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CNN International: Israeli Airstrike Kills More Than 100 People In Central Gaza Refugee Camp; Pope Francis Delivers His Annual Urbi Et Orbi Blessings; Kremlin Critic Alexey Navalny Located At Siberian Penal Colony; Senior IRGC Officers Reportedly Killed In Israeli Attack In Syria; Massive Migrant Caravan In Mexico Heads To U.S. Border. Aired 3-3:45 ET

Aired December 25, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers around the world on Bianna Golodryga in New York. Just ahead. It's been one of the deadliest days yet and the war in Gaza as the pope calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Thousands of migrants are joining a caravan headed towards the U.S. as local authorities warn they can't handle the surge. And Richard Quest speaks to the chef behind Half Baked Harvest about what foods to bring to the holiday celebration this Christmas.

Well, as billions of people across the globe celebrate Christmas, it is turning out to be one of the deadliest days in the Israel Hamas war, at least 250 people were killed in central Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas controlled health ministry.

This comes as the Israeli Prime Minister warns that the violence is far from over. Benjamin Netanyahu once again vowed what he says will be a long fight that is not close to ending after returning from Gaza earlier. Meanwhile, one Palestinian man whose grandchildren were killed in an Israeli airstrike last month spoke to CNN about his frustration and anger with the daily death toll.

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KHALED NABHAN, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): This is utmost criminality. We're in festivities celebrating Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. People talk about human rights Mercy, the Security Council, the Red Cross and humanity. Where are these human rights? There are tens of dead bodies 50, 80 bodies? Why?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Will Ripley joins me now from Tel Aviv with more. So Will, a deadly day in Gaza, a deadly weekend for the IDF as many as 15 soldiers had been killed over the weekend. What more do we know about this latest assault in Gaza?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, that man, the interview that you played and that key question, why is a question that here in Tel Aviv the Israelis say the answer to is simple. This is war. And this is a war that started when Hamas on October 7 slaughtered hundreds of unarmed civilians violating international law.

Israel maintains that despite the rapidly rising civilian death toll of well over 20,600 people according to the Hamas control health ministry in Gaza, Israel says it is abiding by the rules of international law, giving people a heads up even if they feel that they have nowhere safe to go and Gaza. They're learning people ahead of time before airstrikes trying to minimize the Israeli say, the number of civilian casualties, but they say this war is just unprecedented and that you have such a densely packed area fighting against Hamas militants who deliberately embed within the civilian population setting up headquarters underneath areas and tunnels underneath mosques, schools, civilian homes, churches, hospitals, the list goes on.

But the point is, is that the collateral damage in terms of civilian death tolls is something that Hamas seems to be willing to accept, even flat out rejecting Israel's latest offer for a one week cessation of the hostilities in exchange for the release of dozens of high priority hostages for the Israelis, the women, the elderly, and those in desperately in need of urgent care.

Hamas saying they want to get high level militants returned. They want a full stop to the fighting, which Israel says just is not going to happen and the United States is on board with that in that conversation between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden.

President Biden did not demand a ceasefire. The United States abstain from voting on that U.N. resolution last week. That stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, but did say that there need to be conditioned setup for these pauses these humanitarian pauses to get badly needed relief supplies in. We saw the desperation at the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza that lifeline where supply trucks can come in from Egypt.

The convoy of trucks was ambushed by crowds that are just so desperate, people tried to steal whatever they could, gunshots rang out, the crowds scrambled. And that was just one chaotic scene. We then of course learned of the most deadly 24-hour period, one of the most deadly 24-hour periods in the 80 days of this war. 250 people killed it not in northern Gaza, where the Israelis now say they have operational control but central Gaza and the Israelis say that they're going to be intensifying their operations there when Prime Minister Netanyahu made that visit to the North.

He told troops that they are still going to have to sacrifice even more.

[15:05:00]

And a lot of observers looking at this war, be honest say that this is showing no signs of slowing down or letting up anytime soon. But this is something that could continue to go on for months and months. And the unanswered question, how are people more than 2 million people on the verge of starvation, on the verge of famine going to survive this?

GOLODRYGA: Yes, that's one question. Another question is what will Hamas agree to Israel had seemed to propose at least a week of cessation in fighting and return for some of these hostages? Hamas has turned that down.

We talk about the Al Maghazi strike. Do we know the IDF says that they are investigating it right now? Do we know at this point, Will, who they were targeting? RIPLEY: Well, what Israel is saying is that all of these strikes in all of these specific areas are based on intelligence on the ground. They say they have an extensive intelligence network inside Gaza that lets them know where Hamas is operating.

For example, let's take that tunnel complex that was destroyed just a few days ago, where the bodies of five Israeli hostages, three soldiers, two civilians were recovered. They received intelligence that this underground tunnel complex was housing command centers, weapons depots, bunkers, living quarters of senior Hamas leadership.

And so they -- it was intelligence that brought them to that site, a site that was located very close to a mosque and a school and a community center, places where people were congregating, places where people were sheltering, they did receive notices that they needed to leave the area, but that that was eventually destroyed.

And so Israel says its objectives are changing constantly based upon what their intelligence is telling them. But Hamas is constantly on the move as well. They do have what's believed to be an extensive underground network of tunnels. The Israeli military has destroyed some of them, but certainly not all of them there are more hidden under every corner of Gaza.

And it is believed that that is, you know, many houses and neighborhoods might have weapons stashed in them in different places, and members of Hamas, who know these communities, know these streets, in and out certainly much better than the Israeli soldiers, even with their intelligence. They know where they can go in and get what they need, and then get back out many of them Israel says disguised as civilians. This is the reality of the battle that is being fought. It is incredibly dangerous. It is incredibly destructive. And it is incredibly tragic because there are so many people. Thousands of children, thousands of innocent people who've been killed.

But again, back to the beginning of what I said to you, Bianna, the Israeli say this is a war. It's an unprecedented war, a war that they are determined to fight to the end.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And they are fighting and trying to get more in detail into these very, very sophisticated tunnel systems. The IDF has released some footage. Clearly a lot of money, a lot of resources had been invested into these tunnels by Hamas over the years.

Will Ripley, thank you so much.

In Vatican City, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in the Israel Hamas war during his annual blessing from St. Peter's Square. He also words the release of the hostages being held in Gaza, and express sorrow for those who have been killed in a conflict. CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has more.

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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis has used his Christmas Day message to call for a ceasefire in the Israel and Hamas war. And for an end to conflicts that are taking place across the globe.

The Pope made his remarks in his Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi message, which means to the city of Rome and to the world. And in those remarks, he called War and inexcusable folly, and said that the world should say no to war.

The Pope prayed for an end to military operations that are taking place in the Israel and Hamas conflict. And he also reiterated his appeal for hostages to be freed. Now the Pope's remarks on hostages come a day after Sarah Netanyahu, the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had written to Francis asking for his assistance in trying to free those hostages taken by Hamas and being held in Gaza. Elsewhere in his address, the pope called for peace in Ukraine, and

through -- an end to conflicts in Syria, and in Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in South Sudan. The Pope, who recently turned 87 years old, delivered his remarks from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square.

Francis has recently had a bout of ill health, having contracted bronchitis but the pope seem to be recovered from that and was able to deliver his remarks without too much difficulty. France has also criticized strongly the arms trade which he said was profiting from wars across the world. And he said that children being caught up in these conflicts were the little Jesus's of today. Christopher Lamb, CNN.

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GOLODRYGA: To Russia now Alexei Navalny has been found the jailed Kremlin critics team previously said that they'd lost contact with him two weeks ago. Well now a spokesman for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation says he was moved to a penal colony in Siberia called Polar Wolf. The spokesman says the prison is in the permafrost zone. It is difficult to get there and there are no deliver -- there's a ability to deliver letters there as well. Nada Bashir has the details from London.

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NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, news of Alexey Navalny's whereabouts has come as a huge relief after his legal team lost contact with the jailed Kremlin critic more than two weeks ago, but there were still deep concern over the situation he now faces after he was located on Monday at penal colony in northwestern Siberia, described as the Polar Wolf colony.

Now in a statement on Monday, the director of Navalny's anti- corruption foundation said that Navalny's lawyer had been able to visit him at the penal colony. Adding this particular colony is one of the most remote with conditions known to be harsh and restricted contact with detainees.

Navalny was sentenced back in August of this year to 19 years in prison after he was found guilty of extremism related charges. He'd already been serving sentences of 11 and a half years and a maximum security facility on fraud and other charges. It was believed to be held at a penal colony 150 miles east of Moscow until now.

These are charges he and his legal representatives have consistently denied supporters believe his arrest and incarceration are a politically motivated attempt to stifle his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Navalny has of course pose one of the most serious threats to Putin's

legitimacy during his role known for organizing anti-government street protests and using his blog and social media to expose alleged corruption in the Kremlin. His incarceration has drawn widespread international condemnation, the White House earlier this month reiterating its call for no volleys immediate release. Nada Bashir, CNN in London.

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GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us, thousands traveling through Mexico to the U.S. border. The border patrol agents say they're overwhelmed by the surge. We'll have a live report.

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GOLODRYGA: Israeli airstrike in Syria has killed a senior member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. That's according to Iranian state media which add Sayyed Razi Mousavi was serving in Syria as a military adviser.

The Israeli military did not comment to CNN on this. The IRGC, meanwhile, says that it will retaliate.

For more on this we're joined by CNN national security analyst David Sanger, who is also correspondent for The New York Times. David, it's good to see you. So how significant is this killing and what do we know about him? He appears to have been close to General Qasem Soleimani, who had been taken out into 2020 in the U.S. drone strike.

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DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: That's right. He was a to General Soleimani, who was of course the most supreme of the Islamic Republican Guard commanders and was killed in a drone strike and 20 -- January of 2020 that have been ordered by former President Trump when he was still in office.

Mousavi, it appears was a commander of the proxy forces that the Iranians are depending on in Syria. And he was pretty senior. And you could tell that in part by the fact that the President of Iran issued a statement vowing to avenge his death today.

I think the biggest concern that comes out of this is that the United States and others have been trying to do everything they could to keep the northern border with Israel quiet while the war rages on in Gaza. And that, of course, means Hezbollah, which is another Iranian proxy for sort of least Iranian backed.

And I think there's a lot of concern now that this could lead to an eruption there. President Biden already had to talk Prime Minister Netanyahu down some attacking Hezbollah days after the October 7th terrorist attack.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, and this comes after we saw Secretary Austin meeting with his counterpart in Israel last week and the subject of Northern Israel and the border with Lebanon, specifically Hezbollah, and the fighting that has ensued the escalation in fighting over the last few weeks is something that the Israeli Defense Minister said that they would not tolerate. And if something couldn't be worked out on the diplomatic channel that Israel would then indeed act.

Do you think these two things are connected? And How concerning is it to possibly have a second front open up at this point?

SANGER: Well, it's concerning and part of the concern is the second front a divided -- the divided attentions of the Israelis, and a moment that the United States is, you know, has got considerable tensions underway with Israel about how it's conducting the war in Gaza and the level of violence that we've seen there. It's interesting that that Prime Minister Netanyahu went to Gaza today.

But even more concerning is that we now are seeing Iran act on many different fronts. Right? There are the attacks in the Red Sea against shipping done by the Houthi who are Iranian backed. There's the issues going on in the -- from Lebanon and of course, look concerns about the West Bank with another Iranian backed group.

And then Iran directly struck if you believe the Pentagon's account, a chemical tanker off of the coast of India that had some vague Israel links just a few days ago. So there's an overall problem with Iran that I think the U.S. fears we could very easily get sucked into.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, the focus up until this point has been to deter Iran, even putting together a coalition to address the issue that you mentioned in the Red Sea, by the Houthis, targeting cargo ships there passing through.

And it was also notable, as you mentioned that Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Gaza today, I believe it's the second time he visited since the war began. The IDF also, for the first time, it appears that has released a specific figure in terms of how many Hamas members or fighters have been killed thus far. And they put that figure close to 8,000. The Hamas Foreign Ministry of Health has said total death has been over 20,000. Israel includes those that they say are Hamas fighters.

Does it surprise you though, aside from the fact that thousands of fighters had been killed. Israel has discovered and shown and release video of the sophisticated tunnel systems that the main leaders of Hamas, those that have organized and orchestrated this attack, mainly Yahya Sinwar has yet to be found at this point in this war.

SANGER: It is pretty notable, and Israel's not going to be able to say that they dismantled Hamas until they've gotten at the leadership, but even then, of course, you know, Hamas will be around in some form. It's a little reminiscent of when the U.S. went in and obviously killed a lot of members of al Qaeda, but it took years to find Osama bin Laden.

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And what the Americans have quietly been saying to the Israelis is, you're going to have to switch this over to a counterterrorism operation that's highly targeted, and aimed at the leadership. And that's going to take a long time. But that the international community is not going to sit still for much more of the kind of bombing that you've seen that has, as you said, taken 1,000 lives and the Israeli say, hey, the ratio isn't bad. 8,000 Hamas fighters out of the 20,000 and they maintain is a better ratio than usually happens in urban fighting. But that's not really the standard when it comes to protecting civilians.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, Netanyahu today saying quote, the newspapers in the studio say we are stopping and he says we are not stopping, we will continue to fight and we are intensifying the fighting in the coming days.

So he's not stopping at this point, despite what you've been reporting along with others, the U.S. saying at least behind closed doors that time is ticking in terms of the intensity of the fighting at this point.

David Sanger, always good to see you. Thank you for joining me on this holiday. We appreciate it.

SANGER: Great to see you as well.

GOLODRYGA: Well, it is being called the exodus from poverty right now. Thousands of migrants are heading through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border. They hope to cross the border to find jobs. Organizers say thousands of people from places like Cuba, Haiti and across South America are fleeing inhuman conditions.

But in the U.S. authorities in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas say they're completely overwhelmed by the influx. Border Patrol officials say as many as 12,000 migrants are processed to the U.S. each day.

Joining us now is CNN's Rafael Romo. He's near the U.S. Mexican border in Eagle Pass, Texas. Rafael, you've been reporting on this all day with me behind me, behind you. We can see some of those migrants who've been gathering and colder than typical weather right now.

What are you hearing both from the border patrol agents and from the migrants that you're speaking to?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a very interesting question, Bianna. Because the reality is that both groups even if they're so different, are overwhelmed that yes, it is a cold day here. It's been windy much different than the weekend. And the numbers just keep rising. People keep on coming in.

And this is indeed a holding area right behind me. It was emptied (INAUDIBLE) when we arrived here this morning, and now there are hundreds of migrants waiting to be processed after surrendering to immigration authorities and after crossing the Rio Grande just behind us.

All those shiny spots you see behind me are mylar blankets and border patrol agents have provided them, and it appears this new migrants search is going to go on for a while longer. There's a new caravan, the one that you were mentioning at the beginning that departed on Christmas Eve from the border city of Tapachula, Mexico at the border with Guatemala.

We're talking about thousands of migrants who will be here at the U.S. southern border in the next few weeks. In addition to the ones that have already arrived here. We're in Eagle Pass, Texas, and right at the border with Mexico. This is a community of less than 30,000 people that has to deal with thousands of immigrants arriving every week.

Federal officials say the influx of migrants they're currently seeing across the Southwest border is presenting a serious challenge to CBP personnel and these new -- this new migrant surge is also putting a lot of pressure on local law enforcement. This is what Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber have to say about this great challenge.

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SHERIFF TOM SCHMERBER, MAVERICK COUNTY, TEXAS SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The law enforcement side we're suffering because we don't have the manpower to take care of what we call the local business, the criminal elements and then the immigration problem.

So it's costing us a lot of manpower. And of course, the federal government and the state troops too, you know, they they're not here the river like they supposed to be. They're processing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Again, according to the latest figures released by Customs and Border Protection, nearly a quarter of a million people were detained at the U.S. border with Mexico during the month of November. In a statement CBP said that he has worked patrol apprehensions so far in fiscal year 2024, which started on October 1 are lower than at this point in the previous fiscal year. Bianna, back to you.

GOLODRYGA: All right, Rafael Romo. Thank you.

Still to come, icy conditions on Christmas Day topping off a year of extreme weather. We'll take a look at this year's top climate stories.

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GOLODRYGA: Winter storm is making Christmas travel hazardous in some parts of the U.S. today. Multiple cars and trucks slid off a highway in the state of Nebraska. Part of that road was closed. Nebraska, South Dakota and Colorado were all under blizzard warnings and people are being urged to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.

Well as we wrap up 2023 and look back on the year one of the most enduring memories will be the heat waves, the wildfires and storms that affected so many people around the world. Here's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir with the top 10 climate stories this year. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Starting our list at number 10, the water whiplash that became a signature of 2023 in the American West.

KYUNG LUH, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What you're seeing here is an attempt to try to get ahead of the storm that continues to pound California.

WEIR (voice-over): After years of mega drought, rivers in the sky unloaded on California, turning dust bowls into raging floods that took at least 20 lives and filled the mountains with record snow. But not enough to end the drought.

And number nine is COP28 in Dubai.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allow me please to declare the meeting adjourned.

WEIR (voice-over): Where the world came together and for the first time in three decades of climate talks agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. Over 130 nations were hoping for a more ambitious phase out of oil, gas and coal but petro states like Saudi Arabia would not agree.

Scientists wore that to meet the ambition of the Paris Accord planet heating pollution must be cut by more than 40 percent by 2030. A rate four times faster than the current pace.

And number eight, the Mediterranean storm Daniel blasted parts of Greece with over an inch of rain an hour on its way to drowning thousands of people in Libya.

UNIDENATIFIED FEMALE: Everywhere you turn, it's apocalyptic scenes here.

WEIR (voice-over): Entire neighborhoods undertow were washed into the sea, a tragedy that scientists say was 50 times more likely on an overheated planet.

At number seven, over a dozen young people successfully sued the state of Montana for ignoring their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by developing fossil fuels. For the dozens of states and cities taking big oil companies to court for their role in climate change, it was a key win.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got this life. We love you.

WEIR (voice-over): Number six is the summer of smoke brought by a record shattering scale of Canadian wildfires. An area the size of Missouri burned north of the border.

WEIR: If you get any glimpse of the sun at all on these surreal days it's this apocalyptic glowing ball in the sky.

WEIR (voice-over): American air quality in some cities was the worst in generations closing schools and filling emergency rooms.

[15:30:05]

Number five is the ocean water around Florida reaching hot tub temperatures of nearly 100 degrees in July, bringing devastating new levels of coral bleaching to the cradles of Caribbean sea life. That warmer water is also jet fuel for hurricanes.

And at number four, rapid intensification became watchword phrase of 2023.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All the water has come up and over that sea wall, and we're getting sprayed every minute or so.

WEIR (voice-over): Storms like Dahlia, and Florida's Big Ben, Otis in the east pacific. And Hillary in Southern California showed us how modern stores are getting stronger, faster.

At number three, Phoenix, Arizona gave us a new definition of heatwave with 31 straight days at or over 110 degrees. Temperatures hot enough to kill cactus plants also took the lives of at least 100 people, a grim new record. That is just one facet of a warmer globe.

At number two, verse record temperature, the highest at 120,000 years, a few days in 2023 were a full two degrees Celsius warmer than pre industrial levels. And if that becomes the new average, science warns of cascading collapse.

And a number one, the Maui wildfires.

WEIR: We're just pulling into the Hainan now just getting our first glimpse at this town after hearing these nightmarish stories, and it is worse than you can imagine.

WEIR (voice-over): Generations of water theft invasive grasses and recent drought created the fuel. downed power lines are suspected of providing spark and hurricane winds fanned the flame until most of beloved Lahaina was turned to ash with around 100 souls lost. It is the deadliest fire in modern U.S. history. And the battle over how best to rebuild has just begun. Bill Weir, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us. Those of you heading to holiday gatherings today may want to bring a delicious dish that our own Richard Quest learned how to make.

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RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: I am looking forward to every morsel of it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's pretty good, right?

QUEST: Fantastic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like the (INAUDIBLE). (END VIDEO CLIP)

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GOLODRYGA: An annual Christmas message from King Charles aired a short time ago. Earlier today, the British Royal Family attended the morning service at St. Mary Magdalene church in Norfolk.

Hundreds gathered outside to see the King and Queen along with Prince and Princess of Wales. The King spoke of the need to care for the environment and those who are less fortunate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING CHARLES, UNITED KINGDOM: So on this Christmas Day, my heart and my thanks to go to all who are serving one another, all who are caring for our common home and all who see and seek the good of others, not least the friend we do not yet

know.

[15:35:13]

In this way, we bring out the best in ourselves. I wish you a Christmas of peace on earth, and goodwill all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: While the message there from King Charles. Well, while most of us might prefer to spend Christmas morning in our pajamas, there's a group of swimmers in London who prefer a very different start to the day with an icy plunge. Meet some of the participants in this year's Peter Pan Cup, a race that's been held in the city since 1864.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Race number four, all aboard.

LUCY HARRIS, MEMBER, SERPENTINE SWIMMING CLUB: People think it's a pretty bonkers way to start your Christmas morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't we inflict this pain upon us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They never really enjoyed getting in, to be honest.

HARRIS: On Christmas day, we get up at about six. It's zero degrees outside your driving pitch black and then make the ice on the windscreen and you're thinking what am I doing?

LAURE LATHAM, HONORARY SECRETARY, SERPENTINE SWIMMING CLUB: It's 7:00 a.m. in the morning, we are in the changing room of the Serpentine Swimming Club in Hyde Park in London.

HARRIS: For Christmas Day race started in the late 1800s is one of the oldest swimming races in the world.

LATHAM: Races from veteran members of the club. HARRIS: J M Barrie who wrote Peter Pan, who donated the first cup, and that is why it's called the Peter Pan Cup.

My grandfather, Albert Greenbury, swam in the seventh time from 1906. He was probably one of the handful of people who swam religiously every day. He became president of the club in 1935, until he died in 1955.

And then my family took over the honor of presenting the Peter Pan Cup on Christmas Day. This is 1986. Here's me and my brother, my sister. I went every single Christmas Day to present a cup with my family.

Every year, I thought, I really should try this. And I never did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lucy --

HARRIS: Harris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harris. Yes.

HARRIS: I was about 52 when I started and have to be in the first race because I get so nervous that I just have to get it over and done with. As I'm walking down towards the Serpentine, I'm really, really nervous and then getting in the water it's like, how am I going to do it? Am I going to do it? Why am I doing it?

Already.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, go on hurry up, 26, 27.

HARRIS: It's really hard to get into that water. And you think these thoughts but you do it and then after it's like, oh my god, that what I've done.

When you get out is like your fingers feel like they're burning.

I cheated nobody call them out. But you've got five minutes (INAUDIBLE). The people who swim and who belongs to Serpentine, all particularly unique in their own way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tea, most important part of swimming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feeling the right, feeling the cold is just an amazing constituent.

ROBIN HUNTER-CODDINGTON, VICE PRESIDENT, SERPENTINE SWIMMING CLUB: It doesn't matter how cold waters you will get. And when there's ice, we still get it.

PAUL ARTHERTON, MEMBER, SERPENTINE SWIMMING CLUB: You come out, you have a hot toddy and you wish people a Merry Christmas. What better start of Christmas morning is that?

HARRIS: The Christmas race is the ultimate race. And I don't know ever give it up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Yes to each their own. I love that piece. Well, this time of year brings about an age old cooking question. What can I bring to the holiday table? Tieghan Gerard the chef behind Half Baked Harvest has an idea. She showed Richard Quest how to make one of her signature holiday appetizers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIEGHAN GERARD, HALF BAKED HARVEST CHEF: So we're making a cranberry baked braid. This is the ultimate holiday appetizer. OK.

QUEST: It sounds intimidating.

GERARD: No, no, this is so easy. We're making a really, really quick cranberry jam. We got a little bit of fresh cranberries. We got to go. Let go of the cranberries in.

QUEST: Cranberries. Yes.

GERARD: Cranberries now we're going to do a little bit of maple.

QUEST: Maple next. It's all over. And --

GERARD: Not the whole thing. And now how do we get a little bit of vanilla which I think works really nicely with the sample. It's a very -- it's nice how they touch with that cinnamon that we're going to put in here too.

Cinnamon is warming. It's also so good for you. So any of you guys that are fighting colds out there for this holiday season. No no. Oh no. This is -- you need to cook. You don't eat them raw. So this is going to go on the stove. We're going to put it on like over medium high heat. Get it bubbling and get it broken down into a jam.

QUEST: So medium high heat.

[15:40:00]

Just leave it on that and in that famous time on cooking phrase, here's what I need earlier.

GERARD: Yes. This is exactly it. This is what you made earlier. We have some homemade cranberry jam, super easy. If you guys don't want to make your own cranberry jam, honestly use some fake preserves, you just talk about cranberry jam.

QUEST: (INAUDIBLE)

GERARD: Go for it, guys, a little bit of help from the store never hurt anybody, especially during the holidays.

QUEST: I was reading this is what the French do apparently, in the sense that you're the rest of us in in the U.S. and U.K., we end up making every course to the point where we're exhausted. Whereas the French say no, I haven't got a better kick down the road for this I get deserved now there and I'll make the beautiful starter and make.

GERARD: Ideally you want your pastry to be cold wet from the refrigerator. So that butter is very cold and not softened. We're going to make this work. We've got it separated here by some paper. OK.

QUEST: All right.

GERARD: Now we have Brie cheese. A beautiful wheel of Brie cheese. This looks absolutely perfect. All we're going to do is we're going to plop it right here in the middle, we're going to take a little bit of this --

QUEST: You're not going to cut the top off, well open it up or not.

GERARD: No, to keep it easy. Sometimes I cut it off, sometimes I don't. If you cut it off, it's going to be very, very melty. If you leave it on, it's going to be enclosed a little bit more and you can break into gooey, gooey.

QUEST: So you want it to be fully covered.

GERARD: Yes, ideally fully covered, but if some of it is exposed, it's OK like the pastry that I use at home is a little bit smaller than this sheet of pastry and it doesn't fully cover the Brie.

QUEST: Now this is just --

GERARD: This is an egg. This is a beaten up egg and what we're doing is we're brushing it over our pastry. And then what we're going to do is we're going to sprinkle on some of this course sugar, and it's going to bake up in the oven and be beautiful and sparkly and glistening.

And like the perfect holiday appetizer, we're all about presentation. Now we're going to work a little bit more TV magic, and I'm going to have you go put this in the oven and you're going to go pull out a baked one that's going to look beautiful.

QUEST: Oh my goodness. Imagine.

GERARD: Look at your masterpiece.

QUEST: Imagine, look what the oven created.

GERARD: Do you guys see how beautiful it is? OK, this is my -- this is my cranberry -- my Christmas Cranberry punch. OK. It's got pomegranate, it's got little cranberry. Merry Christmas.

QUEST: Merry Christmas.

GERARD: Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. Please do. Be my guest.

QUEST: I am looking forward to every morsel of it.

GERARD: It's pretty bad, right? QUEST: Fantastic.

GERARD: It's quite a dream. It's super festive. It's super easy.

QUEST: That really is excellent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well done, Quest. I always had faith in you. Well, thank you so much for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York. Quest's World of Wonder is up next.

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