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Israel-Hamas War; Israel and Hamas Withdraw from Negotiations Over Hostages; Palestinians Urged to Go Further South by IDF; Since Truce Expired, 193 Palestinians Killed, According to Hamas-Run Health Min.; An Apparent Israeli Attack at Jabalya Camp Killed Dozens of People; 100 Aid Trucks Entered Gaza on Saturday, According to Palestine Red Crescent; U.S. Authorities Urge Israel to Safeguard People in Gaza; Interview with "Hamas and Palestine" Author and University of Sydney Lecturer Martin Kear; Stabbing Assault in Paris Left One Dead and Two Wounded; Suspect in Vermont Shooting Incident Faces Attempted Murder Charges; U.S. Plans to Cute Methane Emissions; Snow Brings Southeast Germany to a Standstill; By 2030, Nations Promise to Triple Use of Renewable Energy; Oil Corporations Concur to Reduce Emissions of Methane; Explosion in Philippine Gymnasium Claims at Least 4 Lives; Southern Philippines Rocked by 7.6 Magnitude Earthquake; Third Day Since Ceasefire Expired, IDF Continues to Strike Hamas Sites; Rally in Tel Aviv Attended by Freed Israeli Captives; Exodus of Immigrant Labor Hinders Israeli Farmers; In Los Angeles, Suspect Arrested in Shootings of 3 Homeless Men; 2024 U.S. Election; Trump and DeSantis Hunting for Votes; In Iowa, Trump and DeSantis Have Opposing Campaign Events; Biden Faces Accusations from Trump of "Waging War" on Democracy; In Iowa, DeSantis Attempts to Capitalize on Significant Endorsements; Supreme Court of Russia Declared that LGBTQ Movement be Classified as Extremist; Russia's War on Ukraine; To Defend Its Conflict with Ukraine, Russia Spreads Homophobic Propaganda; Snow Drought Ongoing in northeast While Heavy Rain and Snow are Forecast in Pacific Northwest; Alabama Beats Georgia 27-24. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired December 03, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

The death toll in Gaza climbs as talks to renew a truce between Israel and Hamas break down. We'll look at what could get those talks back on track.

Plus, Donald Trump isn't letting multiple indictments keep him from the campaign trail as he courts voters in Iowa. We'll look at where his numbers stand against the rest of the field.

And a huge snowstorm leads to cancellations and chaos at airports across Europe, and the railways aren't faring much better. We'll have the latest. ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber."

BRUNHUBER: Israel and Hamas are now engaged in a third day of intense fighting since the collapse of a truce early Friday. A renewed pause seems unlikely. Both Israel and Hamas walked away from the negotiations on Saturday, with Israel saying the talks had reached a dead end.

A senior Hamas leader denied Israel's claims that Hamas was still holding non-military women hostages, a dispute that led to the diplomatic breakdown. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALEH AL AROURA, DEPUTY HEAD OF HAMAS POLITICAL BUREAU (through translator): What we had of women and children were exchanged. And if there are any others, then we are not aware of them and have no ability to reach them. All we have left from the prisoners in Gaza are soldiers and civilian men who served with the occupation's army. So, as a result, there will be no negotiations for the exchange of prisoners until the end of the aggression.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Israeli military says its fighter jets and helicopters have been striking Hamas targets across Gaza, including tunnel shafts, command centers, and weapons storage facilities. It also says, an IDF drone targeted and killed Hamas militants.

While as the IDF campaign ratchets up in Southern Gaza, Palestinians there are being urged to evacuate farther south. But it's not certain the message is being heard because of poor phone and internet connections across the region. Here's what Israel's Prime Minister had to say on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We determined safe areas in Gaza in coordination with international agencies and with our American friends. We determined safe areas to where the population knows it can evacuate. We did it in the north and we will do it elsewhere. And this is important because we have no desire to harm the population. We have a desire to avoid harming the population. We have a very strong desire to hurt Hamas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says, at least 193 Palestinians have died since Israel resumed its combat operations. It says, more than 15,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began eight weeks ago. A building in Northern Gaza, where many displaced people had been sheltering, was destroyed in an apparent Israeli strike on Saturday. CNN's Ben Wedeman has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Israel carried out a series of devastating strikes on Northern Gaza, Saturday. Striking a multistory building in the Jabalya Refugee Camp. Witnesses say more than a hundred people, many of them displaced, were inside the building at the time. Doctors report dozens were killed, and many more remain under the rubble.

Earlier in the day, the Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military over social media had instructed people to leave immediately areas east and north of Gaza City, including Jabalya. But it wasn't clear if anyone got the message. Later, there was another massive strike on the Shuja'iyya District, whose inhabitants had also been instructed to leave. Again, dozens were killed.

Israel's war to eliminate Hamas recommenced Friday morning with renewed fury and there has been no let-up since. Saturday, some aid did make it into Gaza. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that around 100 trucks crossed over from Egypt carrying food, water, relief assistance and medicine. Good news to the living. It won't make much difference for the dead.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Elliott Gotkine is covering all of this for us from London. So, Elliott, as we saw the fighting continues and the humanitarian situation worsens.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST: Very much so, Kim, yes. That -- what week-long truce now seems a distant memory after fighting resumed with a vengeance on Friday morning, pretty much the minute that it expired with.

[04:05:00]

We've seen barrages of rockets fired by Hamas towards Tel Aviv and other cities in central Israel and around the Gaza Strip. We've seen more than 400 airstrikes by the IDF on what it says were a terror tunnel shaft, command centers, weapons storage facilities and militants themselves. We've heard from Ben there as well about the death toll. Just since yesterday lunchtime, that's the last figures that we have, hitting almost 200 Palestinians killed since those hostilities resumed.

And all the while, the humanitarian situation getting worse, and will no doubt continue to get worse, not just as the temperature drops inside the Gaza Strip, but also as Israel paves the way for ground operations in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Now, we heard from Ben there as well about aid trucks getting through, about 100 getting through, carrying water, medicines and food. But that really is just a drop in the ocean for what is needed. And in terms of the health care situation there, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, there are now three times as many patients in intensive care units occupying the beds there than there are actually beds. So, the situation there very dire and expected to get worse. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And meanwhile, Elliott, the U.S. is continuing to push for another truce.

GOTKINE: It is. It wants the hostages released. There are still 136 hostages that were abducted on October the 7th as part of Hamas's murderous rampage in Israel. They are still being held by Hamas and other militant groups inside the Gaza Strip. Now, we've had 110 hostages released, including 86 Israelis. The U.S. believes that there are something like eight U.S. citizens still accounted for, seven women and -- sorry, one woman and seven men.

Now, the reason it seems for the breakdown off the truce and those hostage negotiations is that Israel said that Hamas was still holding 15 women and two Children. Hamas, as we heard in your introduction, claims that all of those women that it is still holding are all IDF soldiers, something that Israel denies. Hamas also claiming that all the men that it is still holding are all either current or former IDF soldiers as well.

What is clear is that Israel's position is that the operations against Hamas will continue until those hostages are release at the very least. Hamas saying that there can be no more negotiations, no more release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian being held in Israeli prisons until there is a ceasefire. So, we seem to be at an impasse.

Now, according to a senior administration official who spoke with CNN, he said that it's totally unacceptable what is going on. That Hamas not releasing those hostages. Saying, the onus is on Hamas to live up to the terms of the deal and release the young women without further delay. But at the same time, the U.S., in his words, will pursue every effort to secure the release off those hostages, all the hostages, but in particular those ones who are also U.S. citizens. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate it. Elliott Gotkine in London, thanks so much.

And the U.S. vice president is reaffirming the White House's support for Israel's "Legitimate military objectives." Despite this, Kamala Harris says, the human cost in Gaza has been too high, and the Israeli government needs to do more to protect civilian lives. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMAL HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: President Biden and I have also been clear with the Israeli government, in public and in private, many times. As Israel defends itself, it matters how. The United States is unequivocal. International humanitarian law must be respected. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And pressure is coming from another Israeli ally, this time from French President Emmanuel Macron. He spoke in Dubai saying, Israel's right to self-defense doesn't give it the right to attack innocent people in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces says, it doesn't target civilians, but Macron is pushing Israel to better clarify its goals to itself and to the world. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I think we're at a moment where Israeli authorities will have to more precisely define their goal and the final outcome they're trying to achieve. What does the total destruction of Hamas mean? Does anyone think it is possible? If this is the case, the war will last 10 years. And I don't think that anyone is really able to define that goal. So, it will need to be better defined.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. I want to bring in Martin Kear, a lecturer at the University of Sydney and the author of "Hamas and Palestine, The Contested Road to Statehood." Thanks so much for being here with us. So, if one were to think of Hamas as a brain, the two hemispheres, if you will, are the political wing, the face of the negotiations in Doha and the military wing in Gaza.

[04:10:00]

So, do we know who's actually in charge here? And do they share the same agenda?

MARTIN KEAR, AUTHOR, "HAMAS AND PALESTINE" AND LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: Well, I think they do. Hamas is made up of a number of constituent elements. Its political bureau has elected members from the West Bank, Gaza, the prisoners, the diaspora, and from its armed wing the al-Qassam Brigades. It is, I suppose, difficult at this stage to accurately define who is in charge at the moment. Who is running things as far as the defense of Gaza goes. I would imagine that the military wing would be running the defense.

But equally the military -- the political wing, sorry and other members in the West Bank and the other constituent members would be also being briefed and would have a clear hand in Hamas's overall strategy.

BRUNHUBER: So, in terms of the military wing, what do we know about the men who are leading it?

KEAR: Very little. Understandably, they keep their identities secret because Israel is -- will openly target those members for openly resisting its occupation in the siege of Gaza. Mohammed Deif is nominally the head of Hamas's armed wing and he -- there's very few photos of him, very few announcements or any sort of discussions by him. Though he did release a press release after the attacks that clearly set out the circumstances that led to Hamas's attacks.

BRUNHUBER: Do we suspect where they are and might that indicate where most of the hostages are being held?

KEAR: Most of the political wing reside outside of the occupied territories, in neighboring Arab states.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. No, specifically --

KEAR: Most, I would say --

BRUNHUBER: -- the military wing, rather.

KEAR: The military wing, I would say, would be mostly in Gaza where they are is unknown. But the al-Qassam Brigades exist in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Gaza.

BRUNHUBER: We played the clip of President Macron there saying that if the Israeli goal is to destroy Hamas, the war will last 10 years. Is he right?

KEAR: Yes. I mean, Hamas is more than just an Islamist movement. It is an expression of Palestinian nationalism and an expression of Palestinian resistance to Israel's occupation. So, in many respects, they -- Israel may be able to limit severely Hamas's capacity to resist its occupation, particularly in Gaza, but it would be almost impossible to eliminate Hamas as a movement.

BRUNHUBER: So, a survey by Arab Barometer found 44 percent of Palestinians in Gaza said that they had no trust in Hamas at all. Do you think that the war will have people rallying behind Hamas, or will support for them drop even further because of the deadly consequences of its attack on Israel, not to mention, you know, using their own citizens as human shields?

KEAR: I think, broadly speaking, there'll be an increase of support for Hamas because it is actively resisting Israel's occupation. I think we need to understand the circumstances that lead to Hamas carrying out these attacks on October 7th. And this was that the fact that any prospect of a sovereign Palestinian state had almost disappeared. And Palestinians were facing the very real prospect of disappearing as a separate nation. And Hamas's goal, its legitimacy revolves around resisting Israel's occupation.

So, this is Hamas's effort to get the Palestinian question back on to the front of the international minds of the leadership -- the international leadership, which they've done in no uncertain terms. Yes, prior to the October 7th, there was some -- there was a lot of disquiet with Hamas and it's governing in Gaza, primarily because of its inability to mitigate or ameliorate the effects of Israel's siege.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll have to leave it there, but really appreciate your insights in this. Martin Kear in Sydney, thanks so much for speaking with us.

KEAR: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: In Paris, the antiterrorism prosecutor is investigating after a German tourist was killed and two others injured by an attacker wielding a knife and hammer near the Eiffel Tower. A 26-year- old French national was arrested at the scene. The interior minister said he told police he was upset about what has been happening in Gaza.

[04:15:00]

Authorities say he's been sentenced to prison in 2016 for planning another attack.

All right. Now, an update on one of the three Palestinian students who was shot while taking a walk in the U.S. State of Vermont last weekend. Elizabeth Price, the mother of 20-year-old Hisham Awartani, told CNN, both the bullet lodged in his spine has caused paralysis from the chest down. We believe that Hisham will meet this challenge with the same determination I've witnessed this week. Hisham's mother added that he's set to be released from the hospital next week and will receive rehabilitation care.

Hisham and two friends were shot while visiting a relative over the Thanksgiving holiday. The suspect, 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton, is under arrest and he's pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted second degree murder. The attack is the latest in a reported rise of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents in the U.S. since the start of the Israel Hamas war.

All right. Still to come, the U.S. outlines plans to significantly cut methane emissions as countries at COP28 make a wave of commitments to combat the climate crisis. We'll have the latest from the summit in Dubai next.

And a powerful snow storm is causing travel headaches in parts of Europe. We'll have the latest in just a moment, please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: The Biden administration has finalized a rule to significantly cut the U.S. oil and gas industry's emissions of methane, a powerful planet warming gas. The announcement comes amid a wave of commitments at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, including a pledge from at least 117 countries to triple renewable energy by the year 2030.

CNN's David McKenzie joins me now from Dubai. So, lots of grand pledges today, David, including the U.S. plan to cut methane emissions, as I mentioned. What stood out to you?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's significant because it gives a powerful regulatory tool to the U.S. Government to crack down on sloppy practices of oil and gas companies in the U.S. In particular when they inadvertently and on purpose release methane into the atmosphere, a much more powerful greenhouse gas in fact than carbon dioxide. The leadership of the climate team at the White House is hoping that this move will also lead to a more global effort to reduce this dangerous gas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MCKENZIE (voiceover): In a made for T.V. moment, world leaders and Royals entering a critical climate change summit. Hosted by the UAE, a major oil producer.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS: We cannot save a burning planet via fire holes of fossil fuels.

MCKENZIE (voiceover): We are already living in a climate crisis. A new U.N. report shows that global efforts to cut emissions are wildly off track. There are growing calls at COP28 for concrete plans to phase out the use of fossil fuels. Now, in a major announcement from the White House, new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency to slash methane. A dangerous byproduct of the oil and gas industry by nearly 80 percent.

ALI ZAIDI, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL CLIMATE ADVISER: We've got to get the receipts. Make sure we're making the progress we need to make in this critical decade.

MCKENZIE: Are you hoping that these new rules will be inspiring other countries to follow suit?

ZAIDI: Absolutely. We've seen that on the basis of strong domestic action in the United States, countries are coming along, adopting the same playbook and scaling those solutions worldwide.

MCKENZIE (voiceover): Chief among them, China. The White House is hoping to build on the momentum of President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping's meetings last month.

ZAIDI: China has got to step up in a big way to take a chunk out of emissions.

MCKENZIE (voiceover): Even as the Biden administration pushes the energy transition. U.S. oil production is breaking records, churning out more than 30 million barrels a day.

BILL HARE, CEO, CLIMATE ANALYTICS: It's really hypocritical, both the Emirates and the U.S. are saying they're committed to one and a half degrees, but you can't be committed to the Paris Agreement's temperature limit if you go on expanding fossil fuel production.

MCKENZIE: There are very bold pronouncements on one hand and actions on the other. Are the two lining up?

HARE: No, they're not. One of the big concerns that many have about the process here is that we're seeing an awful lot of announcements which are never followed up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE (on camera): Well, the announcement from the U.S. is backed by regulations, so it should mean it's enforceable. But there are many other pledges that are happening at these COP meetings, Kim, that will need a close eye to make sure they actually -- the buck that they are promising actually gets delivered. And now, the main issue that I think is in the background in all of these COP discussions is whether there will be a promise of a phase out of fossil fuels, maybe that will be watered down to a phase down. Now, it might seem semantics, but it's crucially important, say scientists, to actually have concrete action to stop fossil fuel productions in the coming decades if we are wanting to end the climate crisis. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, a big difference. We'll see what happens. David McKenzie in Dubai, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Flights in Munich, Germany have now resumed after heavy snow blanketed the region Saturday and shut down the airport. Some 200 flights were already cancelled for today. More than 700 flights cancelled Saturday. Buses, trams and some train services in the city were also suspended. Officials say, it's the most snow that's ever fallen in December in Munich in close to a century. Residents were asked not to drive unless it was absolutely necessary.

And in some parts of southern Bavaria people were told to stay inside, but the snow didn't stop some people from enjoying the outdoors. Have a look here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I have to say, I think it's great. If you're traveling by car or train or have a flight, that's bad, of course. But personally, I think it's wonderful that it's finally snowing again. But as I said, it's bad for those who have destinations they're trying to reach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: So, it might have been a pretty sight to some, but there have been many reports of road accidents due to icy conditions, and the National Rail Service operations will be severely impacted through Monday.

And snow also blanketed the Czech capital of Prague with weather services reporting nearly 30 inches of fresh snow in some places. It caused power outages and disrupted traffic across the country and at Prague's airport. But the snow did provide a picturesque backdrop to the opening of the annual Christmas market.

Officials in the Philippines say an explosion during a mass inside a gymnasium has killed at least four people and injured more than 40 others. Philippine President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. condemned the deadly bombing and blamed it on foreign terrorists. It happened at a university gymnasium on the southern island of Mindanao. The region has long been a hotbed of insurgency against the Philippine government.

Meanwhile, residents in the southern Philippines are recovering from the shock of a powerful earthquake. The 7.6 magnitude quake rocked Mindanao Island on Saturday and sparked multiple aftershocks. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It also caused some damage to buildings, including to this grocery store. Despite the scary scenes there, there have been no initial reports of casualties. The quake did trigger tsunami warnings, and small waves were observed as far away as Japan. Authorities say those advisories are now over.

All right, I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks for watching. For our viewers in North America, I'll be back after a quick break. For everyone else, it's "Connecting Africa."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

I want to get back to our top story, the resumed fighting between Israel and Hamas. Israel's relentless bombardment of what it calls Hamas targets is now in its third day since a truce collapsed early Friday. The IDF says, fighter jets and helicopters have been striking Hamas installations across Gaza, including tunnel shafts, command centers, and weapons storage facilities.

Israel is urging thousands of people in Southern Gaza to keep moving south, but internet service in Gaza has been spotty at best. It's not clear Gazans are getting the message. The pause in fighting worked out last week, isn't likely to be repeated again soon. On Saturday, both sides quit the hostage negotiations in Qatar, with each blaming the other for the breakdown.

Some of the Israeli hostages freed by Hamas joined a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling for the release of hostages left behind. Thousands of people showed up as posters of those still held in Gaza were on display. Family members of hostages shared the pain of waiting to see their loved ones again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDAN BEGERANO, RELATIVE OF HOSTAGE: It's a nightmare for us that our family is still in captive, still in Gaza. Although some of our family members came back to Israel this week, at least three of them are here, but two more are still in Gaza. And we came here in order to stand with them and fight for them, returning to Israel as soon as possible with all the other hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Israeli farmers tell CNN they're struggling to find workers since Hamas's attack on October 7th. The Israeli government believes thousands of foreign farm workers have fled in fear after many were killed or taken hostage. Nic Robertson has the details. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voiceover): In a safe room on a dairy farm, a respectful recovery is underway. 10 foreign workers murdered in here by Hamas, October 7th. The farm's camera recorded others taken at gunpoint, later found executed. 23 foreign workers on this farm, mostly Thai, some Nepalese, brutally killed. Some of them taken through this door.

STEVIE MARCUS, DAIRY FARM MANAGER: Every time I come out, I have -- I see the safe room where 10 foreign workers were slaughtered, and the living quarters where another six or seven were killed. It's always there.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Stevie Marcus runs the farm. Gaza close across his fields. His surviving foreign workers all fled. And that's a problem.

MARCUS: Basically, the foreign workers run the farm.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): He has 730 calves and cows, 350 producing milk. A shortage of skilled labor is limiting productivity.

MARCUS: We have four volunteer milkers.

ROBERTSON: But this is a technical business as well.

MARCUS: Right.

ROBERTSON: You need --

MARCUS: Yes, so --

ROBERTSON: You need skills.

MARCUS: Yes, so we're doing the bare minimum we need to do, making sure they have food and clean water, milking them.

ROBERTSON: This is where the Thai workers were living. It's completely torched and destroyed. According to the Thai government, before October 7th, there were about 5,000 Thai workers in what they describe as the danger zone around Gaza.

So, you got your weapon --

YOSI INBAR, VEGETABLE FARMER: Yes.

ROBERTSON: -- after the attack?

INBAR: Yes.

ROBERTSON: Why's that?

INBAR: Because we need to protect ourselves.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Yosi Inbar is a vegetable farmer. His farm close to Gaza too. Half his foreign workers fled. Volunteers, saving his crops.

INBAR: Can't stop smiling. You know, I 00 all the time thank them and tell them how grateful about it because without them, I just close the water and everything, you know --

ROBERTSON: Everything would die and you'd lose the whole crop without them.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): And that could be bad for the whole of Israel. According to Israel's Farmers Federation, 40 percent of vegetables consumed in Israel are produced close to Gaza. It's what motivated Avi Leibovich to use his day off from his tech job in central Israel to help on Yosi's farm.

AVI LEIBOVICH, FARM VOLUNTEER: It seems like they need us to come and support them, to support us, because without them, probably the markets will be empty.

[04:35:00]

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Danny Parizada is on a day off from his tech job too. Came despite the dangers of rocket fire from Gaza.

DANNY PARIZADA, FARM VOLUNTEER: But here they don't have enough. People are afraid to come next to the Gaza Strip. Fear of bombs. You know, if something happens, we only have 15 seconds.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Yosi knows he's farming on borrowed time. Eventually, the volunteers will go back to their regular routines.

ROBERTSON: But can you really make a business here in the future if there isn't additional security around?

INBAR: No, no, no. Nobody will come back.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): At Stevie's dairy farm, the same concerns.

MARCUS: At the end of the day, everyone -- no one's going to come and live here if it's not safe. That's not just for the farmers, it's for the population -- the whole population.

ROBERTSON: What does being safe look like here?

MARCUS: Quiet.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): And that seems a very, very long way off.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Alumim, Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Los Angeles police say they've arrested a suspect in connection with the murders of three homeless men over the last few days and a fourth homicide in a nearby community. The news comes just one day after authorities asked for the public's help with identifying a suspect. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES MAYOR: 24 hours ago, we announced there was a killer on the loose. Now, he is in custody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Camila Bernal has the latest from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Authorities here in Los Angeles say they have identified and arrested a 33-year-old Los Angeles man that they believe is responsible for four different killings in four days. Three of them being unhoused individuals.

According to authorities, this started last Sunday and they say he killed unhouse individuals both Sunday and Monday in the early morning hours. Then on Tuesday, they say, he's responsible for a follow home robbery and then killing a father of two young children.

Then on Wednesday, they say he killed another unhoused individual. But authorities were looking initially for the person responsible of the follow home robbery and killing. And they were able to stop this individual thanks to a traffic stop, and they say they were able to arrest him there. But it was days later that they connected the dots and also believe that he was also responsible for the killing of the unhoused individuals. Here is what the L.A. chief of police had to say.

MICHEL MOORE, CHIEF OF POLICE, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Our investigation has documented Mr. Powell's vehicle as being at the murder scene of all three homicides, and Mr. Powell's physical appearance is consistent with the imagery recovered to this point.

BERNAL: Now, after he was pulled over, authorities were able to recover the murder weapon. And they say they're still trying to gather evidence that will help in an eventual prosecution, they say that is now the focus. As of now, they also say they do not have a motive, but they will continue to work on this case for that eventual prosecution.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come, Former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis canvassed for votes in the Hawkeye State on Saturday with just six weeks left until the Iowa caucuses. That's coming up, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are putting their focus on Iowa this weekend. They held dueling campaign rallies in the state on Saturday. CNN's Kristen Holmes was at Trump's rally in Cedar Rapids and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump really delivering his most forceful rebuttal of President Biden's argument that a second Trump term would be bad for democracy. He even made a veiled reference to the speech that Biden gave in which he said that MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump would be bad for American institutions and for the country as a whole. Listen to some of what Donald Trump had to say.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND U.S REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Joe Biden is not the defender of American democracy. Joe Biden is the destroyer of American democracy. So, if Joe Biden wants to make this race a question of which candidate will defend our democracy and protect our freedoms, and I say to Crooked Joe, and he's crooked, the most corrupt president we've ever had. We will win that fight and we're going to win it very big. Very big.

HOLMES: He also, at one point, said that his campaign was a righteous crusade to liberate our republic from Joe Biden, which of course raises the question as to what exactly is Joe Biden -- President Biden doing that is anti-democratic. Well, President -- former president had a list of several things, which included forcing people to buy specific cars, went on a long tangent about electric vehicles. At one point, he talked about the First Amendment and subpoenaing these social media companies.

But the main crux of the argument was really about Donald Trump himself, claiming that President Biden is using his administration to come after the former president. This referring to these multiple charges against President -- Former President Trump, including his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. So, really trying to flip this narrative, but again, using an argument that we have heard over and over again from the former president.

But I will note, we are just about six weeks out from those Iowa caucuses and all polling that we have seen shows Trump with a very dominant lead when it comes to those caucuses. And when we were here at this event, there was an earlier speaker who asked the crowd if anyone had ever -- this was their first-time caucusing, and about half the people here raised their hand to say it was, showing that Donald Trump still has a lot of support. But even a lot of new support, despite those charges and his ongoing legal problems here in the State of Iowa.

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BRUNHUBER: So, as Kristen just said, DeSantis is trailing badly, but he's leaving no stone unturned as he tries to pull off a political miracle. He campaigned in every one of Iowa's counties. He says, it was about more than just drumming up votes. Here he is.

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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think doing the 99 Calis (ph) is just about the caucus. Like, yes, obviously we're going to use that to win the caucus, but I think it has significance beyond there. One, by the fact that I'm willing to do this, that should show you that I consider myself a servant, not a ruler. And that's how people that get elected should consider themselves.

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BRUNHUBER: So, DeSantis isn't just struggling in Iowa, he's far behind in national polls as well. And during his debate with California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Newsom had this reality check.

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GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): There's one thing in closing that we have in common is neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.

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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten breaks down the latest poll numbers for us.

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HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATE REPORTER: Let's take a look nationally, because I think this really tells the story. You know, at the beginning of the year, if you look back to March, our CNN poll, it was a dead heat between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis was a little bit ahead, but well within the margin of error.

Take a look at where we are now. Donald Trump is over 40 points ahead of the governor of Florida. They're simply put no historical analogy that Ron DeSantis could look to at this point based upon the polling and say, he's going to be the nominee. Every single person in Trump's position in the national polls has gone on to win. And at this particular point I'm not really sure why I would disagree with history. But at this point it does seem like the Florida governor is not made for prime time, at least in a presidential campaign.

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BRUNHUBER: Culture wars are not only an issue for those who live here in the U.S., they're also taking center stage in Russia. Fred Pleitgen has more on a recent ruling from the country's Supreme Court, which limits the rights of LGBTQ community there.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): As Vladimir Putin continues his brutal invasion of Ukraine, at home, the Kremlin is prosecuting a legal war against the LGBTQ community. Russia's Supreme Court now labeling its members as extremists. OLEG NEFEDOV, JUDGE, RUSSIA'S SUPREME COURT (through translator): The court decision to ban the activities of the international public LGBT movement and its structural subdivisions shall be subject to immediate execution.

PLEITGEN (voiceover): That means this may be considered extremist behavior in the future. Saffron is a drag artist often performing at an underground club.

SAFFRON, DRAG ARTIST (through translator): What scares me is that a large layer of interesting ideas, interesting people, and interesting creativity will be lost. I fear for the safety of these people. If they continue to do what they are doing, they could be in danger.

PLEITGEN (voiceover): Sodomy and pedophilia, that's how Kremlin controlled T.V. has been labeling the LGBTQ community for years in a sustained media blitz.

SERGEY KARNAUKHOV, HOST, "SOLOVYOV LIVE" (through translator): Sorry, I don't want to talk about this pen. I won't even say this disgusting word out loud. I'm a terrible homophobe. If it were my choice, they would be shot for what they do to each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vystrel.

PLEITGEN (voiceover): Combating what he sees as nontraditional sexual behavior propagated by the U.S. and its European allies is part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's rationale for the war in Ukraine, and one of his propaganda points in a confrontation with the West.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vystrel.

PLEITGEN (voiceover): Putin styling himself as the defender of what he calls traditional Christian values, even as he recently praised Russia's cultural diversity.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our diversity and unity of cultures, traditions, languages, and ethnic groups simply does not fit into the logic of Western racists and colonialists.

PLEITGEN (voiceover): The LGBTQ community has long faced violence and arrests in Russia, but some LGBTQ activists believe now things could get much worse as Vladimir Putin gears up for a presidential election next March.

SERGEY TROSHIN, RUSSIAN POLITICAL PARTY, "YABLOKO" (through translator): It seems to me that this is part of the presidential election campaign, but the elections will pass, and the court decision will remain.

PLEITGEN (voiceover): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Just ahead, when two college football dynasties collide for a championship trophy. Well, it could only be one winner. We'll have more on that ahead, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The Pacific Northwest could get heavy rain and snow over the next few days, but it's a different story in the Northeast. Here's CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa with the details.

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ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Some of these cities in the Northeast are not only breaking the record, but completely shattering and obliterating it. In New York City, it has been 656 days since they have seen at least one inch of snow. The last record for this stretch was 383 days. So, again, almost doubling it. The last time that New York City had more than an inch of snow was back in February of 2022. So, again, very significant.

And it's not just New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, all taking the top spot for the longest stretch without more than an inch of snow. Well over 600 days, Richmond, Virginia tops out the top four on that list with 684 days. So, just incredible to see.

And looking at the forecast, we're not looking at snow anytime soon. Some rain in New York City by Sunday, temperatures below average through a lot of the extended forecast here, but overall, not really looking at any snowmakers anytime soon. Not the case though for the Pacific Northwest.

A series of storms will bring heavy rain and snow going through the next several days. We'll find some of this rain and snow really setting up going into Sunday. Some of that rain could be heavy at times from Portland into Seattle. You know, a little bit of a break but again another storm like train cars on its heel going into Monday and Tuesday with the heavy rain and the snow setting up.

What's happening is we have an atmospheric river setting up. That's when that jet stream or the path of storminess really just sits over the Pacific Northwest, really pumping that moisture, storms just one after another, level four out of five. This could be hazardous, talking about river rises and mudslides.

We're looking at some three to seven inches of rain in the lowlands, but up in the high elevations could be looking at up to 10 inches of rain where it's cold enough. Looking at two to three feet of snow, so we can pretty significant snow totals up in the Pacific Northwest going through the next several days.

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BRUNHUBER: It was a battle between two big time college football teams for the SEC championship trophy on Saturday. Number eight, Alabama, upset number one, Georgia. With plays like that, the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs 27-24. Georgia fought hard but came up a little short as Alabama snapped the Bulldogs 29 game win streak. Alabama head coach Nick Saban made his pitch to the college football playoff committee. Here he is.

[04:55:00]

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NICK SABAN, ALABAMA HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: The message that I would send is, we won the SEC. You know, we beat the number one team in the country which everybody thought on the committee was the number one team in the country, and they won 29 straight games. I think this team is one of the four best teams and one of the teams that's deserving to be in the playoff.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, as we saw, Alabama proved to be too tough for the defending national champion, Georgia Bulldogs. So now, everyone waits to see who the college football playoff committee puts in the playoffs.

All right. I want to give you a look at this. A light show of holiday colors put on by Mother Nature. The Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights, lit up the skies over northern China Friday. It was just beautiful. The brilliant array of red and green could be seen not only from Beijing to inner Mongolia, but also across parts of North America, including parts of the U.S. mainland. Scientists point to a strong geomagnetic storm as the reason for the brilliant auroras and they expect more and stronger geomagnetic storms in the months ahead.

Well, a double take as a famous primatologist Jane Goodall came face to face with her lookalike on Friday. Have a look. Goodall's wax statue is displayed at the Grevin Museum in Paris, which features likenesses of everyone from Queen Elizabeth to Brad Pitt.

The facsimile is decked out in the kind of green camouflage clothes that Goodall wore while studying chimps in the wilds of East Africa, of course. And she's credited with discovering similarities between humans and primates, including their use of tools, their wide range of emotions, and their close family bonds. And she says the statue brought back good memories. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE GOODALL, PRIMATOLOGIST: This reminds me of the time when I used to be able to live in the forest with the chimpanzees. This is how I was dressed and I always had my binoculars with me. And so, it reminds me of the best days of my life.

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BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" in just a moment.

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