Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Ukraine Reels from Largest Air Attack since War Began; Maine and Colorado Disqualifying Trump from Primary Ballot; Israeli Government Warns of War Expanding to Lebanon; Over 100 Fishing Enthusiasts Rescued from Minnesota Ice Floe; Beijing Appoints New Defense Minister; New York City's Times Square Rehearses Confetti Drop; New York Police Department Braces for Israel-Hamas War Protests. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired December 30, 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]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy is urging the world to respond after Russia launched what Ukraine calls the largest attack on it since the beginning of the war.
Fighting to stay on the ballot: former President Donald Trump is trying to keep his name from being removed from yet another state's primary election.
And New York beefs up security ahead of New Year's Eve. An inside look at how police are keeping an eye on the celebrations.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Three regions in Ukraine are holding a day of mourning right now after what military officials called the largest Russian attack on the country since the war began.
In the city of Odessa, a Christmas tree is standing in a courtyard damaged in the strikes. The tree was praised as a victory of light over darkness. Kyiv says Russian drones and missiles pummeled cities across the country on Friday, killing at least 31 people and wounding more than 150 others.
Now we're hearing from Russia that it shot down more than 30 drones that came from Ukraine overnight. The UAVs reportedly went down in four separate Russian regions, including Moscow.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Russian strikes Friday also hit homes, schools and churches and he warns Russia will pay a price. Oren Liebermann has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The explosions across Ukraine quickly drown out the air raid sirens Friday morning, the largest Russian attack since the war began, according to the Ukrainian military, wreaking havoc on people who have been the target of Kremlin's barrages for nearly two years.
SEHIY (through translator): Nothing changes. Russia's goal is the same -- to destroy Ukraine as a state and to destroy all rebellious Ukrainians as a nation.
LIEBERMANN: The attack killed dozens across Ukraine, a number that threatens to keep rising, as rescue workers dig through the rubble, pulling some out alive and some not.
In Dnipro, Russian missiles tore apart a hospital and its maternity ward. Ukrainian officials said only a frantic rush to air raid shelters spared 12 pregnant women and four newborn babies inside.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This is where the maternity rooms are. This is exactly the side of the building that was on fire.
LIEBERMANN: Russia's array of deadly weapons hammering many of Ukraine's major cities, hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, S-300s, anti-ship missiles and Shahed drones fired on Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv and more. The attack coming just days after Ukraine sank a Russian landing ship in Crimea.
Russia's ministry of defense said the Novocherkassk was damaged. The U.K. defense intelligence said the ship was destroyed, another blow to the Kremlin's Black Sea fleet.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to the front line city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, wishing his troops what may seem impossible right now, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is hard. It's pain and losses and these are the people who keep Ukraine alive. Life is being fought for here and we are grateful to every warrior, every soldier, sailor, sergeant and officer bearing this war on their soldiers.
LIEBERMANN: Ukraine calling for more help. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba saying on social media that he wishes the explosions could be heard in all major capitals, headquarters and parliaments, which are currently debating further support for Ukraine.
This week, the U.S. announced an up to $250 million security package to Ukraine but it's the last shipment unless Congress approves a White House request for $60 billion more to support Kyiv.
President Joe Biden urged Congress to act Friday, saying the latest attack was proof that Putin seeks to obliterate Ukraine and subjugate its people. He must be stopped -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Washington, D.C.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: CNN military analyst and retired United States Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton examines what we can learn from Russia's bombardment of Ukraine on Friday. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: On one hand, it's kind of like throwing the kitchen sink at the problem. The Russians are throwing everything into it, as you mentioned.
But what was really interesting about this was the fact that it was so integrated. All these different diverse weapons platforms, coming together in a very concerted effort going through all of the targets that they had in all parts of Ukraine, from the west, to the north, to the east and even to the south central part of the country.
[03:05:08]
So what you're seeing is a highly integrated efforts or at least an attempt at a highly integrated effort by the Russians to exert maximum pressure. Now they're going after the civilian infrastructure.
They're not going after as many of the military targets, although there were some in this batch of targets but the main gig is the civilian population. And it's a question of going after Ukrainian morale.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Barbie Nadeau joins us from Rome.
The Biden administration is making the case to Congress and to the American public that this latest attack shows that Ukraine urgently needs U.S. support now.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, it's not just in Ukraine. This is a war obviously we've been talking about now for almost three years that extends far beyond -- the threat is far beyond Ukraine. It's threatening to the NATO allies.
Here in Europe, especially we have a lot of concern about this lack of funding and these hiccups in funding, what that's going to mean for Ukraine and the larger NATO alliance and how they'll be able to support that.
In some ways, this has become kind of the forgotten war but it's still obviously very much going on. We've seen, as this latest barrage of attacks, that the end is not anywhere in sight, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, there might be more fallout from these attacks with Polish accusations that what they suspect was a Russian missile may have crossed Polish airspace. Take us through this. NADEAU: Yes. There's a lot of confusion exactly about where that
missile, if it was a missile in fact, came from. At first it was just described as an unidentified object that went across Polish airspace.
Whether that was a Ukrainian missile that was being used as an air defense or whether that was actually a Russian missile is up for debate. But what is not up for debate is that it crossed into Polish airspace.
That's a concern. It's been a concern since the beginning of the war and it remains a concern for Poland and everywhere here in Europe obviously, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate it. Barbie Nadeau in Rome, thanks so much.
Former President Donald Trump is fighting to keep his name on another state ballot. He's urging the Oregon supreme court to dismiss a 14th Amendment case filed earlier this month by a liberal advocacy group. They want Trump's name removed because of his alleged role in the January 6th insurrection.
But in a rare development, Trump's lawyers find themselves agreeing with the Democrat, Oregon's secretary of state, that the case should be tossed on procedural grounds based on the state's ballot access laws.
The Oregon justices could weigh in at any moment. Now other states have already weighed in on the issue. Maine joined Colorado on Thursday in banning Trump from its primary ballot. But both rulings are on hold right now, caught up in court battles. CNN's Marshall Cohen has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sources tell CNN that former President Donald Trump's team is planning to appeal those major 14th Amendment cases in Colorado and Maine on Tuesday, getting ready to take their challenge in Colorado to the United States Supreme Court and in Maine to a tri-level state court.
They are pushing back hard on the idea that he is disqualified from office because of the 14th Amendment, which says that anyone who swears an oath to uphold the Constitution and then engages in an insurrection can't return to government.
That's exactly the rationale that election official, the top elect official in Maine and the Colorado supreme court used to disqualify him from office and remove him from the primary ballots.
But look, these decisions, they have come with fallout, political fallout, and a lot of criticism, including some from both sides of the aisle and an avalanche of threats, not only in Colorado but also we're learning in Maine. Take a listen to what Maine secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, told our colleague, Kaitlan Collins, about the threats. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHENNA BELLOWS (D-ME), STATE SECRETARY: I certainly worry about the safety of people that I love, people around me and people who are charged with protecting me and working alongside me.
That being said, we are a nation of laws and that's what's really important. So I've been laser focused on that obligation to uphold the Constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Look, this is bigger than just those two states. This has truly become a national situation. Trump has already beaten back lawsuits in Michigan and Minnesota.
Just a few days ago, the top election official in California, a Democrat, decided that Trump will remain on the ballot there. And another major case is pending in Oregon, where the Oregon supreme court could possibly rule as soon as this weekend on Donald Trump's eligibility for office.
[03:10:02]
So there are a lot of key questions in the air, a lot of appeals that will certainly be pursued and a lot of questions that need to be answered as the 2024 primary cycle rapidly approaches -- Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, the humanitarian crisis deepening in Gaza as Israel expands its military operation there. Civilian casualties are mounting and displaced residents say there's nowhere left to go.
Plus, increasing attacks between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon adding to fears of a wider regional conflict. That's coming up. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:15:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: There are growing concerns that Palestinian civilians have nowhere to go and now Israel's military says it's extending operations against Hamas in the Khan Yunis area in southern Gaza.
In northern Gaza, the IDF says it located and destroyed a Hamas tunnel system. It reportedly included one of the hideout apartments of Yahya Sinwar, the militant group's leader in Gaza.
Meanwhile, casualties in Gaza are mounting. We want to warn you, the footage we're about to show you is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The bodies of those recently killed are covered in white shrouds. The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza says the death toll there now exceeds 21,500.
It's becoming increasingly clear that nowhere in the territory is safe. The U.N. says that, since the war began, more than 300 people have been killed while seeking refuge in U.N. shelters. CNN's Nada Bashir has more on what conditions are like inside Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A seemingly endless stream of injuries. The wounded rushed to whatever hospitals are still able to treat patients. Day after day, the death toll climbs. There is no respite from Israel's widening offensive.
By daybreak, smoke rises above southern Gaza. Many of those who fled here for protection now watch as their loved ones are buried. Grief here is never ending.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas, who they say are embedding themselves amongst civilians. But the innocent here are shown no mercy in this war, gripped with fear as Israeli forces repeatedly strike residential buildings and even around hospitals.
NADEEN ABDULATIF, DISPLACED GAZAN: The house that we stayed in, we thought it was good and we found shelter finally. A house next to it was bombed. The house jiggled and the house went crazy and the windows broke.
BASHIR (voice-over): In Rafah, a vital gateway to aid agencies, children sift through the rubble of their now destroyed shelters, uncertain of what the future will bring or if they will have one.
ABDULATIF: Where am I supposed to go?
Children were killed here. I'm terrified. I'm scared. And the thought of me being killed or my other brother being killed is just crossing my mind repeatedly.
BASHIR (voice-over): In northern Gaza, it's not just the constant bombing, striking fear into the hearts of civilians, but also the fear of starvation.
Some 2.2 million people in Gaza are now said to be facing an acute hunger crisis, prompting this sea of desperation; crowds grabbing at what little food aid has made it in, unsure of their next opportunity. But there is one thing certain in Gaza: there is nowhere left to go.
MOEEN QANAN, GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): Children, elderly people, some were fasting. They were sitting and a rocket fell on them. They were displaced from Gaza to Khan Yunis and then moved to Rafah, thinking that it was safer there. But there is no safety.
BASHIR (voice-over): With no safe place to turn, people continue to stream into Rafah, despite the bombardments now gripping the border city. The U.N. says at least 100,000 displaced people have arrived in the already overwhelmed city in the past few days alone.
Families squeezing under tents. This, their only hope of shelter from the bitter cold of winter. As for the airstrikes, there is no hope of shelter wherever they turn -- Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The World Health Organization reiterated its concern about the increasing spread of infectious diseases in Gaza. Doctors say the few remaining hospitals are overcrowded and severely lacking medical supplies. Tess Ingram, the spokesperson for UNICEF, described the challenges of getting aid into Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TESS INGRAM, SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: We only saw 81 trucks get into the Gaza Strip yesterday, which is woefully inadequate; that 500 trucks, as we know, used to get in before this escalation in hostilities.
Things have gotten so much worse. So far more aid needs to get in as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Attacks between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel have been growing and that's adding to fears of a wider regional conflict.
Joining me now is Sultan Barakat. He is the director of the Global Institute for Strategic Research. He joins us from Doha.
Thank you so much for being here with us. So on the timing of these growing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.
[03:25:02]
Why do you think these attacks are increasing now?
SULTAN BARAKAT, DIRECTOR, GLOBAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC RESEARCH: Well, the strategy, I think, originally has been to try and maintain a low-intensity conflict from the side of Hezbollah with Israel to make sure that Israel engages a good portion of its forces in the north and try and relieve the pressure on the Palestinians in Gaza.
But this, of course, is a very dangerous strategy and could easily go out of hand, as we can see at the moment. Israel is acting very much from a position of lacking confidence. It's extremely nervous. It is not really, I think, taking logical responses to Hezbollah's engagement.
They've gone too far into hitting far too many villages in south Lebanon. The casualties on Hezbollah is mounting up quickly. And also more recently, they've continued or they expanded the bombing within Syria.
All of this adds to the pressure on Hezbollah and really stops it from acting with the constraint it initially intended. I don't think Hezbollah has any intention to go into full war with Israel, nor does Iran, the main backer of Hezbollah.
But the way --
(CROSSTALK)
BRUNHUBER: Let me ask you about that because why not?
I mean given what you said, why haven't Hezbollah and Israel plunged into all-out war?
BARAKAT: Well, there are many reasons for that. One of them is that the situation Lebanon is in now is extremely delicate. It's on the verge of collapse economically. It's already in a political crisis.
Hezbollah is an integral part of the Lebanese politics and they quite understand the magnitude of Israel's threat when they go after Lebanon. I mean they will -- they have already made it very clear that they will start by bombing Beirut first. That's number one in terms of the impact that the war can have.
Also Hezbollah, over the last couple of years, has agreed to a kind of normalization of the maritime borders with Israel to allow for the exploitation of gas. And I think they don't want -- the Lebanese government does not want them to ruin that.
But most importantly, Hezbollah has really changed and has lost quite a bit of its popular support as a resistance movement ever since it engaged in Syria on the side of Assad against his people.
So now it is pretty much seen as a tool of Iranian politics and Iran does not want to engage in direct confrontation, given the position of the United States in this particular conflict.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Well, let's turn to that, then, on a different front. I mean, adding to all of the tensions, the situation in the Red Sea seems to be escalating as well, with more Iran-backed Houthis attacking shipping there, further destabilizing the region.
Now the U.S. has announced launching a new maritime force, setting up another potential flashpoint with Iran.
BARAKAT: Yes. Having said that, Iran doesn't seek conflict with the United States. I think Netanyahu does. Netanyahu would love to get the United States implicated directly in a conflict with Iran but not one on Israel's border.
Netanyahu's real objective -- and has been since the war in Iraq concluded -- is to get the United States to attack Iran and particularly its nuclear program and so on. So he will be doing his utmost best, his best effort, to try and expand that. This is where I think the U.S. has to be calculating extremely
carefully; by calling for additional military presence in the Red Sea, is not helping. It is increasing the risk of a direct confrontation, potentially not only with Iran.
Maybe there would be China and other nations have an interest in the waterways. The Houthis' position so far is a bit like Hezbollah. It has been extremely measured. They're very articulate, very clear about who they're targeting.
They're going after Israeli shipping companies, Israeli-owned ships, Israeli-directed ships and they're not obstructing any other shipment.
But the way Netanyahu has presented it and the way the Americans, unfortunately, blindly seem to follow his rhetoric, they're building up to a regional confrontation by militarizing the Red Sea is not going to make it less risky.
It's going to do the opposite. It will raise the potential of things going wrong, including accidentally. We have reached a stage now; you don't have to have the intent of going to war to start one.
[03:25:00]
BRUNHUBER: We only have about 30 seconds left but I did want to ask you this. Looking forward with secretary of state Blinken coming to the region next week, one can imagine these issues would be high on his agenda. But sending a message of deterrence to Iran, to Hezbollah, that had been a priority during his last visit as well.
Do you expect anything different this time?
BARAKAT: I don't think any kind of deterrence, violent deterrence or forced deterrence will work at this moment. Unfortunately the U.S. has also lost the card of the rule-based order of the world by allowing the genocide in Gaza.
Now it looks and sounds really odd to a lot of people, when you hear Austin or Blinken invoking the rule-based order when it comes to shipment and not recognizing the importance of those values when it comes to protection of civilians in Gaza.
So any kind of trying to force the region into action will inevitably get the U.S. in war. And, again, I don't think that's in the interest of the U.S., not in an election year, not at this particular moment. But it will serve Netanyahu's clinch onto power and the fanatics that are now running his government.
BRUNHUBER: We will have to leave it there. Appreciate your analysis. Sultan Barakat, thank you so much.
BARAKAT: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Maine has removed former U.S. President Donald Trump from its Republican primary ballot. How the state's top election official made history with that decision just ahead. Plus, people literally run for their lives as a massive wave crashes
into California's coast and more could be coming soon. We'll have details from Los Angeles after the break. Please stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Two U.S. states have now disqualified former President Donald Trump from their primary ballots; first Colorado, now Maine, where secretary of state Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, says her decision was based on the 14th Amendment's insurrectionist ban. As CNN's Randi Kaye reports, the legal wrangling is just starting.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BELLOWS: We find ourselves in another perilous time, the first time in our nation's history, that a sitting president is actively seeking to overturn the will of the people and upend the results of free and fair election because they did not go his way.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's Shenna Bellows two days before the January 6th insurrection, being sworn in as the first female secretary of state in Maine's history. And she's now the first such official in American history to disqualify a presidential candidate under the 14th Amendment.
Back in February of 2021, after former President Trump's second impeachment and the senate's acquittal vote that followed, she wrote, "The Jan. 6th insurrection was an unlawful attempt to overthrow the results of a free and fair election.
Today, 57 senators, including King and Collins found Trump guilty. That's short of impeachment but nevertheless an indictment. The insurrectionists failed and democracy prevailed.
Just minutes later adding, "Not saying not disappointed. He should have been impeached. But history will not treat him or those who voted against impeachment kindly."
Trump's legal team cited those social media posts to argue that Secretary Bellows should recuse herself from the ballot decision. She refused.
A longtime Democrat, bellows hails from Hancock, Maine and says she started from humble beginnings.
BELLOWS: I grew up without electricity or running water until I was in the fifth grade.
KAYE (voice-over): After college she served in the Peace Corps in Panama and then worked for AmeriCorps in Nashville, helping disadvantaged youth. Back in Maine, Bellows led the state's chapter of the ACLU.
In 2014, she challenged incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins for her seat and lost. Bellows was later elected as a Democratic state senator, where she served until her appointment as secretary of state in 2020.
BELLOWS: Thank you to the members of the legislature for your confidence and trust.
KAYE (voice-over): Now with her latest decision to remove Trump from the Maine ballot, that confidence and trust is being tested.
Her former rival, Collins, blasted Bellows' ballot decision, writing, "Maine voters should decide who wins the election, not a secretary of state chosen by the legislature. The secretary of state's decision would deny thousands of Mainers the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice and it should be overturned."
If it is overturned, Bellows will take her cues from the high court.
BELLOWS: Should the U.S. Supreme Court rule that Mr. Trump be on the ballot, I will, in fact, place him on the ballot.
KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Trump's former attorney and onetime fixer had to make an embarrassing admission in his New York case. In a court filing unsealed Friday, Michael Cohen said legal citations he sent to his attorney came from Google's AI chatbot and he didn't know they were fake.
His attorney used them to argue for an early end to Cohen's supervised release. The judge had demanded to know the source of these fake cases.
Cohen insisted he didn't realize the chatbot could, quote, "show citations and descriptions that looked real but actually were not."
He also said he assumed his attorney would vet the information before including it.
More than 120 fishing enthusiasts are back safe on land after getting stranded on an ice floe. It happened Friday in northern Minnesota not far from the Canadian border. The ice broke loose 30 feet from shore on Upper Red Lake. Some bystanders tried to use a canoe to reach the group.
[03:35:01] Four people fell into the water but were quickly pulled out. Authorities say they successfully rescued 122 people less than three hours after the first call for help.
Minnesota is wrapping up an abnormally warm December. Temperatures have been running 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above seasonal averages, making for poor conditions for ice fishing.
More massive waves are expected along the central and southern California coast through Saturday evening. And all Ventura County beaches will be closed throughout New Year's Eve because of the dangerous high waves crashing ashore since Thursday. CNN's Lucy Kafanov filed this report from Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The terrifying moment. A monster wave slammed into the Ventura, California coastline. Bystanders running for their lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone OK?
KAFANOV (voice-over): The surge sweeping people and vehicles down the street. At least eight people taken to the hospital.
JOHN FRIZZELL, WITNESSED LARGE WAVE: This wave just came seemingly out of nowhere. This is rush. I mean, you saw it, it was 68 feet deep. I'm kind of just shaking. Just -- I'm just trying to hold on to positive thoughts.
KAFANOV (voice-over): The waves so strong, this lifeguard had to be pulled to safety by Good Samaritans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is insane. When I was up on the pier, I actually felt the pier shaking. It doesn't even seem real.
KAFANOV (voice-over): The massive waves pummeling the coastline, wreaking havoc, flooding streets and businesses. Like this beachfront restaurant in Santa Cruz.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just feel bad for the restaurants. I know they just went through renovations from the last time this happened.
KAFANOV (voice-over): While coastal residents have seen plenty of Mother Nature's wrath, they're still concerned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a pure state of panic, to be honest, as far as the community goes because you know there's plenty out there that are not prepared.
KAFANOV (voice-over): Crews and residents now dealing with the aftermath.
JOHN HYLAND, VOLUNTEER, STINSON BEACH FIRE DEPT.: Right now, we're just trying to keep the houses from flooding.
KAFANOV (voice-over): While also preparing for what's to come.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are expecting higher waves coming in and it only takes one for you to be washed out.
KAFANOV (voice-over): Parts of the California coast could see towering waves through the weekend. Coastal flood and high surf alert stretching from the southern border to the Bay Area. Officials urging caution.
CHIEF JESSE PERI, STINSON BEACH FIRE DEPT.: The ocean is a very dynamic, dangerous place. Always -- as a kid, it was never turn your back on Grandmother Ocean, so make sure you know that.
KAFANOV: Now the dangerous waves have prompted authorities to close the pier here in Manhattan Beach. By as you can see behind me, authorities are certainly not enforcing that at the moment.
People have been streaming in and out here all day to take selfies, take photos. Of course, these waves are not to be taken lightly. Authorities say that the swell can come up very quickly and catch people unaware.
And so folks are very much being encouraged to keep their distance -- Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: In Fresno County, California, a 14-year-old boy is in custody after allegedly using multiple weapons to kill his parents and critically injure his 11-year-old sister.
The attack took place in the family's home the day after Christmas. The suspect originally called authorities and told them an intruder attacked his family. But the county sheriff said in a press conference on Friday the teen faces two murder charges and an attempted murder charge.
His sister is being treated for her injuries and is expected to survive.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Still ahead, new details about the Chinese spy balloon that the U.S. shot down this year. What we're learning about the way it allegedly kept Beijing aware of its location.
Plus, China's military leadership undergoing changes as a new defense minister is appointed amid a shake-up of other high ranking leaders. We'll have more details from Beijing after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:40:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING) BRUNHUBER: A U.S. official says the Chinese surveillance balloon found
traveling the United States earlier this year used an American internet service provider to transmit data back to China.
According to the source, U.S. intelligence agencies found the network connection wasn't used to transmit intelligence; rather, the data sent back to Beijing was related to the balloon's navigation and location. China continues to maintain it was a weather balloon that flew off course.
In China, months after the defense minister was fired without public explanation, officials in Beijing have named his replacement. A former navy commander will serve as the face of China's military. CNN's Marc Stewart has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yet another mysterious move in the highest ranks of the Chinese government. This time, the appointment of a new defense minister two months after his predecessor was removed from office and whose fate still remains unknown.
According to state media, former naval commander Dong Jun will take over. This is very much a ceremonial role. But he could play a role in diplomatic efforts. In fact, just last week, top U.S. and Chinese generals spoke for the first time in more than a year after much strain and silence between senior officials.
Meantime, there is still no sign of former defense minister Li Shangfu. He was last seen in public last August.
This is in addition to the dramatic ousting of China's foreign minister in July. And this all raises questions about how Chinese president Xi Jinping is running the government. And there's even more intrigue. According to state media, nine military leaders have been removed from their positions. No reason was given.
[03:45:01]
Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Coming up, heightened security across New York City ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations. CNN gets an inside look at what law enforcement is doing to prepare. That's coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING) BRUNHUBER: Brazil lit up Rio's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue with
a projection of Pele's jersey on Friday, marking the first anniversary of the football legend's death. Pele passed away from cancer at the age of 83 on December 29th, 2022.
Now he's the only player to win the World Cup three times. For millions of Brazilians and soccer fans around the world, Pele was the best to ever play the beautiful game.
Here in the U.S., Times Square is getting in some practice before this New Year's Eve's celebrations get underway. Organizers did a few trial runs of dropping confetti on Friday, all to prepare for more than 3,000 pounds of it being dropped onto about a million people at the famous event.
New York's mayor says it's important to prepare and also to keep people safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: Events of this size, we know how to safeguard events of this size. We have many events going on at one time in this city.
And with the collaboration of all of our agencies and organizations, we did it right and we do it right all the time.
We will be out here with our K-9s, our horsebacks, our drones, our helicopters, our boats, the full complement of our public safety apparatus will be on display.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: U.S. officials say the Israel-Hamas war has contributed to heightened concern of smaller lone wolf attacks on New Year's Eve's celebrations across the country.
CNN's John Miller explains why larger televised events, like the one in New York City, are at higher risk and he gives us an inside look at how those threats will be monitored.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST (voice-over): New Year's Eve in New York City; security always tight, has been increased this year.
While officials stress there is no specific reporting regarding any threats, a joint threat assessment based on analysis from 10 law enforcement agencies warns, "The Israel-Hamas conflict has created a heightened threat environment.
"Therefore, the intelligence community remains concerned about lone offenders using online platforms to express threats of violence against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities, as well as committing simple, unsophisticated attacks that are difficult to detect in advance."
The assessment obtained by CNN reminds police that massive, live televised events remain an attractive target for foreign terrorist organizations as well as domestic violent extremists.
It is a threat stream that will be monitored minute to minute leading up to midnight New Year's Eve in multiple command posts, from the NYPD's joint operations center, to its intelligence bureau, to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, gathered in an operation center in Lower Manhattan.
ROBERT KISSANE, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, COUNTERTERRORISM DIVISION OF FBI NEW YORK FIELD OFFICE: October 7th was something of a flashpoint. The horrific attacks on Israel and the ongoing war and conflict that's happening right now is certainly motivating and inspiring people to do bad things.
MILLER (voice-over): Last year, a 19-year old man from Maine traveled to Times Square with an attack plan that investigators believe was inspired by online ISIS propaganda.
New York City police say Trevor Bickford, who was shot by officers after he attacked three of them with a machete at a Times Square New Year's security checkpoint. Bickford has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
The security package, not just crowd control and traffic but what they call the counterterrorism overlay includes a network of cameras, NYPD counter sniper teams and skyscrapers above.
Bomb detection K9s moving around the perimeter, dogs that can pick up the whiff of explosives, even moving through a crowd 100 feet away. Radiation detectors worn by police on the street and an especially equipped NYPD helicopter high above.
Police are also focused on potential demonstrations. The war between Israel and Hamas has brought on protests in New York and clashes with police, when some protesters announced their intent to disrupt the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The live televised event in Times Square is another potential target for destruction.
CHIEF JOHN CHELL, PATROL, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: We know what their tactics are. We're going to make some adjustments to our tactics. No one is getting to that ball. I can put it that way.
MILLER (voice-over): But protests and even disorder is not what keeps the NYPD or the FBI up at night; terrorism is. And while the officials say there is no specific credible threat on their radar, this year, they are doing more than ever, they say, to ensure that.
[03:55:08]
MILLER: The security plan involves thousands of New York City police officers, hundreds of federal agents, technology and layers of security, a lot of which you'll see and some you won't -- John Miller, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: You can join us New Year's Eve for live coverage around the clock as the world rings in the new year. The special coverage begins just before midnight in Sydney, Australia, which is midday in London and morning in New York. And our coverage carries on throughout the day and night.
That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please stay with us.
