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Trump Considers Retaking Control Of Panama Canal, Panamanian President Slams Trump's Move; Albania Moves To Ban TikTok For A Year Following The Killing Of A Teen; Honda, Nissan Announces Merger Plans; CNN Gains Special Access To The Vatican Ahead Of The Opening Of The Holy Door For The Jubilee Year 2025. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 23, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And a very good day and a warm welcome to you, whether you're joining me in the United States or elsewhere in this big world of ours. You are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Richard Quest.

And we have for you, Donald Trump warning his administration to take back the Panama Canal, which has drawn a sharp rebuke from Panama's president.

Police in New York say a suspect is now in custody after a gruesome attack on a subway car that left a woman dead.

And Vladimir Putin is vowing to unleash destruction on those responsible for a drone attack that took place deep inside Russian territory.

It's actually four weeks from now, Donald Trump will be sworn in as U.S. president. And he's previewing what he says will be a common sense revolution during his second term.

It came in Phoenix during a first rally-style speech since the victory, where he told conservative supporters that by Turning Point USA, he would deliver on his campaign promises when it came to the border and immigration. And he also touched on a wide range of topics, including the Panama Canal, where he said he'd consider retaking control as he accused Panama of charging fees that he called ridiculous and highly unfair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: We're being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we're being ripped off everywhere else. It was not given for the benefit of others by a token of cooperation, but it was given to Panama and to the people of Panama. But it has provisions. You got to treat us fairly, and they haven't treated us fairly.

If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question. Not going to stand for it. So to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Well, that seems unlikely after his comments, both in that speech and online, sparked this swift reaction from Jose Raul Molino, Panama's president. He made it clear his country will remain in full control of the canal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE RAUL MOLINO, PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As president, I want to express that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belong to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.

The canal will continue to be in Panamanian hands as the patrimony of our nation and guaranteeing its use for the peaceful and uninterrupted transit of ships of all nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Now, Donald Trump's revived his interest in obtaining Greenland from Denmark. It's a preoccupation that first arose in the first term, and now it resurfaced on Sunday night when he announced he'd selected the PayPal co-founder, Ken Howery, to serve as Trump's ambassador to Denmark, or rather the U.S.' ambassador to Denmark. The Danish prime minister has previously called the suggestion that Greenland could be purchased absurd.

CNN's Steve Contorno is in West Palm Beach, Florida, with this report.

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STEVE CONTRONO, CNN SR. REPORTER: Speaking from Arizona on Sunday, Donald Trump delivered what his campaign called a rally-style speech in front of a friendly conservative audience. His first since winning election last month, and it was certainly reminiscent of many of the campaign speeches that he delivered over the past two years with a heavy focus on immigration and his plans for the U.S.-Mexico border.

He did, however, tread some new ground, saying that he was open to allowing TikTok, the Chinese social media company, to continue to operate in the United States. He also considered taking back control of the Panama Canal and suggested that he would meet early in his term with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war.

He also pushed back against Democrats' criticism that he has allowed billionaire Elon Musk to become the de facto leader of his party and the country. Take a listen to what he said.

TRUMP: They're on a new kick. Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, all the different hoaxes. The new one is President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. [03:05:07]

No, no, that's not happening. No, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you. And I'm safe. You know why? He can't be. He wasn't born in this country.

CONTORNO: During his remarks on Saturday, Donald Trump also signaled a show of support for many of his controversial picks for his incoming administration. He stood by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his plan to, quote, "Make America Healthy Again."

He also gave a show of support for Pete Hegseth, his pick to lead the Pentagon as defense secretary, as well as Tulsi Gabbard, his choice for director of national intelligence.

TRUMP: But to get wokeness out of our military and restore the unquestioned strength and fighting spirit of the American armed forces, I have appointed Pete Hegseth to be our next secretary of defense. He's going to be great.

To make our intelligence community respected even more, I don't even think the word even is right because we had some bad years with these people. But I've nominated Tulsi Gabbard as our director of national intelligence.

CONTORNO: One thing Trump did not mention, the chaotic end to Congress' 2024 session, where Trump nearly caused a government shutdown with his 11th hour demands to push off a debt ceiling vote beyond 2024.

Many of Trump's allies also speaking at the conference threatened Republicans that if they continue to stand in his way, they could find themselves with primary challenges.

Steve Contorno, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Now, I spoke to our senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, about Donald Trump's latest remarks and why he'd choose another fight, this time over the Panama Canal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST AND SR. EDITOR, "THE ATLANTIC": Welcome to the new season of The Trump Show. This is what we had in the first, you know, the first go round, just unpredictable, but inevitable conflicts.

I mean, his view of international relations essentially is zero sum, and it usually involves the U.S. threatening countries and trying to publicly kind of break them and make them do what he wants. And so this is the latest in some ways he's echoing the language of Ronald Reagan in 1977, '78, when Congress debated this in the first place under Jimmy Carter.

But you know, Richard, the list of foreign conflicts that he's going to have with other governments is going to be very long.

QUEST: Right. So on that point, here we have them. He had an argument with Canada and Mexico over trade and when he's threatened. He's told Europe, buy more LNG or face tariffs. He's told Latin America, don't have a single currency or move away from the dollar or I will tariff you.

Now he's threatening Panama to take back the canal. It reminds me of that old movie, Michael Douglas movie, where he plays the president and he says, I'll tell you how you win elections. You tell the public what's wrong and who to blame. He's going around the world basically blaming anybody and everybody for anything.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, except some of the autocratic governments that he generally kind of comments about how strong and skilled the leaders are in China, Russia, Hungary, North Korea. Look, as I said, this is Trump's M.O. You could add again him reiterating his threats for unilateral military action against Mexico, Mexican drug cartels without approval of the Mexican government.

And what's, I think, really significant is that, you know, in the first term, Trump felt he had to appoint a number of senior officials from outside of his MAGA universe as concessions to other power centers in the GOP who basically talked him off the ledge on some of the more extreme ideas.

John Bolton said he was ready to leave NATO at various points. Marco Rubio is a mainstream Republican. His national security adviser is a mainstream Republican. But there are going to be fewer people in the room from the independent and the inclination to tell him no when so many of these conflicts may get to a higher temperature than we saw in his first four years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Now police arrested a suspect following a horrific attack on a New York subway car. CNN's Gloria Pazmino reports on this story.

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GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. A really disturbing set of details that we have learned from the New York Police Department on what is truly a horrific crime taking place early on Sunday morning.

This happened on the F train and that's in Coney Island in Brooklyn. And it happened at the Stillwell Avenue train station. That's the end of the line.

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Now, according to police, there was a woman who was apparently sleeping in one of these trains. The train was not moving at the time. And then there was a man who approached her and used a lighter to light a blanket that she was using on fire. She was quickly engulfed by the flames. The man then just simply walked away. Now, we are told by police that these two people appear to have no

prior interaction. They are not known to one another and that this was just a crime that came out of nowhere. This woman appeared to have been asleep at the time that she was set on fire.

Now, there were police that were patrolling the subway station at that point who smelled the smoke and saw it and quickly rushed to the scene, tried to put her out. But unfortunately, they were not able to save her.

EMS also responded to the scene. They pronounced her dead there in the subway.

Now, shortly after this incident, the NYPD was not able to make an arrest right away. In fact, for several hours throughout the day on Sunday, there was a manhunt for a man that was captured on camera and on police video when they initially entered the subway station.

Now, it is an interesting sort of development in the sense that technology has played an incredible role here for the police who used surveillance video captured by the cameras inside the train in order to put out photos of the suspect that they were looking for.

Then it was several hours later that three high school aged teenagers called in a tip line into the police line and police were able to apprehend this man. He was captured at another train station in Midtown, very far from where the incident took place. So a combination of technology and good police work.

I want you to take a listen to the police commissioner just talking about the incident.

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Someone who we believe carried out one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being. And it took the life of an innocent New Yorker. But at this hour, I am pleased to announce that a short time ago, alert NYPD transit officers took a person of interest into custody.

PAZMINO: Now, we're still waiting to learn more about the identity of the victim, but also the identity of the suspect and what charges they will be facing.

This is all happening as there's been a lot of focus and conversation on the issue of public safety here in New York City, but specifically public safety in the transit system.

Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul said that she was deploying additional members of the National Guard into the subway system to help with patrolling and with public safety. At a time when both the city and the state are working to keep crime down.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP) QUEST: Now to southern Brazil now, where a surveillance camera has captured a fireball from a small plane that crashed, killing all 10 people on board.

Officials say they were members of the same family. It happened in the tourist town of Gramado on Sunday. The authorities say that a dozen people on the ground were also injured.

The plane crashed moments after taking off. Officials say it hit a building's chimney and then a residence and finally slammed into a furniture store. You can see the damage of the crash in this video. The investigators say they're not sure what caused the crash.

In just a moment, the immigration debate is once again at the forefront in Germany. Following last week's deadly Christmas market attack, we'll be in Berlin for the latest on the political fallout.

Also, Donald Trump's embattled former pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz. He talks about his failed bid and the ethics report is about to be released. That's more in a moment.

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[03:15:00]

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QUEST: Warm welcome back to the Newsroom.

To eastern Germany now, where they're still processing the tragedy of Friday's attack when a car was rammed into the crowd at a busy Christmas market. In the next few hours, Germany's far-right AFD party will hold a public memorial service in Magdeburg. The party's candidate for chancellor is scheduled to attend.

Well, hundreds of supporters of Germany's far-right movement have been protesting on Saturday in favor of a re-migration. The critics on both the left and the right are using the deadly incident to attack the German government for its immigration policies. All this despite the fact the suspect is apparently a self-confessed Islamophobe.

And now we're learning more about the suspect, Talib Al Abdulmohsen, who faces multiple murder and attempted murder charges. Apparently, he had a history of making troubling social media reports that grew increasingly dark and threatening before the attack, something that apparently the German authorities were alerted to.

Now, in Berlin, I'm joined by Michaela Kuefner, the chief political editor at Deutsche Welle. Good to see you. Hopefully you can hear me.

And -- now, this is really, you know, the tragedy is unimaginable for those who are involved. But the fact it now takes on a political aspect with the AFD deciding to chime in sort of seems to take a bad situation worse.

MICHAELA KUEFNER, CHIEF POLITICAL EDITOR, DEUTSCHE WELLE: It does. And in a sense, we've been here before ahead of regional elections. There was a knife attack in Solingen in August. And that sparked instantly, once again, a migration debate.

But this case is different because the perpetrator doesn't fit the kind of category of an Islamist motivated attacker. He also didn't come in 2015 during that migration wave.

And what clearly happened here is that the security authorities, police, did not connect the dots because this is a man, as you mentioned, who was previously convicted for threatening violent acts more than a decade ago.

[03:20:02]

And he's somewhat infamous within the exile circles of having harassed people and having threatened these acts many times over. He was on the police radar and they simply didn't find him at home, which is why the last time police wanted to visit him, they didn't act.

QUEST: So in a sense, bearing in mind the political crisis that Germany is in at the moment, where is the blame game going?

First of all, obviously, you've got the question of the immigration and the whole political issue, but you've also got the lack of security at the Magdeburg Christmas market. Is it heading in Schulz's direction? Local authorities? Give me an overview.

KUEFNER: Yes, well, I mean, facts very fast won't matter because we have elections coming up in February, as you rightly pointed out.

This heads in Olaf Scholz's direction, also his interior minister, Nancy Faeser, from the Social Democrat Party, who now is pushing for implementing new laws, which frankly wouldn't have made any difference here, not necessarily because the authorities didn't act, but she's in charge of the police.

This is offering the far-right Alternative for Germany, the AFD, who is holding this gathering in Magdeburg today. Yet again, an opportunity to say, look, the established parties aren't really guaranteeing your security. Time for a change. That is the case. The narrative they are now trying to spin.

And of course, it does help that someone like Elon Musk is jumping onto this and tweeting, X-ing that the AFD needs to save Germany. And he keeps posting articles which are, frankly, void of any kind of factual basis. But it doesn't matter.

And this is the reality this election campaign is suddenly finding itself in.

QUEST: Right. So, so let's just, you took me exactly where I wanted to go. The tweet by Musk, "the traditional political parties have failed. AFD is the only hope."

And does this help or harm the overall political position? I can never work out in Germany, for example, is Musk considered a hero, a villain? Is his contribution welcomed or dismissed?

KUEFNER: Well, it's certainly welcomed by Alice Weidel, who's the chancellor candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany party. But as you point out, he's not a popular man here in Germany. He's not going to get instant traction at the polling booth for the far-right alternative for Germany.

But it gives them what they're not getting from other parties, which is political validation, because all other parties here in Germany have vowed not to work together with the far right AFD, which, according to the polling, is currently the second strongest political force here in Germany.

QUEST: Pull the strands together. Just how much of a crisis, bearing in mind the powerless state of the E.U. economy, ECB cutting rates, etc., etc., what is, would you describe the level of crisis in Germany at the moment?

KUEFNER: Economically, it would be a seven. In terms of political, I'd say it's a six on a scale of 10. If you're asking like that, you know, pulling these threads together, it's a country that feels very insecure because what it has drawn strength from in the past is currently under threat, which is the strength of the economy.

And you have a real shakeup and a fragmentation of the political spectrum here. But this is not necessarily just simply going to play into the hands of the Alternative for Germany.

It could also bolster the chances of Friedrich Merz, a name that's worth remembering at this point in time, because he is currently leading the polls with his conservative CDU party, formerly known as Angela Merkel's party.

QUEST: Michaela, we've talked a lot about crises and this, that and the other. But please, I'd be deeply remiss if I didn't wish you and your family season's greetings.

We could put all this behind us, hopefully for a day or two over Christmas. Thank you for taking the time to join us. Thank you, I'm very appreciated.

KUEFNER: You're so welcome.

QUEST: Now, tens of thousands of people in Serbia are protesting against their government after the deadly collapse of a railway station roof last month. It was a large crowd that gathered in central Belgrade on Sunday where they were protesting against President Alexander Vucic and his ruling progressive party.

Demonstrators alleging that the government corruption and nepotism resulted in shoddy construction, all of which led to the concrete awning caving in. 15 people were killed, two were injured.

[03:25:05]

Students have demanded at the State University have demanded the release of all the documents, as well as a prosecution of officials who are believed to be responsible for the disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): At this moment, supporting these young people is the most important thing so that we older people can learn from their example and do all we can to make them feel that someone is with them and to bring back normality and a sense of shame to this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Albania says it will ban social media platform TikTok for one year following the killing of a teenager last month. According to social media, the 14 year old boy was stabbed to death after online arguments with a classmate.

Now, the country's prime minister says the ban will begin early next year. Albania is the latest country in Europe cracking down on social media. TikTok is pushing back against the ban. It says neither the victim nor the alleged killer had TikTok accounts. And the company says videos of the fight actually showed up on other social media apps.

As you and I continue, Matt Gaetz is making accusations against members of the U.S. Senate as the staunch Donald Trump allies speaking out about his failed bid to be America's next attorney general.

Also, the anticipated arraignment of the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO. The latest on the charges that Luigi Mangione is facing in New York, federal and state.

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QUEST: Donald Trump's former pick for the U.S. Attorney General, the former congressman Matt Gaetz claims that his bid for the job was thwarted by anti-Trump forces in the U.S. Senate.

[03:30:06]

Now Gaetz withdrew his nomination over concerns about allegations of sexual misconduct. Now he's teasing his possible plans for the future. He spoke on Sunday at the Turning Point USA conservative conference in Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT GAETZ, DONALD TRUMP'S FORMER PICK FOR U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Some of you throughout this conference have even given me a few suggestions. My fellow Floridians have asked me to eye the governor's mansion in Tallahassee.

Maybe special counsel to go after the insider trading for my former colleagues in Congress. It seems I may not have had enough support in the United States Senate. Maybe I'll just run for Marco Rubio's vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: His comments follow the US Health Ethics Report Committee on Matt Gaetz, which is expected to be released in the coming hour.

The report concludes a years-long probe into numerous allegations against Gaetz, including sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and bribery. Gaetz has denied all of it and called the investigation a witch hunt. We have reported earlier the committee secretly vows to release its report before the end of this Congress.

Two U.S. Navy pilots are lucky to be alive after their fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea on Saturday. CNN's Julia Benbrook now reports on what we know so far.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are still a lot of questions and a full investigation is underway, but U.S. Central Command is calling this an apparent friendly fire incident. They've said that the two U.S. Navy pilots were safely ejected after their fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea on Saturday. Initial assessments show that one crew member sustained minor injuries.

Here's what else we know right now. According to CENTCOM, the aircraft, an FA-18, was operating from the USS Harry S. Truman when it was mistakenly fired upon by the USS Gettysburg. The USS Gettysburg, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, is a part of the Truman Carrier Strike Group, which entered the waters of the Middle East one week ago.

Now, as I mentioned, this investigation is ongoing, but CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton detailed the types of questions that could be asked in an investigation like this, including what the sailors on the USS Gettysburg saw, what they thought was coming toward them, and why they fired.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: When you are in a zone like this, where there is combat happening at one end of the Red Sea, and then there are other flight patterns that the folks on the USS Gettysburg, the sailors on the USS Gettysburg, have to deal with, it can be pretty easy to mistake targets from one to the other. In other words, is one a friendly target or is one an adversarial or a potential adversarial target.

BENBROOK: The apparent friendly fire incident happened the same day that the U.S. carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, hitting a command and control facility, as well as a missile storage facility.

According to CENTCOM, the U.S. also shot down one-way attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile. Now, those strikes did involve the use of the same type of fighter jet, an FA-18, but two U.S. officials have told our team that the downjet we've been discussing was not involved.

In a statement on Sunday, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed they shot down the FA-18 aircraft over the Red Sea. The Houthis said their strikes were in response to American and British forces attacking their drones and missiles.

This group has repeatedly made false claims of striking U.S. warships in the area. And again, the U.S. is calling this an apparent friendly fire incident.

At the White House, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking out after Houthi rebels fired missiles at Tel Aviv over the weekend. Israeli military officials telling us several attempts to shoot down the missiles failed.

Now, the Prime Minister is vowing that Israeli forces will continue to target the Houthis in Yemen, in the same way they've dealt with other Iranian proxies. Netanyahu's comments came after the U.S. launched a series of strikes against the rebel group on Saturday. It's all part of the ongoing effort to shut down the Houthi military operations in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): As we acted forcefully against the terror arms of Iran's evil axis, so we will act against the Houthis. Only in this case, we are not acting alone. The U.S. and other countries see the Houthis as a threat not only to international shipping, but to the international order.

Therefore, we will act forcefully with determination and sophistication. I tell you, even if it takes time, the result will be the same result as against the other terror arms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:35:00]

QUEST: Several members of the same family were killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza on Saturday. According to hospital officials, who say that at least 11 people died in a house in the east of Deir al-Balah was targeted. We've reached out for official comment.

The Gaza Health Ministry is saying now that more than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive last year. We are unable to confirm the ministry's data.

The humanitarian crisis across Gaza is worsening with sky high food prices. You see this video here at an NGO facility in central Gaza, people pushing their way through long lines. One woman said she was there to get food for her children, adding the situation would be unbearable without such assistance.

Jordan's foreign minister is to travel to Damascus on Monday, where he'll meet with Syrian officials, including the country's de facto leader. Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, led the group of rebels that ousted the Syrian president earlier this month.

Al-Jolani held a news conference alongside Turkey's foreign minister in Damascus on Sunday, where they both said or he said all weapons in the country will now be controlled by the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN DE FACTO LEADER (through translator): We conducted a large military operation and entered major metropolitan areas, and people from all segments of Syrian society welcomed us with open arms. We are now working on protecting communities and minorities from attacks and on preventing external actors from exploiting the situation to stir up sectarian strife.

We will not by any means allow for arms outside the control of the state, whether from revolutionary factions or factions in the SDF areas. We need to close this chapter as quickly as possible, because the presence of rogue arms in the country is what leads to chaos and unstable security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Jasmine El-Gamal, former Middle East adviser in the Pentagon, joins me now.

This is a tricky one, isn't it? Because Donald Trump has said, it's not our fight, all caps. But he's going to have to deal with the aftermath regardless. So it might not be his fight, but he's going to have to deal with it. What does he do?

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: That's right. Good morning, Richard, and thanks for having me. I mean, this is one of the things that we've seen time and again with U.S. administration saying, this is not our fight, we need to get out of the Middle East, the Middle East is quiet. And yet time and again, they end up being dragged back in.

Because actually what happens in the Middle East does affect U.S. interests, and it does affect U.S. allies. So Donald Trump may very well want to stay out of this. But the fact is, at the very least, at a bare minimum, we have 40,000 ISIS fighters, women and children who are in Syria, there's a U.S. counter ISIS mission in the northeast of the country.

And they're going to be looking at situation and trying to figure out how do you make it so that these ISIS fighters don't pose a threat to US interests and allies. And that's just at a bare minimum.

QUEST: Right. But this is the difficulty. That is the lowest thread, if you like the lowest bar, ensure that things don't get worse. But is there an opportunity here? Because it seems as if the leaders are saying, look, we want an Islamic, sort of, state, but nothing like Afghanistan. We want to be accepted by you. Give us a bit of room to breathe. And we can be all get on. Or am I just being naive?

EL-GAMAL: No, you're not being naive at all. I mean, absolutely. The leader of HTS, which is now the de facto ruler, basically the transitional government, if you will, in Damascus, they have been saying all the all the right things, all the things that international actors, European countries, the U.S., regional countries have been wanting to hear from them.

They're talking about respect for minorities, they're talking about not wanting to fight with their neighbors. They're talking about Syrians rebuilding Syria for Syrians. You've seen a long list of foreign dignitaries going into Damascus, having meetings with Ahmad al-Sharaa, as you said, who was formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu al-Jolani.

And so you're seeing what you're seeing is something that analysts, that foreign actors have long wanted to see out of the Middle East, which is someone actually saying pragmatic things that are in line with what the international community wants.

QUEST: Where do you think he wants to position Syria between China, Russia, and the United States?

[03:40:03]

Now look, I realize that's a very simplistic way of looking at it in a difficult area. But at the moment, we do seem to be working out into a tripolar, if you can have such a thing, world, where countries are, if not taking sides, at least aligning themselves predominantly.

Where do you believe he wants to align?

EL-GAMAL: Well, let me just add one more name, and one more country to the mix, Turkey. Turkey is clearly emerging right now as one of the most influential players actually in a post-Assad Syria.

And you saw this with the visit of the Turkish foreign minister and the conversations that he's been having with Ahmad al-Sharaa. They're talking about things like monopoly of force in Syria. They're talking about the Kurdish question.

They're talking about Turkey's relationship with the Kurds in northeast Syria. They're talking about the ISIS fighters. And so I don't think you can actually have a conversation about outside influence in Syria without mentioning Turkey.

And of course, then that by extension goes into Turkey's relationships with the U.S., with the E.U., with the European bloc, talking about issues like refugees, like assistance. I mean, this opens up a whole new world of possibilities when we talk about what's happening in Syria.

I think you're very right to be wondering and questioning what does this mean for the U.S., China, Russia, all these big players. But actually, I would zoom in a little bit more in these early days and look at what the regional actors are doing.

Because I think if you look at what the regional actors are doing and saying, looking at Lebanon, looking at Turkey, looking at the UAE and Saudi Arabia, that will give us a sense of what kind of picture will emerge and what kind of Syria is likely to emerge over the next few months.

And then we can talk about what that means for Russia, China, and the U.S. But I think really looking regionally and locally in the next few weeks is the way to go, Richard.

QUEST: I'm grateful. Thank you. I wish you a season's greetings. Thank you, whatever you may be celebrating at this time of the year. Thank you.

News to bring you from the car world.

The Associated Press is now reporting that the Japanese carmakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to join forces. We were expecting this at one level. They've been meant that this had been around all, but now they say they would form the world's third largest automaker by sales.

They say they've signed an MOU, Memorandum of Understanding, and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi's agreed to join the integration talks. I know, of course, it's not mentioned here so far. It comes as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels, where the Japanese have lagged behind rivals in E.V.s and are trying to cut costs to make up for lost time.

So we have more to come. The latest on Russia's response to that drone attack that took place was deep inside Russian territory.

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[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Russia's President Vladimir Putin is now vowing to exact revenge on those responsible for the drone attack deep inside Russian territory.

Multiple drones struck the city of Khazan earlier on Saturday. No casualties were reported. Ukraine did not immediately take responsibility for the strikes, but according to one Ukrainian official, there's a gunpowder plant in the city which Russia has used to produce missiles.

Regardless, President Putin's promising a strong response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Whoever and however much they try to destroy in Russia, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) QUEST: Now my colleague Rosemary Church has been speaking to CNN contributor and former Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty. She asked Jill what Ukraine's purpose could have been by targeting Khazan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL DOUGHERTY, ADJUNCT PROF., GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY AND CNN CONTRIBUTOR AND FORMER MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: It could be a matter of targeting something and the missile went off kilter.

It's a little bit difficult to believe that they would directly try to hit a building. I think we'll have to wait for the investigation that will happen. But I think it's really significant because, you know, Khazan is a big city. It's an important city economically, culturally, historically, every way.

And if you notice that video, that was a very nice apartment building. So the significance here, if I would, you know, interpret it the way as you're looking at the way Russia has been hit by attacks, that's hitting a middle class and maybe even upper middle class, you know, building strikes at people who are important in Russia.

And if they feel that the war is getting closer to them, it raises questions about President Putin and whether he can actually protect them, you know, from the attacks of the Ukrainians.

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QUEST: Now, at the same time, Ukraine is fighting off more waves of Russian drones. More than 100 have been launched over the weekend. The country says it shot down around half.

Military officials say residential buildings and businesses have been damaged. Russia, for its part, says it destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones. All of this as Ukraine's trying to fend off more Russian advances in the east, where Russia is claiming to have captured two villages, one in Kharkiv region and one in eastern Donetsk.

I'll be back with more in just a moment.

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[03:50:00]

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QUEST: All right, get your coins ready. In fact, on this next story, I don't know how much I must have thrown in to this place over the years.

Rome's Trevi Fountains reopened after a deep cleaning that took more than two months to complete. The iconic attraction have been drained to remove dirt and residue ahead of the Vatican's Jubilee next year.

Now, 32 million people are likely to visit the city. So you can throw your coins into the real fountain again, instead of a temporary pool set up. And the tradition is still the same. It said anyone who tosses a coin into the fountain is guaranteed to return to Rome.

Every 25 years, the Catholic Church celebrates a Jubilee, and the next one begins on Tuesday, Christmas Eve. As part of that event, the Vatican's taking special steps to greet pilgrims.

CNN's Christopher Lamb takes us inside St Peter's Basilica for an exclusive look.

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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: I'm here at St Peter's Basilica, the home of the Pope, the site of the tomb of St Peter, and one of the Catholic Church's holiest sites. A huge amount of work has been going on to prepare for an influx of millions of visitors expected to be in Rome during the Jubilee year.

Now, we've been granted special access to go inside the Basilica and show you what's been going on.

Hello.

FR. ENZO FORTUNATO, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, ST. PETER'S BASILICA: Hello, Christopher. Welcome to Rome.

LAMB: Oh, thank you very much.

FORTUNATO: To the Vatican, in this case.

LAMB: Wow.

FORTUNATO: Yes, it's wonderful. The biggest church in the world.

Now we are near the Holy Door.

LAMB (voice-over): The opening of this Holy Door by the Pope on Christmas Eve will mark the beginning of the Jubilee, a time of celebration and pilgrimage that usually occurs every 25 years.

With its cement seal removed and keys retrieved, the door is now ready to be opened for 2025, which will allow pilgrims to pass through and receive forgiveness for their sins, known as an indulgence.

FORTUNATO: After this moment, the pilgrim encounter the Mother of God, the masterpiece of Michelangelo.

[03:55:02]

LAMB (voice-over): The Pieta, which was attacked in 1972, has had its protective glass upgraded for the Jubilee.

FORTUNATO: And this is the walk of the pilgrim, no?

LAMB: Okay, the pilgrim's path.

FORTUNATO: Yes.

LAMB: Wow.

FORTUNATO: In front of us, the Bar of the King of Bernini. This altar is the center of the Eucharistic celebration, but also it's very important because there is the tomb of St. Peter.

LAMB: Can we see that now?

FORTUNATO: Yes.

LAMB (voice-over): Access to the tomb of St. Peter, the church's first Pope, is usually only possible with special permission.

But as part of Jubilee plans to boost engagement, it and the Holy Door will be viewable via webcam live streams.

FORTUNATO: This is the devotion of every pilgrim.

LAMB (voice-over): St. Peter's has also launched a new magazine and even partnered with Microsoft to create an A.I.-generated digital twin of the basilica that allows pilgrims who can't be there in person and others to explore every detail, which could be useful as the work to maintain St. Peter's is ongoing.

A special structure has been set up to restore its ceiling using techniques from the Renaissance period.

FORTUNATO: Now we are in front of the monument of Bernini. Inside there is the oldest chair of St. Peter.

The devil symbolizes the Holy Spirit in the church. So the Holy Spirit leads the church.

LAMB: Yes, it's not just a museum church, it's a living church.

FORTUNATO: Yes, yes.

LAMB (voice-over): A living church that's now ready to welcome pilgrims from around the world, in person and remotely, for the Jubilee.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Only 48 hours to go before Christmas Day. I'm grateful that you have chosen to spend some time with me. It's been an honor and a privilege to be together. I'm Richard Quest. More "CNN Newsroom" after the break, because the news never stops. Neither do we. This is CNN.

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