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5 Dead, 200 Plus Injured In German Christmas Market Attack; Wisconsin School Shooting Victim Laid To Rest; Record Number Of Travelers Expected To Close Out 2024; Rain, Snow Could Impact Holiday Travel This Weekend; Congress Passes Funding Bill To Avert Government Shutdown. Amazon, Starbucks Workers Walk Off The Job; Houthis Claim Responsibility For Missile That Struck Tel Aviv; Kyiv Struck With Deadly Barrage Of Russian Missiles Friday; Putin Says He's Ready For Potential Talks With Trump; FAA Issues New Drone Flight Restrictions Over Parts Of New York; Drones Buzz Over U.S. Bases, Military Unsure Why Or How To Stop Them; Experts: Drilling On Federal Land Will Not Affect Gas Prices. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired December 21, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:32]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, right now, a vigil is getting underway in the German city of Magdeburg, near the site of a deadly attack on a crowded Christmas market. It is happening at St. John's Church, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is among those in attendance.

Five people were killed and dozens more were badly hurt after a car plowed through the crowded market Friday night. Officials say the suspect in the incident is a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia who is a permanent resident of Germany. Authorities say he has a history of making anti-Islam statements and is a self-identified Saudi dissident.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is at the scene of the prayer vigil that's taking place. What's happening?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right, Fredricka. We are at the scene of the prayer vigil. And what's going on right now, as I'm speaking to you is that, all the churches all over Magdeburg are ringing their bells, obviously in remembrance of those who were killed and injured in that incident that took place here last night.

You can hear them a little bit ringing right now, as it is 7:00 p.m. here in Magdeburg. That is the cathedral of Magdeburg where this vigil and this service is taking place. It's not only Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, who's attending, but also the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. As, of course, this city is very much on the minds of so many people here in Germany and so many people here in this city are grieving for the city and, of course, for the many people who were killed and injured in this incident.

If you look at the entrance there, you can see a lot of people also there in front of the doors. Some people there also lighting candles as well. And, you know, the numbers are just staggering. And you could see that today when some of the top politicians like Olaf Scholz went to the scene of where all of this happened, with more than 200 people having been affected by this, having been injured.

As that car plowed through that Christmas market, five people so far have been killed. But I think one of the things that's really troubling for a lot of people here in this city is that the authorities are saying that so many people were so severely injured that they fear that the death toll could still rise significantly.

There are a lot of people in hospitals right now who are still fighting for their lives. And there, again, the Germans are saying that the response -- and there you hear the bells ringing once again -- that the response was so fast by the authorities. But the hospitals here in the Magdeburg area were overwhelmed so much that they had to bring people to hospitals, 15 hospitals around the greater region of Magdeburg.

As right now, the German authorities are saying that they are going to have to have a conversation about safety at Christmas markets. But as you can hear from those church bells, right now it is a time for remembrance, they say, and a time for mourning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Very sad situation.

Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.

All right, right now, family and friends are gathered in Wisconsin for the funeral of 14-year-old Rubi Patricia Vergara. She was among the victims of the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on Monday.

CNN's Brian Abel has been watching the funeral, and he's joining me now from Washington. Brian, what are you learning about the life of that young teen whose life was tragically cut short?

BRIAN ABEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That she was loved by her family and friends, Fredricka, and brought a lot of joy to their lives. Today's funeral, though, just another somber moment for this Madison, Wisconsin community remembering Rubi Vergara, just 14 years old, a freshman who sang and played music and was passionate about art and reading.

Her life, along with a teacher, 42-year-old Erin West, cut short Monday morning at Abundant Life Christian School when a student opened fire, injuring six others. Right now, investigators are still working to find a motive behind the shooting. We have learned that the 15-year-old freshman shooter was communicating with a man from California who, according to police, was plotting a separate mass shooting with the teen, allegedly. She was pronounced dead at a hospital Monday from what police say is a self- inflicted gun trauma.

Investigators are still piecing together the connection with that 20- year-old Californian man, but a judge did issue a restraining order in California's red flag law, ordering him to turn over any guns and ammunition within 48 hours. And the FBI says it is not aware of any ongoing threats associated with this matter in Wisconsin or California.

As for the victims that were taken to the hospital, four with minor injuries were discharged earlier this week. Two do remain hospitalized in critical, but stable condition as of yesterday.

[13:05:05]

Of course, the community keeping them in their thoughts today as they say their last goodbyes to Rubi.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rubi's life, though brief, was a gift to us. And just like her joy and love, it was meant to be shared, appreciated and remembered. Her story is unfinished because her love and light continue to ripple through everyone who knew her.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ABEL: Police are also saying they have been able to trace the origins of both the handgun used in the shooting and another found at the scene. One of the big questions now is, will the parents be charged with anything stemming from this?

There is a Facebook post from the shooter's father showing the teen at a shooting range and a comment on that post from the dad indicates they would go together frequently. Experts say that shows she did have some proficiency with firearms.

Now, police said earlier this week that the parents were cooperating, but we have now seen parents get charged and convicted for school shootings carried out by their child, as was the case of the Oxford High School shooter in Michigan.

Fredricka, the funeral services for the second victim of this shooting, substitute teacher Erin West, is planned for Monday. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Oh, so tragic. All right. Brian Abel, thank you so much.

All right, back in the U.S., travelers are heading out in record numbers across the country to celebrate the holidays this weekend. AAA is predicting nearly 120 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between today and New Year's Day, making it the most wonderful and busiest time of the year. And now that the U.S. government has avoided a shutdown, TSA agents, they can count on their paychecks while screening nearly 40 million passengers.

Plus, with winter officially underway, the threat of delays looms over some areas. Got those snow shovels out. We're keeping an eye on the latest traffic and weather conditions.

Let's bring in CNN National Correspondent Gloria Pazmino live at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Gloria, how is it looking now?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the fact that they were able to avert a government shutdown is not only very welcome news for the staff here at LaGuardia Airport, but also for travelers. Usually in the past where we have been on a government shutdown watch, we hear that TSA employees are deemed essential employees because of the job they do.

But sometimes they have to go without their paycheck and still show up for work. So we have some very happy TSA employees here, which makes some very happy travelers because they all have to kind of deal with one another.

Now, things here at LaGuardia Airport have been pretty calm throughout the day. People have been coming in and out and no major delays or flight cancelations so far. The weather here in the New York City area is doing just fine. So people are getting on their way and they're doing it while millions of other Americans are not just hitting the airports around the entire country, but also the roads.

40 million people expected to travel in the next several days. That is a significant increase from the previous year. And the vast majority of people are actually traveling by car. At least 107 million people, according to AAA, are expected to travel by car and 7 million of them will fly by air.

I spoke to some of those travelers today. Some of them, even though they were running a little bit behind schedule, told me all is good, all is calm and they are not stressed just yet. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

CATHERINE AUSTIN, FLYING TO FLORIDA: The flight is a little delayed so I feel like we have a little extra time to get through everything, less stress. I know some people would be more stressed, but --

PAZMINO: Yes.

AUSTIN: -- I'm happy with the extra time.

LUCY, FLYING TO MIAMI: Well, we're going to see our grandma and we're going to go swimming. And I'm hoping I can find a shark tooth at the beach.

BRAD BEYER, FLYING TO NORTH CAROLINA: So if something goes wrong on the road, pray tell nobody gets hurt and all that stuff, by the time you get there, you know, you're done. We're not 24 anymore.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

PAZMINO: Fred, choosing to fly over choosing to drive like that last gentleman is certainly something that a lot of people are doing. A lot more issues you could potentially run into if you're on the road. Of course, as long as you have good weather and no terrible sort of meltdowns with the airlines, flying is also a good option.

And today is actually not a bad day for travel. We expect it to be much busier tomorrow and certainly as we get closer to Christmas. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, all is calm, all is bright there at LaGuardia.

Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

Let's see if the conditions are like that for everyone across the map. Tyler Mauldin is our meteorologist. He's looking at it and I see a lot of snow on that map and a lot of chilly --

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- but still all calm and all bright?

[13:10:07]

MAULDIN: You know, Fredricka, I think the little girl had the right idea. Let's all just go down to South Florida and search for shark teeth, right?

WHITFIELD: I will do that. Yes.

MAULDIN: I'm down.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MAULDIN: All right. Today is the first day of winter, though, so unfortunately, we, for the majority of us across the country, have at least 90 days until temperatures really start to rebound. However, we do have a split decision across the country on this first day of winter.

Some of us are truly dealing with the winter like temperatures. That's for those of you east of the Rockies. And then those of you west of the Rockies, you could be getting a little early taste of winter actually.

Let's start up here across the northeast. We have this weather system that has its grips across New England, the northeast, as well as the Great Lakes, leading to more in the way of snow. Some of us talking to you in Massachusetts, New York, you have picked up roughly 49 inches over the last 24 hours. And you're going to add to those totals a few more inches through tomorrow.

And notice this, we continue to have Great Lake, yes, lake effect snow across the Great Lakes. That is leading to some hazardous weather conditions for some of us, some rough travel conditions, if you will. And the majority of the 120 million of you that will be traveling, will be traveling by car.

So do play it safe on the roads, especially overnight as the temperatures freeze. Some of those roads could be untreated. When it comes to the air, the majority of the delays that we're dealing with across the northeast are more related to the wind because the winds are howling.

We've got 40 mile per hour wind gusts in some areas. That's not going to wane until probably tomorrow. Those of you that are already in place, however, you're just dealing with some fairly cold air across the majority of the eastern seaboard.

That temperature in New York City is well below your average of 43 degrees. And honestly, you're probably not going to get above average until next weekend. So it's going to be a cold Christmas and Hanukkah for you.

Now, across the West, especially down here across the four corners, that is where we have this spring like warm up happening right now, specifically Phoenix, Arizona. You're pushing 80 degrees today and also tomorrow to slightly cooler as you start getting up into the north. And that's where we have some hazardous weather conditions for you across the West.

Some of us will be dealing with rainfall across the coastline. But then you start getting out towards the mountains and, man, you got a lot of snow coming your way. Some of us talking to you up here in the interior portion of Washington, getting on into the Cascades. You could be dealing with feet of snowfall here.

Now, in terms of air delays tomorrow, the majority of us will be fine as that system up here across northeast starts to loosen its grips. But we'll continue to see some delays across the West Coast. And, Fredricka, I'm going to end on a positive note here, because --

WHITFIELD: I like that.

MAULDIN: -- you know, we've been losing daylight hours --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MAULDIN: -- the last couple of months. Today, with it being the first day of winter, we have the fewest daylight hours. That means going forward, we're going to start adding daylight. And by the time, you know, 90 days from now, we will be getting roughly 12 hours and 10 minutes of sunshine in New York City, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: I like it.

MAULDIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Longer days, always pleasant. All righty.

Thank you so much, Tyler Mauldin.

MAULDIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, U.S. government shutdown averted. President Biden signs the funding bill that keeps the government open for the next three months. What's in and out of the new law? And later, with just four days before Christmas, workers at a massive Amazon distribution center are joining the picket lines. What's behind the strike and what it could mean for your holiday deliveries?

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[13:18:26]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. New today, President Joe Biden has now signed a stopgap government funding bill into law after Congress worked into the early morning hours to avert a federal government shutdown.

In a statement, Biden praised the deal, which delivers a $100 billion relief in disaster relief, saying, I'm quoting now, "This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity".

The U.S. Senate gave the bill its final approval just after midnight, hours after the House passed it, allowing funding to last through mid- March. Lawmakers had scrambled this week to get a deal done after President elect Trump called on Republican members to scrap the original plan.

Trump wanted to suspend the nation's debt ceiling, which ultimately did not end up in this final deal. Both party leaders are claiming the passage of this bill a victory.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MIKE JOHNSON (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I was in constant contact with President Trump throughout this process, spoke with him most recently, about 45 minutes ago. He knew exactly what we were doing and why. And this is a good outcome for the country. I think he certainly is happy about this outcome as well.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working class Americans all across the land.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[13:20:08]

WHITFIELD: For more, I'm joined now by Congressional Reporter for The Hill, Mychael Schnell. Mychael, great to see you. So after all this drama, you know, now it has been signed into law. But just ahead of it and, you know, before getting those final votes of approval, reportedly, the House Speaker and the Minority Leader started talking. Was that the difference to trying, you know, to get this over the finish line?

MYCHAEL SCHNELL, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE HILL: Yes, I think it's safe to say it was, Fred. Look, the nature of government funding and divided government means that any proposal that's going to fund the government and avert a shutdown needs to be bipartisan. In the House, Republicans are grappling with that razor thin majority.

They need Democratic help. And in the Senate, that's controlled by Democrats. And of course, President Biden is in the White House. So Republicans are trying to go ahead with this with GOP only proposals, proposals that they knew Democrats were not going to be able to support. That came after President-elect Trump tanked the initial bipartisan bicameral agreement.

So after those various attempts by Speaker Johnson to try to gain leverage by putting a conservative proposal over the finish line, all of which failed, they ultimately turned to a bipartisan solution. And as expected, that was able to move quickly through Congress and avert a shutdown.

WHITFIELD: In just a few weeks, the 119th Congress will be sworn in. Right now, the current House Speaker, Mike Johnson, you know, has faced a whole lot of criticism from his own party over -- all that's transpired over the last few days in particular. Do you think that his chances are still good that he'll continue to be House Speaker?

SCHNELL: His chances are certainly lower than they were before this government funding fight, and his grip on the gavel is very tenuous at this current moment. We know that there's currently one Republican who says they will not vote for Speaker Johnson on January 3rd, but he's going to need at least a majority of the chamber, which is going to mean at that point he's going to have to have near unanimity among House Republicans.

One Republican, Thomas Massie, says he will not support Speaker Johnson. A handful of others say they are undecided. We heard from, for example, Andy Harris last night, he's the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. He said he's undecided on what leadership should look like for the 119th Congress.

Now, Fred, if this is giving a little bit of deja vu, this is the situation we saw play out when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was vying for the gavel. A handful of conservative Republicans say that they wouldn't support him or were uncertain if they could get behind him.

That resulted in that 15 rounds of voting. Ultimately McCarthy won the gavel, but he had to give away a lot, and that sort of preceded his eventual demise a few months later from the speakership. So this is going to be an interesting next few weeks for Speaker Johnson. He has a lot of work to do to shore up support ahead of January 3rd, or else it's going to be another long speakership battle.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And if not Speaker Johnson, then who? Are there names being floated around?

SCHNELL: I mean, that is the key question here. We'll remember that after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, we saw Republicans cycle through four different candidates. So the big question in the Capitol is, as you just laid out, if not Johnson, who?

I heard from one House Republican who told me that some folks think maybe House Majority Leader Tom -- House Majority Whip Tom Emmer could make a bid for it. Maybe House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. But you'll remember those two names weren't able to win the gavel last year after Kevin McCarthy was ousted and Republicans had to regroup.

That's when we landed on Mike Johnson. Now, a lot of months have passed. A lot of things have changed. Things could be different, but that is the main question that's floating around the Capitols. A, can Mike Johnson win the gavel? And if not, who's behind him?

WHITFIELD: And then, you know, does this kind of, you know, give a forecast of the lay of the land? I mean, what it's going to be like? I mean, House Speaker, you know, Johnson on shaky ground. Obviously, Elon Musk wielded a lot of power and influence, too, along with President-elect Donald Trump.

There have been some who have said, why not Elon Musk to be House Speaker? Is that really realistic?

SCHNELL: So technically, the Speaker of the House does not have to be a member of Congress, but realistically, that is not going to happen. It is an extremely long-shot idea that a non-member of the House would become speaker. It's almost certain that this next Speaker of the House is going to be a member of the Chamber.

But the fact that folks are floating somebody like Elon Musk for the speakership. For example, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said that she would see -- she saw Elon Musk as someone who would be a good speaker, shows the discontent with Johnson as we get into this lead-up to January 3rd.

In Johnson's ideal world, folks would be saying, no, Elon Musk is a great guy, but I'm not going to support him for Speaker. But the fact that some Republicans are actually entertaining that notion just shows that they're not completely sold on Johnson, which is going to be a big problem for him come January 3rd.

WHITFIELD: Right. And then there were at least 38 Republicans in the House that panned the whole idea of raising the debt ceiling. So pleasing them is obviously going to be, you know, very important.

[13:25:07]

SCHNELL: Very important. And let's also take stock of something, Fred. It was very difficult for House Republicans to legislate in the 118th Congress. They had, give or take, about a four-vote majority on these party-line votes. That's going to get even slimmer next year. In the first 100 days, former Congressman Matt Gaetz is not taking the oath of office. Two House members are being taken out of the House to serve in President-elect Trump's Cabinet. That means the breakdown of the House is going to be 217 for Republicans, 215 for Democrats when everyone is present.

Which means that if one Republican breaks ranks and goes to vote with Democrats, the vote is 216 to 216, and in the House, a tie fails. That is the entire ballgame. So if this current speaker -- if this current shutdown showdown was difficult for Republicans, and if everything else in the 118th was difficult for Republicans, next year is going to be even more challenging because that majority and that margin for error is just getting so much smaller.

WHITFIELD: All right, lots to watch straight ahead.

Mychael Schnell, great to see you, and happy holidays. And thank you so much for being with us on so many weekends throughout 2024. I look forward to a 2025 with you.

SCHNELL: Happy holidays. Me too. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, two major strikes right before Christmas. Thousands of Amazon drivers and Starbucks baristas walking off the job. What they are all demanding, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:56]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Thousands of workers at Starbucks and Amazon went on strike in several cities. They walked off the job during the holiday rush, demanding better pay and benefits.

Even though Christmas is less than a week away, Amazon claims holiday deliveries won't be affected.

But a quick pick-me-up at a Starbucks? Well, that might not be possible in some places.

CNN's Camila Bernal is joining us now from a Starbucks in southern California where the picketers are out.

The sign is up. And you're not getting any coffee in this joint today, Camila.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, I am not, Fred, because all of the employees are out here saying that if there is no contract, you will not have coffee.

And that's what you're seeing in some of the stores here in Los Angeles, in Chicago and in Seattle.

But what the union says is that if they don't come to an agreement by December 24th, by Christmas Eve, you can see a lot more stores from coast to coast being closed. And you can come to a Starbucks and not get your coffee and, instead, see this.

Take a listen to what one of the employees here told me about why they are on strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAL KRAWCZENIUK, STARBUCKS BARISTA: When you think about Starbucks, you think about your barista. You think about the person who you talk to every morning, who makes you smile, who makes your drink and says, hey, I hope you have a wonderful day.

We are the face of Starbucks, but we aren't treated like it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING)

BERNAL: And Starbucks and the union have been negotiating since February, but the union wants a contract by the end of the year. That does not seem to be happening, at least not until now.

Starbucks says they are disappointed that some of the workers are on strike. But one of the things that they're saying is they want to grab the attention of the Starbucks leadership.

And of course, of the public, because of course, it is a holiday season and you do want your coffee, especially on those holiday hours and right as we approach Christmas, right?

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, Israel says it failed to intercept a missile fired from Yemen that hit Tel Aviv. Iran-backed Houthi forces are claiming responsibility. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:37:44]

WHITFIELD: All right. This was the scene in Tel Aviv overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(AIR RAID SIRENS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And the sounds. Houthi forces in Yemen striking central Israel with a missile that slipped through the air defenses.

The Iran-backed group said in a statement that the missile hit it's intended target despite landing in a residential area in Tel Aviv.

Where CNN's Jeremy Diamond filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: We are at the scene of this Houthi missile strike in southern Tel Aviv.

And you can see this is where that missile actually made impact. That is the impact crater that's now been covered in by dirt in the middle of this park, with a children's playground in the middle.

There are buildings all around this area damaged by the force of this blast. Windows that have been blown out by the percussive blast.

And this happened in the middle of the night, at quarter to 4:00 in the morning. You can see more of that damage right up here. These windows that have been shattered, the frames of them hanging by a thread now.

At least 16 people suffered minor injuries as a result of this blast caused by those glass fragments that exploded. Fourteen others suffered minor injuries, rushing to shelters.

And while the Houthis say that they struck successfully a military target in Tel Aviv, as you can see, this is not a military target. This is a residential area in southern Tel Aviv.

Now, there are also questions about why the Israeli military failed to intercept this missile. You can see, in video from overnight. At least two interceptor missiles going up into the sky, attempting to intercept that Houthi missile but failing, obviously. And this is the result instead.

The Israeli military also, just a few days ago, struck the Houthis inside of Yemen with a series of airstrikes. We expect that that tit- for-tat will continue in the days and weeks ahead.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's get even more insight on this attack. Joining us right now, Cedric Leighton. He is a CNN military analyst and retired Air Force colonel.

Colonel, great to see you.

All right, so does this attack signal anything new to you? The Capabilities, perhaps as a starter for the Houthis?

[13:40:00]

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, that's a distinct possibility, Fredricka.

And it's great to be with you.

There are certain Iranian missiles that have the range that could potentially reach Tel Aviv from Yemen. And its, you know, very possible that the Iranians provided one of their more-advanced missiles to the Houthis and allowed them to use that missile.

And the fact that it, you know, basically was not intercepted by the Israeli defense system, the Iron Dome and Arrow and David's Sling systems, that is, you know, certainly a cause for concern. And the Israelis are definitely going to be taking a look at why that was.

I know -- you know, we have to also remember that they didn't have any help from the U.S. in this particular case or any other power. The Israelis were trying to do this on their own. And usually, they're very successful with these kinds of intercepts. But in this case, not so much.

WHITFIELD: So a couple of follow ups on what you just said then. Does this speak to a certain sophistication of this missile that it was able to get through the air defense system? And then second to that, is there any other place besides Iran where Houthis could be getting this kind of missile?

LEIGHTON: Yes. So for the first part of the of your question, I think the -- the basic possibility is that it is a possibility that they were able to, you know, create something that it could evade Israeli air defenses or missile defenses. But that is -- that's something that still has to be examined.

And then as far as another place where this could have come from, Russia is another possibility. But usually, the missiles that are sent to the Houthis are funneled through the Iranians, and that is the most likely source.

But, you know, obviously it has to be looked at. And basically a forensic examination has to take place.

WHITFIELD: OK, let's talk about Ukraine now and Russia's attacks on Ukraine. I mean, is this an interesting or a very different kind of distinction of where this battle is going?

LEIGHTON: Well, the fact that the Russians are moving forward with certain attacks and, you know, there's some unconfirmed reports that they're also using drones in these attacks.

So between the combination of missiles and drones, there is a very distinct move by the Russians to capture as much territory as possible.

It's not much different in the sense of tactics from what they've used before, but the intensity has certainly been ramped up.

And they're clearly trying to position themselves to be in a militarily advantageous position in terms of the territory they control and basically the kind of stranglehold that they are attempting to achieve over the Ukrainians, especially over their infrastructure and, specifically over their energy supply.

WHITFIELD: Russia's Vladimir Putin said this week that he's ready to talk with President-Elect Trump once he takes office. What do you expect would potentially happen in that kind of conversation? LEIGHTON: Well, one of the big dangers of that is that what Putin was

trying to do is basically peel off the United States from Ukraine in a diplomatic sense.

And so if President-Elect Trump talks to Putin about Ukraine, he needs to have the Ukrainians present. That's -- that's going to be job one.

Because, you know, as the Biden administration says, there really can't be any peace with between Russia and Ukraine without the Ukrainians. So that that is, I think, the fundamental part of this.

But what will probably happen, you know, if such a conversation takes place, is that President-Elect Trump will try to get the Ukrainians to cede some territory to the Russians. That may be a realistic approach.

But it certainly speaks volumes as to, you know, what -- what is, you know, the differences between the incoming and the outgoing administrations here in the U.S.

So I think what we can expect is that there will be some cessation of territory.

And, you know, if there is a ceasefire, it's probably going to look a bit like what Korea looks like right now, where you have the dividing line between North and South Korea. You may have a dividing line between eastern Ukraine and the rest of the country.

WHITFIELD: Fascinating.

OK. And then I want to ask you about something else that's been happening but in the U.S, all these reports of drone sightings. And now apparently there are a lot of -- or there have been drone sightings over military bases or installations in the U.S.

Is this concerning, or do you, you know, have confidence in U.S. intelligence that they're able to kind of zero in on whether it is, indeed, problematic and whether they really are drones?

LEIGHTON: Yes. So I think we have some significant intelligence gaps, as we would call them, when it comes to drones.

[13:44:59]

Not only have we gone through the -- the idea of, you know, the possibility of drones and drone swarms over New Jersey, but as you mentioned, several military bases, like Camp Pendleton in California, the Marine base there, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio have been impacted by this.

This is part of a possible pattern. I -- you know, last year, we had some drone sightings over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. And there have been some other drone sightings or potential drone sightings over other military bases in various parts of the country.

So we have a huge gap in our ability to detect drones. And I think this is something that could potentially be a danger for us, because we know that our adversaries, like the Chinese, are very willing and able to exploit the gaps in our coverage.

And drones are really possible instruments where they can use them not only for reconnaissance missions, but potentially also for nefarious activities. So that's -- that's something that really has to be looked at.

And we definitely have to tighten up our procedures and figure out who exactly is in charge, whether it's the military or a certain aspects of this, or DHS, the Department of Homeland Security, or a combination of those. And that's something that really needs to be addressed by the Congress.

WHITFIELD: All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much. And thank you for being here with us almost every weekend throughout 2024. We look forward to more visits by you in 2025 and your expertise.

Thank you so much.

LEIGHTON: Absolutely. Oh, you bet, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right.

LEIGHTON: And happy holidays to you. Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, President-Elect Donald Trump vows to drill, baby, drill. What the U.S. energy and climate policy could look like in the next four years. Stay with us.

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[13:51:29]

WHITFIELD: President-Elect Donald Trump made some major energy promises while on the campaign trail, but the changing economics of energy might make the realities of coming through on those pledges much more complex.

CNN chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Frack, frack, frack and drill, drill, drill. Drill, baby, drill.

(CHEERING)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over) On the trail --

TRUMP: We're going to frack, frack, frack.

WEIR: -- Donald Trump made some big energy promises.

TRUMP: -- on your energy bill within 12 months will be cut in half. And that's my pledge all over the country.

WEIR (on camera): What's the reality of that as he gets ready to take office?

BOB MCNALLY, FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, RAPIDAN ENERGY GROUP, LLC: If you quote Eminem, its more snapped back to reality.

WEIR (voice-over): But even Republican experts say, eh, don't count on it.

MCNALLY: Having worked for president -- President George W. Bush and having looked -- scoured the White House for a magic wand that can quickly lower oil prices or electricity prices, the truth is, it doesn't exist.

RYAN KELLOGG, PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC POLICY & DEPUTY DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: The reality is that consumers energy bills, producers, production volumes, they depend much more on the whims of the global marketplace than what any single president can do.

WEIR: And the U.S. is already producing more fossil fuel for that market than any nation in history. So drilling on more federal land, experts say, would not affect gas prices.

KELLOGG: Private land and shale is really where the action is. Federal land, you can tinker with things on the margin, maybe get a couple additional 100,000 barrels a day. You're not going to double U.S. production or increase it by even 25 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good afternoon.

WEIR: And remember when the pandemic and OPEC caused oil prices to crash? It was good for consumers but horrible for U.S. oil companies.

So Trump asked Russia and Saudi Arabia to stop drilling so prices would go up.

TRUMP: Making it so that our industry does well. And the oil industry does better than it's doing right now.

MCNALLY: When does an American president call OPEC to cut production to raise oil prices? Answer? Never, except the second quarter of 2020.

Let me be very clear, from the industry's perspective, President Trump can and will implement regulatory and policy changes that will vastly improve the outlook for energy investment.

But in terms of lowering oil prices near electricity prices, that is very, very difficult for any president to do.

WEIR: Meanwhile, utility scale renewable energy is now cheaper than oil. China is switching to electric cars with such breathtaking speed and scale, it's disrupting energy futures.

And around 90 percent of the projects waiting to get on the Texas grid are solar-plus batteries.

ANDREW DESSLER, DIRECTOR, TEXAS CENTER FOR CLIMATE STUDIES, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY: And batteries, if you look up a battery farm, you just get money. Because you charge your batteries when electricity is cheap. You sell it six hours later when electricity is expensive.

I mean, it's just a money making machine. These developers are not Birkenstock-wearing hippies who get in their V.W. bus and drive off.

(LAUGHTER)

DESSLER: These are Texan energy developers who want to make money, and you make money with renewable energy right now. it's the cheapest energy we have.

WEIR (on camera): And can Trump politics get in the way of that, or claw back that momentum in any way?

DESSLER: I think it's a real open question what is going to happen. Everybody needs to understand that a transition to renewable energy will fatten your wallet.

[13:55:00]

You're going to walk out, with a -- with a better economy, cleaner air, better national security. I mean, the benefits of this of the clean energy transition are enormous for almost everybody.

Not if you're a fossil fuel billionaire. They will not be better off in a clean energy. The fossil fuel billionaires will be worse off.

And because of that and because of the enormous political power they have, they have been able to essentially capture the political process, to have politicians force us to continue using dirty, expensive fossil fuels.

WEIR (voice-over): Bill Weir, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, a record number of Americans are set to travel for the holidays. How winter weather could make travel rather difficult. Stay with us.

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