Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Makes His Third Trip To Washington Since Russia Invaded His Country Nearly Two Years Ago; Zelenskyy Spends Sunday In Argentina Congratulating The Country's New President Javier Milei On His Inauguration; Trump Changes Course Sunday, Will Not Testify In New York Civil Fraud Trial; Urgent Calls For More Humanitarian Aid For Gaza As The War There Intensifies And Expands In The South; At Least 600 Members Of Harvard University's Faculty Sign A Petition Urging Officials To Resist Calls For The Removal Of University President Claudine Gay; Multiple Tornadoes Hit Tennessee, Kills At Least Six People And Injures Dozens; Tensions Between The Philippines And China Flare Once Again In The South China Sea. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 11, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travels to Washington this week. We will look at the challenge he faces when it comes to getting more funding for the war with Russia.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump reverses course when it comes to testifying in court later today. This, as he doubles down on startling comments about being a dictator if he gets in the White House for a second term.

And homes turned to rubble and ash in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike. What the U.S. has to say about civilian protection in the beleaguered enclave.

VOICE-OVER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. We start with the Ukrainian President making his third trip to Washington since Russia invaded his country nearly two years ago.

A statement from Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office says he will meet with U.S. President Biden about further defense cooperation. But right now, aid for Ukraine is bogged down in Congress amid a long-running domestic debate, with some lawmakers saying it comes down to a matter of priorities. CNN's Kevin Liptak has more.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Zelenskyy's visit to Washington on Tuesday will come at a critical moment as lawmakers are working to come up with a package that would include new aid for Ukraine along with new rules on migration into the United States.

And certainly the fact that President Biden invited Zelenskyy to visit Washington tells you that the administration is looking for some kind of dramatic way to break the impasse on Capitol Hill.

So, while he is in D.C., he will meet with President Biden at the White House to discuss what President Biden's aides say is vital American support for Ukraine, but he will also be on Capitol Hill. Zelenskyy will speak to all senators at a meeting in person, and he will meet as well with the Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.

And certainly his challenge will be in convincing some of these skeptical Republicans that the $60 billion in additional American assistance that President Biden is requesting for Ukraine could make a difference on the battlefield. As Ukraine remains bogged down in this counteroffensive that hasn't necessarily changed the battle lines so far.

But already you're hearing some Republicans sort of oppose Zelenskyy's visit. J.D. Vance, the conservative Republican from Ohio, said that Zelenskyy will come to Washington and demand that Congress care more about his border than our own.

And remember, these talks are tied together with this conversation about tightening the rules on migration into the United States. We did hear Sunday from the two senators who are sort of leading those discussions, the Democrat Chris Murphy and the Republican James Lankford, it did not appear as if they were any closer to an agreement. Listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS MURPHY, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: This is one of the most dangerous moments that I've ever faced in American politics and I wish Republicans weren't holding Israel aid and aid to Ukraine hostage to the resolution of immigration reform.

MARGARET BRENNAN, "FACE THE NATION" ANCHOR: Can you get Ukraine aid passed separate from this?

JAMES LANKFORD, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: No. No, the focus is we hear from so many people is why would we deal with other people's national security and ignore America national security? Why would we literally allow people across our southern border?

This administration labels national security risk by the thousands coming into the country separate from just the migrants that are coming from employment. We have individuals, they've literally labeled national security risk coming into the country. Why would we not work to be able to stop that? We can't do two things at once.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LIPTAK: Now, President Biden did say last week that he was open to a

significant compromise when it comes to border provisions, but he is really caught in a bind here, feeling pressure from both sides, certainly from Republicans and even some Democrats who want to do more to stop the migrant flows from coming into the United States.

But also on the other side from progressives and immigration advocates who are worried about the steps that President Biden might agree to, worried that they could amount to some of the restrictive policies that President Trump enacted when he was in office.

Now, we did hear from Senator Chris Murphy today that the White House plans to become more engaged on these talks over the coming weeks. But it remains certainly unclear whether presidential involvement will break the impasse.

[03:05:00]

Kevin Liptak, CNN Los Angeles.

CHURCH: So, let's discuss this further with CNN Contributor Jill Dougherty, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She's also a former CNN Moscow bureau chief. Good to have you with us.

JILL DOUGHERTY, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Hey, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, President Joe Biden will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House Tuesday to discuss further defense cooperation. But of course, hanging over that series of planned talks is the reality that Congress is not fully on board with additional funding for the war-torn nations. So, what all can possibly be achieved?

DOUGHERTY: Well, I think Zelenskyy's got a very difficult job, and this really may be the biggest, most important pitch that he has to make for his country. Because right now, as was just noted in that report, everything in the United States has been highly politicized.

Obviously, we have an election coming up. And so any issue, and especially Ukraine, where you're talking about, you know, big amounts of money, you've got this package -- overall package of $106 billion, 60 billion of which would go to Ukraine. The rest would go to Israel, to the border, and some other -- Taiwan, in fact.

But 60 billion is a lot of money. And as American lawmakers look at it, they don't believe that there is much progress that the Ukrainians are making. And also, they know, at least the Republicans know, that Joe Biden is really kind of over the barrel on this. He needs to continue that funding. That is a major purpose that he set out to do.

And so, they can hold him and they can pressure him on this issue of the border. Now, the Russians are saying security -- the border is security, but there's, I think you'd have to say a difference between armed invasion of another country, albeit another country and people coming into a country. They're -- they're quite different issues, but in the United States right now, they are intricately connected.

And so, it's very difficult. And I think Zelenskyy is going to have to rely on the power that he has emotionally to connect to people, but also to make that issue that I get across that idea, which he's made before, that if Ukraine loses -- whatever lose means at this point, and Russia is perceived as winning, that it can be a danger to Europe and to the United States. So it's a very, very difficult task for him right now.

CHURCH: Yeah, let's look at that, because what will the likely consequences be if conservatives dig in their heels and refuse to approve more aid for Ukraine? What will be the consequences? Paint us that picture.

DOUGHERTY: Well, it's pretty dire, because right now, The whole thing, the whole fight in Ukraine right now is about how much armaments you have, how much ammunition do you have, how many weapons do you have, and Ukraine is running out of this. In fact, it's quite predictable that soon, within weeks or certainly in months, that they could run out of equipment that they need to fight this war.

Meanwhile, Russia has been getting drones and ammunition, drones from Iran, ammunition from North Korea, in fact, quite a lot of it. So this is the difficulty right now that if Ukraine runs out of ammunition, the Russians will come in. They're already beginning that kind of winter offensive on the energy resources of Ukraine, trying to cut down on heating and electric for the Ukrainians, making it very difficult as they did last year.

And nobody knows exactly where that will all end, but it's a pretty dire, serious situation. Biden knows that, and certainly Zelenskyy knows that. That is why he's making this, you could say, last-minute trip to the United States, going up to Capitol Hill, and trying to make that pitch.

The problem, I think, Rosemary, is when he talks to the Senate, there actually are some Republicans who support him in the Senate. But when you get to the House, that is where the conservatives are, and you could say really very far-right conservatives who are opposed to Ukraine entirely, do not want to aid Ukraine, and they can make this argument that can seem convincing. You know, American security.

And that's difficult when you try to say helping another country will help the United States.

[03:10:00]

It doesn't appear to be a direct link to some Americans.

CHURCH: And Jill, while we have you with us, what is your take on where the relationship stands right now between Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after their talks Sunday when Putin offered to help de-escalate the conflict in Gaza in response to civilian casualties there?

DOUGHERTY: Well, certainly Netanyahu is not happy with Putin. There's no question. Putin has been, well, in fact, they invited Hamas representatives to Moscow a while ago. Putin has been very critical of the Israeli occupation -- of the Israeli operation.

They -- I think what you're seeing is Russia trying to exploit divisions between the United States and let's say Israel and the problems that the United States is having in the Arab world in general. And then also Russia and Putin trying to look very much like a power broker, trying to show that they still have influence.

Recently, you know, over the past few years, their influence has waned, but right now you'd have to say that Putin is making the pitch to become or to be perceived as a power broker in the Middle East.

CHURCH: Jill Dougherty, joining us from Berlin, many thanks. I appreciate your analysis on this issue.

DOUGHERTY: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, Mr. Zelenskyy spent Sunday in Argentina congratulating the country's new President, Javier Milei, on his inauguration. The two held a bilateral meeting after the swearing-in ceremony.

The Ukrainian President posted that Argentina and Ukraine are united by their love for freedom, writing, "We truly cherish it, protect it, and stand ready to strengthen it together." Zelenskyy also made time to meet with the Presidents of Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Well, former President Donald Trump changed course Sunday announcing on social media that he will not testify today in his $250 million New York civil fraud trial. Just Friday Trump had declared that he would take the stand in the case once again against the advice of his attorneys.

But on social media Sunday he said he won't testify after all. Trump, his adult sons and his company are accused of inflating the value of their properties to receive better loan and insurance terms, allegations he vehemently denies.

The Republican presidential frontrunner also has been taking heat for a second term agenda that would wield executive power in unprecedented ways and for his recent comments on whether he would be a dictator. Former Democratic Vice President Al Gore told CNN that Trump's statements should be taken seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GORE, FORMER DEMOCRATIC U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I saw the other day where he pledged to be a dictator on day one, and you kind of wonder what it'll take for people to believe him when he tells us who he is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: On Saturday, Trump tried to reframe the narrative that he would be a threat to democracy, calling the accusation a hoax. CNN's Alayna Treene has more. ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Donald Trump speaking at an event

last night hosted by the New York Young Republican Club doubled down on comments that he had made during a town hall with Fox News earlier in the week. And he essentially said that he would be a dictator for one day if he reclaimed the White House in order to build a wall and to quote, drill, drill.

But Trump also attempted last night to undercut the narrative that he would be a threat to democracy by characterizing it as a new hoax cooked up by Democrats. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the past few weeks, the radical left Democrats and their fake news allies have unveiled their newest hoax that Donald J. Trump and the Republican Party are a threat to democracy. Do you believe that? That's what it is. It's a hoax. It's a new, we call it now, the threat to democracy hoax because that's what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: The former president also repeated claims last night that he thinks Joe Biden is the, quote, "real threat to democracy". And so, I think, you know, there's a couple things worth pointing out here.

There is a concern, and I've spoken about this with Donald Trump's advisors and other Republicans, that some of this ramped-up rhetoric is not going to play well outside of his loyal base, especially if he were to go on and win the Republican nomination and then advance to the general election. I think that's why you're seeing Donald Trump, as we've seen him do time and time again to reclaim the narrative on this.

And that's essentially what he's doing. He's trying to flip the script and put this on Joe Biden.

[03:15:00]

He's claiming that this is an artificial narrative being spread by Democrats when really, Biden is the one who's using the government to go after him and his political enemies, pointing to the series of indictments that he is facing.

But, you know, that's not really an argument that seems to be resonating outside of Donald Trump's closest group of supporters. And, of course, there's also no evidence that the White House has had any involvement in the indictments against Trump.

Now, I do also think it's very important for us to be clear about the greater context of this which is that Trump himself has said publicly that if he were to reclaim the White House in 2024, he would use the Justice Department to go after his political foes. And his team has already been formulating plans to move the Justice Department under presidential control and try to strengthen the power of the executive branch. Now, another thing I think is just very interesting is the unintended

consequences of Donald Trump continuing to talk about this. And that is that it's giving Joe Biden and the Democratic Party an opening. What Democrats have been trying to do is paint the election as not only a rematch between Trump and Biden, but a choice between authoritarianism and democracy.

And so, this is just another opening for Democrats to use to go after Donald Trump. Alayna Treene, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Meantime, two of Donald Trump's biggest Republican rivals in the presidential race are looking to boost their profiles ahead of the Iowa caucuses. The attacks between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are getting personal, with Haley accusing DeSantis of being a phony, saying he's too similar to Donald Trump in a new political ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to build the wall.

RON DESANTIS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Build the wall.

VOICE-OVER: Judges are a priority. And honestly, made in China and Russia. Businesses have been locked down. What a phony.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, DeSantis accuses Haley of pretending to be two different candidates on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DESANTIS: You can't have Hawkeye Haley here saying she's conservative, and then a more nuanced Nikki appealing to independents and liberals in New Hampshire. That doesn't work. You got to have the same message everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Earlier, I asked CNN's senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, about why neither candidate has been able to effectively challenge Trump and what it means for the race going forward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Their common problem is that neither one at the moment is attracting a coalition broad enough to really threaten Trump. They are also -- they have also jointly made the decision that they are largely going to defer to another day, making the strongest possible case against Trump and focus on trying to edge out each other to get him into a one-on-one race.

You know, they are operating from completely different theories about what it takes to beat him. DeSantis is running to Trump's right, trying to peel away some of his core supporters on the theory that if he gets it down to a one-on-one race, that the voters in the middle will have no choice but to rally around him as the last chance to stop Trump.

But that strategy, Rosemary, really hasn't paid a lot of dividends. He hasn't paved the way -- a lot of Trump supporters, and he's alienated a lot of the more centrist voters in the Republican Party who are the most resistant to Trump. That's left the vacuum for Haley, which he has failed to probably pass him as the most viable alternative to Trump, consolidating those more centrist voters, college-educated voters, suburban voters.

But that last debate showed the limits of her approach. When DeSantis and Ramaswamy really tag-team, went at her from the right and she didn't have, I think, as effective a response as she did in some of the earlier debates. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, urgent calls for more humanitarian aid for Gaza as the war there intensifies and expands in the South. We'll have details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Israeli forces and Hamas fighters are engaged in intense battles in Gaza as Israel expands its operations in the south. The Palestinian news agency Wafa says dozens of civilians were killed in airstrikes Sunday across Gaza, including in the southern city of Khan Younis and in the Jabalia refugee camp in the north.

And we do want to warn you the next video contains images that are disturbing. It shows the wounded being rushed to a hospital in Khan Younis. According to Wafa, medical sources say those arriving for treatment are having to lay on the floor because there are no beds or medical supplies available.

The Palestinian crossing authority says 100 aid trucks arrived in Gaza from Egypt on Sunday, which is consistent with the daily average that's been allowed in over the past week. But it's still less than a quarter of the aid that was going into Gaza before the war, according to the U.N.

The World Health Organization says the lack of basic supplies is allowing diseases to spread and warn that Gaza's health care system is, quote, on its knees and collapsing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: As more and more people move to a smaller and smaller area, overcrowding, combined with the lack of adequate food, water, shelter and sanitation, are creating the ideal conditions for diseases to spread. Health needs have increased dramatically, and the capacity of the

health system has been reduced to one third of what it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments. She joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, what is the latest on the fighting across Gaza, the tragic loss of civilian lives, and of course the dire humanitarian situation?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, this seems to be a very intense phase in this war now. We're in the second week after that seven-day truce. So, we're seeing fighting in multiple areas. It has expanded to the south, as you say, but it is still happening in the north.

[03:25:00]

One of the key focuses is the Jabalia refugee camp where the Palestinian news agency WAFA reports that 45 civilians were killed in an attack on a house on Sunday, another nine in a square in that area. Israel is saying that so far in this conflict it's killed some 7000 Hamas militants. It said it found significant weapons, caches in the area of the Jabalia refugee camp, including in one case AK-47 rifles and an RPG hidden, it says in UNRWA bags, that's the U.N. Relief and Works Agency bags, in a civilian residence, so making the case that there are, you know, there's infrastructure and officials hiding in these civilian areas.

Separately in the south, Khan Younis that second biggest city in Gaza, continues to be a key focus there. The IDF issued an article called an urgent warning on Saturday to tell civilians to evacuate, published a map on X formerly known as Twitter showing five small blocks within that city for civilians to leave.

You can see them there highlighted in orange saying that they needed to go to shelters to the west of the city. We got reports of significant artillery shelling in that city over the weekend.

But Israel is being very closely watched with this tactic, which is relatively new in this phase of the operation of publishing these maps. You can see the QR code there. All the while, communications are very patchy in Gaza.

And the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about this in an interview with CNN on Sunday about whether Israel is doing enough in this phase to protect civilians. He signaled quite clearly that he doesn't think they are. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think the intent is there but the results are not always manifesting themselves. And we see that both in terms of civilian protection and humanitarian assistance.

Even as Israel has taken additional steps, for example, to designate safe areas in the south to focus on neighborhoods, not entire cities in terms of evacuating them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, he wants to see more pauses so civilians can get out multiple routes for them to leave through the U.N., humanitarian coordinator in the Middle East, Lynn Hastings went even further, questioning whether you can call what she said were, quote, "patches of land where there is no infrastructure, food, water, healthcare, or hygiene safe zones".

And in terms of the humanitarian situation, Rosemary, the key thing now to understand is that aid agencies are saying that they simply cannot carry out humanitarian work. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs saying that Rafah in the south is really the only area where aid distribution is able to take place. At the moment the World Food Programme says that humanitarian work is basically impossible now because of the breakdown of law and order in Gaza.

And now, we do now know that there will be an emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to discuss a joint Arab- Islamic draft resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. That of course follows the U.S. veto which prevented the U.N. Security Council from passing a similar resolution last week. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, thanks to Clare Sebastian, bringing us that live report from London. On Israel's northern border, the IDF says several soldiers were wounded after, quote, "suspicious aerial targets crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory".

Israel says it happened in the Western Galilee area and two targets were intercepted. Hezbollah claims it targeted an Israeli command headquarters using drones earlier on Sunday, saying the attack was in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel says Hamas is likely still holding 137 hostages in Gaza, but 20 of them are believed to be dead. Some of the hostages released by Hamas joined a Hanukkah gathering with displaced residents from the kibbutz, Kafar Azhar, a community devastated in the attack on October 7th. Mother and daughter Chen and Agam Goldstein-Almog spoke to the crowd saying they were thankful to be freed, but they still feel the pain of the remaining hostages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AGAM GOLDSTEIN-ALMOG, RELEASED ISRAELI HOSTAGE (through translator): It took us a lot of time to understand what happened when we weren't here and all you did in order to get us home until we understand everything. We want to say a huge thank you. Thank you for returning us.

Thank you for succeeding throughout all the pain and mourning to return us. We lost people who were so dear and everyone we knew and everyone we will remember forever. And there are people who are here who are so close and so far from us. They are our hope in this pain. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And still to come, a show of support for Harvard University's president as she faces pressure to step down over her testimony in Congress about anti-Semitism on campus. Details next. Plus, officials are assessing the damage after deadly tornadoes and strong thunderstorms roared through Tennessee this weekend. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. At least 600 members of Harvard University's faculty have now signed a petition urging officials to resist calls for the removal of University President Claudine Gay. The petition comes amid pressure on Gay to step down following her testimony on anti-Semitism before Congress last week.

She was among three university leaders who failed to say unequivocally that calling for genocide against Jews would violate their school's Code of Conduct. The Harvard petition urges officials to quote, "defend the independence of the university and resist political pressures".

Meantime, the University of Pennsylvania has appointed new leadership after its now former president, Liz Magill, resigned on Saturday over her testimony before Congress. The chairman of the school's board of trustees also resigned. Julie Platt, the board's new interim chair, said the change of leadership was necessary and appropriate. CNN's Polo Sandoval reports.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The University of Pennsylvania will begin final exams this week under new leadership after controversy resulted in the resignation of two university officials, among them Liz McGill, the now former university president. She, along with the heads of Harvard and MIT, have been heavily criticized since last week for failing to recognize that calling for a Jewish genocide is a direct violation of the university's Code of Conduct.

[03:35:00]

Here on the campus, we have seen reaction and heard action from students, including one in particular who's also the vice president of the Jewish Heritage program, who told students over the weekend that he felt that this was a step towards accountability for the university administration.

Separately, we also heard over the weekend from the governor of Pennsylvania, who spoke at a local synagogue, joining both Jewish and non-Jewish community leaders strongly condemning violence against all faiths. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH SHAPIRO, PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR: In whatever form, whether anti- Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, homophobia, it has no place here in Pennsylvania, in a place founded on the promise of William Penn. We will not tolerate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Well, governing organizations at Harvard continue with their regularly scheduled meetings. The last few days amid growing calls for their president, Claudine Gay, to step down. Gay has issued an apology recently, a Harvard spokesperson declining to comment. Polo Sandoval, CNN, Philadelphia.

CHURCH: In Tennessee, at least six people are dead and dozens more injured after multiple tornadoes and strong thunderstorms tore through the state over the weekend.

One tornado hit Madison and nearby Hendersonville with peak winds of 125 miles per hour according to a preliminary survey by the Weather Service. And another tornado devastated Clarksville over an 11-mile path, where officials say nearly 100 military families lost their homes. CNN's Rafael Romo has more on the tornado recovery efforts.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we have been able to see is a devastation caused by those 13 tornadoes in the Tennessee Office of Emergency Management said that that's how many tornadoes were spotted here on Saturday.

And what I can tell you is that in this particular neighborhood here in Madison, in the north side of Nashville, many homes are a total loss. There are many downed power lines and trees. Total devastation here. Authorities say 22 structures have collapsed and Governor Bill Lee has declared a state of emergency.

I was talking to a gentleman who lives here on this block earlier and he was telling me that him and his wife were watching TV when they realized after listening to the forecast that their area was in the danger zone and they ran to the kitchen, a decision that ultimately, he says, saved our lives. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREGORY CHANCE, TORNADO VICTIM: What I remember is we got in a safe place and the next thing I know, all you hear is stuff started flying, glass was breaking and it seemed like it lasted forever, but it was probably maybe 30 seconds.

ROMO (voice-over): Restoring power is another huge challenge authorities here are facing. According to officials, tens of thousands of people are still without power and official for the local utility was saying that it's not a matter of hours but days before they can turn everybody back on.

UNKNOWN: We expect some of those outages to be prolonged and we all know more today as crews further assess the damage. We don't have an estimated restoration time, but we do know that the outages in the Hendersonville area will be prolonged.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: And the damage to the power grid is so extensive that two utility providers are operating on generator power. Rafael Romo, CNN, Nashville, Tennessee.

CHURCH: The same storm that hit Tennessee hard is now impacting the U.S. Northeast with heavy rain, high winds and snow. CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa has more.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's cooler now where some tornado struck over the weekend over parts of Tennessee. That front, that same storm system now exiting off the East Coast.

You see the showers over the Atlantic, but that parent storm is sending some heavy rain up into New England as we start that work week where we've got some flood watches in effect from D.C. to Maine as we go through our Monday and you can see about 50 million people, major cities included in this flood watch like Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

Some two to four inches of rain could cause some flash flooding. And you can see that showing up here on that future radar. Some of the heavy downpours from the Carolinas up to Philly in New York, a messy commute for your Monday morning.

The pinks showing where that cold air meets the rain. There could be some mixing. The snow, though, will really start to pump for parts of upstate New York and Vermont, where some widespread six to eight inches of snow is possible. Look at the heavy rain from Boston.

All of this happening Monday morning and then by Monday afternoon, the rain and snow starts to kind of swirl out. But notice the lake affects snow showers that really start to get going across the Great Lakes.

Winter storm warnings in effect for all of this for parts of upstate New York and Vermont. They're the pinks where you have that warning where you could see up to a foot of snow and portions of those areas there -- you can see that showing up here on that future snow.

[03:40:00]

The purple showing the widespread six to eight inches.

But again, some of those isolated higher localized totals could be up to a foot. That yellow stripe there, that's where we could find some of that flash flooding where that two to four inches of rain is possible and it could cause some ponding.

All of this on top of some gusty winds. We could be finding some wind gusts up to 50 to 60 miles per hour along the coastline here from New York to Boston up through Maine.

You see those reds, that's where we could find some peak gusts, 50 to 60 miles per hour, where some high wind warnings continue through Monday. So, again a messy start to the work week.

CHURCH: Well, much more to come here on CNN. We will go live to Beijing for details on the latest confrontation between China and the Philippines and the South China Sea. Back with that in just a moment.

Plus, Argentina's new president promises change is in store for the country's troubled economy, his plan for a new era. Just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Tensions between the Philippines and China are flaring once again in the South China Sea. Both nations are accusing one another of dangerous maneuvers and a collision that happened this weekend in the contested waters of the Spratly Island chain.

The Philippines has summoned the Chinese ambassador to complain about what it calls aggressive actions. It's the latest in a series of maritime confrontations between the two countries. CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jung joins us now with more. So Steven, what can you tell us about this latest incident? Of course, what's been the reaction to it so far?

STEVEN JUNG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Rosemary, as you mentioned, both governments unsurprisingly blaming the other as the culprit that caused the latest incidents over the weekend. But remember, the root cause of this is this long-running territorial dispute between Beijing and many of its neighbors, including the Philippines, because China claims sovereignty almost over almost the entirety of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea.

[03:45:00]

And there are strategic and tactical reasons that we are hearing more about these increasingly dramatic encounters because the Philippine government under President Marcos has been increasingly publicizing them, obviously trying to draw more global attention to and presumably more international support for the Philippines because they do have that sense of urgency.

Part of what they have done was back in 1999. They deliberately ran ashore a World War II air vessel on the second Thomas shell that's part of the Spratlys to state their claim but that of course for the most part has been able to become their military outpost as they rotate in and out of their marines and resupplying the ship with civilian ships.

But that has changed when Chinese leader Xi Jinping took power with China's foreign policy and military operations becoming more assertive and somewhat aggressive in the region. So, that is the broader context here.

But remember that old Filipino ship is also literally rusting away, disintegrating structurally, so, that is why the Philippine military really needs to repair it urgently to continue to shore up their territorial claim. That's why there are already some reports emerging about the U.S. advising Manila on that front. But that's also why you have seen strategically, President Marcos has

been really expanding and deepening cooperation with the U.S. by granting access to additional Filipino bases to the U.S. military by restarting joint air and sea patrols with the U.S. and also himself stopping in Hawaii recently to visit the U.S. Indo-Pacific command to discuss such issues.

So, that's why from the Chinese perspective, all of that meaning that Philippines is now doing the U.S. bidding to stir trouble to challenge the Chinese power and supremacy in the region. So, the U.S. very much seen as part of this growing saga and that obviously doesn't bode well for where the situation is headed. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Stephen Jung bringing us that live report from Beijing. Police in Spain have arrested a Venezuelan citizen, considered to be one of the alleged leaders of a major worldwide hacker group. They've not identified the suspect, but say the person is linked to the hacker group known as Kelvin Security.

Investigators say it's connected to more than 300 high-level cyber attacks in more than 90 countries in the last three years. The suspect is accused of data breaching, hacking and money laundering using cryptocurrency.

Kelvin's security is also suspected of using the dark web to sell confidential data linked to countries including the United States, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Argentina's new president promised Sunday was the start of a new era for the country. The world is watching to see how he addresses an economic crisis of epic proportions. President Javier Milei claims no government has ever received a worse inheritance, telling the public there is no money. CNN's Ivan Sarmenti has more on the ceremony and its special guest.

IVAN SARMENTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Javier Milei is the new President of Argentina. The inauguration started this Sunday morning at the Congress where he swore in front of the deputies and senators. But instead of giving his major speech there, as other presidents used to do, he decided to go outside and talk to the people.

He announced a shock adjustment because there is no money, he said. Let's remember, Argentina is facing a huge crisis with an inflation over 140 percent a year.

At the Congress, also there were some special guests. The surprise there was Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine. He decided to attend to this inauguration.

He arrived early this morning in his first visit to Latin America since the beginning of the war. Later, they met again here in Casa Rosada, the government House, where it's also expected a bilateral meeting this afternoon.

Another guest here is Viktor Orban, Hungarian Prime Minister, who resists the membership of Ukraine to the European Union. But Milei also talked to the Crown here. He thanked them for becoming him the first libertarian president of Argentina. I'm Ivan Sarmenti, CNN, Buenos Aires.

CHURCH: Still to come, the children of an Iranian activist had to accept the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Here what she had to say from behind bars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: One of the millions of resilient Iranian women who have risen up against oppression, repression, discrimination and tyranny. That is part of the acceptance speech the Iranian activist wrote from her prison cell in Tehran.

Mohammadi was awarded the prize back in October. But on Sunday, her children accepted it on her behalf and read her speech aloud.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI RAHMANI, SON OF NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE NARGES MOHAMMADI (through translator): I'm confident that the light to freedom and justice will shine brightly on the land of Iran. At that moment, we will celebrate the victory of democracy and human rights over tyranny and authoritarianism. And the anthem of the people's triumph on the streets of Iran will resonate worldwide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mohammadi had been sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison in Iran for her decades of human rights activism.

France is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. President Emmanuel Macron urged the significance of supporting women, children and the LGBT community at the Palace in Paris, where the draft was signed. The U.N. General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, establishing the groundwork for international human rights law.

[03:55:00]

Bronny James, the son of NBA star LeBron James, has made his long- awaited college basketball debut months after a major health scare. James scored four points in 16 minutes of play for his team, the University of Southern California on Sunday.

The freshman suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice in July. He was later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, but last month his doctors cleared him to return to basketball. His team lost on Sunday, but LeBron James was there to see his son's big moment.

Dozens of swimsuit clad people in Santa hats endured the frigid air Sunday in Budapest, all for a good cause. Participants of the 20th Budapest Santa Speedo Run chanted ho, ho, as they ran through the city. The runners jumped, skipped and danced to stay warm and appeared to enjoy themselves despite the cold.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): We love it. We are having a great time and we support a good cause. What more can one want? We don't need anymore.

UNKNOWN (through translator): At last we don't feel hot. We had enough heat. I've been running for 19 years. At first we were just 11. Now we have a good crowd, a good mood, and it's a good feeling to help.

CHURCH: Organizers of the run donate their participation fees and this year the donations will benefit the tiny Ray of Hope charity which supports families raising severely premature babies with disabilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And I want to thank you for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)