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Christians Celebrate Christmas Eve Around the World; Russia Sentences a U.S. Citizen to 15 Years in Prison for Espionage; Four Panamanian Presidents Sign Declaration Asserting Sovereignty Over Panama Canal After Trump Threat. Aired 14-14:30p ET

Aired December 24, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ELENI GIOKOS, HOST, CNN NEWSROOM: Very good evening and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Eleni Giokos in New York, and today is Christmas eve, and in parts of the world, it's already Christmas day for Christians and others who celebrate. We are looking at live images from the Vatican and we'll have more on celebrations later this hour.

Now, let's start off with the day's news, and we begin with the prison sentence for a U.S. citizen found guilty of espionage in Russia after a secret trial in Moscow, a court today ordered Gene Spector to be held behind bars for 15 years. And that's according to Russian state media. Spector was born in Russia, but he later moved to the U.S. and received citizenship.

He had previously been sentenced to four years in prison on charges of acting as an intermediary in a bribe. Now, I want to get more, we've got Oren Liebermann standing by for us. Who is Gene Spector? What more do we know about these charges and his fate?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Gene Spector has already been imprisoned for several years now in Russia. And this 15- year sentence is a combination of two different cases here and two different sets of charges. As you mentioned, he'd already been imprisoned for being an intermediary in a bribe, that several years ago.

This latest sentencing, which came on Tuesday morning in a Moscow courtroom, according to Russian state media and an independent Russian media outlet that was inside the courtroom comes on top of that, now bringing his prison sentence to a total of 15 years.

This latest on espionage charges. He was sentenced to serve that sentence in a maximum security prison in Russia. So, that total now 15 years here, as you pointed out, he is -- was born in Russia, Gene Spector, but moved to the United States and gained American citizenship. In some respects, this is like so many of the other cases we have seen, a heavy prison sentence handed to a U.S. citizen.

And again, as we have seen so often, Russia tries to use that prison sentence and the imprisonment of an American citizen to gain leverage in negotiations in a prison swap. We saw that in the case of Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was traded for Viktor Bout, an arms dealer some time ago. We also saw that in the cases of Evan Gershkovich, a "Wall Street Journal" reporter who was detained, and Paul Whelan, who spent more than five years in a Russian prison.

The two of them were freed in a prisoner swap that involved not only the U.S., but several other countries as well, Norway, Slovenia and other countries, as Russia was able to secure the release of a number of Russian prisoners held in U.S. and western prisons. But it is worth noting that Gene Spector has not been determined as wrongfully detained by the U.S. and by the State Department, so, that may fundamentally affect how this plays out and whether and how the U.S. decides to pursue some sort of prisoner swap to secure his release here.

GIOKOS: Exactly, yes --

LIEBERMANN: There have been several other cases in recent months where Russia has also sentenced other U.S. citizens to prison sentences. So, this is very much a space to watch. Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes, absolutely. And whether they are going to be embarking on negotiations, as you say, there have been other cases this year. Big question regarding the U.S. State Department that issued a warning saying that any U.S. citizen residing or traveling to Russia should leave immediately, and that risk of wrongful detention remains very high.

LIEBERMANN: This is something we have seen in varying degrees. But at this high level of alert, effectively since the beginning of the Ukraine war, because detaining and arresting U.S. citizens, holding them, charging them, sentencing them to long prison sentences in Russian prisons, this has been a tactic of Russian President Vladimir Putin as he tries to secure the release of Russian prisoners overseas, or tries to gain some sort of leverage on the United States no matter what the issue.

This is from the Russian playbook and from the Putin playbook. And that's why that warning is out there and has been out there from the State Department warning American citizens not to travel to Russia because it is possible that Russia will try to find or create some reason to detain, to charge and to imprison, to gain leverage in what they hope is a prisoner swap or some sort of other back-and-forth between Washington and Moscow.

GIOKOS: Oren Liebermann, thanks so much. Well, three former Panamanian presidents have signed a joint declaration with the current leader asserting sovereignty over their country's canal. It comes just one day after Jose Raul Mulino said every square meter of the canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and it will remain that way.

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On Sunday, Donald Trump slammed what he called unfair fees for U.S. ships passing through the crucial waterway, and he threatened to reclaim the canal America once controlled. But the President-elect failed to clarify how he would force a sovereign, friendly country to hand over its own territory. CNN's Gustavo Valdes joins us now live from Mexico. Gustavo, what has been the response in Panama?

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Panamanian people and their government, as you can see, unified behind the fact that they say the Canal Panama is -- belongs to the Panamanian people. There were some people yesterday protesting in Panama the words of Donald Trump. The President, however, seemed to be a little bit more dismissive in saying that perhaps Donald Trump should go back and read history books.

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JOSE RAUL MULINO, PRESIDENT, PANAMA (through translator): That is a manifestation of gross ignorance of history. So, all those speculations and all that range of eventualities that are not going to happen, well, I leave them there as totally irrelevant issues and quite bordering on historical incoherence with what the Panama Canal has been, is and will be.

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VALDES: President Mulino speaking to CNN En Espanol contributor Andres Oppenheimer who is going to have a full interview this Sunday on CNN Espanol. He also highlighted the economic impact that the canal has in his country, saying that this year alone, they got more than $2 billion in revenue from the canal. And certainly, they are not going to go willingly to give up control of the canal.

It's actually not clear what Donald Trump could do to regain control of this area that was given back to Panama. They're going to be celebrating 25 years on January -- on December 31st since they took over of the Canal de Panama.

GIOKOS: Gustavo, I mean, the -- what President-elect Donald Trump is accusing Panama of is high fees, and that they're unfair. Has there been any word around the fee structure? And has Panama defended what it is charging the United States?

VALDES: They said that the fees applies to everyone. The canal is there to serve any ship that needs to cross from one side of the Pacific to the Atlantic and vice versa. There are no special fees. They also highlight that they just underwent a big expansion of the canal to accommodate larger ships. So, the fee is the fee for everyone, it's based on the size of the vessel.

So, there's no clear -- also what any concession can Panama do on that area, especially the other thing here it could be for Donald Trump is the risk of alienating somebody who could be key on Donald Trump's immigration policy, because Panama is a country from where many of the Venezuelans who have been coming north to try to get into the United States have been crossing.

So, he has the power to control the flow of migrants. So, whatever Donald Trump wants to say or do about the canal could have also an impact on immigration.

GIOKOS: Gustavo Valdes, good to have you on, thank you so much. Well, it's not the news holiday travelers in the U.S. wanted to hear. A ground delay on one of the busiest days to fly. It happened earlier after the Federal Aviation Administration briefly issued a ground stop for all American Airlines flights. This was at the request of the airline due to a, quote, "vendor technology issue."

Flights now have resumed, but not everyone is out of the woods just yet when it comes to the weather. Derek Van Dam has a look at what travelers should expect.

DEREK VAN DAM, METEOROLOGIST: Some lucky few will get their white Christmas dreams realized, including here in Staten Island, New York, where a fresh layer of snow blanketed the roadways and the landscape here early Christmas eve morning. I think temperatures will remain cold enough to where this sticks around, maybe we'll get that white Christmas in and around New York City, something we haven't seen in quite some time.

This is going to have impacts, though, on the roadways. Of course, one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, and with the FAA ground-stop with American Airlines earlier on Christmas eve morning, which has since been lifted. This could, of course, have compounding issues through the course of the day.

Now, the storm system that brought the snowfall to New York and surrounding areas has moved offshore. There is still some light drizzle reported in and around Washington and Baltimore. The higher elevation bridges and overpasses could have some slick spots. So, do take care.

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Now, we're focusing our attention just a little further to the west, where heavy rain could be an issue for eastern sections of Texas. This area you see shaded in green has a marginal risk of excessive rain that could lead to localized flash flooding. There has already been flash flood warnings in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth region, 2 to 4 inches locally, higher amounts expected across the area.

Plus, you'll want to keep an eye to the sky. We have a slight risk from the weather prediction center of severe weather today, basically from Waco to the south and east outside of Houston, although, there is a marginal risk all the way to the Gulf Coast. Damaging winds, hail, a possibility, especially where you see that shading of yellow.

That is why we have at least minor to moderate potential here for some airline delays because of the weather across eastern sections of Texas, you saw the snow, the icing potential along the east coast. But then, let's focus out west because a series of storm systems have been impacting the western coastline of our country lately, bringing rough surf and also strong winds and heavy rain, we'll measure them snow- falling amount -- in the mountains here in feet, not inches.

But again, it's all about the coastal surf that has been very rough, that will continue at least for the next 24 hours. Back to you.

GIOKOS: All right, Derek Van Dam there for us. We'll be back right after this short break. Stay with CNN.

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GIOKOS: Welcome back. We'll have more CNN NEWSROOM in a moment. NASA's Parker solar probe is undertaking a record-breaking fly-by of the sun, and the Vatican is launching its jubilee year. But first, these are the headlines we're following this hour. Two crew members are missing after a U.S.-sanctioned Russian cargo ship went down in the Mediterranean Sea according to Russia's Foreign Ministry.

Officials say the Ursa Major sank south of Spain Monday night following an explosion in the engine room hours before the vessel went down. Ukraine's military Intelligence had claimed that the Kremlin was sending the ship to Syria to bring back weapons and equipment. One of the world's most active volcanoes is erupting again.

On Monday, Hawaii's Kilauea started spewing orange lava as high as 300 feet or 91 meters. This is its fifth eruption since December 2020. The Volcano is located within a national park on the big island. The eruption is already drawing tourists to view from the crater overlook. Authorities say nearby communities are not in danger.

Christians in Syria are protesting after the burning of a Christmas tree. This video shows unknown men setting the tree on fire in a Christian majority town near the city of Hama. Protesters now demanding better protection for Christians in the country. This comes nearly three weeks after Islamist rebels successfully toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The Guatemalan man accused in a fiery New York subway killing over the weekend has been arraigned on charges of arson and murder.

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The 33-year-old suspect was discharged from the hospital earlier today. He's accused of lighting a woman on fire and watching her burn to death on a subway train. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is monitoring developments for us from here in New York and she joins me. Gloria, one of these horrific stories. Tell me --

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN REPORTER: Yes, just --

GIOKOS: What we know about --

PAZMINO: Just --

GIOKOS: Of course, the suspect and then importantly, about the victim. Do we have any news on the victim?

PAZMINO: Yes, Eleni, a really disturbing incident and a really graphic set of details that we have been learning since this incident took place early on Sunday morning. Firstly, the suspect. We are learning that his name is Sebastian Zapeta-calil, he's 33 years old and he is originally from Guatemala. The authorities here tell us that he entered the United States in 2018. At one point, he was deported, but he made it back into the country and has been here ever since. Now, police say that he approached a woman who was sleeping inside of a subway car early on Sunday morning, walked up to her and lit her on fire. As you said, when she began to burn, he stepped outside of the subway car and watched as she was burning alive.

Now, the victim, we are told, police officials believe that she too was homeless, and that she was likely taking shelter from the cold at the time. This is something that happens a lot here in New York City, especially on very cold days. People who are homeless are forced to take shelter inside the city's subways.

Now, the suspect, also believed to be homeless, in fact, the last reported address was a homeless shelter for men who struggle with substance abuse issues here in New York City. Now, the suspect was arraigned just a few hours ago, he is facing murder in the first and second degree as well as arson charges. He appeared in front of a judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court just a short while ago.

He did not enter a plea, and he was remanded back to custody. He is expected to appear back in court next Friday. But this is an issue that just has put so much focus on it and attention on a really difficult issue here in New York City, and that is public safety, specifically in the transit system.

It has, in fact, significantly improved since the pandemic. But we keep seeing these very high profile incidents that put a spotlight, a spotlight back on the issue again, namely homelessness, mental illness and public safety, especially when it comes to the transit system.

GIOKOS: Well, Gloria, thank you so much for staying on top of this story for us. Gloria Pazmino there. Well, right now, mankind is getting as close as we ever have been to the sun. A NASA spacecraft called the Parker Solar Probe is passing less than 4 million miles, about 6 million kilometers from the sun.

Now, that might sound like a lot, but it is closer than any man-made probe has ever gotten. The Parker Solar Probe is flying at a super- fast speed, so fast that it could travel from Tokyo, Japan to Washington D.C. in less than a minute. Just a short time ago, I spoke to former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao about what the Parker Solar Probe is looking for in its fly-by.

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LEROY CHIAO, AMERICAN CHEMICAL ENGINEER & FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: The sun is a very turbulent body. It looks, you know, like a big point of light to us here on earth. But there are a lot of sun-spots going on, a lot of activity, and there's something called the Solar Max and a Solar Min. It's about an 11-year cycle.

Parker was launched in 2018, kind of right in the middle. And so, it saw the transition from a solar minimum to now the solar maximum, which occurred just two months ago. And so, it's going to come the closest any probe has to the surface of the sun. As you pointed out, about 3.8 million miles. It sounds like it's pretty far, but in perspective, if the distance from the earth to the sun were a football field, you'd be inside the five-yard line, right?

So, it's going to be -- we're hoping NASA scientists are hoping that there will actually be a solar flare during its fly-through, and so, we can observe it up close and look at it up close at the sun-spots and other activities and help to better understand the dynamics of the sun.

GIOKOS: This solar probe can handle extreme temperatures. It's moving so fast. I mean, the numbers are extraordinary in terms of the speed at which it's traveled. Tell us about what it took to create this probe.

CHIAO: Sure. So, it's an evolution of, you know, all the experience that we've had in the past of making probes and other spacecraft. And so, as you pointed out, 430,000 miles an hour, that's the fastest probe that we've ever created, you know, humankind.

And so, it's -- it's you know, breaking some records there for sure, also 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Again, it doesn't sound like much compared to what the sun's actual temperature is. But, you know, that's a high. That's a big number.

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That's almost the same degrees, a number of degrees that we experience on spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere. You know, we can get up to 2,500, 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

GIOKOS: I want to talk about this magnetic fluid that washes over our solar system. And I think this is one of the interesting things that perhaps we'll get insight into, and also how it affects planet earth. What do you make of the headway? And a lot of the research that's gone into understanding this magnetic field.

CHIAO: Right, so the earth is covered in a magnetosphere, that is our magnetic fields, the Van Allen radiation belts and all that protect us from most of the sun's radiation, the charged particles coming from the sun. Without that magnetosphere, life on the earth would not be possible.

And so, what we see during solar max and solar min are variations in the shape of the magnetosphere. And counter-intuitively, at solar max, the magnetosphere is such that it actually deflects more particles away from the earth than at solar minimum, right? So, a little bit counterintuitive, but it helps us understand those things, and the whole field of study is called space weather, not weather as we know it here on the earth.

But how these different magnetic fields and fluctuations in the sun, how that affects us here on the earth.

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GIOKOS: Right, coming up, a special ceremony at the Vatican. This is a live look. Coming up, details on the 2025 jubilee year as millions of people around the world celebrate Christmas eve, we'll bring you details after the break.

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GIOKOS: And you can see crowds filling into the newly reopened Notre Dame in Paris, the first year since it was nearly destroyed in a fire, that it will be open for Christmas mass. Incredible scenes, everyone excited to get in. Already Christmas day in Australia and parts of Asia. Celebrations underway and as the Vatican celebrates Christmas eve, Pope Francis is launching the jubilee, a holy year that only happens once every 25 years.

Moments ago, the 88-year-old pontiff opened the holy door of the St. Peter's Basilica in front of an estimated 30,000 people. Over the next year, Catholics celebrations are set to draw in more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome. Our Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb is tracking this special ceremony and joins us now from London.

Incredible images coming through, a few hours to go before it is Christmas in Rome and at the Vatican. Tell us what we're seeing.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a very powerful and symbolic ceremony that we witnessed in the Vatican. As you see, Pope Francis opening this holy door in St. Peter's Basilica, a door that is normally cemented-shut, but is opened during the jubilee year.

I went up there recently. It's a beautiful bronze-paneled door, and as the pope opened it, pilgrims followed him in to begin the jubilee. Now, as they walked through the door, they touched the bronze panels, and according to the Catholic tradition, of course, those who walk through the door and carry out certain spiritual acts or charitable acts receive an indulgence, which relates to the forgiveness of sins.

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And so, during this jubilee, they're expecting millions of people to come to Rome and visit the Basilica. The Basilica has been undergoing a lot of work to prepare for the celebrations. There's going to be a webcam, a live webcam on St. Peter's tomb and on the holy door. So, for those who can't make it in person to St. Peter's Basilica, they can at least experience the jubilee celebrations.

The pope, as we can see, has been celebrating -- is celebrating now the traditional midnight mass, the mass on the eve of Christmas. So, he began that celebration with the opening of the holy door, which marks the beginning of this jubilee year, focused very much on forgiveness and mercy. And on the day after Christmas, the pope will go to a prison, Rebibbia Prison on the outskirts of Rome, where he will open a holy door there, which is the first time that's happened.

The holy doors are usually in the cathedrals or in the major basilicas of Rome or cathedrals around the world. And the pope is going to the prison to open that door to show that God's mercy and forgiveness applies to everyone. The pope has been very vocal and hopes that the holy year will see amnesties and pardons given to prisoners.

He recently on the 8th of December appealed for the commutations of those on federal death row in the U.S. and of course, President Biden yesterday commuted the majority of the sentences of those on federal death row. So, the pope is hoping this jubilee year that the message will resonate outside of the basilica --

GIOKOS: Yes --

LAMB: And across the world.

GIOKOS: Absolutely, definitely a time for reflection. Christopher, Merry Christmas to you, thank you so much for joining us. Christopher Lamb there for us. And a world away in northern Finland. Santa gearing up for his biggest day of the year, packing up his sleigh with gifts and setting off from his home village on Monday ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Crowds gathering to cheer on jolly-old Saint Nick as he prepared for his annual flight from the Arctic Circle. Before he left, Santa had an important message for children around the world.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's impossible to be good and nice all the time. Yes, it's too much to ask. You should just try to do your best as in all things in life, and if you can be quite good almost all the time, don't worry about the gifts. It's time to relax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: All right, Santa Claus giving you a few loopholes there, that you can relax, you're going to be mostly good. Perhaps, you know, you might get some gifts. But I want to check in on the Santa tracker, the NORAD Santa tracker. We are actually bringing you live pictures of Santa dropping off presents to homes around the world. My team will tell me where he is right now. Josh, where is he? OK, we can't. OK, wait. It is Russia.

OK, so, he's around Russia, going all over the world dropping off gifts. Thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Eleni Giokos. Up next, "TOMORROW TRANSFORMED", Merry Christmas Eve to everyone.

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