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Israel-Hamas War; At Least 70 People Killed in an Israeli Bombardment on Gaza Refugee Camp Al-Maghazi, According to Hamas-Run Health Ministry; Aid for 2 Gazan Churches Sent by Jordan; In Support of Gaza, Bethlehem Cancels Christmas Celebrations; Anti-Government Protests Resulted in At Least 35 Arrests in Serbia; Russia's War on Ukraine; For the First Time, Ukraine Celebrates Christmas on December 25; Indications of Improvement Despite Record Temperatures Worldwide; Interview with Planet Reimagined Founder and U.N. Sustainability Advocate Adam Met, Ph.D.; In 2023, Global Fossil Fuel-Derived Carbon Dioxide Emissions Will Reach a Record High; "Book of Mormon" Stars Reunite in New Musical; Latest Photo of "Christmas Tree Cluster" Published by NASA. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 25, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. Appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, it's Christmas but no peace in the Holy Land as Israel continues to expand its offensive in Gaza.
A prayer for life from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as his country marks another holiday season at war.
Plus, it might not be a white Christmas for much of the world, but climate activists say there is still hope to keep temperatures from boiling over.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: And we begin this hour in Central Gaza, where at least 70 people have been killed at the al-Maghazi refugee camp, that's according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza. Several others are said to be wounded. The ministry claims more than 20,400 people have been killed since October 7th. It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced intensifying operations inside Gaza.
Israeli forces say, approximately 200 targets in the enclave were struck over the past day. The IDF says, its troops located a Hamas weapons compound inside what they described as a civilian structure near schools, a mosque and a clinic.
Meanwhile, Jordan's military dropped supplies and aid to Gaza residents sheltering in two churches on Sunday. The country's foreign minister says more than 500 Palestinian Christians received aid via the airdrops.
And as the fighting rages, Pope Francis says the message of Jesus's birth is being rejected by the war as he began Christmas celebrations at the Vatican on Sunday. Adding that, "Our hearts are in Bethlehem." CNN's Will Ripley has the details.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christmas morning began here in Israel with the somber news of an Israeli attack on the al-Maghazi refugee camp in Central Gaza. The Palestinian Red Crescent and Hamas-controlled health ministry say, that a residential area was targeted and at least 70 people are dead.
Pope Francis at the Vatican said that the message of Jesus' birth on this Christmas is being rejected by war. And in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, Christmas has essentially been cancelled. No tree, no decorations, no large crowds, largely in solidarity with Gaza. And also, because tourists and pilgrims just aren't going there this year. It's the first time in recent memory that there's been a Christmas like this.
The wife of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sara Netanyahu, sent a letter to the Pope asking for his personal intervention to secure the unconditional release of the remaining more than 100 Israeli hostages believed to be alive in Gaza on this Christmas Day.
Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to intensify his military operations inside Gaza just after a conversation with the U.S. President, Joe Biden, where they talked about the objectives and phasing of the war, hoping on the U.S. side that Israel will transition to a lower intensity, more targeted effort to root out Hamas leadership without piling onto the already sky-high civilian death toll of well over 20,000 people, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
From the Israeli Defense Force, there's new information about an underground Hamas tunnel network that was destroyed. Before it was destroyed, Israel says, they recovered the bodies of five Israeli hostages previously reported by CNN in mid-December. Three of those were IDF soldiers, two were civilians.
And very dramatic scenes at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt when aid trucks that were coming in on Sunday were essentially ambushed by large crowds. Gunshots rang through the crowd as people grabbed whatever they could and ran in all directions. The chaos preventing that aid likely from getting to the people in Gaza who desperately needed it most, with most of the population there hungry. People being told to relocate now for a second or third or even fourth time. And the fighting continues.
Will Ripley, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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HOLMES: In Serbia -- in Serbia's capital, thousands of people are protesting the ruling government for what they call blatant election theft. At least 35 people were arrested, Sunday, in the sixth straight day of protests, according to CNN Serbian affiliate N1. The unrest began the day after President Aleksandar Vucic declared victory for his Serbian Progressive Party during snap parliamentary re-elections.
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Opposition parties and rights groups say the party and Mr. Vucic himself are guilty of bribing voters, committing violent crackdowns on dissent and corruption, among other things.
This year, Ukraine is officially celebrating Christmas Day on December the 25th for the very first time. This comes after a new law, changed the state holiday from January seven, stepping away from Russian traditions. On Christmas Eve, President Vladimir Zelenskyy issuing this message.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It has been the second year since we discovered yet another format of Christmas, it's another dimension. It's Christmas during the times of fully fledged war. It's Christmas with a different mood, context, and a different taste. In family, homemade dinner is different because not all of us are at home, and not everyone has a home. It's not meals on the table that are important now, but people seated at the table and how valuable it is when they are next to us.
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HOLMES: Mr. Zelenskyy also said Ukrainians are offering, "A prayer for life this year and evil will lose."
Dire warnings from scientists about this year's record temperatures. We'll take a closer look at the devastating impact of the climate crisis as we head into 2024. That's when we come back here on "CNN News".
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HOLMES: Record heat has been recorded across the globe in 2023, and deadly weather events were often the result. But a glimmer of hope also emerged in the effort to transition to sustainable, renewable energy resources.
CNN's Simon Cullen with that story.
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SIMON CULLEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Record-breaking wildfires in Canada, deadly floods across large parts of Africa, and polar ice caps in long term decline.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: We are living through climate collapse in real time, and the impact is devastating. CULLEN (voice-over): Even before the year was out, Scientists had declared with certainty that 2023 would go down as the hottest recorded year in human history.
DR. SAM BURGESS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, COPERNICUS CLIMATE CHANGE SERVICE: The year has been quite extraordinary, and myself and many climate scientists have really run out of adjectives to describe the sheer volume of records broken and how they've been broken.
CULLEN (voice-over): In November, the Earth's average temperature briefly rose more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. A crucial threshold that scientists say could have irreversible consequences.
DR. BURGESS: The evidence is very, very clear. The warmer our world is, the more likely we are to have extreme events. And those extreme events are likely to be more intense and more frequent.
CULLEN (voice-over): With the El Nino system warming water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, 2024 could be even hotter. ?Given the scale of the challenge, many countries were hoping that global climate talks in Dubai would deliver the bold action needed to limit further warming.
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In the end, the agreement did put a sharper focus on the future of fossil fuels.
CULLEN: For the first time in the history of U.N. climate talks, the words fossil fuels appeared in the final text of an agreement, but it only referred to transitioning away, not phasing them out.
SIMON EVANS, CARBON BRIEF: The tricky thing is that it's an agreement between, basically, nearly 200 countries by consensus. So, there's always compromises at the end, and that's what leads to disappointment. But I think, it is nevertheless, a significant moment.
CULLEN (voice-over): And some countries that claim to take the climate threat seriously are still looking to approve new fossil fuel projects.
BILL HARE, CEO, CLIMATE ANALYTICS: There's a lot of hypocrisy to share around. The U.K. has actually backtracked on its policies. Australia has begun to move forward with its policies to reduce emissions, not succeeding yet. So, that's a concern, but it's also proposing and has supported very large expansion to gas export projects and to coal export projects.
CULLEN (voice-over): However, there are some glimmers of hope. Carbon Brief analysis shows that while China's coal infrastructure has grown, the country has invested so much in renewable energy over recent years that its emissions could actually begin to fall in the year ahead. Marking a dramatic turnaround for the world's biggest polluter.
EVANS: There have been moments in the past where it's looked like China's emissions are coming to a peak. I think there's probably more confidence this time around that we really are seeing, you know, a structural shift in their economy.
CULLEN (voice-over): Analysts say that could be a gamechanger, not just for China's domestic emissions, it could also give the Chinese leadership extra incentive to push for even stronger global action.
Simon Cullen, CNN, London.
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HOLMES: Adam Met is the founder of Planet Reimagined and a U.N. sustainability advocate. He joins me now. We just heard in a story, Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, saying last month, "We are living through the climate collapse in real time and the impact is devastating." Would you agree with that, climate collapse in real time?
ADAM MET, PH.D., FOUNDER, PLANET REIMAGINED AND U.N. SUSTAINABILITY ADVOCATE: I believe we are seeing the worst impacts of climate change that we have ever seen on this planet. Human caused climate change. And while we have so far to go, 2023 has been an incredible year for progress, and it's just the first step towards so much more progress we need to make. But 2023 has also been the wake up call for so many people around the world.
The massive flooding, the forest fires, the hurricanes and extreme weather are all caused by climate change. And I think 2023 finally gave us that wakeup call that we needed.
HOLMES: Yes, it's taken a long time coming for those who've been advocating since probably the '70s. The reality though is as the window closes to keep warming to an increase of 1.5 degrees, that may already be too late. The numbers are going in the wrong direction. Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels in 2023 were a record high. Can you see a meaningful reversal anytime soon and in time?
MET: Yes, we are producing more fossil fuels than ever, but at the same time, we're also producing more renewable energy than ever. And I see a moment very, soon where, the oil and gas companies are going to realize that producing renewable energy makes more sense for their bottom-line. Places like Exxon, Have activist investors now on their board. We see places like BP and Chevron starting to invest more in renewables.
Now, renewables, in particular solar and wind are some of the cheapest forms of energy on the planet. And if we can make that business case, then that's the ballgame. But at the same time in 2023, we realized that 70 percent of people on the planet actually believe climate change is a problem, and they want governments to be doing more about it. That's a huge change.
Now, that last 30 percent, we don't have to worry about them. They're probably never going to end up changing their mind. But in focusing on the 70 percent, if we take them and get them to that next rung on the ladder of active participation in the political process, then we'll be able to get real concrete change moving us in the right direction.
HOLMES: There does seem to be positive moves in that regard. But you still have, just as an example, leading U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump said this past month that if elected on day one, he will, "Drill, drill, drill." But referring, of course, to oil.
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How discouraging is it to see politicians, the fossil fuel industry and its lobbyists still wielding such influence and power at a time like this? When, as you point out, solar is the cheapest form of energy on the planet, yet they still wield that power.
MET: I'm discouraged that so many politicians are still focused on drilling. However, on the positive side, some of the largest delegations to cop this year came from Republican members of Congress. They're starting to realize that fossil fuels aren't the things that are going to boost economies in their district. They aren't going to bring new jobs to their district.
So, slowly, over time with places like the conservative climate caucus, we're seeing more and more Republicans on board. That doesn't discount the fact that there are a lot of conservative members of the United States Congress that are still focused on drilling. Now, it's going to take people in their district, looking for these new jobs, looking to boat -- boost the economy in places like solar and wind. So, while I am worried, I do see the tide starting to shift.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes, I -- one would hope. So, as we -- as 2024 comes upon us. What are the positives, the biggest positives right now in terms of climate change? What still gives you hope? You've touched on some of them, the renewables, the engagement of the younger generation, I guess. What keeps you optimistic?
MET: There are so many things that keep me optimistic. When we focus on technology, there are two ways of thinking about technology. One is the technologies that are still decades away. And while there's a lot of money going into places like carbon capture and hydrogen and nuclear, and we've had incredible advancements in 2023. They're still very far away from being commercially viable and scalable.
So, the things I am optimistic on a technological front are new ways of producing solar, new ways of capturing that electricity with battery storage. And there are a lot of companies that have come really close to rethinking the way the transmission grid works in the United States and around the world. Because not only do we need to focus on energy, we need to focus how we're getting that energy to people.
I'm also seeing a lot, a lot of advancements in places like manufacturing, in places like construction, and in places as we're focusing on the day-to-day things we use from food to clothing. So, as we focus on the business side and the political side, when there's enough political will, then we really see that movement in technology.
HOLMES: Dr. Adam Met, we're hopeful too. Appreciate you making the time. Thank you.
MET: Thank you.
HOLMES: Coming up next, CNN's Lynda Kinkade sits down with the stars of the new Broadway comedy, "Gutenberg! The Musical!", you don't want to miss that.
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HOLMES: It's that time of year when we could all do with some hearty entertainment and a laugh or two. Well, a new show on Broadway delivers that in spades. "Book of Mormon" stars Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells reunite in the new comedy "Gutenberg! The Musical!". They sat down with our Lynda Kinkade to discuss the show and their plans for the year ahead.
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JOSH GAD, ACTOR, "GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!": We're doing it.
ANDREW RANNELLS, ACTOR, "GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!": ?I'm going to go off script for a second.
GAD: Hey, do it. Go off script.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Fantastic to have you here.
RANNELLS: Thank you for having us.
GAD: Thank you.
KINKADE: I love the show. Couldn't stop laughing. Cheeks were sore the next day.
GAD: That's a good sign.
RANNELLS: And I'm sorry, but thank you.
GAD: We like you. We like you.
RANNELLS: So, that's good.
KINKADE: It's a good sign, right?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: It's a good review.
GAD: We -- when people's faces hurt, we've done our job.
RANNELLS: I think so.
So, Bud and I used to work in a nursing home.
GAD: We still do.
RANNELLS: It's a very sort of odd romp with these two guys who created this show. They're very new fans to musical theater, and they've decided that they're going to write their own big hit musical.
GAD: They're dreamers.
RANNELLS: They're big dreamers.
GAD: In their hearts they're dreamers, and they've spent every last dime renting a theater for one night only to try to -- with the hope that someone in the audience will be a big Broadway producer.
KINKADE: And you play every character.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: We do.
KINKADE: With multiple accents.
RANNELLS: We do.
GAD: I think we played 24 characters each.
RANNELLS: I think so. But you know what accent we don't do? Australian.
GAD: Yes.
KINKADE: I know, I want to hear some Australian.
RANNELLS: And I feel like, maybe tonight --
GAD: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi. Yes.
KINKADE: It's got a little bit of British about it.
GAD: Yes, that's really --
RANNELLS: Well, he studied abroad.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: It's a -- the man who studied abroad.
KINKADE: In Australia?
RANNELLS: In Australia. We should -- maybe we should work that in tonight.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: We should do it.
GAD: We should make one of -- maybe have like a -- RANNELLS: We like to challenge each other. We're at a --
GAD: Maybe have like a couple Beyonce --
RANNELLS: -- we're point in the run where we're still very professional, don't get me wrong, but we do like to, sort of, test each other.
KINKADE: I noticed that because you -- there were times I thought, I don't want to say you're breaking character, but you certainly seem to be maybe laughing a little bit at each other? Were you adlibbing?
RANNELLS: Well, I think breaking character would imply that we have characters.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: And, that's real -- we're pretty fast --
GAD: That's giving us a little too much credit.
KINKADE: And you two worked together on the "Book of Mormon".
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: Like 10 years ago --
GAD: That was you?
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: -- and now you're back together again.
GAD: You're terrific.
RANNELLS: Thank you, you're doing good too.
KINKADE: What's it like being back together after 10 years on stage?
RANNELLS: You know, it's -- I would like to say that there's been a lot of growth.
GAD: But there hasn't.
RANNELLS: But there really hasn't. No, but it feels good to --
GAD: We're still two idiots.
RANNELLS: I know, it's really true.
KINKADE: Have your family seen "Gutenberg!"?
GAD: Oh, yes.
RANNELLS: Oh, yes.
KINKADE: And?
GAD: Oh, they loved it.
RANNELLS: No, it's nice to do something because it is pretty family friendly, like, there's nothing too controversial.
GAD: Oh, I don't know why, but I've always loved the idea of summer and sun and all things hot.
JONATHAN GROFF, VOICE ACTOR, "FROZEN": Really? I'm guessing you don't have much experience with heat.
KINKADE: My three girls, aged three, four, and seven are obsessed with "Frozen."
GAD: Oh, I love that.
KINKADE: And I told them I'm going to come and meet Olaf. And they said, Mommy, can you bring him home?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: Oh, my God. The answer is, yes. Take him.
GAD: Yes, it would terrify them if this is what you walked in with. They're like, I know Olaf, and that sir is no Olaf. Come and do "Frozen 3" with us.
RANNELLS: Sure.
GAD: Yes, so when is "Frozen 3"?
RANNELLS: It's happening right now.
GAD: It's -- as we speak --
RANNELLS: No.
GAD: They're going to use this --
RANNELLS: This is it.
GAD: -- they're going to use some of this recording.
GAD: Disney had to make some cuts.
KINKADE: Can you give us a line?
RANNELLS: Anna, lookout. That'll probably --
GAD: Is that Olaf?
RANNELLS: -- that'll probably be --
GAD: Why is Olaf suddenly like an extra in "Law & Order SVU".
RANNELLS: The -- does that mean?
GAD: Anna -- hey, Anna, watch out.
KINKADE: You know what I love about "Gutenberg!" is that you have these celebrity guests --
GAD: Yes,
RANNELLS: Oh, we do.
KINKADE: -- that turn up as a producer --
RANNELLS: Uh-huh.
KINKADE: -- each night.
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: I saw Kristin Chenoweth. I was blown away.
GAD: That was a good one.
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: Amazing.
RANNELLS: Great.
KINKADE: But you've also had Will Ferrell --
RANNELLS: Will Ferrell.
KINKADE: -- and you've had Billy Crystal.
GAD: Billy Crystal.
RANNELLS: Billy Crystal, Martin Short and Steve Martin.
GAD: Yes, Idina Menzel, Josh Groban.
RANNELLS: Laurie Metcalf.
GAD: Laurie Metcalf.
RANNELLS: Although, as Josh points out, it is very humbling that we have spent close to two hours on stage, sweating, singing --
GAD: Yes, and then Lin-Manuel --
RANNELLS: -- kicking, and then Lin walks in and they were like --
GAD: -- Miranda walks in and everybody's like, that's Miranda. Screw these other two.
RANNELLS: And they didn't even do anything.
GAD: No.
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KINKADE: And what about some of "The Prom" cast members, Nicole Kidman?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: If we could get a Kidman in there.
GAD: Have you called the Streep?
RANNELLS: No, no.
KINKADE: Would Meryl Streep say yes?
RANNELLS: I've thought about it. You know, I'm --
GAD: Look both ways and call on Streep.
RANNELLS: I get shy about it. I'm like --
GAD: Hey, don't be shy.
RANNELLS: I don't know. But yes, if we get a Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman.
KINKADE: What are your resolutions?
RANNELLS: This interview is becoming very inspiring. I'm going to get on "Law & Order". Do you have any -- do you make concrete resolutions?
GAD: I try to.
RANNELLS: Really?
GAD: I try to. And I try to do, like, reasonable ones.
RANNELLS: Sure. Sure, sure, sure.
GAD: So, like, this year is I want to become president of the United States --
RANNELLS: Interesting.
GAD: -- of America. I want to go to space.
RANNELLS: OK.
GAD: I want to go to outer space.
RANNELLS: I'm going to drink more water.
GAD: I want --
RANNELLS: Our goals are slightly different -- GAD: -- to stop climate change single handedly.
KINKADE: ?So, your presidential campaign would be -- do you have a line?
RANNELLS: Do you have a catchphrase?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: What is it?
GAD: Gadzooks (ph).
[02:25:00]
KINKADE: Can we workshop that?
GAD: Nope. We --
RANNELLS: I think we might need a focus group.
GAD: We've done a lot of research and --
RANNELLS: I'll sing at your --
GAD: Catch you, 2024.
RANNELLS: -- I'll sing at your inauguration.
KINKADE: Yes.
RANNELLS: Yes.
GAD: He lives in you.
KINKADE: Oh, that's what I'm here for.
RANNELLS: Oh, I think you should sing at your own inauguration.
GAD: Gadzooks.
KINKADE: Yes.
RANNELLS: No one's ever done that. You should sing your oath.
GAD: Over the Gutenberg Bible?
RANNELLS: Yes, I'll just be there -- I'll be there to support.
KINKADE: I mean, I love it. I love it.
RANNELLS: We've solved it.
GAD: Yes, see you in 24, Rannells.
RANNELLS: Cracked it. KINKADE: It's been a pleasure. And we're done.
GAD: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Well, you'd better watch out, you better not cry, or else Santa Claus might show up at your door with a sledgehammer. Like this one did. It's a video released by the Peruvian National Police showing an undercover officer dressed as old St. Nick executing a drug bust. Police said the Santa disguise was used to infiltrate an unsafe neighborhood without arousing suspicion. The operation led to the arrest of two men, one of whom is known in the local press as the Grinch.
Well, here's an out of this world holiday gift from NASA. The U.S. Space Agency released this stunning new image known as the Christmas Tree Cluster. NASA explains the nebular gas around it resembles the pine needles of a Christmas tree. It's made up of a grouping of relatively young stars, a mere 1 to 5 million years old. The cluster is some 2,500 light years from Earth.
And we leave you with this, Santa making his way around the world. He still is, he's probably been to your house by now. The North American Air Defense Command, NORAD, has been tracking St. Nick. Right now, he's in Arizona, in the U.S. And the rest of you are probably waking up with the presents that he's already left you. I'm going to go home and see what he left me.
Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. A special report from World Sport is coming up next. Happy Christmas if you celebrate.
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[02:30:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
