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Family of Suspect Bryan Kohberger Releases Statement; Deadly Floods in California; Suspect to Face Murder Charge in Alabama Mass Shooting; Time is Running Short for McCarthy to Secure Speaker Role; Public Viewing Underway at St. Peter's Basilica for Pope Benedict; Brazil to Hold Public Wake for Pele; Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Sworn in as Brazil's President. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 02, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster. We are back together.

NOBILO: We have reunited.

FOSTER: Live from London. Just ahead on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are hearing time from the family of the man accused of killing four college students in Idaho.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family, we will love and support our son and brother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Epic flight. There were many rescues in the California area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was so much water it was gushing in and it knocked me over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those that had the privilege of watching Pele play more than 60 years ago, now I'm preparing to say good-bye. Come back king and be with your people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

FOSTER: It is Monday, January 2nd, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Pennsylvania. Happy New Year to you.

But in Pennsylvania the family of the man arrested for the killings of four Idaho college students is speaking out to offer their condolences where suspect Bryan Kohberger sits in detention. NOBILO: He is accused of first degree murder in the stabbing death of

Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen. Their students bodies were found in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho only a few miles from the suspects graduate school residence.

FOSTER: Kohberger and his family released a statement on Sunday. CNN's Jean Casarez has more on that along with details of the arrest and what comes next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Defendant Bryan Kohberger remains right here in northeastern Pennsylvania. He is housed right behind me in a Monroe County correctional facility. His next hearing will be in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. It is an extradition hearing. He will be waiving extradition to go back to Idaho. But his family is right here in northeastern Pennsylvania, and they have released a statement. I want to read that to you.

They say: First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother. We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions. We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process.

And his attorney is the chief public defender for Monroe County, Pennsylvania. He tells me that when the arrest happened at 1:30 in the morning on Friday, that it was actually Bryan Kohberger's father that answered the door. The family is saying according to the attorney, about 3:00 in the morning. The middle of the night he answered the door. We know it was the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police. We know Idaho State Police are here in Pennsylvania at this point.

The father fully cooperated with law enforcement, I am told. He brought his son Bryan to the door. That is when authorities arrested him. I am also told by the attorney that the family is not being allowed to visit him in this correction facility. They are not being allowed to talk with him but the fact is once there is that court date on Tuesday for extradition, it is a public courtroom and anyone can go inside.

Jean Casarez, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: As Jean just mentioned, Kohberger's father is cooperating with authorities but there are still questions to be resolved about his actions as CNN's senior law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: The father flew out and then drove back with him. And the question is why? I mean, that's a long drive. That's over 2,000 miles. That's not something that you would do for no reason. Did he feel like his son was upset?

[04:05:00]

Had he told him something that caused him to actually fly out just to drive back with him? We need to know that. We also need to know what did they talk about? I mean, that's a long drive. I don't think they sat silently in the car for 2,500 miles. So, what did they talk about? Now there's nothing to indicate at this point time that the father knew anything about the murders, but certainly that's a line of questioning that you would have to follow as an investigator.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Kohberger's public defender told CNN he's not sure how quickly his client will be extradited after Tuesday's hearing but he expects it will be within 72 hours.

NOBILO: And interesting also that they've elected to waive the extradition hearing. So, their defense lawyer said it's because the suspect's is keen to be exonerated fast, not necessarily what people are expecting.

And multiple law enforcements also say that a teenager who attacked New York police officers on Saturday had desires to join the Taliban. They say it was written in a diary along with desires to die a, quote, martyr.

FOSTER: The teenager's in custody after pulling out a machete in the attack on three officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve. They were treated at hospital and have since been released.

NOBILO: Police are still trying to determine what prompted the attack. It's not clear if the suspect viewed jihadist propaganda. He hasn't formally been charged with a crime as of Sunday.

Meanwhile, in the southern U.S. a suspect is now in custody in connection with a New Year's Eve shooting in Mobile, Alabama. One person is dead and nine others are injured. Details from Nadia Romero.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was supposed to be a New Year's celebration. New year, new beginning but instead that area of Mobile is now a crime scene. So, we know that at least one person is dead, a 24-year-old man. Nine others injured in ages ranging from 17 up to 57 years old. Now the police chief says that he does not believe that is a random act of violence. Take a listen.

I think it's safe to say though at this stage that the perpetrators and the -- at least the deceased may have been known to one another and so I think that will give some comfort to all of us downtown that it was not just a random shooting where a person lost their life. CHIEF PAUL PRINE, MOBILE, ALABAMA POLICE: I think it's safe to say,

though, at this stage that the perpetrators and the -- at least the deceased, may have been known to one another, and so I think that would give some comfort to all of us downtown that this was not just a random shooting where a person lost their life.

ROMERO: Out of the nine people injured their injuries range from non- life-threatening up to severe injuries. And the police chief says they're gathering more information as this investigation continues.

Nadia Romero, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And Mobile wasn't the only place that saw New Year's Eve violence. In Ocala, Florida near Orlando two people are dead and four others are injured after a shooting early on Sunday. Police say it happened at a gathering of about 100 people.

NOBILO: And in Chicago a teenager is dead and three others are hospitalized after a shooting on Sunday. Police say they appeared to be victims of a drive by.

And at least four people are dead and three in critical condition after two helicopters collided midair in Australia. It happened earlier near the popular tourist strip of Main Beach on the Gold Coast just south of Brisbane.

FOSTER: Police say the helicopter crashed into a sandbank near the Sea World Resort. It's the height of the tour season there with schools close for the summer right now. The main road into the area is closed to traffic. Police are asking anyone who saw the collision to contact investigators.

NOBILO: A storm system that's caused life threatening flooding in the Western U.S. is moving east putting more than 15 million people under winter weather alerts. At least two people were killed by flooding in parts of California over the weekend. In Sacramento County, residents were told to avoid travel because of wind gusts.

FOSTER: Firefighters used a boat to rescue five people trapped in their cars on Saturday night in a town south of Los Angeles. More than 60,000 homes and businesses are still without power in California -- according to poweredoutage.us.

Now some California communities were advised to evacuate due to rising creeks and rivers. CNN's Camila Bernal has more on that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thousands were left without power because of the wind and the rain. And in addition to the power outages, we saw epic flooding. Not just in the urban areas, but we saw creeks and rivers overflowing. Many were told to evacuate their homes. Others were told to shelter in place because of how dangerous it was to drive under those conditions. The National Weather Service even saying there were too many roads

that were closed to even count. At some point on Saturday Highway 101 in South San Francisco was closed in both directions. There were many rescues in the California area. In Sacramento County, for example, officials saying they had dozens of rescues and had to rescue about 40 people from their cars. Here is what some residents here in California had to wade through.

[04:10:04]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a little concerning for sure. When you see the water moving this quick and rising like this, it's a little unsettling.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I opened one of my gates, there was so much water it was gushing and it knocked me over and I got stuck and my phone -- I lost my phone in the water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It started raining but it just kept getting -- the water kept getting deeper and deeper, and it's really -- I've been here about six years and that's the deep -- it's worse than it's ever been.

BERNAL: And rainfall exceeded eight inches here in California according to the CNN weather team. Despite how difficult it was for a lot of people, this is much needed rain. It's unclear how this will impact drought conditions in the state but nonetheless, the water here is always welcome.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Well, as we said, if we take a look at the path of the storm, weather alerts span parts of California as it moves northeast to the south. People can expect rain in parts of Arizona and New Mexico and that could turn into snow over the Rockies. Some areas could see more than 6 inches or 15 centimeters.

NOBILO: Officials are assessing the damage from the second earthquake to get a Northern California town in just two weeks. The mayor of Rio Dell says the 5.4 magnitude quake is shorter but felt more violent than the one who struck the region on December the 20th. She says there's a 45 foot crack in one of the main roads. 30 percent of the town's water is shut town and power is out for some customers too.

NOBILO: Now the earthquake was centered 9 miles or about 14 kilometers southeast of Rio Dell.

NOBILO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump wanted to trademark the phrase "rigged election" days after the 2020 election. That's according to an email that Jared Kushner shared with the White House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot and Trump's efforts to overturn the election.

NOBILO: Now Kushner is Trump's son-in-law, of course, and a former senior advisor at the White House. His email is part of the latest wave of witness interview transcripts the committee is releasing to the public as it winds down its work.

Meanwhile, U.S. House Republican Adam Kinzinger told CNN he fears for the future of the country if Donald Trump is not charged with a crime related to January 6th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-I): As we've gotten into this I look and I'm like, yes, if this is not a crime, I don't know what is. If a president can incite an insurrection and not be held accountable, then really there's no limit to what a president can do or can't do.

And so, yes, I do think ultimately when we get to where we've got to go, I think the Justice Department will do the right thing. I think he will be charged and I frankly think he should be. I mean, everything we've uncovered from what he did with the Justice Department to everything leading up to January 6th to on January 6th. Sitting there for 180 minutes and watching this occur in the hope that maybe just maybe that last attempt to stay in power will work. I look at that and go if he is not guilty for a crime, then I frankly fear for the future of this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: That was Adam Kinzinger. Meantime, Republican Kevin McCarthy is scrambling to lock down enough votes to become speaker of the House on Tuesday.

FOSTER: In a conference call with party members on Sunday, he outlined more concessions he's agreed to make in his campaign for the leadership role. That includes making it easier to oust the Speaker in the future. But not long after that call a group of nine Republicans a letter saying his concessions were insufficient and they're still not sold on picking him as Speaker. Though they did say progress is being made.

Earlier our senior political analysts Ron Brownstein weighed in on the troubles that McCarthy is facing as he tries to secure the speakership.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It's been exactly 100 years since we've had an election for the speaker go past a first ballot. 1923 was the last time that it happened. That's the only time it's happened since the Civil War. It was more common before the Civil War but has only happened once since.

Kevin McCarthy is at real risk of having this go at least past one ballot. Because you have these conservatives who want to make a point. And maybe, as you note, they've already made their point. Even if McCarthy can get the votes together to become the Speaker, they have already demonstrated that he has to concede to them so much in order to get there that they will be in a very strong position to define the party in 2023 with all of the risks that entails after what we saw in the midterm election.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: One thing is clear, the White House won't have Speaker Nancy Pelosi to work with in the House any longer. So, President Biden hopes to show he can work with the Republicans. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more on how he plans to reach out to the opposition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:15:30]

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: When President Biden returns to Washington on Monday, he will be facing a new political reality as Republicans are set to take control of the House entering an era of divided government for the first time since Biden took office.

But the president has repeatedly said that he hopes to find areas of bipartisan cooperation with Republicans. And on Wednesday he's trying to showcase his willingness to work with Republicans when the president travels to Kentucky where he will be joined by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell as well as Ohio's Republican governor as they are there to tout the bipartisan infrastructure law.

There is a bridge connecting Kentucky and Ohio which will benefit from some of the funding in the bipartisan infrastructure law that was passed last year. It was one of the few bipartisan accomplishments the president was able \ to achieve in the past year. Additionally, they were able to pass more funding for Ukraine. Also, investments in the microchip industry here in the United States as well as gun safety legislation.

Now the White House has been trying to identifying Republicans they can work with in this upcoming Congress and they're really targeting two groups. One being that group of moderate Republicans and another, incoming freshmen who won in districts President Biden carried back in 2020.

But even as they are focusing on ways to find bipartisan cooperation, President Biden is fully cognizant of the Republican resistance ahead. One thing that they will be watching very closely this week is that race for House Speaker as they are waiting to see whether Kevin McCarthy will be the leader of the Republicans and Speaker of the House.

Also, the White House has been gearing up for a bevy of investigations expected to be launched from House Republicans. They've said that they will launch investigations into everything from the withdrawal from Afghanistan and work on the southern border as well as Hunter Biden's business dealings, which the White House has said is politically motivated.

President Biden very soon will be returning to Washington in that era of divided government. He hopes there will be bipartisan cooperation but he's also prepared for the resistance ahead. Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in St. Croix.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The world is bidding a long farewell to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. We are live in Vatican City after the break with new details on the funeral and what more to expect this week.

Plus, Brazil mourns one of the greatest football players of all times. Details on the touching tributes to Pele as the country prepares for his wake.

NOBILO: And Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is sworn in as Brazil's new leader. The challenges facing the new leader as he seeks to change course from Bolsonaro era.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Public viewing for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is now underway at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. He will lie in state for three days.

FOSTER: But the Catholic faithful will be able to pay their respects in person from today through to Wednesday. The funeral, which will be led by Pope Francis is scheduled for Thursday morning local time.

NOBILO: Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher is there in St. Peter's Square and joins us now live. Delia, Pope Benedict had one of the shortest tenures as Pope and he was the first Pope to resign in 600 years. It was also over shadowed by the abuse scandals. So, when you are speaking to the faithful that are there, how are they characterizing him as a Pope and his legacy?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: So, Bianca, since about 7:00 this morning there are people lining up. I have to say, in the last hour or so many, many more have come. We are probably at a couple thousand now. They're going through security first and then heading inside the Basilica.

We spoke to as many of them as possible. They are theology students who are here living in Rome, priests, nuns and tourists who just happened to be here for Christmas and New Year's. And of course, this is kind of a once in a lifetime occasion for them to experience as well.

And you know, Bianca, many of them told us that they were here because Pope Benedict in some way had influence their lives and their studies. Because, again, they were theology students or priests and nuns. So, they are quite devoted to him.

Other people just know him as many people do around the world, as the Pope had some mixed feelings about his record as Pope. But I think most of them are at least interested in experiencing this ritual at the Vatican where you can come and pay your respects to a Pope. It was the same for John Paul II. But of course, we saw an entirely different mood here with John Paul II. There were many, many more people and it was for a different Pope. He was much beloved. Of course, we had people from Poland and everywhere. So, we'll see in the next few days who comes here. For the moment, obviously these are people who are already in Rome.

So, once they get inside, they can pay their respects to the body of Pope Benedict. They try to keep them moving as much as possible, of course. And then the funeral mass will be held on Thursday. So, this will be going on for the next two days here. Once the funeral mass is held the Pope, we know, Pope Emeritus, has requested a simple mass. We'll see how that goes with Pope Francis doing it. It's quite unprecedented to have a sitting Pope obviously saying a funeral for a dead one. Then he will be placed in the crypt under St. Peter's Basilica where crowds can continue to go and visit his tomb there -- Bianca.

NOBILO: Delia Gallagher, thank you. It is quite remarkable to have a current Pope overseeing the funeral and leading it. Even though we've had to post before in history.

FOSTER: Also, they struggled to know how to format it. You know, do they invite dignitaries from around the world, or not -- just from Germany? They're trying to figure it out because as you say, it hasn't been done for 600 years.

Now football fans in Brazil are preparing to bid a final farewell to their late hero Pele.

NOBILO: A short time ago they saluted him with fireworks as his body was transported the city of Santos.

[04:25:00]

That's where Pele played most of his career and where his wake will be held in the coming hours.

FOSTER: Thousands of people are expected to show up and pay their respects. CNN's Darren Lewis joins us now with more on all of this. If we look at the staging where this is taking place is strikingly modest, isn't it. But this is where he scored hundreds of goals and it is his footballing home.

DARREN LEWIS, CNN SPORT SENIOR ANALYST: Absolutely, over 600 goals he scored for Santos, one of his first clubs. And there is a feeling that today it will be -- there'll be a celebration. A muted celebration there, but as you've pointed out, lots of people are looking and saying, what do you think of the superstar players that have come from this club? Why is it so small and so modest? Only 16,000 people the stadium holds at the moment. I would imagine there will be thousands, hundreds of thousands more in the surrounding areas, in the street. Because everybody will want to be there to pay their respects to the greatest players football have ever known.

Now just to give you an idea what will be happening today. At around about 10:00 local times, the doors will open. Phase will be able to file in. His coffin will be in the center of the pitch and fans will be able to pay their respects for 24 hours. Last entry 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. And then there'll be a procession through the streets of Sao Paolo. It will go past the home of his mother, Celeste, still alive, 100 years of age. I got to tell you, Max, I was really surprised by that because I hadn't expected that to be the case. But there is still a lot of love for her as there obviously is for him.

And then it will reach its final resting place and there'll be a private ceremony of which those who are closest to Pele will be able to say their good-byes. It will be emotional occasion as we would expect. We've seen over the past couple of days, all around the world, in Europe, in America, in Africa, in Asia there has been this outpouring of emotion and love for this man who lifted three World Cups, scored nearly 1,300 goals and just under 1,400 matches which is an incredible return and thrills football fans the world over. It will be an emotional occasion but he was a wonderful man.

FOSTER: Thank you so much, Darren. We'll be with you throughout the day to watch that wake unfold.

NOBILO: And while Brazil mourns the loss of Pele, the country also ushered in a new president on Sunday. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn into office in Brasilia. His supporters are thrilled with the change. This is Mr. Lula da Silva's third term as president after a 12-year hiatus. He's inherited a country with crippling debt and much higher levels of poverty than when he left office before. In his address to the country, he expressed optimism for a brighter future but acknowledge that there is a lot of work to be done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): So, today our message to Brazil is one of hope and reconstruction. The great building of law, sovereignty and development that this nation built since 1988 has been systematically demolished in recent years. It is to rebuild this building of national rights and values that will guide all our efforts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: President Lula da Silva's rise to power caps a spectacular comeback from a corruption scandal that forced him to spend more than a year and a half behind bars. In 2019 the Supreme Court ruled his case a mistrial clear his path to run for reelection but looming over his new political era with threats of violence from his predecessor's supporters. And former President Jair Bolsonaro has yet to publicly concede defeat.

Residents in Ukraine's capital starting the New Year sheltering in place with the sound of Russian drones overhead. Details on the newest rounds of attacks just ahead.

NOBILO: Plus, how baker's in the war ravaged city of Bucha are doing their part to help Ukrainian troops on the front line.

[04:30:00]