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The Matt Gaetz Ethics Report; Luigi Mangione Plead Not Guilty; Paul Whelan On His Russian Imprisonment; Biden Commutes 37 Out of 40 Federal Death Row Sentences to Life in Prison; Ukraine Says Russia Hiding North Korean Soldiers' Role in War, 3,000 Killed, Wounded; Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico Asks Putin for Renewed Gas Deal; Thousands Attend Rally for Germany's Far-right AfD Party; France Unveils New Government as Budget Battle Looms; Paul Whelan Looks Back on His Russian Imprisonment; Actor Blake Lively Alleges Misconduct Against Co-star; Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Erupts After Three-month Hiatus. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 24, 2024 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:29]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A very Good day to you joining us. Wherever you are in the world, you're watching the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Richard Quest. In a moment, former U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz is fighting for his political future following that damning ethics report. It says he paid tens of thousands of dollars for sex and drugs.
Luigi Mangione accused of fatally shooting the UnitedHealthcare CEO has pleaded not guilty to murder. His lawyer says he's being used as a political fodder.
And Paul Whelan speaks to us. He's the Marine veteran wrongfully detained in Russia for more than five years. He tells us about the harsh conditions in captivity.
MAGA Republicans are urging Matt Gaetz to fight his political future despite Monday's bombshell report from the U.S. health ethics committee. That detailed numerous allegations of misconduct by the former Florida Congresswoman. The report you'll recall, concluded that Gaetz paid women thousands of dollars for sex and that included paying a 17-year-old girl. He was a sitting member of Congress at the time and also, he used or possessed illegal drugs on multiple occasions.
And yet, even with these damning allegations now public, Donald Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast that Gaetz, in his words, must return like Trump returned. Bannon urged him, don't back down double Down. Gaetz has been it was initial Donald Trump's initial choice to be the next U.S. Attorney General that these allegations ultimately doomed his chances.
And Gaetz has long denied the allegations, and he tried but failed to block the report from being released. CNN's Katelyn Polantz breaks down the evidence that's found in the report.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: The House Ethics Committee publicly released this long-waited report on former Representative Matt Gaetz, someone they had been looking at for 19 months. He just resigned from Congress just a few weeks ago. And the findings here, they are searing. They are about behavior that Matt Gaetz had or was engaged in when he was a sitting member of Congress, especially between the years of 2017 and 202o.
One of the things that the committee found and they documented in their report, with witness testimony, with tracing payments, with text messages, is that Gaetz, at least 20 times, was meeting with women who were being paid for sex and for drugs to the tune of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. That includes what the committee says they believe could be statutory rape under Florida law because of a party in 2017 that summer where he had sex with a woman, then girl, who was 17 years old.
The committee spoke to that woman with testimony from her becoming part of this report, and they write that they found the committee received testimony that victim may and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during that party in 2017 including at least once in the presence of other party attendees. Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from representative Gaetz that evening which she understood to be payment for sex.
At the time she had just completed her junior year of high school. There were other women that the committee spoke to as well who told the committee that they generally knew that there was a clear expectation to be having sex and they were getting money from Matt Gaetz. One person saying they were getting more than $5,000 another person getting a trip to the Bahamas.
So, all of this coming together in that House Ethics Committee report, where the House says Matt Gaetz was completely in violation of the standards of conduct doing things like engaging in prostitution, illicit drug use, and then that alleged statutory rape. Now Gaetz had been investigated by the federal authorities, the Justice Department. On this, they looked at the possibility of Federal sex trafficking violations and found no, he would not be charged with any crime.
So Gaetz has never been charged with anything, and he continues to deny these allegations that the House is putting out there against him. One of the things he tried to do was bury the report on Monday by running to the court system.
[02:05:03]
That lawsuit fell flat very quickly and now he just is saying publicly that he Report on Monday by running to the court system, that lawsuit fell flat very quickly, and now he just is saying publicly that he believes his reputation is very likely to be harmed by this.
QUEST: Richard Johnson is with me. Senior lecturer in U.S. politics at Queen Mary University in London. He's with me from Oxford in England. When I read the report, I think the interesting thing is, at the end, the disagreement and dissent by the chairman is only on the release of the report. The -- there is no dissent on the findings which leads one to conclude that, essentially, it was unanimous, that all members of the committee agreed with its findings.
RICHARD JOHNSON, SENIOR LECTURER IN U.S. POLITICS, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY: I think that's probably a good inference, Richard. This is really a significant point as well, because we're talking about a Republican House of Representatives, a Republican-led committee. Now Matt Gaetz would probably say, look, the standard of evidence here is not the same as the standard of evidence in a court of law.
The federal prosecutors looked into this and decided to move no further with it, but in terms of the fact finding, the evidence that the committee undertook, I mean, that is -- that's real evidence that the committee was collecting there. And when those facts were laid before the committee members, I agree, we cannot see dissent on the point of facts as was collected by the committee, by any of the committee members.
QUEST: So, in a nutshell, do you think Matt Gaetz is done for in a sense? I mean, one never wants to sort of say anyone's political career is over and done with look at Donald Trump. I mean, if he can go and say what he did and still comes back, but the statutory rape, it's quite difficult to get over.
JOHNSON: I -- but I think the point that you've just made look at Donald Trump is really relevant here. You know, Gaetz's political career, his national political career has been shaped by his loyalty to Donald Trump. And like Trump as, you know, Steve Bannon was saying Gaetz will follow a similar strategy here, which is to deny the allegations to denounce the moves against him as politically motivated.
And then to distract or to deflect and to point the finger at someone else or to pick up on another story. And yes, these are very serious allegations, but I think we live in a -- in a political ecosystem now where there are many people around who support President Trump, who believe that his allies are being targeted for political reasons and even though we might say, look, this is a Republican-led committee, this was a Republican House of Representatives that looked into this.
That may not be seen as particularly relevant by the type of people who are active in the Republican Party and who vote in Republican primaries. And so, I think as long as Gaetz feels that there is still a constituency with within the Republican Party who votes in primaries in Florida that I don't think we can count him out.
QUEST: OK. What about Donald Trump? I mean, the fact that he didn't just want to put a point him to the cabinet. He wanted to appoint him as the chief law officer. And, you know, I suppose some would say, well, you -- it's an error -- more than an error of judgment or tried to appoint this particular man to this particular post. But again, there doesn't seem to be a political price that Mr. Trump will pay for that or am I missing something?
JOHNSON: No, I don't think Trump will pay a particular political price from the -- from this. I mean, of course, there will be many people who will form that same analysis that you've just made, but those people were not likely to have been supporters of Trump anyway. And the issue or the way that Trump has approached all of these issues of sort of congressional investigations, for example, both into him and people around him in the 6th of January and so on, is to frame it in that language of the swamp and the deep state and the establishment against him.
And so, he just uses that is more evidence that there are, you know, the elite are teaming up against him, and he's fighting the elite.
QUEST: I'm grateful for you, sir. Thank you. Good morning to you and a very merry Christmas. Now the former U.S. President Bill Clinton is undergoing tests and observation at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington after developing a fever. A spokesman says that the 78- year-old is doing fine and is in good spirits and hopes to be home by Christmas Day. President Clinton had quadruple bypass surgery two decades ago.
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He's had two stents inserted to open an archery a decade ago, and he was active on the campaign trail this year. And he was active on the campaign trail this year, he's been traveling to promote his new book, citizen my life after the White House.
Israel says it has intercepted a projectile launch from Yemen before it crossed into the country. Over the weekend, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen stepped up their air attacks on Israel. They cited solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Now, on Saturday, one missile struck Tel Aviv, and more than a dozen people were injured for the. First time, Israel is admitting it was behind the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas.
He was killed by an explosion outside a guest house in Iran's capital, actual place, in July. In the months since, Israel's refused to confirm or deny that it on Monday, the country's defense minister acknowledged Haniyeh's killing and used it as a warning for Israel's enemies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAEL DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): We will damage its strategic infrastructures and take off the heads of its leadership, just like we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon. We shall do in Hodeidah and Sanaa. Those who raised their hand against Israel will have their hand taken off, and the IDF's far-reaching arm will hurt them and hold them to account.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Fighting continues to rage in Gaza and the civilian theirs are trapped and bearing the brunt. The Hamas-controlled government media office says more than 50 people have been killed in one Israeli operation over the weekend. And that assault on a camp in central Gaza involved Israeli military vehicles, bulldozers and aircraft. Half the casualties were women and children.
Palestinian officials are accusing Israel of placing explosive robots outside the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza. Israel officials are denying putting any type of explosion at the entrance of the hospital.
However, Israel has conducted what the hospital director is calling fierce assault in recent days with bullets reportedly entering the intensive care unit and the maternity department. Bomb was going off on the roof in the courtyard. Israel is denying those reports.
The Prime Minister of Israel is telling lawmakers that negotiators are making some headway with hostage talks. Israeli officials believe 100 captives are still being held in Gaza, most of whom were kidnapped on October the 7th, 2023. At least 36 of the hostages are believed to have died.
Several Israeli families now say they've received signs of life from their loved ones. According to the family's missing forum. The Benjamin -- Prime Minister says Israel is hoping to bring them all home.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): I want to tell you cautiously that there is a certain progress, and this certain progress is due to three main reasons. There is progress. I don't know how long it will take. We will continue to operate in any way and without the pause until we bring them all back home from the enemy's land.
QUEST: I'm joined by Michael Levy who is the brother of a hostage Or Levy. Sir, good morning. I hope you can hear me. The -- what -- I just want to basically say, what do you know? You know, we've heard this phrase about hostage families receiving signs of life. What more can you tell us about this?
MICHAEL LEVY, BROTHER OF HOSTAGE OR LEVY: In terms of signs of life, I cannot say a lot more than that. I mean, I know that certain families did get signs of life. We didn't, but the assumption is that my brother is alive and we operate under this assumption.
QUEST: And so, as -- I'm aware that I -- me reporting Israel's Prime Minister telling lawmakers negotiators are making some headway in hostage talks. Those are words from a television presenter. How do you read those words? What do you understand by them?
LEVY: I try to take them as is. I understand that there negotiation. I understand there is some progress but as long as you're dealing with a terror organization like Hamas, you cannot be 100 percent sure, even after you sign a deal. [02:15:06]
So, I'll be happy only when I'll see my brother and the rest of the hostages.
QUEST: Do you believe that the government -- you know, I understand that they say they want to bring the hostages back and that it is a priority. Do you believe now that it is the priority?
LEVY: I believe that they are aware, exactly like every person here in Israel and the same -- and I heard the same decorations from President Trump and President Biden that there is nothing more to achieve and there is nothing more important than to bring the hostages back. I think that's the only way to save the Middle East and to get to the Abraham Accords, and to start some kind of a peace process somewhere in the Middle East. Everything has to start with bringing back the hostages.
QUEST: The -- tomorrow, it's an unusual day, isn't it? I mean, we've -- it is Christmas Day, and it is also the first day of Hanukkah which is quite a rare event in both calendars that they -- that they meet and I'm sure that as you -- as you meet to light the candles on the Hanukkah and you sing the song and the (INAUDIBLE) potato lack because your family's thoughts will be very much with your brother.
LEVY: You're correct. And for us, it's even a bit more symbolic because all in Hebrew means light and Hanukkah is the celebration of light. And it's symbolic that we'll need our light back, and we'll light the candles in a hope that all will see it even before this Hanukkah ends.
QUEST: I'm grateful, Michael, that you joined us. I wish it might seem somewhat (INAUDIBLE) I do wish you had some (INAUDIBLE) to you and your family and wishing you well for the season. Thank you, sir. As --
LEVY: Thank you. Merry Christmas.
QUEST: -- we continue tonight. The man accused of murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO has pleaded not guilty in New York.
And Luigi Mangione's lawyer is now saying her client will not get a fair trial.
CNN's interview with Paul Whelan, the Marine veteran wrongfully detained in Russia for more than five years. The harsh conditions he's enduring.
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QUEST: Prosecutors in New York have charged a man with murder after he set alight a woman and watched her burn to death and a subway car. The authorities are claiming that the 33-year-old Guatemalan man was in the U.S. unlawfully and now he's been charged with first- and second- degree murder and first-degree arson. The facts are unbelievingly horrifying. On Sunday, he allegedly approached the woman and ignited her clothes.
Surveillance video shows him then sitting on a bench watching the woman burn. Immigration officials say the man was removed from the U.S. in 2018, he then returned unlawfully on an unknown date.
The man charged with killing the UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson has pleaded not guilty to murder and terrorism charges in New York. Luigi Mangione faces 11 counts in the New York State case. That's both first and secondary murder. Mr. Thompson was shot on the crowded street earlier this month. The crime has since revealed a deep public anger and discontent with the health care industry.
CNN's Kara Scannell has more on what took place in court.
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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Luigi Mangione accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, arriving to a New York City courtroom. Escorted by police officers his wrists and ankles shackled. Mangione entering a plea of not guilty to the 11 New York State counts he is facing, which include murder in the first degree and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism.
KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR LUIGI MANGIONE: I'm very concerned about my client's right to a fair trial. Like every other defendant, he's entitled to a presumption of innocence. But unfortunately, the way this has been handled so far, his rights are being violated.
SCANNELL (voice-over): His attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo telling Judge Gregory Carroll that Mangione was being used like, "political fodder."
AGNIFILO: He's a young man and he is being treated like a human ping pong ball between two warring jurisdictions here.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Saying last week's now infamous perp walk with Mangione stepping off a helicopter surrounded by heavily armed law enforcement officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams trailing behind was inappropriate.
AGNIFILO: Frankly, Your Honor, the mayor should know more than anyone of the presumption of innocence.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Noting Adam's own legal problems over federal charges, including bribery, to which he has pled not guilty.
AGNIFILO: I submit that he was just trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of Mr. Mangione.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Agnifilo also asking for expedited discovery, but prosecutors warning that may not be so easy.
JOEL SELDEMANN, NEW YORK PROSECUTOR: I have never seen a case with such volume of evidence.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Saying there are thousands of hours of video tracking Mangione. Mangione is also facing four federal charges, including murder through use of a firearm.
SELDEMANN: As we understand that we have primary jurisdiction, and we have been informed by the U.S. attorney that they intend on allowing us to try our case. First, we will comply with our ethical obligations with respect to trying this defendant's guilt in this courtroom, in this courtroom alone.
SCANNELL (voice-over): Mangione has not entered a plea, yet on the federal charges, prosecutors could decide to seek the death penalty in that case. Members of the public filling four rows of the courtroom to watch the hearing unfold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) say something?
SCANNELL (voice-over): While outside protesters rallied in support of Mangione and against insurance companies like UnitedHealthcare.
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Now from Los Angeles, the civil rights attorney and Legal Affairs commentator Areva Martin. Good to see you. Thank you. It's late for you. I'm grateful that you're staying up to talk to me. I'm confused. How are they going to square this circle of state case and federal case? Now, I know the Supreme Court has said where the facts are essentially the same, but the interpretation is different, and you can have different cases.
But when you get to the murder case, essentially it's the same thing. How do they square the circle?
AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, that's the issue we keep hearing raised by Mangione's attorney. She's claiming that there could be double jeopardy if he's tried both in the state court and the federal court for murder involving the same individual. But I don't think her argument is going to hold muster. I don't think she's going to be successful in having either of these cases dismissed based on that.
[02:25:00]
Look, the reality is that he can't be charged for -- charged with murder in the state of New York under state statues and he can also be charged under federal statute for murder, and as we just heard, the prosecutors say they've already agreed that the state charges will proceed first, meaning that there will be a trial in New York State first, and then a determination will be made with respect to what happens with the federal charges that he faces.
QUEST: Why is that not double jeopardy? It is the same murder on the same facts. And when we talk about murder in the first degree, it's the same element of terror that raises it to that level. How can that not be two trials on the same case?
MARTIN: Well, the federal case is different from the state court. We -- the state charges. We do know that in the state court, he has been charged with murder in the first degree and with an enhancement related to terrorism. The federal charges, however, though deal with stalking, that is not a part of the state crime or the state crimes that he's been charged with. There's also the use of the way he traveled across state lines, traveled from -- I believe it was at Atlanta to New York, as well as the use of the phone lines over the internet.
QUEST: As we look at this groundswell of -- I don't want to say support for Mangione. There are two things. There's a -- there's a sort of a rather unpleasant and unsavory element about him as a person and his looks and all of that. Let's put that to one side. There's always going to be some lunatics that as I'm sure you as a -- as a seasoned lawyer are aware. There's always some lunatics that on the fringe.
But the un -- the unease about the U.S. healthcare system, now that is a valid -- it's not valid for murder, but it's a valid public concern. Which, of course, the CEO of U.S. -- UnitedHealthcare had to address himself in his article in The New York Times.
MARTIN: You have no doubt about it. The complaints that are being raised by protesters and for individuals that have been supporting Mangione. They're real issues -- real issues about the U.S. health system. But as you just said, Richard, murder is not the solution. You can't contest the U.S. health system or policies around health by committing the kind of vicious and brazen crime that was committed in this case.
So, they're really two different issues. There's the murder case, and then there's what we do as a country around healthcare.
QUEST: As you look at it, can you see any viable defense? I know we're at the beginning of the process and the negotiation starts, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera towards potentially some plea. But looking -- forgive me, I trained as a lawyer myself. Looking at the facts that does not seem any obvious or way that you're going to get out of this one.
MARTIN: Yes. You know Richard that when you plead not guilty, you're not necessarily saying you didn't commit the crime. It's just a way for your team to negotiate, potentially a plea deal. And in this case, because you have the prospect of the death penalty, with regards to the federal case, the not guilty plea may give of the defendant some leverage in terms of, you know, having that case not go away but definitely not having the death penalty be an issue.
The reality is, there is overwhelming evidence that places Mangione at the scene of the crime. There's forensic evidence that is stacked against him. So, I don't think there's going to be any question about whether the prosecutors can prove that he committed this crime. It's just going to be a question of, is there something short of the death penalty that will be the sentence for him. QUEST: And we shall leave it there and let you get to bed. I'm just working out. It's half passed it overnight for you. But I'm grateful for you for taking up. And thank you talking to us now. Have a Christmas to you. Merry Christmas, Now --
MARTIN: Thanks, Richard.
QUEST: President Biden has commuted dozens of death row sentences to life without parole. There are three prisoners who didn't make the list. And I want to know why.
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[02:32:03]
QUEST: President Biden has commuted the death sentences of nearly every inmate on federal death row, commuting the sentences to life without parole. He made the change for all but three prisoners, and that included the man who carried out a mass shooting at a Pennsylvania synagogue. CNN's MJ Lee spoke to the survivors and some of the relatives of the victims of that shooting, before the president made his commutation announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sentences of 37 inmates on federal death row were commuted by President Joe Biden on Monday to life sentences without the possibility of parole. But there were three men on federal death row, not included in Biden's sweeping use of his clemency power. Dylann Roof, a white nationalist, who murdered nine black worshipers at a church in 2015; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the brothers responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013; and Robert Bowers who'd gunned down 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
HOWARD FIENBERG, MOTHER KILLED IN PITTSBURG SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING: If you overturn that, you are pissing in the face of the U.S. justice system.
LEE (voice-over): Prior to Biden's decision, the families of the victims of the Tree of Life mass shooting had spoken out to CNN as they pleaded with the president to not grant clemency to the killer who took their loved ones.
CAROL BLACK, SURVIVOR OF PITTSBURG SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING: The people who want the clemency didn't sit in the courtroom and look at his face, and see the glee when he saw all the horror that he wrecked in the building that day.
LEE (voice-over): Bowers' shooting rampage six years ago still haunts this community.
BLACK: I saw my brother walking in. That was actually the last time I saw him alive. LEE (voice-over): Carol Black had just arrived at the Tree of Life synagogue for Shabbat services on a fall Saturday morning in October 2018. Suddenly there was chaos.
BLACK: I heard rapid gunfire and the rabbi said, we need to get out of here now.
LEE (voice-over): The mass shooting would mark the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in American history. Bowers murdered 11 worshipers and wounded six. While Carol managed to make it out alive, her younger brother, Richard, did not.
For sisters, Michelle and Diane Rosenthal, their nightmare began with a single text message.
MICHELLE ROSENTHAL, BROTHERS KILLED IN PITTSBURG SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING: My husband got a text from his daughter that said, active shooter at Tree of Life synagogue, and I immediately screamed, "The boys are there."
LEE (voice-over): The boys are Michelle and Diane's brothers. Cecil and David, who at the time were 59 and 54 years old. They had a genetic condition called the Fragile X Syndrome, both were a long time beloved members of the synagogue.
DIANE ROSENTHAL, BROTHERS KILLED IN PITTSBURG SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING: Cecil and David loved to welcome the congregants into the synagogue. Cecil loved to pass up the (inaudible) and greet people, and David would like to stay close to whoever was doing the beginning readings.
[02:35:00]
We knew right away that they either greeted their shooter, or were surprised.
LEE (voice-over): The boys never made it out. Five years after that horrific day, many of the victim's family members chose to sit inside the courtroom for Bowers' trial. Howard Fienberg, whose mother Joyce was killed in the shooting, was among those who attended the trial.
FIENBERG: You are sitting within spitting distance of evil.
LEE (voice-over): The trial painting a shocking and vivid picture of a racist, hate-spewing man who wished to see the extermination of all Jews. A 12-member jury found Bowers guilty on all 63 counts.
M. ROSENTHAL: It was just like finally, like finally, you're able to close a chapter.
LEE (voice-over): And weeks later, the same jury unanimously handed down the death sentence. But fast forward more than a year and this community was in fresh anguish, worried that Biden, a devout Catholic who recently campaigned on getting rid of the death penalty --
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: One of the reasons I'm against capital punishment -- LEE (voice-over): -- would bow to pressure and take inmates,
including Bowers, off of federal death row. The possibility had been unbearable to imagine for some of the families of the Tree of Life victims.
D. ROSENTHAL: It's a slap in the family's face, and in the jurors' probably as well as the judge.
LEE (voice-over): Bowers' attorney did not respond to CNN's request for comment. The White House declined to comment for this piece. The victim's family members who spoke with CNN said they understand that nothing can bring back their loved ones. David and Cecil's infectious laughs, Richard's generous spirit, and Joyce's constant desire to always take care of those around her, and for that they said there is no forgiving Bowers.
D. ROSENTHAL: I think in order to have forgiveness, someone has to show a sense of remorse for the crimes that he or she committed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Ukrainian military is accusing Russia of trying to conceal the fact that foreign fighters have joined Vladimir Putin's battle against Kyiv. Ukraine says that North Korean soldiers fighting for Moscow are being given fake military documents that bear Russian names and birthplaces, and the documents they say lack the official stamps and photos, and bear Korean signatures.
Intelligence estimates from Ukraine, the U.S. and South Korea put the number of North Koreans fighting in Russia are between 11,000 and 12,000. Those troops seem to be paying a heavy price for joining the battlefield.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): There are already more than 3,000 wounded and killed North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. Russia simply disposes of them in assaults. No normal person on earth can answer why Koreans should fight for Putin. And unfortunately, the world is doing almost nothing to counteract the criminal collaboration between Russia and North Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: President Zelenskyy's estimate of North Korean losses is higher than that provided by South Korea's military. On Monday, they estimated 1,100 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded during the battles. Ukraine's president is slamming Slovakia's leader for the country's reliance on Russian gas and calling it a big security issue for Europe. The Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday. He's looking to renew a deal that would allow gas to travel through Ukraine to supply his country.
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Fico cares more about helping Russia than about acquiring cheaper gas. The Prime minister's visit has sparked protests back in Slovakia where thousands of people have gathered in the capital Bratislava. They held signs that called their prime minister a traitor, one demonstrator explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASMINA, 19-YEAR-OLD PROTESTER (through translator): I don't like it at all, that our prime minister should talk to a murderer of innocent people. I don't understand. It's terrible. Something completely different should be addressed here, like the collapsing education in healthcare system, and not shaking hands with someone who has committed such terrible crimes as Putin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The German government is facing growing calls to address possible security lapses, following last week's deadly Christmas market attack in Magdeburg. Thousands of people gathered for a rally on Monday night. It was organized by the far-right Alternative for Germany Party, known for its anti-immigrant policies. The crowd called for the deportation of migrants in the wake of the attack, which police believe was carried out by a 50-year-old from Saudi Arabia. The party's co-leader and candidate for chancellorship Alice Weidel was critical of the country's current politicians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALICE WEIDEL, CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE, ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY PARTY (through translator): Politicians are not standing by those who suffer from the mistakes of our government. The focus is too much on relativizing the actions of those who despise our society. I will repeat it once more. We want something to finally change in our country and for us to finally be able to live in safety again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:40:00]
QUEST: Mourners have been leaving flowers and candles at the site of the attack. The German president has called for unity in his Christmas address, urging people to stand together against hatred and violence.
France has unveiled a new government as a battle over next year's budget looms, comes 10 days after Francois Bayrou is named the country's new prime minister. The top priorities for him and his team are (inaudible) a cost-cutting budget for next year, trimming the deficit, and making sure they can survive any possible No Confidence votes. Such a vote earlier this month forced Michel Barnier, the previous incumbent and his cabinet members to resign after they lost.
Still to come, CNN will sit down with Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine wrongfully held in Russian prisons for years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: The U.S. Marine Veteran, Paul Whelan is speaking out about what he faced during more than five years, whilst imprisoned in Russia. He was arrested by the Russian authorities six years ago this weekend, imprisoned on charges of espionage which he has always vehemently denied. U.S. State Department designated him wrongfully detained in May of 2020. He was convicted and sentenced to 16 years, then transferred from Moscow to a remote prison camp.
From there, he began a personal campaign for his freedom, including phone calls and writing letters to a CNN reporter. Earlier this year, you'll recall the U.S. government secured his release in one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the Cold War. Paul Whelan sat down with Anderson Cooper and Jennifer Hansler, the State Department reporter whom he reached out to from Russian captivity. This is their conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR OF 'ANDERSON COOPER 360': Well, first of all, I -- it's, -- it's an honor to meet you. I'm so sorry for what happened and what is it like being back?
PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN WRONGFULLY DETAINED IN RUSSIA FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS: Well, thanks for having me, Anderson. It's an honor for me too. I've been a fan for years. Being back, it's surreal. I'm in a world that used to be familiar and it isn't. I'm getting used to just simple things.
COOPER: You were held in a prison in Moscow initially, which is a notorious -- it's a high, like maximum security prison. I think it's a very notorious prison.
WHELAN: Yeah, Lefortovo. It's called the shooting gallery because that's where the Russians used to and probably still do, shoot their own people. It's a horrendously old rundown facility and you're in a small cell by yourself, basically 23 hours a day.
COOPER: How long were you in that facility?
WHELAN: For a year and a half.
COOPER: I cannot imagine suddenly, from being in your hotel room, visiting your friend for a wedding to being in this notorious prison. How do you mentally not just panic and freak out?
[02:45:00]
WHELAN: I probably did panic and freaked out. Very quickly, I realized that what was happening was real. There was some solace in the fact that I knew my ambassadors would be coming to find out what was happening. I wasn't sure how long it would take to resolve. I knew I hadn't done anything. I hadn't violated the espionage law. I'm not a spy. I never have been. They'd either made a mistake or they were making it up.
COOPER: It -- once you -- after the trial, you were sentenced like 16 years, I think?
WHELAN: Right, yeah. COOPER: You were sent to a labor camp in Mordovia and you were still -- for the next three, four years, you were woken up every two hours at night?
WHELAN: Yeah. I was an escape risk, apparently. Mordovia, there's nothing -- there's nothing out there. It's woods, it's forests.
COOPER: And so, what? They would come in, wake you up, and what?
WHELAN: They'd shine a light in my eyes and then take a picture with a camera to prove that they had -- they had checked me.
COOPER: Every night, every two hours?
WHELAN: Every two hours.
COOPER: For years?
WHELAN: For four years.
COOPER: Do you -- can you sleep normally now?
WHELAN: Now, I'm getting back to a normal sleep pattern. It's difficult.
COOPER: How was it that you started to reach out to other reporters? One of whom is Jennifer Hansler, who's here. What was the thinking on reaching out?
WHELAN: I wanted to make sure that my story was being told, and I wanted to make sure that people weren't forgetting. I didn't want it to be put on the back burner and have other affairs of state take over people's interest. I'd made some phone calls. I'd written a lot of letters, and I wanted to speak to the media. So, Jennifer was one of the early reporters that I spoke to, quite clandestinely, from prison.
COOPER: How many calls in all Jennifer did?
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: I think it was about a dozen. But the first one was back in June 2021, and it came as a total surprise because I had known Paul's sister, Elizabeth, for quite a few months at that point. And she had asked at one point, can I give Paul your address? Because he enjoys writing letters. And then maybe a month later he said, actually, can we give him your phone number? And I said, sure, of course. And sort of forgot about it.
And then I was sitting at my table in June 2021 and a number just popped up that said Russia, no other caller ID and I sort of thought maybe it was spam, but I picked it up. And then it's someone saying, this is Paul Whelan. And I was so taken aback, Anderson, that actually sent a clip of it to Elizabeth to say, "Hey, is this actually your brother's voice?" And she confirmed it was.
COOPER: Did you hear that Navalny had been -- had died?
WHELAN: Yeah. He was murdered by the FSB in a secure prison. That's what happened to him. There's no question in my mind.
COOPER: And when you heard that, what did you think about for yourself?
WHELAN: I was worried. I was worried that maybe the FSB would poison me or maybe break a bone or injure me to try to get the U.S. to speed up the negotiations for Krasikov being returned. That's what Russia wanted for me.
COOPER: You followed -- you were aware of negotiations going on? Obviously, you were in contact with a number of people in the U.S. government. I know you talked to Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
WHELAN: Yeah.
COOPER: And other high-level officials, but there was tremendous disappointment as you believed you were going to be part of prisoner swaps, that then you would suddenly see -- Trevor Reed, I think was the first sort of high-profile one. You learned that he had been freed and you were certainly happy for him. But it's got to be incredibly difficult to see the days passing by. I mean, more than 2,000 of them.
WHELAN: Yeah, there were peaks and valleys to be sure. I was glad that Trevor went home when he did. I was glad that Brittney went home when she did, but I was still there and I was worried because the U.S. had given up their bargaining position when Victor Bout went home. The U.S. had nothing the Russians wanted and I was stuck there.
COOPER: The U.S. traded this guy, Victor Bout, who was an arms dealer, a very-high profile prisoner and that was part of the deal for Brittney Griner.
WHELAN: Right.
COOPER: There was a phone call that you made to Jennifer after the Brittney Griner release. This is a part of the call that you made to Jennifer.
WHELAN (via telephone): I have to say, I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release.
HANSLER (via telephone): Yeah.
WHELAN (via telephone): Especially as the four-year anniversary of my arrest is coming up. I was arrested for a crime that never occurred. I'm happy that Brittney is going home today, and that Trevor went home when he did, but I don't understand why I'm still sitting here.
COOPER: Was that the lowest moment for you?
WHELAN: That was one of two. The second was when my dog died. That was a realization that I wasn't going home to the home that I'd left. But when I realized that the U.S. had given up their bargaining position by sending Victor Bout back to Russia, I was extremely concerned.
[02:50:00]
And yeah, it was a low point. Luckily, I had a friend to call and we discussed it, you know?
COOPER: Jennifer, you would get letters from --
HANSLER: Yeah. So I actually brought the four that I actually received. I don't know if this is all the ones that you sent me, but they would be sent to our bureau in D.C. and then months after the date they were postmarked. So I'm curious, Paul, what you make of seeing these now, all these years later.
COOPER: This is your handwriting?
WHELAN: Oh, yeah.
COOPER: Very neat.
WHELAN: Yeah. Thanks.
(LAUGH)
WHELAN: I sent more than 2,000 letters to my parents.
COOPER: Wow.
WHELAN: We've got a stack of them at home. I sent letters to the Congresses, both to the House and the Senate, the parliaments in Canada and, and England and Ireland. And they were all the same sort of thing, talking about the restrictions, how the prison was doing things, how I was -- yeah, it's --
(LAUGH)
WHELAN: -- it's interesting to see, because there's some of my usual jocularity in these, as well as some serious things. And --
COOPER: How much were you able to kind of remove yourself from your surroundings through writing letters, through reading, through anything else?
WHELAN: Staying in touch with the English language, staying in touch with authors that I was familiar with, that was quite important. I had books, English books coming in from the consulates, through my family. I had a lot of mail that came in. When Brittney was released, she had people write, hundreds of letters to me. That was extremely important.
I mean, at one point Jennifer and I were just discussing this, I was writing out ridiculousists (ph). Do you remember your ridiculous (ph)?
COOPER: Yeah.
WHELAN: I would write out the 10 reasons why I wasn't a spy, or the 10 reasons why Putin need to get -- needed to go. All of these kind of funny things that kind of sprang to mind.
COOPER: Yeah.
WHELAN: I've still got some of them written down.
COOPER: Really?
WHELAN: Yeah. But that -- that was an important part of like staying sane.
COOPER: What was that flight like? What was -- we saw the video of you at the tarmac in, on American soil, being greeted by President Biden, by the vice president as well. What was that like?
WHELAN: That was incredible. And we see on the monitor, the president putting something on my shirt and it's actually this.
COOPER: That's the --
WHELAN: This flag, yeah. This is the lapel pin. I didn't realize when we got on the plane, it was a CIA plane, flying back that we were going to meet the president and vice president. I had been in solitary confinement for the five days prior. I hadn't had a shower in two weeks. I had clothes on that I'd actually worn when I went to Russia. So --
COOPER: The clothes you're wearing there, those are the clothes you were arrested in?
WHELAN: Those are the clothes that -- yeah. Yeah. So they were dirty. I was dirty. On the plane, I had to clean up as well as I could.
COOPER: And they also look like they don't really fit you anymore.
WHELAN: No, they don't.
COOPER: Yeah.
WHELAN: Because I'd lost so much weight. Yeah. It -- you saw me walking off very kind of gingerly, coming down those stairs, holding on because I didn't have the strength. I didn't have the balance. The malnutrition had taken a toll. It was interesting to see the president, it was interesting to see the vice president, but there was a lot of media too, and I was glad to see them. Those were the people that had supported me.
COOPER: Well, Paul, it's really an honor to talk to you. I'm so glad you're home.
WHELAN: Yeah, thanks very much.
COOPER: And Jennifer, thank you.
HANSLER: Thank you.
COOPER: Thanks for all your work.
HANSLER: Thanks. (END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: On a final note, the Kremlin has denied any role in the death of Alexei Navalny. This is CNN.
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[02:55:12]
QUEST: Hundreds of text messages have been revealed in the actor Blake Lively's bombshell lawsuit against the co-star and director, Justin Baldoni. Lively accuses Baldoni, the producer, of sexual harassment while they worked on the movie, "It Ends with Us", which centers around domestic violence.
"The New York Times" obtained the complaint, which includes accusations of Baldoni improvising unwanted kisses, amongst other things. It also says Lively raised concerns during filming and was met with a smear campaign to damage her reputation. In a statement to CNN, Baldoni's attorney denies the claim, calling them completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious, with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.
Among those accused of orchestrating the alleged smear campaign against Lively, as Baldoni's publicist, she claims there was no such campaign and that the backlash that she received during the film's promotion was organic. The CNN contributor and tech journalist, Kara Swisher explains social media makes it much easier for criticism to spread.
KARA SWISHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR AND TECH JOURNALIST: One of the things that's important to remember here is they don't have to do much. You just have to start to amplify things on social media in a very small way, and with people desperate for the story, people search and then others provide it. And so, you can gin things up pretty quickly and pretty cheaply online. And you don't have to do much.
And I think that's what they were talking about. If you create sort of questions about someone, especially a woman, it happened with Amber Heard, which was outsized given, even on the best of days, both of them act badly. But Amber Heard got the brunt of this. I think it was really, it's very easy to do this to someone, especially a woman.
QUEST: After a three-month break, one of the world's most active volcanoes is at it again. Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano started spewing bright orange lava early on Monday. Just look at these pictures, my goodness, of just a few hours. The National Park Service has around 200 hectares of lava covered the Kilauea floor (ph). Authorities say nearby communities are not in danger. The lava is contained within the National (inaudible) Park.
They are warning that high emissions of volcanic gas could cause problems for people with respiratory and heart conditions. I've always wanted to see a full -- volcano in full erupt mode.
I'm grateful for your time and attention at this hour. I'm Richard Quest. "Spirit of Seoul" is up next. I'll be back in an hour with more "CNN Newsroom" because the news never stops, neither do we.
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