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Public Weighs in on Luigi Mangione's Social Media Support; Anonymous Diddy Accuser Speaks Out for First Time; Future of Russia- Syria Ties Uncertain After Assad's Fall; Nairobi Students Speak About Impacts of Climate Change; Chumash People Cultivate Threatened Native Plants. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 11, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: And the man accused of killing United Healthcare's CEOs, fighting extradition to New York. Luigi Mangione appeared at a hearing on Tuesday in Pennsylvania. The judge denied bail to Mangione, who faces a second-degree murder charge in New York, as well as other charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested on Monday.

Since his arrest, Mangione has been garnering sympathy and support on social media, partly due to public discontent with the health insurance industry. But that online attention is angering authorities, as CNN's Jason Carroll reports.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This Ivy League hottie named Luigi is the Robin Hood that we never knew that we needed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I listened to Luigi's manifesto this morning three times and I cried. Honestly, it's beautiful and I agree with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He left a very powerful message and he highlighted how terrible the health care system is in America. I think he'll go down as a hero in history.

JASON CARROLL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He'd been a named suspect for less than 48 hours, and yet within a fraction of that time, many in the world of social media had already made up their minds about Luigi Mangione.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just eating it up because this is like -- regular, everyday person becoming our hero, our vigilante.

CARROLL (voice-over): These types of comments angering law enforcement and public officials.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: I don't care your views about health care companies because I don't think they're great right now either. But you do not celebrate the assassination of another human being who was just doing his job. CARROLL (voice-over): But interest in Mangione just continues to grow. On X before his arrest announcement, he had just 64 followers. Now, more than 320,000 and counting. His initial 827 followers on Instagram grew exponentially Monday as we watched. By 3:00, more than 32,000, an hour later, 53,000 by 5:00 Monday, more than 71,000 followers before that account was suspended.

Many of the comments calling for his freedom and calling him a hero.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: Hear me on this. He is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's.

CARROLL (voice-over): That McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where a worker spotted the 26-year-old eating and called 911 Monday, targeted by Mangione supporters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What am I going to do? I'm going to stop eating at McDonald's.

CARROLL (voice-over): It got so bad Google had to remove reviews after that location was flooded with negative comments.

Someone hung a banner above I-83 with the words -- deny, defend, oppose, health care for all, a reference to bullet casings left at the crime scene.

Amazon pulled apparel and home goods featuring the phrase. Online, Mangione may be a folk hero to some, but offline and in person, no shortage of those condemning him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Health care is a mess in this country, but to celebrate somebody's death is sickening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The people in these higher positions, like CEOs, they need to look at themselves and their company and ask themselves, why are people so ready to condemn us? Why are they so willing to call someone who supposedly killed another human being a hero?

CARROLL (voice-over): While some suspect support for Mangione is not all about rage against health care, but instead something far more subjective and superficial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the halo effect, like manifesting in real society.

CARROLL: You really like?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I truly believe so. Like people treat people who are attractive like way differently.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are like giving him leeway with this because they are fantasizing him a little bit, but I don't think violence should ever be the answer no matter the circumstance.

CARROLL: What this could end up being is a case that just captures the attention of the American public for a period of time. I mean, you look at what's happening on eBay, where you can find merch related to the case being sold. And the #freeLuigiMangione, has been steadily trending on X.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: One of music mogul Sean Diddy Combs' accusers speaking out for the first time about the alleged sexual abuse that he endured. John Doe has filed a civil suit against Combs in an exclusive and anonymous interview. He tells CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister what he says happened back in 2007.

We warn you, this interview does contain some graphic language.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to your lawsuit, you were hired by a security firm to work security at one of the infamous white parties that was thrown by Sean Combs in the Hamptons. What was that experience like?

JOHN DOE, ACCUSES SEAN DIDDY COMBS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: At first, he was incredibly friendly, very gracious.

WAGMEISTER: So you had a friendly chat and then, according to your lawsuit, at some point later in the night, Sean Combs himself offered you a drink.

[04:35:00]

This didn't come from staff or someone holding a tray of drinks. It came from him directly.

DOE: Correct. The first drink started to have some effect on me, and I just thought, wow, these are really strong drinks. It wasn't until the second drink, and it was already too late, that I realized that there was something wrong with the drinks.

Sadly, Sean Combs was waiting in the wings. He was watching from some sort of vantage point, and once I was in a helpless position, and he was sure that he was in a position of power, he then took advantage of the situation.

WAGMEISTER: You allege that you were forcibly pushed into an SUV by Sean Combs. That act alone, according to your lawsuit, left you in considerable pain. And then once inside the vehicle, your lawsuit says plaintiff was held down by Combs, who overpowered him while he struggled to escape due to the effects of the drugs in his system. And it goes on to say that he sodomized you.

DOE: I was screaming. I was telling him to stop. It was incredibly painful, and he was acting like it was nothing. And he seemed to be disconnected from it. It was abusive beyond belief.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Representatives for Combs declined to comment on John Doe's allegations on Tuesday. Since the lawsuit was filed in October, Combs' lawyers said their client has never sexually assaulted anyone.

A White House official says the U.S. is not seriously considering lifting the terror designation for a key rebel group in Syria, which helped bring down the Assad regime. But the Biden administration says the U.S. is in communication with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the other Syrian rebel groups, following their offensive and monitoring their actions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: And there are no discussions right now about changing the policy with respect to HDS, but we are watching what they do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The future of Russia's long-time ties with Syria, uncertain after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Moscow had always played a key role in shoring up the government in Damascus and has military bases in the country. But the Kremlin acknowledges the challenges it may now face in holding on to them under the new government.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As Syrians embark on a new era after ousting long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad, Russia fears the era of its massive military footprint in Syria could be coming to an end. The former commander of Russian forces in Syria and now member of parliament is already warning Russia's leadership not to make concessions.

Any gesture of goodwill in the Middle East is perceived as weakness. Weakness is unacceptable, he says. What should be done in this situation, he's asked. Talk from a position of strength, he answers.

But how much power does Russia still hold in Syria? Kremlin-controlled TV strategizes over what might come next, with maps showing Russia's bases in Syria. A guest acknowledges Moscow was caught off guard again.

Thinking about how it all happened in Syria reminds me about how it all happened in Ukraine in 2014, he says. I want to highlight one universal lesson for world powers. Don't take wishful thinking for reality. When a power is crumbling in days and can't protect itself, this is a verdict.

For years, it was the Russian military that kept the Assad regime afloat. Russia's air force pounding rebel groups, its navy firing cruise missiles at ISIS militants in eastern Syria. In return, Assad gave Moscow a 49-year lease on both its main air base near Latakia and a military port in Tartus, allowing Vladimir Putin to project power throughout the Middle East.

PLEITGEN: The fact that Russia has its military assets in Syria also makes Moscow a key player in the Middle East. But now the Russians acknowledge that that status is in jeopardy.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Once a key ally for the Russian leader, Putin now allowed Assad and some of his family members to flee to Moscow, a decision folks in Moscow told us they support.

We don't abandon our men, he says. He is our man. It was the right decision. He has nowhere to go. He would have been killed.

But even here, Syrians living in Russia telling me they're happy Assad's been ousted.

We will be able to live in calm and peace and be able to safely visit our country, he says.

[04:40:00]

We don't have to worry that someone can throw us in prison because they don't like what we said. We're happy that the dictatorship is over.

Moscow hopes the end of Assad's rule will not spell the end of its military engagement in the Middle East, while acknowledging it's still too early to predict.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come, we learn how the Chumash people of modern-day California are teaching traditions to new generations and preserving native plant species in the process. Call to Earth Day is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back. We are returning to our call to Earth Day coverage. Thousands of students around the globe engaged in a day of action to help save the planet that they're inheriting.

We have correspondents filing reports from around the world for you, including Beijing, London and Los Angeles. Our theme this year, connected generations. We'll be looking to the wisdom of our ancestors for sustainable living practices and how we can use them in our daily lives.

We start in Nairobi, where CNN's Victoria Rubadiri has been speaking to year 12 students about the real impacts of climate change on their lives.

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VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN REPORTER: Well, I'm here at Rusinga Schools in Nairobi, one of the leading international schools in the country. A lot of activity around call to Earth Day, a lot of talk around the environment and part of the student body that has been kind of leading the charge when it comes to environmental issues. I'm sitting in between two of them, Thambo and Monica, who are year 12 students.

And whenever we talk about the issue of climate change, many times it appears like an abstract idea. And I'm curious for the both of you, when you think of the term climate change, what does it look like to you?

THAMBO, YEAR 12 STUDENT: It looks like quite a lot, because for us here in Kenya, there's a lot of ways we're affected. The places that were not rain prone that are now flooding and the places that no longer have water.

[04:45:00]

For example, in my estate, there's never been a river, but with the heavy rains, I mean, there's a river in my backyard.

RUBADIRI: No, absolutely. And he's speaking to the issue of flooding, constant flooding that we saw even earlier this year in Kenya. But for you, Monica, what does climate change look like to you?

MONICA, YEAR 12 STUDENT: Climate change is the loss of the green spaces and everything, especially if like -- if before there were many trees and everything. Now there's a lot of lodging and everything. So it's lots of -- I love green spaces. It's like the loss of green spaces is really low.

RUBADIRI: Absolutely. Those are things that we see in our everyday. And I'm curious because surely you want to see a better environment, a healthier environment.

What are you doing now to ensure that that happens?

THAMBO: One of the things we're doing here as a student body is we want to revive what used to be there, the Kawangware Market's cleanup, which is there to also help clean up the environment. Part of the problem here in Kawangware Market is there's a lot of plastics and a lot of litter. So we want to bring back the initiative that would go as a student body to help clean up our surroundings.

RUBADIRI: And, you know, as we wrap up, I want to hear from you, Monica, what environment do you want to see in the future? You talked about green spaces, but what does the ideal look like for you?

MONICA: More trees than buildings, as much as we can't really avoid a lot of urbanization and everything. It wouldn't hurt to see more trees than tall buildings and less of concrete because of the surface runoff and everything.

RUBADIRI: Well, you're speaking to the future. They are the custodians of our environment in a few years now. So I think we are in good hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FOSTER: Thank you, Victoria.

In California, development and climate change are threatening native plant species, but one indigenous tribe is trying to protect them. Many native plants hold deep meaning to the Chumash people, which is why they continue to cultivate the plants and pass on their wisdom.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under the shade of an old oak tree, a special group assembles to learn ancient wisdom.

LEVI ZAVALLA, COMMUNITY LANGUAGE TEACHER, SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH: So we're standing here under this beautiful oak tree. We call this Ku, and we're standing in our medicinal garden.

Hello, everyone. My name is Levi Zavalla. I'm from Santa Ynez and the Samala clan, Samala Chumash.

JONES (voice-over): Levi Zavalla is responsible for passing along indigenous plant knowledge to his tribe.

ZAVALLA: We have all these medicinal plants, as you see behind you right over here. That is huapsh (ph). It's the stingy nettle. That's a really good medicinal plant. Right here, we have onchochin (ph) or yerba mansa. It almost looks like a carrot, right?

So check that out. Smell it. Look at it.

That's really good for liver cleansing. And see, our ancestors knew all this. They had so much time to study this.

JONES (voice-over): The Chumash people settled in an untamed and undeveloped Santa Ynez Valley in Central California no less than 13,000 years ago.

DIEGO CORDERO, LEAD ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICIAN, SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICE: Hello. My name is Diego Cordero. I'm a Chumash person from Santa Barbara, and I work for the Santa Ynez Chumash Environmental Office.

JONES (voice-over): Diego Cordero is tasked with growing and caring for local plants, keeping them intact and thriving for future generations. He says many native plant populations have declined over time due to urban development and the effects of climate change. The nursery contains about 3,500 plants, many of which possess deep cultural meaning to the Chumash.

Plants like the juncus, used for basket weaving, and dogbane for rope and string.

CORDERO: Most people are familiar with seeds, right? That is one way that plants reproduce and make more plants. That's a good one. There's another way, though, where you see each one of these little leaves. This can make an entirely new plant. Maybe dig it out a little bit with your finger first. So you make like a little divot, and then you put it in there, and then scoop some over it.

CORDERO: We were always raised to say that these things haven't been lost. They're not dead. They're asleep. And our job as Chumash people is to wake these things up again.

CORDERO: All right, who does not have a job right now? Raise your hand.

JONES: For the students and elders taking part in the day's outdoor classroom, there is a sense of pride in revitalizing ancient practices and keeping the traditions alive.

MICAELA ACUNA, STUDENT: I feel like it's good to know your culture and where you come from, and then like, not only that, but also be able to like learn it, so that way you can pass it on to the next generation.

KYLIE LAPOINTE, STUDENT: I love learning about my ancestors, love going to my grandmother's house, reading books with her. I like to talk in my language, just kind of show people like the unique stuff we have and everything.

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KRISINA TALAUGON-RIVERA, CHUMASH TRIBAL LEADER: For the youth to see the elders supporting what they do, it's just a way to know that the native plants, the medicinal teas, and some of the materials needed for basket weaving can be collected by the youth.

JONES: And for the teachers like Cordero and Zavalla, it's inspiring to know the long chain of shared knowledge won't soon be broken.

CORDERO: I've put a lot of effort into making this nursery a space that's welcoming and accessible for elders and children. It is something that they can participate in that relationship, and they'll pass that on to future generations.

ZAVALLA: These plants helped our people thrive. You guys are the future, you guys are our future, and you will be the ones sharing this knowledge when we're gone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Learn more about Call to Earth Day and how students around the world are taking action at cnn.com/CalltoEarth. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Time magazine has announced its athlete of the year. It is women's basketball star Caitlin Clark. The 22-year-old was one of several female student athletes who turned pro, helping to boost the popularity of women's basketball at both the college and the professional levels.

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In her final year at the University of Iowa, she broke the long- standing college scoring record. Her team lost in the NCAA finals, but the game got higher ratings than the men's final for the first time. In her first season with the WNBA Indiana Fever team, Clark was named Rookie of the Year and became the first rookie in 16 years to be named the all-WNBA first team.

A federal judge has blocked Kroger's proposed $25 billion merger with Albertsons. Announced in 2022, this would have been the largest merger in the U.S. supermarket history. Kroger and Albertsons employ mostly unionized workforces. They argued the merger would make them more competitive against non-union giants such as Walmart, but the judge ruled that the deal would limit competition in the grocery industry, potentially raising prices for consumers.

The Knowles-Carter family came out in full force this week for the premiere of Mufasa the Lion King. Beyonce and Jay-Z celebrated their 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, for her role in the prequel to Disney's digitally animated remake, released just a few years ago. It was a rare sighting of the celebrity couple as Jay-Z faces allegations of sexually assaulting a minor in 2000 with rapper Sean Diddy Combs. Jay-Z has denied the allegations, telling CNN they are, quote, heinous in nature.

This year's Nobel laureates were honored on Tuesday during ceremonies in Sweden and Norway. After accepting the Peace Prize, representatives of the Atomic Bomb Survivors Group, Nihon Hidankyo, stepped out onto the balcony in Oslo to greet hundreds of people who marched in a torchlight parade.

The rest of the Nobel laureates received their awards during a royal ceremony in Stockholm. The recipients included physicists whose work preceded the artificial intelligence boom, and South Korean author Han Kang, who won the prize for literature the academy said her award is for her intense poetic prose.

Thanks for joining me on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. CNN "THIS MORNING" is up next.

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