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IDF Ground Operations Expand To The Whole Of Gaza Strip; U.S. Aid For Israel And Ukraine In Limbo In Congress; 4 Killed, 3 Injured In Queens Stabbing And Fire; Arnold Schwarzenegger Hosts Families Of Israeli Hostages Held By Hamas; Joe Biden, President Of The United States, Speaks At The Kennedy Center; Western Officials Warn Ukrainian Forces; Scientists From Tufts And Harvard; Artificial Intelligence. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired December 03, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:37]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Jessica Dean in for Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin in the Middle East. The Israeli military saying it is expanding its ground operations across the whole Gaza Strip. This, as the Israel Defense Forces ordered people today living in southern Gaza to evacuate to areas even farther south. The IDF now says it's destroyed at least 500 Hamas tunnel shafts since entering the enclave.

Fighting also heating up on Israel's border today with Lebanon. Iran- backed paramilitary group Hezbollah says it targeted several sites in northern Israel. The IDF says several soldiers were injured by an anti-tank missile.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israel's forces will not stop in Gaza until Hamas is eradicated. Hamas saying, though, there will be no negotiations for the remaining hostages still being held in Gaza, including women and children, until Israel agrees to a cease-fire.

CNN has teams around the region monitoring all these latest developments for you. And we want to start with CNN's Matthew Chance who's in Tel Aviv.

Matthew, what more are you learning about the Israeli military's movement there in Gaza?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Israel has really been stepping up its military pressure inside Gaza. It says it's trying to destroy Hamas and trying to kind of make sure that the 130 or more hostages that are still being kept inside Gaza are eventually released. It thinks the best way of doing that is through the application of military pressure.

And so we have seen them repeatedly strike areas of the Gaza Strip, particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip, and there were more dramatic images today of an Israeli strike or its aftermath on the Jabalya refugee camp, which was also hit yesterday, causing dozens of casualties, according to the Hamas controlled Palestinian Health Ministry. And so there's been more fighting around that area as well.

But what's significant is that Israel is now shifting some of its military focus to the south of the Gaza Strip, as well. And that's where hundreds of thousands of people over the course of the past few weeks have evacuated to avoid the intensity of the military operations in the north. And so this is renewed concern about what happens to them, about whether there are going to be even more civilian casualties in the days and in the weeks ahead as this operation continues.

As a way of sort of mitigating against that, against more casualties, more civilian casualties, Israel has issued maps, dividing the Gaza Strip up into what it calls evacuation sectors, each with a number, and then sort of ordering Palestinians in that sector to evacuate ahead of any military action. It's not clear how effective that is because there's not quite a deal of internet or communication on the ground in Gaza at the moment because of the war.

And so it's not clear how many people that message is getting through to. But nevertheless, it's a concern, Israel says it's acting on that concern. But it's also said that it is going to pursue Hamas as strongly in the south as it did in the north, as well. And so there's no sign here of Israel easing up or backing down.

DEAN: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you for that. Let's go to Larry Madowo who's in Cairo near the Rafah crossing. He's been monitoring that.

Larry, we are seeing aid that is trickling in, I think to use your words from last hour, into Gaza. What about any people specifically ill children being able to get out and get the treatment that they need?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Only a small number of the wounded are going across the Rafah crossing into Egypt, Jessica. So far just over 400 of them. A lot of them are kids. But when you look at the scale of the injuries across the Gaza Strip, this is barely scratching the surface. And that's based on how many Egypt can take in, how many are allowed to make that crossing.

We met -- I went to the Rafah border crossing and met kids who've lost limbs, who have been injured in every way possible, who are getting treatment at Egyptian hospitals. But only a tiny percentage can get in. In fact authorities in the strip say they would need hundreds more going across to be able to really have any meaningful impact.

Who has been able to get across over this weekend? 871 foreign nationals.

[16:05:04]

They're dual nationals, Palestinian and other nationalities, including 17 American Palestinians, and there were 130 Turkish and lots of other nationalities, Australian, Canadian and so forth. But aid is also going in. The Palestinian Red Crescent confirming that 100 more trucks got into the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip today, bringing food and water and medical supplies and medicines to the strip.

But this is a drop in the ocean because during the seven-day truce, at least 200 trucks were allowed to come in with essential supplies including cooking gas and fuel. But now, with the truce having collapsed, only a tiny percentage is being allowed in. And for many people, like this 80-year-old man, it is nowhere near enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABU WAEL NASRALLAH, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): There is nothing left to fear for. Our houses are gone. Our property is gone. Our money is gone. Sons have been murdered, some died, some handicapped in the hospital. What is left to cry for? And then they tell us we will get aid. Where is it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: The U.N. in Gaza saying today that people have lost everything and they need everything. They have previously said that they would need at least 200 trucks coming in continuously every day to meet the needs of the people in Gaza. So a whole lot more aid will have to come in to meet the needs of 80 percent of the population, Jessica, that are displaced.

DEAN: All right, Larry Madowo for us in Cairo.

Let's go now to Ivan Watson who is in southern Lebanon.

And Ivan, we have seen these skirmishes pop up across that region. Now the U.S. is saying it was involved in an incident in the Red Sea. Walk us through what's going on where you are.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, I think what we're seeing is that various Iranian backed armed groups that show sympathy for Hamas and anger and antipathy towards Israel, are demonstrating that even far from the main area of combat right now, in Gaza, that they can inflict harm and they can hurt the Israelis. So you've got the Yemeni forces, the Houthis, that are backed by Iran, and they have for weeks now harassed shipping that they say is linked to Israel, moving to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden.

Most recently, there was an incident where the Houthis, they claimed responsibility for firing a naval missile and a drone they say at cargo ships, the Unity Explorer and Number 9. Meanwhile a U.S. Defense official saying that the USS Cony, a U.S. Navy destroyer, it answered the distress call from this Unity Explorer, and that it was able to help out and I believe intercepted a drone that was fired in that direction.

There have been previous incidents just in the past couple of days. Last month, there was a hijacking of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship. I believe it's still in Yemeni custody. And just a couple of days ago, the USS Mason, another U.S. Navy destroyer, it actually captured five people who tried to hijack a ship called the Central Park. That was a tanker ship, a commercial tanker ship. And then there were two ballistic missiles fired in the direction of that U.S. Navy destroyer. So all of this is kind of laying out that on a vital shipping lane,

armed forces supporting Hamas, backed by Iran, are trying to harass shipping and the U.S. Navy has been trying to support and protect that shipping. That is kind of a frontline, a maritime frontline, very far away from the raging conflict in Gaza right now -- Jessica.

DEAN: Right. Yes, there were also these new attacks along the Israel- Lebanon border today. What have you learned about that?

WATSON: Sure. I mean, where I'm standing right now is very close to actually within sight of some Israeli mountain top positions. And this afternoon, the hills here were echoing with the thud of incoming Israeli artillery. The militant group Hamas, which is located and in force here in southern Lebanon, they claimed responsibility for a number of attacks across the border on what they say were Israeli military targets, saying that the attacks were carried out, quote, "in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance."

The Israeli military says that one of their vehicles was, in fact, hit by an anti-tank missile, and several of their soldiers were wounded lightly, and that the vehicle was damaged. But in previous days, the days have been far more deadly.

[16:10:01]

Yesterday, for example, Hezbollah says that at least two of its fighters were killed and a woman was killed as well. More than a hundred people killed on this side of the border here in Lebanon over more than a month of fighting. The vast majority of those casualties, Hezbollah fighters.

But, Jessica, more than a dozen of those casualties are civilians and several journalists who were killed by Israeli long-range fire -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Ivan Watson, for us there in southern Lebanon. Our thanks to you and Larry Madowo and Matthew Chance. Thanks to all of you for that reporting.

Meantime, as Congress returns to the Hill this week, it remains split on aid for Israel and Ukraine, as Republicans continue to push for immigration policy changes as part of any aid package.

We're going to discuss more now with Mica Soellner, who's a congressional reporter with "Punch Bowl News," and Lindsey McPherson, who's a congressional reporter with "The Messenger."

It's great to see both of you. Thanks so much for making time.

This morning, Republican Senator James Lankford, Oklahoma senator, saying major changes to America's immigration system will be part of a military aid package for Israel and Ukraine. But, Lindsey, that seems like a tall order. Immigration is an issue that has vexed Congress for decades, and as much as they've been having conversation, it's still a lot to get done.

LINDSEY MCPHERSON, THE MESSENGER, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Right. They have so much they want to do in these few short weeks left before the December holidays. They want to pass this aid package before then. And their border immigration talks are certainly weighing that down. When they left -- the Senate left on Thursday, they were still stuck in terms of the negotiations. James Lankford and the Republican negotiators really want major changes to asylum law, parole.

These are legal pathways in which immigrants can enter the country, but they want to restrict them further to limit border crossings and reduce the flow as they say. So they've got a lot to work through with Democrats who are, you know, a little skeptical of some of these changes, and these negotiations have been kind of dragging out very slowly.

DEAN: Yes. Mica, how far apart are they on all of this, on the funding issues but also for immigration, which obviously is tied to it?

MICA SOELLNER, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Yes. Congress has a lot of work to do in these last few weeks, and a lot of it revolves around competing interests and all these avenues that they have to get done. And the funding bills, you know, the House has only passed a few and there are still a lot of contention around these remaining appropriations bills.

Speaker Johnson has to work out another deal, you know, with House conservatives, you know, once the government is set to potentially shut down again come January. And then there is also the NDAA, the FAA and these FISA deadlines to worry. You know, lawmakers are kind of all over the place here. So there's a lot to work on in the last two weeks.

DEAN: Wait. So it's going to be a very happy holiday season for everyone, including you all up there. So you follow along with them trying to get all of this done.

Lindsey, I want to zero in on this funding bill for Israel and Ukraine because that is something that the White House has really pushed. They want that tied together. Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell also want it tied together. They want funding for both. There had been talk in the House of just Israel funding, not for Ukraine. Obviously, Republicans want the border to be attached. There's been talk about putting potentially conditions on this aid. Where are things now, and do you see them moving in the next week?

MCPHERSON: So the Senate is taking a lead on the big package. In the Senate, they are intending to include all of the aid for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, border funding in addition to all this border policy they're still trying to work out as we've talked about. But in the House, Speaker Johnson has warned that they probably can't pass it as a big package. He has a thin majority that got even thinner after George Santos was expelled on Friday. And they are struggling to get agreement among Republicans on what to

do as usual. It has been the case the past few months. And so if you're saying maybe I can package Ukraine and border funding but even conservatives in his conference are pushing back against that, saying that we want anything -- you know, we want border stuff signed into law. We wanted to see the border secured before we'd agree to even consider Ukraine funding. So they've got a lot to work through and it's not clear they're going to be able to do it in the next few weeks.

DEAN: Right. I mean, certainly it is a compressed timeline.

And Mica, Speaker Mike Johnson continues to run into a lot of issues within his own party and trying to govern within -- with his members that, you know, it's tough, it's hard to get them on board and how he just has that tiny little margin that he's working with. Is this just the latest example of what he's going to keep getting himself into? As you mentioned, they've got this government funding deadline that's coming up not too long from now.

[16:15:00]

SOELLNER: Yes. I mean, it seems this way. And I think the interesting aspect is that Mike Johnson is always aligned with kind of the right flank of the GOP conference and the House Freedom Caucus despite not being a member himself. He was someone that or he is and remains someone that is trusted by the group, but there is some frustration among House conservatives who just -- you know, the latest CR deal that he had.

So he's really going to have to stand ground in order to kind of create more unity within the conference. So we're going to see what happens. I will add that one hopeful sign was that we did see House Freedom Caucus chairman Scott Perry say that, you know, they would be OK with the levels negotiated and that Biden and Kevin McCarthy deal back in the spring ironically, which is one of the reasons why some of the members in the group voted to oust him.

DEAN: Right. The irony, yes, it is there and it is thick. All right, Mica Soellner and Lindsey McPherson, thanks to both of you. We appreciate it.

SOELLNER: Thanks, Jess.

DEAN: And new today, a brutal stabbing in New York leaves four family members dead and multiple people injured, including police officers. What we're learning about the suspect, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:20:21]

DEAN: New York Police are looking for a motive in the deadly stabbing rampage in Queens, New York, today that left four family members dead. According to the NYPD, officers received a 911 call just after 5:00 this morning from a young female saying her cousin was killing her family. When two officers responded they were attacked by the suspect and injured. The house was also on fire with authorities later finding multiple dead family members inside.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is following this horrible story for us.

And Polo, we know the suspect is dead. What more can you tell us?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Jessica, the NYPD is summarizing this morning's scene as one in which they found multiple victims, a house on fire, and what police described as a madman on a rampage and on a mission.

Now in terms of what that mission may have been, it's still unclear. But there's early indication, according to investigators that this may have been a family dispute that took an absolutely horrifying and bloody turn.

After the NYPD arrived on scene at that home in Queens, that's when police say they were encountered by the suspect now identified as 38- year-old Courtney Gordon with a knife, as you point, attacks these officers. That's when police then shot and killed this 38-year-old from the Bronx. Shortly thereafter they identified an 11-year-old little girl at the scene who had been killed, and the house was on fire.

So they had to wait for the fire department to extinguish the flames before investigators went into that home where that 911 call originated. And that's when they made the discovery of three additional victims who've been killed, a 12-year-old little boy, a 44- year-old female, and a man in his 30s. There's also a woman that survived the attack who we understand is in her 60s, currently in critical condition.

Now I want you to hear directly from the NYPD as they sort of walked us through that confrontation that the suspect had with police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JEFFREY MADDREY, NYPD: So our officers, they pull up to the driveway. As they get to the driveway, they see a male walking out, he's carrying luggage. Our officers asked the male a question or two, an encounter that lasted about 10 seconds where the male draws a knife on officers, he stabs one officer in the neck-chest area. He strikes the second officer in the head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So again, just recapping the numbers, the suspect shot and killed by police, four victims killed, two of them children, a fifth victim survived and currently in critical condition. Investigators believe that Gordon who again was from the Bronx was in Queens visiting family at the time of this attack.

DEAN: Awful. All right, Polo Sandoval, thanks so much.

SANDOVAL: Thank you. DEAN: Coming up, former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger met

with families of hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas. We'll have their story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:16]

DEAN: Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted family members of some of the Israelis killed or kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th. The Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem arranged the roundtable discussion at his office in Santa Monica.

And joining us now is CNN correspondent Camila Bernal who was at that event.

Camila, what did the family members and the former governor have to say?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, the former governor is saying that these are the stories that people need to hear. And not just once, but really as many times as possible. These are the stories of the people that have been most impacted by this war.

And we've heard from a 14-year-old girl who described what it was like living through that October 7th attack. She describes hearing the gun shots, the screams, the explosions. She was hiding with her mother and others, and said she had to wait for the IDF to rescue her. And after she was rescued, she also described the bodies, the destruction, the blood, even said that it was difficult to see and smell what she called the smell of war.

She also found out days later that her father had been killed by Hamas and that her cousin had been kidnapped. So she describes that grieving process just how difficult it was for her emotionally. Her cousin was eventually released. And she said of course that she was happy and joyful about that release, but also heartbroken for the rest of the families that still don't know where their loved ones are.

And that was the case of another 27-year-old man who we heard from, who talked about his father and not knowing where he is at the moment and needing him, wanting him to come back home. Here's what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAR RUDAEFF, FAMILY MEMBER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE: We know nothing about his situation or where he's at. And he is without his glasses, without his medication, including blood thinners. He's someone who had a heart attack two years ago. We just want them back. That's all we want. All the families, we just want our loved ones back at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And they told me that the only thing they can hold onto is hope because they only see a future where their loved ones are back home -- Jessica.

DEAN: I know. Everyone wishes that for them. All right, Camila Bernal, thanks so much.

And happening now, President Biden is hosting a reception for the Kennedy Center honorees. Billy Crystal and Queen Latifah, Barry Gibb, Dionne Warwick and opera singer Renee Fleming each receiving tributes to their lifetime achievements.

And a little trivia here. Queen Latifah and Renee Fleming share something else. They both performed at the 2014 Super Bowl. Flemming saying the national anthem while Queen Latifah performed "America the Beautiful."

And I believe the president -- I see Secretary of State Tony Blinken right there. President Biden is coming into the room. Is he speaking? We'll listen in.

[16:30:46]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (live): Hello, hello, hello. Good evening, everyone. Please, have a seat. Jill and I are honored, truly honored, to host you at one of our favorite events.

A special thanks, by the way, to David Rubenstein. David, you're chairman of the board of the Kennedy Center, but you're a great friend. But you always step up and support the arts in the history of the nation. You're always there. I call him a Washington monument. Remember when I got (INAUDIBLE.)

Anyway, and to you, Deborah Rutter. Where's Deborah? Madam President, I should say. President of the Kennedy Center. Thank you for all you do. And to all of you and supporters of the arts and the family and friends of this year's honorees. And my sister.

It's a wonderful -- it's a wonderful -- it's a wonderful tradition at the White House to recognize the President and Mrs. Kennedy's love of the arts and the culture in America. Love that endures 60 years after his death, tragically, the anniversary was marked last month. The anniversary just came as we said goodbye to someone who I admired greatly, the first lady, Rosalyn Carter, who was also a champion of the performing arts.

As simple as it is pro-found, the performing arts are more than just sound and scene. They reflect who we are as Americans and as human beings. That's especially true for more than 200 Kennedy Center honorees over the past 46 years who have helped shape how we see ourselves. How we see each other. And how we see our world.

Honorees not just based on the length of the career, or the scope of the work, the height of the fame, but because of their unique place and the conscience and the very soul of our dynamic and diverse nation. You are an incredible group. You really are.

This year's -- this year's class continues that legacy. In New York City, you can walk a few blocks and you can circle the earth. In just a few blocks. Eight million people of every background. And most -- the most alive city, probably, in America. And that's just one guy who makes everyone stop and laugh, Billy Crystal.

DEAN: All right, you're listening to President Joe Biden, who is there with the Kennedy Center honorees for this year. Of course, that's always a very celebratory and sparkly event in Washington, D.C., where some of our nation's most famous members of the artistic community are honored, which will happen later tonight.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:37:40]

DEAN: Three people were killed and seven others injured, after an attack in Ukraine's Kherson region, according to Ukraine authorities. That region has faced daily attacks from the other side of the Dnipro River.

Western intelligence assessments do not expect significant movement on the front lines in the coming months, though. Here's CNN's Anna Coren.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a harsh winter begins to set in, Ukraine's war is becoming more difficult, painful and exhausting, as this conflict grinds towards the end of its second year. A stalemate is how this General Zaluzhnyi, Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, labelled the war, making international headlines, while upsetting President Zelenskyy, who projects a far more upbeat assessment.

But in a rare interview, his Zaluzhnyi's senior adviser, General Nazarov, tells me his boss stands by those controversial comments.

COREN (on camera): General Zaluzhnyi was just giving an honest assessment of the war, which was a wakeup call, I think, to the west.

MAJ. GEN. VIKTOR NAZAROV, SENIOR ADVISER TO COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES: Yes, I agree with you. It was kind -- some kind of message and some kind of alarm signal to -- for western politicians and for western society. But we are ready to fight this -- our enemy. But we need help. We need support.

COREN (voice-over): Equipment is what Ukraine desperately needs. Artillery pieces, ammunition, long-range missile systems, specifically attack drones, electronic warfare and air-defense systems. Last weekend, Kyiv experienced how vital those air-defense systems are

at protecting the population. When Russia launched what local officials called and unprecedented number of attack drones on the capital.

The general fears, if Ukraine doesn't receive advanced weaponry, his country faces a very difficult 2024.

(on camera): General, is there one specific weapon that would be a game changer in this war?

NAZAROV: I don't think so. But the importance of an air system that the -- I believe that it will help us to change the situation, concerning the Russian air superiority on the frontline.

[16:40:03]

COREN (voice-over): The problem, however, is that Ukraine needs those F-16s now, not in spring of next year when they're due to arrive. But as Russia steps up its military production on an industrial scale, General Nazarov's biggest fear is whether the west has the patience for what is turning out to be a much longer war.

(on camera): There are concerns that the west is losing interest in this war and the support is waning, especially in the U.S. amongst Republicans. What is your message to those Republicans?

NAZAROV: American support is vital for Ukraine. Really vital. It's very important for us.

What I would say to Republicans, we need to understand that now we have a problem to conduct this war. But if we don't manage to win this war, the future will have more problems. Not only for our country, for my country, for our population, not only for Europe (INAUDIBLE), it's a problem for the United States also.

COREN: Anna Coren, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: I want to get more now on what's happening in Ukraine. With us now, Simon Shuster. He's a correspondent for "Time," and the author of the upcoming book "The Showman." It's about the war in Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Western officials on a pretty dire assessment of Ukraine's situation, as winter approaches.

Anna just laid that out, kind of, what is -- the situation is. Simon, is there anything that can turn it around for Ukraine, at this moment in time?

SIMON SHUSTER, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, TIME: I think so. I mean, President Zelenskyy and his team, they do have a plan. One thing I'd highlight is domestic production of weapons. That's something they have really been focused on, in recent months.

And when I was in Kyiv, just a couple months ago, I spent some time with the official in charge of that effort to really ramp up the production inside Ukraine of the kinds of weapons they need to win. That's a very long-term kind of vision.

But I think, you know, over time, it could give them the edge they need to win. And it could ease their dependance on western support which has been lagging, as the report said.

DEAN: Right. And if -- within a stalemate, who does that really benefit more, Russia or Ukraine?

SHUSTER: General Zelenskyy (ph), in kind of a -- coming forward with this assessment that there is a stalemate. He made clear that Russia benefits from a stalemate. Russia still outguns Ukraine by quite some measure. And they're able to sustain their war machine more easily. You know, also, because it's a -- it's a dictatorship. It's a total totalitarian society. So, Putin and Russia is able -- is able to suppress opposition to the war and war fatigue. Whereas in Ukraine, that's more difficult. It is a Democratic society. There is debate. There is -- there is -- there is talk of elections. There is, kind of, lively discussions of how the war is going.

So, I think that, also, politically makes a stalemate more difficult for the Ukrainians. So, General Zelenskyy (ph) was pointing out that Ukraine needs to do everything it can to find a kind of technological breakthrough, a weapons system or a maneuver, to break out of this -- the stalemate and to move back to a position where Ukrainian forces can advance.

DEAN: And President Zelenskyy has said that the counter-offensive that was launched during the summer didn't produce the results that they had hoped. What do you -- why do you think that is?

SHUSTER: The answer is simple. You know, everywhere I talk, to military officers, political leadership in Kyiv, they point to the fact that the weapons from the west arrived too slowly and there were too few of them. I think it was a question, you know, to some extent of the availability of these weapons, but also the political will in the United States and in Europe to provide everything they could give.

I think the overwhelming feeling in Ukraine, among the leadership, is that if there had been really a flood of these weapons coming in, more -- much more of what Ukraine was asking for, at the start of the counter-offensive and leading into the counter-offensive, they would have had a much better chance of breaking through. So, I think that's the main answer.

DEAN: Yes. And just quickly, before I let you go. We talked a little bit earlier in the hour about the funding for Ukraine that's currently held up on Capitol Hill. How important is that for the Ukrainian people, Ukrainian leadership, that that gets passed?

SHUSTER: I put that question to President Zelenskyy, last time we spoke a couple months ago. And he described having that same conversation with U.S. senators, when he visited the United States in September.

[16:45:04]

SHUSTER: And the answer is simple. You know, they asked him, what will happen if we don't give you the aid? And President Zelenskyy answered, if we don't get the aid, we will lose. It's as simple as that.

And that's his position and that put it in quite stark terms. But that's how important it is to get that aid moving through Congress.

DEAN: Yes. And it can't be any more clear than that, from President Zelenskyy.

All right, Simon Shuster for us. Thanks so much. We appreciate it.

SHUSTER: Thank you.

DEAN: And we're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Now, to some amazing new research out of Tufts and Harvard Universities. Scientists there have developed tiny biological robots made from human cells. They're called anthrobots. CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more.

[16:50:11]

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: These tiny anthrobots were created in a lab, but the hope is that they, one day, might have a medical purpose.

In the future, they might be able to heal wounds or repair damaged tissue. And to make the bots, the researchers took adult cells from the airways of donors, and they created the right conditions in the lab to encourage these cells to grow and to self-assemble into these so-called anthrobots.

And the researchers observed the bots moving around, using these hair- like productions called cilia. But the major finding here is that when the researchers had the bots encounter a human neuron that had a small scratch on it, they saw the bots work to repair that scratch. And that's why the researchers think the bots could be used in the future for healing.

You know, one advantage with using the bots in medicine is that they would be made from a patient's own cells. So, that reduces the risk of the body seeing the bots as something foreign and rejecting them. Of course, much more research is needed, before you may see these anthrobots being used in hospitals or doctors' offices. But, for now, this is fascinating science to watch unfold.

DEAN: It sure is. That is wild.

Well, this year, the world woke up to the potential of artificial intelligence. The hopes, the fears of all of that, and "THE WHOLE STORY" here on CNN. And what our Nick Watt did -- dug up -- digs beneath the hype, rather.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you remember what happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, nothing, no.

WATT: You were on your bicycle and the next thing --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They found me on the street. So, the police picked me up. Brought me in the hospital. And when I woke up, I didn't feel my legs anymore. So, a doctor told me. Like, I could touch my face with my left or right hand. And he said, like, be happy with this. It's -- it won't get better.

WATT: And how do you deal with that, as a person?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I always said to my family that I would walk again. Like, I told them one year. But it's -- apparently needed 10 years.

WATT (voice-over): Ten years for A.I. to catch up with the dream. Tech that began many years ago, as a sci-fi sketch drawn on a napkin in a New York steak house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I draw a brain and a spinal cord and there was a digital bridge to restore working after paralysis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But, at this time, it was a dream.

WATT (on camera): Were you imagining this reading the thoughts?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I thought it was crazy.

WATT (voice-over): Now reality. The paralyzed man is up and about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: It is incredible. And joining us now is CNN's Nick Watt. Nick, obviously, health care, in general, is one of those big areas where A.I. could really help humanity. I mean, you look at that story and it seems almost unbelievable.

WATT (live): Yes, absolutely. Listen, but it also gives us a look into the potential double-edged issues here. So, if you can get into hurt young's (ph) brain to help him walk, could you get into someone's brain and do bad stuff to them? Take things away from them? Militarily, you know, if drones just fight, then humans are -- human soldiers are safer. But, you know, A.I. drones could also kill thousands of civilians like that.

You know, also, jobs. OK. A.I. does boring jobs. You know, working in a factory. Writing a news story. OK. But then, what do we do?

And also, fundamental to it all, who controls it? You know, all A.I. could be fantastic. But if it's controlled by five super-rich people or five tyrants' death bots (ph), we're in trouble.

DEAN: Yes, there's no doubt about that. And so, there -- it is such a double-edged sword, in so many ways. Was there anything, in particular, when you were doing this research. That, kind of -- because we kind of saw the hopeful side of it in that clip.

WATT: Yes.

DEAN: That struck you as the more fearful side. The oh no, this could get out of control side.

WATT: All of it. Everything. I mean, seriously. I mean, it really could.

And, really, the speed. You know, way back in history, you could go 100 years and we didn't really, you know, develop much at all. Maybe a, you know, tweak in the technology of a wheel.

You know, this -- we are seeing -- you know, back in the day, years, centuries, we're now seeing months, days, weeks. Things are advancing so fast. That speed is scary. You know, the most interesting person we spoke to, strangely, and we keep him right to the end of the show. I'm not using that as a plus so you watch the whole thing. But we renounced them anyway.

[16:55:00]

WATT: There's a guy who runs an A.I.-only (ph) gallery. We thought, oh, we'll just pop in. That will be fun. And he blew my mind. This is a guy who's in the art world who realized, all right, I've got to lean into this. I've got to get involved.

And he has gone deeper into A.I. than anybody else I spoke to, really. As, like, a civilian. And it was alarming. Nice guy. Alarming.

DEAN: Wow. Nice guy. Alarming.

WATT: If that's not a tease for this, I don't know what is. Nick Watt, thank you so much. We're all going to be tuning in tonight.

You can watch an all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper. It's one whole hour, one whole story. It airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Just in, Alaska Airlines says it's acquiring Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion.