn't publicly conceded defeat.
And Brazil is making preparations for the public wake for football legend Pele. The ceremony will begin Monday at this stadium in Sao Paulo state. Thousands are expected to show up and pay their respects.
Earlier, fans honored the soccer icon with a drone display. It depicted him scoring a goal and holding one of his many trophies. Pele died last week after a battle with cancer. He scored more than 1,200 goals in his career and won three World Cup titles.
The red-hot star of the TV series "The White Lotus" opening up about his goals for the new year. We talk to Theo James about his personal life and whether he would ever play 007.
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HARRAK: "The White Lotus" is one of the most popular TV shows of 2022.
So what's ahead for one of its biggest stars?
CNN's Lynda Kinkade sat down with Theo James to talk about his personal and professional goals for 2023.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Theo James, happy new year.
THEO JAMES, ACTOR: Happy new year.
How are you?
KINKADE: I'm well. I have to say I watched "The White Lotus," Emmy award winning show. I love it but I hate every character.
JAMES: Yes.
KINKADE: I hate every character but it works, right? Even your character.
JAMES: I mean, especially my character. Geez, he's a scumbag. I was watching a clip of him and I was repulsed by my own self.
(LAUGHTER)
JAMES: Yes, that's what Mike does so well, is he creates unlikable characters but in a strange way that you have empathy for them or you understand them.
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KINKADE: There is nudity, there is sex scenes involving you.
Do you get nervous?
JAMES: It's always a bit awkward but not nervous. You're about to go on stage, if you know what I mean, because you have to figure out the mechanics of it.
KINKADE: Do they close the set?
Is it a smaller crew?
Is everyone there?
JAMES: No, they hand out popcorn and people come in.
(LAUGHTER)
JAMES: No, thankfully they close the set and they make it small and, you know, as intimate as it needs to be.
KINKADE: This current season of "The White Lotus" is set in Sicily, picture perfect location.
JAMES: It was great to be there and also, you know, that's a bit of a theme of this show. It's about sex, sexual politics. And Italy is so rich for that, isn't it, historically and, you know, existentially.
KINKADE: I have three daughters, the youngest has turned two. I understand you have a baby girl.
JAMES: I do, yes, 2.5.
KINKADE: Congratulations.
JAMES: Thank you. And you, too.
KINKADE: How do you like the role of being a dad?
JAMES: I love it. I love it.
[04:50:00] JAMES: You know, I think it enables you hopefully to become a better person, you know but also to care deeply much more about something outside yourself.
You know, so it shifts your -- as you know from having three kids -- it shifts kind of in a cheesy way your outlook on the world. Before kids, you can be quite selfcentric and suddenly it changes. And you realize that none of that really matters at all.
KINKADE: Will she get a sibling?
JAMES: Yes, I hope so. Yes. I don't know where we will find a sibling.
(LAUGHTER)
JAMES: On the street maybe.
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KINKADE: You did the "Divergent" films.
JAMES: Yes.
KINKADE: I read that you felt typecast after that.
In what way?
JAMES: Those type of films are inherently what -- because what they're based around is to, you know, be seen by the widest possible, you know, audience. And as a result, it can sometimes make the themes in it a big less acute. So as a result, it can be less fulfilling as an actor and, yes, you kind of find yourself, you know, seen in a very specific way.
KINKADE: If a casting director came calling for the role of James Bond, would you take it?
JAMES: I don't think they would take me.
KINKADE: Why on Earth not?
JAMES: I'm too Greek. A Greek called Bondopoulos.
(LAUGHTER)
KINKADE: (INAUDIBLE) a good looking British guy who can do action film, tick, tick, tick.
JAMES: I think honestly now is the time for it to go in a different direction. I think it needs diversity, it needs a change.
Would you do it?
Would you be Bond?
KINKADE: Do you think there will be a female James Bond one day?
JAMES: I like the idea of that.
KINKADE: So you work with UNHCR.
JAMES: Yes.
KINKADE: How did you get involved?
What's your connection?
JAMES: My grandfather, who was Greek, he, during the Second World War as the Nazis came into Athens, he had to escape by boat, you know, across the Aegean. Then he had to take basically refugee status and go, you know, on foot and ended up being, you know, helped in Damascus.
So it was the other way around, you know, as Europeans flooding out and seeking refuge in Syria. So I'm also interested in, you know, male mental health and young men after they lose their homes.
They have to travel, they lose identity. And you get very high levels of anxiety and deep depression in men and women. But you know, because I'm a young man, it's a way of kind of reaching across that divide a little bit. And I understand that.
KINKADE: So 2023, what are your hopes for the year ahead?
JAMES: I'd love to have as much time with family, one to one. You know, suddenly as you know with kids, suddenly a year goes by and they have changed and grown up and evolved. But I don't want to miss any of that, you know. It's hard when you are away a lot.
KINKADE: You have some trips to Australia to see family in coming months.
JAMES: Yes, very soon. We have a big family. I come from a big family, there's five kids and, you know, we are all going out to have a big kind of reunion.
KINKADE: Should we have a toast?
JAMES: Yes, please.
KINKADE: Happy new year.
JAMES: Cheers.
KINKADE: Happy new year.
JAMES: 2023 and to us.
KINKADE: And to good health.
JAMES: And to good health.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Here is a look at what we can expect in space exploration in the coming year.
In March SpaceX plans to fly Polaris Dawn, a private human spaceflight on the Crew Dragon capsule. The mission is expected to include the first commercial space walk.
The next month the European Space Agency is set to launch its Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer. Its goal is to make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons.
And in October, NASA will launch its Psyche spacecraft. NASA says that mission will be a journey to a unique, metal-rich asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
And the SpaceX starship will conduct a lunar flyby with its dearMoon project, funded by a Japanese billionaire. The crew will embark on a six-day mission flying in a single trajectory around the moon.
And finally this hour, 2023 was welcomed with hope for the future and breath-taking displays of sound and light. Here is a look at some of the best and brightest new year's scenes.
[04:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to 2023 in Sydney, Australia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy new year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An incredible sight here in Hong Kong. This is the first time I've seen fireworks over the Hong Kong harbor in almost three years. Wow, this really feels like a new beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy new year.
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Taiwan is reopening to the world after three years of pandemic. This is a democracy that is ready to showcase a positive message of peace on Earth.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): From Dubai, Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world with over 160 floors and certainly one of the most famed. It's always ready to ring in the new year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: And that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Laila Harrak. I will be back after a short break.
