Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Investigators Working To Determine Cause Of Accident Of Kazakhstan Plane; Moscow: "Terrorism" Behind Sinking Of Russian Cargo Ship; Taliban: Focus On Women's Rights After Fall Of Bashar al-Assad; High-Profile Crimes And Cases Make Headlines In 2024; Pope Francis Calls for Peace in His Christmas Day Address; Ukraine Reels From Russia's Massive Christmas Day Attack; Finland Police Probe Role of Foreign Ship in Power Outage; Trump Taps Kevin Marino Cabrera as Ambassador to Panama; Biden Ending Presidency With Flurry of New Laws; Snowstorm Knocks Out Power Across Bosnia-Herzegovina; Weekend Storms Could Impact Post-Christmas Travel; NASA Probe Makes closest-ever Approach to the Sun; Boston School Offers Education Help to Homeless Children. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 26, 2024 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:29]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
The search for answers after a passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan, killing dozens of people but sparing dozens of others.
Ukrainians plunged into the bitter cold and dark after Russia launches a Christmas Day attack on the country's energy infrastructure.
And NASA hopes to unlock the secrets of the sun. What we know about the historic spacecraft flying closer to the sun than ever before, and what it means for life here on Earth.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: It is noon in western Kazakhstan, where investigators are looking for clues into what caused the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight killing at least 38 people. Russia's aviation watchdog reports the pilot tried to make an emergency landing after a bird strike. Azerbaijan State News says the plane's black box has been recovered. The flight was headed from Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in Chechnya. 29 people survived the crash, all were taken to hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FARID HUSEYNOV, HEAD OF PRESS SERVICE, AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES (through translator): A medical team and necessary medical equipment have been sent to Kazakhstan by air. A hotline has been established for the family members of the passengers on board, and the public has been informed about it. Psychological support will be provided to the family members of all passengers, regardless of nationality, as well as to the injured passengers.
KENAN ZEYNALOV, SENIOR PROSECUTOR OF PRESS SERVICE, PROSECUTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE (through translator): Currently, the investigation process is ongoing in cooperation with the prosecutor's office of Kazakhstan. All versions are being explored in the criminal case. At this moment, we cannot provide any conclusions regarding the investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now, video from on board the plane shows oxygen masks deployed as the plane circled the airfield in western Kazakhstan. Sherrell Hubbard has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rare inside look at an on scene crash response as rescue workers raced to extinguish the flames of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight that made an emergency landing, cameras caught the planes rapid descent and eventual fiery crash landing.
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: The pilot really fought. Pilots really fought with this plane for some time and then did a figure eight before landing. They did two circles and then tried to land. So, it appeared that they were trying to gain control of this aircraft and really put quite a fight up.
HUBBARD (voice over): Rescue crews snapped into action, searching for dozens of people feared dead. The plane was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members at the time.
According to Kazakh authorities, at least 38 who were on board were killed. Russia's aviation watchdog says its preliminary information suggested the pilot made the emergency landing after a bird strike. But the Kazakh government is working with the airline to investigate the cause of the crash.
SCHIAVO: This wasn't something that happened and then the plane was brought down. For example, on landing, you hit a flock of birds, and the altitude makes me wonder, you know, would the birds been at that altitude.
HUBBARD (voice over): Kazakhstan's deputy prime minister says the 29 survivors pulled from the wreckage, two of the survivors are children. All of the survivors have been taken to hospitals.
I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER (voice over): According to Russian state media, an act of terrorism caused a Russian owned cargo ship to sink in the Mediterranean Sea, three explosions rocked the Ursa Major on Monday night, according to Russia's RIA Novost state news agency, 14 crew members were rescued and taken to a port in Spain. Two are unaccounted for.
The ship is a flagship vessel of a company that moves cargo for Russia's Defense Ministry. Ukrainian intelligence officials are casting doubt on the terrorism claim. They say the ship was already in trouble hours before it sank.
A video posted on social media shows a ship appearing to be the Ursa Major listing heavily towards the water.
Hospital officials in Gaza say five journalists were killed in an Israeli military operation overnight. The journalists were sleeping in a vehicle parked outside the Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza when the vehicle was hit by an Israeli strike. The vehicle belonged to a Gaza based television channel affiliated with the Palestine Islamic Jihad militant group.
Footage shows the vehicle in flames, with the words T.V. and press visible on the back doors. The Israeli military confirmed it carried out a strike on what it called an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell in the area that didn't provide proof for their allegation.
[02:05:11]
On Wednesday, Hamas and Israel traded blame for the failure to reach a cease fire and hostage release deal. Israel's defense minister insists there will be no deal without a secure Gaza areas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): We will ensure here in Gaza, as with Lebanon, as with Syria and in the east, that no more threats will be created against Israeli communities, citizens of the State of Israel and IDF soldiers.
In Gaza too, we will ensure that there are security spaces, buffer zones, and command posts that will ensure the security of the communities. And with all this, we will act to achieve the two goals of the war, to release all the kidnapped people home and to defeat Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The families of the hostages in Gaza are marking the second Hanukkah without their loved ones. Thousands of people attended a protest on the holidays first night, demanding the Israeli government strike a deal to release the remaining 100 captives. The mother of hostage, Liri Albag, lit the first Hanukkah candle and led prayers for the hostages' immediate return.
Afghanistan's Taliban government is threatening retaliation after a wave of Pakistani air strikes in that country. The Taliban says at least 46 people were killed, six others injured when Pakistani war planes hit four locations near the border on Tuesday. Pakistan isn't commenting on the strikes, but one official says the target was the Pakistani Taliban, which aims to impose Islamic law in Pakistan. It says the militant group has been staging cross border attacks from Afghanistan, which the Afghan Taliban denies.
In the weeks since the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, the country has been grappling with what comes next and the potential challenges that lie ahead.
Also in focus, the rights of minorities and women in the new Syria. Just this week, thousands turned out for a rally calling for the new rulers to respect women's rights. There's concern the new administration could take a hard line approach and marginalize women and minorities.
And joining me now is Samah Hadid, Executive Director of Musawah, an organization that focuses on advancing the rights of women in Muslim contexts. Thank you so much for joining us here.
So, I want to ask you, one women's rights activist said that there are always two revolutions, one against the regime and then one against those who use culture and religion to oppress women.
So, you know, Syrians have won the first revolution against Assad. So now to the second one. This is an issue you've been fighting for years. So broadly, are you more optimistic about achieving the aims of that second revolution now than you were, you know, say, a few years ago?
SAMAH HADID, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MUSAWAH: Well, I think it's a time of great hope and uncertainty in Syria. I mean, I join in celebrating the collapse of the brutal Assad regime, and I join and celebrate that with Syrian civil society.
But there is a question now on where women's rights stand in the aftermath, and Syrian women are rightly worried about women's rights in the future direction of the country.
It must be noted, though, that under the Assad regime, women suffered tremendously, and their human rights were devastated and attacked. So, it's a huge relief to see an end to the torture, the disappearance, the gender based violence and forced displacement that women suffered under Assad's rule.
But right now, there is a concern, and there is worry around how women's rights will be protected under this new transitional government, and indeed in the future direction of the country and women want to see their freedoms and equality protected and respected in laws and policies and in practices.
BRUNHUBER: So, still plenty of questions, and I suppose right now we have to read the tea leaves. The new rulers in Damascus are trying to paint themselves as moderate, but from what you've heard so far from those who represent the new government, some of what they said still sounds extremely sexist and hints at limits for women in terms of the types of work that they might do and so on. So, what do you make of what's been said publicly, at least so far?
HADID: I think that there are still valid fears and concerns, and that's just based on what they've said, but also the lack of action. Syrian women's rights groups don't just want to hear promises of equality and freedom, they want to see this actually translate into action, and these promises be upheld in practice, and we have yet to see that.
There's still time, and this is still a critical transitional period, but based on this interim government's history, there's a lot of cause for concern. They have indicated at least verbally, that they will respect minorities and marginalized groups, including women. They've appointed a new head of Women's Affairs who said that we would welcome all women from different provinces and ethnicities to help rebuild the war torn country.
[02:10:26]
But women's rights activists want to see actions, not just words. What gives me hope, though, is that Syrian women and men feel a new sense of freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and they will use this to hold the new government accountable. People don't want to go back to authoritarian rule. They want to see progress, and they won't settle for anything less than their freedom that they fought for so long for.
So, women have recently said this and made their demands very, very clear. They've taken to the streets even now, demanding that their equality and freedom be protected, enshrined in the law, enshrined in the Constitution.
I think, as the international community right now though, we need to support these women's groups on the ground in their fight for their equality and freedoms. We need to make sure that they have a seat on the table when it comes to the drafting of the new Constitution, that they take roles in this new government, and they're part of the rebuilding of institutions in Syria. It's absolutely crucial and fundamental now that they're supported or not.
BRUNHUBER: Not just roles, but senior roles, because we've already heard from one spokesperson who said that women don't have the biological and mental composition for top positions in judiciary and government, for things like defense and so on. So, it does lead to certain questions.
Before we go, I do want to ask you this, though, because you're talking about words versus action, we do have a track record of sorts. The rebel group, HDS, they were already in government at the local level.
So, what did we learn from their rule there, in terms of hints like, you know, dress codes, or preventing women from going to school, working and so on?
HADID: Well, we know from the past that women were restricted in terms of their dress, their mobility, and restricted in public life under rule in Idlib. And so, I think there is caution now because of this example, and Syrian women want to see full freedoms and their rights protected, both in the private sphere and in public life, and won't settle for anything less. I think that's really crucial now to press on that, that the rights of women have to be respected across the country now.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's right, and certainly there is a role for the international community, as you said a few minutes ago. I will have to leave it there. Samah Hadid, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.
HADID: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Authorities in Mozambique say 33 people are dead following a prison riot in the country's capital. About 1,500 prisoners escaped during the incident, but 150 have since been recaptured. The country has seen a rise in civil unrest leading to October's disputed election. Supporters of the opposition say the vote was rigged to allow the long ruling party to stay in power. Police say the prison riot was fueled by protests outside the facility. The country's justice minister disputes that, saying this was a separate incident. The unrest began inside the prison.
The convict with a violent criminal history is back in bars, more details on his daring escape and re arrest next, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:15:51]
BRUNHUBER: In the U.S. state of Mississippi, a manhunt is over for a convicted murderer who broke out of prison on Christmas Eve. The 33- year-old convict has a lengthy history of violence, both in and out of jail. CNN's Nick Valencia has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Less than 24 hours after going on the run, Drew Johnson was taken into custody, and according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, he did not get very far, found very near the south Mississippi correctional institution where he had escaped from on Tuesday afternoon.
Now, that's Mississippi's newest prison facility. So it's not entirely clear how Johnson was able to maneuver out of it, but given his violent past, prison officials were very concerned and very eager to get him back into custody.
It was in 2016 that Johnson was convicted of murdering a friend. That friend's body found buried in a field with more than two dozen stab wounds. Once he was taken into custody, the Shelby County District Attorney's office said that Johnson attempted to murder an inmate, later pleaded guilty to attempted first degree murder, and his violent streak did not end there. The Shelby County District Attorney's office said he tried to burn the jail down twice.
Now, prison officials in Mississippi were pleading with the public to stay vigilant around the Christmas holiday, a time they say that people tend to let their guard down and be a little bit more generous.
Thankfully, a Christmas gift for the region and a big sigh of relief for the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: An investigation is underway in New York City after a taxicab jumped onto the sidewalk and struck at least six pedestrians. Have a look. This was the scene on Christmas day after the incident in Herald Square outside the Macy's flagship store. Three of those hit were hospitalized, including a 9-year-old boy. All the injuries are said to be non-life threatening. The driver of the cab is being evaluated as officials trying to determine exactly what happened.
2024 has seen many high profile crimes and criminal cases making headlines with several involving big name celebrities. CNN's Jean Casarez has our year in review.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Music superstars charged in criminal court. Parents of a school shooter land in prison and an insurance executive gunned down, shot in the back in the heart of New York City. All part of the top 10 crime and justice stories of 2024.
Number 10, a conviction in the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German.
CASAREZ (voice over): Two young Delphi Indiana girls have an afternoon off from school in February 2017. A family member drops them off to hike at the Monon High Bridge Trail. Libby and Abby were never seen again. Their bodies were found together the next day with their throats cut.
Libby's phone had pivotal video evidence of a suspect. Local resident Richard Allen was arrested in 2022 and was later convicted by a jury of his peers.
CASAREZ: Number nine, charges in connection to the death of a beloved actor.
MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR: When I dance, I look like this.
CASAREZ (voice over): Matthew Perry, who became a household name on the hit show "Friends" found dead in October 2023. His body floating face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home with ketamine in his system. Five people now charged in connection with his death, including two doctors.
ANNE MILGRAM, ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION: Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine.
CASAREZ (voice over): Three of the defendants have reached plea agreements, while the other two have pleaded not guilty.
CASAREZ: Number eight, a stunning end to Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial.
CASAREZ (voice over): Baldwin goes to trial following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film "Rust."
Prosecutors said Baldwin pulled the trigger of a prop gun during a rehearsal, but the gun had a live round, killing Hutchins.
Within two days, the involuntary manslaughter case was thrown out over withheld evidence.
[02:20:07]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dismissal of prejudice is warranted.
CASAREZ: Number Seven pop star Justin Timberlake, arrested for driving while intoxicated.
CASAREZ (voice over): Timberlake is pulled over while driving in Sag Harbor, New York. Court records alleged he was glassy eyed with a strong odor of alcohol in his breath. He told police he only had one martini. Three months later, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, ACTOR AND SINGER: Even one drink. Don't get behind the wheel of a car.
CASAREZ: Number six, an Illinois woman shot and killed in her own home by police.
CASAREZ (voice over): 36-year-old Sonya Massey called 911, on July 6th because she thought an intruder was in her home. Deputies responded, but a dispute over a pot of hot water on the stove became the focus.
SONYA MASSEY, 36-YEAR-OLD BLACK WOMAN: Where you moving?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huh?
MASSEY: Where are you going?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Away from your hot steaming water.
MASSEY: Away from my hot steaming water?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MASSEY: I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You better (EXPLETIVE DELETED) not. I swear to God. Ill (EXPLETIVE DELETED) shoot you at your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face.
MASSEY: OK, I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot. Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot.
CASAREZ (voice over): Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson was fired and has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
CASAREZ: Number five, after 35 years in prison, two brothers had the possibility of freedom.
CASAREZ (voice over): Lyle and Erik Menendez planned, plotted and executed the murders of their parents in 1989. The brothers said they acted in self-defense after suffering years of physical and sexual abuse by their record executive father.
The first jury trial ended in a mistrial, but included their sexual abuse testimony.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you recall the first time that he wasn't nice during the sex?
ERIK MENENDEZ: Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you were 11?
MENENDEZ: I was 11.
CASAREZ (voice over): But during the second trial, the brothers were convicted. Now they say they have new evidence, and with a Netflix docu drama on the case.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did it.
CASAREZ (voice over): As well as the sudden support of now former L.A. District Attorney George Gascon, the chance for freedom is possible, but the new D.A. Nathan Hochman is making no promises.
NATHAN HOCHMAN, D.A. OF LOS ANGELES: Got to review thoroughly the facts and the law.
CASAREZ: Number four, the Chief Executive Officer of insurance giant United Healthcare gunned down in New York City.
CASAREZ (voice over): Brian Thompson, in town for a conference, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of December 4th, outside of the Hilton in midtown Manhattan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes.
CASAREZ (voice over): On December 9th, the NYPD announced 26-year-old Luigi Mangione had been arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania while eating at a McDonald's, he was in possession of a document criticizing the healthcare industry, a police official told CNN.
Mangione has been charged with murder, among other counts in state and federal court. Mangione's attorney denies his client was involved in the killing.
CASAREZ: Number three, a Georgia nursing student murdered on her morning jog.
CASAREZ (voice over): 25 minutes into that run, Laken Riley was killed.
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): This community, all of Georgia and the entire country had been robbed by this inexcusable, unavoidable murder.
CASAREZ (voice over): Jose Ibarra, 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela, was charged with her murder. The trial in November brought an unemotional Ibarra and Riley's family together in the same room.
ALLYSON PHILLIPS, LAKEN RILEY'S MOTHER: This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken, her human life.
CASAREZ (voice over): Ibarra was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
CASAREZ: Number two, it was precedent setting, parents of a mass school shooter on trial themselves for the deaths of the students their son gunned down.
KAREN MCDONALD, OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTOR: Gun ownership is a right, and with that right comes great responsibility.
CASAREZ (voice over): Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford, Michigan high school shooter, went to trial in early 2024 on involuntary manslaughter charges. In a first of its kind prosecution, the state alleged the Crumbley bought their son a gun days before the mass shooting, and didn't properly store it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Despite her knowledge of his deteriorating mental crisis. This gun was gifted.
CASAREZ (voice over): Jennifer then took the stand.
JENNIFER CRUMBLEY, MOTHER OF OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTER: There's a couple of times where Ethan has expressed anxiety over taking tests, but not to a level where I felt he needed to go see a psychiatrist or mental health professional right away.
[02:25:01]
CASAREZ (voice over): With the community still overcome by grief from the four students murdered by their son, both parents were convicted by unanimous juries. They are appealing their verdicts.
CASAREZ: And the number one crime and justice story of the year. Music superstar Sean Diddy Combs arrested.
CASAREZ (voice over): Combs was charged in September with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and prostitution related charges.
DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Combs used force, threats of force and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sexual performances with male commercial sex workers.
CASAREZ (voice over): The indictment specifically notes surveillance video showing Combs beating his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura at a hotel in March 2016. Combs apologized after CNN aired that video in May.
SEAN DIDDY COMBS, RAPPER: I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. Disgusted.
CASAREZ (voice over): Combs remains in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City. He has pleaded not guilty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Ukraine is reeling from Christmas Day attacks on its power grid, and U.S. President Joe Biden is blasting Russia for the barrage of drones and missiles. We'll have that story just ahead. Please do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: A music fill the St. Peter's Square before Pope Francis delivered his annual Christmas Day message. The 80-year-old pontiff called for peace in the Middle East, describing the humanitarian situation in Gaza as extremely grave. Pope Francis also called for weapons to be laid down in Ukraine, again, pushing for a peace deal.
All this comes as the Catholic church begins its Jubilee Year as CNN's Christopher Lamb reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis emphasizing that the Christmas message is one of peace and reconciliation, calling on countries to lay down their arms and for enemies to be reconciled.
Francis making specific reference to the war in Ukraine and in Gaza. This is what he had to say.
[02:30:00]
POPE FRANCIS, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translation): May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialog and encounter in order to achieve a just and lasting peace. May the sound of arms be silenced in the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAMB: The Pope's remarks in Ukraine coming after Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Christmas Day, the Pope has repeatedly called for a negotiated peace settlement to end Russia's war against Ukraine. He's also been outspoken recently on what's been going on in Gaza, calling recent airstrikes cruelty, and also being in regular contact with the Catholic community in Gaza.
Now, Pope Francis making his remarks after launching the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year, an ancient tradition that focuses on forgiveness and pilgrimage, and which began on Christmas Eve when Pope Francis opened the doors of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, normally cemented shut, the door meant to represent God's mercy, the Pope said, and that Francis is hoping that the message of the Jubilee can be one of hope and one that can impact not just in Rome but globally.
Now, Francis is 88 years old. He's got a packed schedule of events during the Jubilee. He'll be opening a Holy Door in a prison tomorrow, Thursday, the first time a Holy Door has been opened in a prison. But nevertheless, despite the difficulties the Pope has when it comes to his physical mobility, Francis is determined to carry out the celebrations of the Jubilee and hoping that the message that the Jubilee represents will resonate across the globe.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, London.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ukraine's President is welcoming in the Hanukkah holiday with a renewed call for peace. Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in a candle lighting ceremony with leaders of Ukraine's Jewish community. The Chief Rabbi of the Dnipro region gave a blessing and said, the Hanukah candles remind Ukraine that light will prevail over darkness and evil will soon be defeated.
Now, the prayers came just hours after Russia's latest assault on Ukraine, which was condemned by U.S. President Joe Biden. He said the purpose of the outrageous Christmas Day attack was to cut off Ukrainian people's access to heat and electricity during winter. He added the Ukrainian people deserved to live in peace and safety, that he directed his defense department to continue its surge of arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Right now, temperatures are hovering around the freezing point in some of the areas targeted on Wednesday, including Kharkiv, that's where half a million households were left without power. As Nada Bashir reports, the strikes involved a barrage of Russian drones and missiles.
NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is being described by Ukrainian authorities as a massive scale attack, once again, targeting Ukraine's energy sector. According to officials, the attack took place overnight into Wednesday with explosions reported across the country, including in the Northeastern city of Kharkiv, where at least seven missile strikes were reported and six people injured.
Ukrainian authorities say Russia launched more than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than a hundred attack drones, of which 50 missiles and a significant number of drones are said to have been intercepted. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that there were hits with at least one person killed. Zelenskyy said President Putin chose to carry out the attack on Christmas Day, describing Russia's actions as inhumane.
Ukraine's energy operator meanwhile says it was forced to impose emergency blackouts in several parts of the country. This of course, comes after a series of attacks by Russia in recent days, including an attack on the capital Kyiv, which was targeted on Friday. Ukraine's largest private energy company said this marks the 13th time this year that Russia has carried out a major attack on Ukraine's energy sector, leaving the country in a precarious position as the war grinds into a third winter.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
BRUNHUBER: Authorities in Finland are looking into how an undersea power cable between their country and Estonia was damaged. Police say they're investigating whether a foreign ship was involved after a sudden outage on Wednesday. Countries on the Baltic Sea have been on high alert since 2022, following a string of outages with power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines, some of which are still under investigation. Just last month, two Baltic Sea telecom cables were breached, and Germany's defense minister suggested it may have been sabotage.
Donald Trump has announced his pick to be U.S. Ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera is currently a Miami-Dade County commissioner who Trump says has helped drive economic growth and foster international partnerships. The president-elect posted on social media that Panama is "Ripping us off on the Panama Canal." Trump has threatened to reassert U.S. control over the crucial waterway if Panama doesn't lower its rates for the passage of U.S. ships. [02:35:00]
Trump also urged Canadians to support Wayne Gretzky for Prime Minister of Canada, despite the hockey legend's lack of interest. The U.S. President Joe Biden has had a busy week signing dozens of new bills into law just before Christmas. CNN's Senior Reporter, Isaac Dovere has the latest.
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, it's a lot of things. As you said, it's 50 laws that he signed on Christmas Eve, and they include a bill that would strip members of Congress who have been convicted of certain crimes of their pensions. A bill that designates the bald eagle officially as the national bird of America, even after all these years. And a bill sponsored in part -- promoted in part by Paris Hilton, that would be aimed at improving conditions for teens in all sorts of institutions where teens are living by requiring studies to be done and other things, to look at what's going on with them.
So it's a lot of legislation that comes at the end of the lame-duck Congress that finished last week. And that is probably the end of the laws that Joe Biden will sign as president. There may be a couple more. He is going to be away with his family for part of this time over the holidays. We will -- it's hard to know exactly what the president's plans are for the last couple of weeks of the presidency, once everybody comes back into things in January.
But he has certainly been keeping a lower profile, lower radar for a number of reasons, but one of those is that some of the things that he wants to -- some of the things that he cares about, he does not want to essentially raise to the attention of Donald Trump, put a target on for when Trump takes over on January 20th. Although, people within his party -- his own party and beyond have noted that we have seen quite a notable lack of public appearances from Joe Biden over the last couple of weeks. BRUNHUBER: Well, having snowfall may have stopped in Bosnia- Herzegovina, but more than 200,000 homes are still without power. A large snowstorm knocked out electricity across the northwestern and central parts of the country. The power company says its crews are working to fix the problem, but the snowfall is preventing them from reaching power lines and the roads are blocked which has cut off some towns and villages.
The storm was also causing troubles in neighboring countries, including Croatia. Emergency crews there said they rescued almost 50 people who were buried in heavy snow. So most of the earlier weather trouble spots across the U.S. have calmed down for now, but the Pacific Northwest is getting battered by continuous storms and more rain in the East could impact post-Christmas travel. CNN Meteorologist, Chad Myers has details.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, pretty tranquil in the East, all in all, all the way through really Sunday. And then all of a sudden when everybody's trying to get home, that's when the clouds and the rain come through. Here's the rainfall through Friday, through tomorrow, we'll see the rain come in. And then also, some of this could be heavy. There could even be a little bit of thunder and lightning, and the potential for some severe weather across parts of Arkansas and through Louisiana.
So let's move you ahead here from the morning hours all the way through into the afternoon, move you ahead farther as it moves into New York City by Sunday. And this is the real problem, when we have millions of people trying to get home on one single day. From Boston to New York to Philadelphia, all the way down to Atlanta, all the big airports are going to be affected by low clouds and also rainfall.
Back out to the Pacific Northwest, still seeing storm after storm, more feet on top of feet of snow, and many of these areas from the Cascades all the way down through the Sierra will pick up two to three feet of additional snow. That will cause problems through the passes. If you're driving over the next couple of days, you need to have a passenger that can keep watching the roadways ahead to make sure that all of a sudden the roads don't turn red because someone spun out. So this is from I-80 all the way up even towards Seattle, going to have to watch that, especially above those pass levels where the snow is going to be deep.
And it's already deep. I mean, look at Heavenly 71, Mammoth Mountain 85. That's natural snow on the ground already, and another foot or two to come. So, enjoy that if you're going skiing.
BRUNHUBER: Well, NASA is hoping to unlock the secrets of the sun. We'll have details on the historic spacecraft flying closer to the sun than ever before, and what it means for life here on earth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:41:32]
BRUNHUBER: Well, NASA is waiting for confirmation from a pioneering space probe that likely just made the closest ever approach to the sun. The Parker Solar Probe was set to fly within about 6 million kilometers of the sun on Tuesday. It is gathering valuable data on the star's corona and solar wind, and it could help in understanding coronal mass ejections which can cause geomagnetic storms that disrupt satellites and communication systems here on earth.
And joining me now to talk about this from Cambridge, Massachusetts is Yeimy Rivera, who's an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian. Thank you so much for being here with us. I find this just absolutely fascinating. So first of all, just a really basic question here. How hot will the probe get? I mean, why won't it melt?
YEIMY RIVERA, ASTROPHYSICIST: Yeah, that's a really good question. So really launching a mission like this to the sun, we had to think about that a lot. The spacecraft has this heat shield made of carbon composite and it -- the shield itself actually gets to about 1,000- degree Celsius. That's very close to what we -- that -- the temperature of lava here on earth. But all the instruments, they're actually tucked behind the heat shield, that gets to only about 85- degree Celsius, so very close to room temperature which keeps them from melting.
BRUNHUBER: That's amazing. 1,000-degree Celsius to room temperature and then, is that -- as if that weren't enough, I mean, this thing is, is going super fast, right? The fastest spacecraft ever?
RIVERA: Exactly. It's the fastest man-made object that we sent to a star. It's going incredibly fast. It's roughly about 760 times faster than a typical airplane, for instance. And just to give you an idea, this goes -- it would go from the East Coast to West Coast of the United States in just 20 seconds. So it's incredibly fast.
BRUNHUBER: Oh my gosh, unbelievable. All right, so, if -- you know, that all sounds amazing, but take us through the why here. Why is this so exciting to send this probe so close to the sun?
RIVERA: Yes, it's incredibly exciting. So our sun is the only star that we can really probe in this level of detail. And so we really, really wanted to get close to the sun because that's really where all the activity happens. So some of the big questions for Parker Solar Probe, the mission itself, is we're trying to understand where the solar wind is born and how once it does leave the sun, in the atmosphere that's called the Corona, how it's accelerated out into the heliosphere where we live and into the solar system.
And so in order to do that, we have to get very, very close to where the solar wind is born and that's in the corona. Another really big important part of this is also, we want to understand how energetic particles are accelerated out of the corona. And so of course, we have to go to the corona where this activity has happened to be able to do that. This is an incredibly important thing for us because it's related to space weather and so, with space weather in general, we -- there's kind of two parts of it.
We get this beautiful light show in the sky, which is our aurora. And I think many of us have experienced that this year a couple of times, because we're in, what's called, solar maximum, a very active part of the sun's cycle.
[02:45:00]
But it also could be very detrimental to spacecraft that our orbiting the earth, to astronauts in the ISS, to also on the ground. So understanding space weather and these energetic particles is incredibly important, especially for future space travel. For instance, if we wanted to send astronauts to Mars, for instance.
BRUNHUBER: So plenty of consequences, not just for science, but for us here on Earth as well. So now, with so much on the line, I understand you won't hear back from the probe until tomorrow, right? I mean, how tough is the wait, the not knowing?
RIVERA: Yes. So, we're all sitting at the edge of our seats, waiting for a beacon transmission from Parker that we're going to get tomorrow. So hopefully, Parker will tell us that everything is OK. And hopefully, we do have to wait a little bit of time to get the data collected during this perihelion pass. We're actually not going to get data until the end of March of 2025. So we do have to wait a little bit for that.
BRUNHUBER: Right.
RIVERA: But still, very exciting. Yes.
BRUNHUBER: OK. OK. So before we go, take us through what's going to happen to Parker, sort of both on the shorter term and then the long term. I mean, how -- what's going to happen to it?
RIVERA: Yeah. I mean, it's going to continue to orbit at this distance. So, it's circling the sun. It gets very, very close during perihelion passes and gets a little bit further out, and it's going to continue to do this until the trajectory is changed.
BRUNHUBER: And then what, just kind of fall into the sun or?
RIVERA: Well, I think it's just going to continue to do that unless -- you do need a lot more energy to get it closer to the sun for it to fall into the sun. And so that requires a lot more fuel and energy. So that's -- it's definitely something we don't want to happen.
(LAUGH)
BRUNHUBER: Right. OK. But it's possible, the heat shields eventually might fail and it would just kind of melt away, or what do you think its long-term prognosis is?
RIVERA: No, not at this distance. The heat shield is actually engineered to be able to handle this temperature.
BRUNHUBER: OK.
RIVERA: For a very long -- and very long and extended period of time. So we're not anticipating that to happen.
(LAUGH)
BRUNHUBER: Fantastic. Well, listen, I can't wait to hear what Parker produces in the weeks and months to come, I guess. Yeimy Rivera, thank you so much for being here with us. Fascinating stuff.
RIVERA: Thank you for having me. Thanks.
BRUNHUBER: Well, the impacts of global warming on our planet dominated the climate stories of 2024. CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir as our top-10.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Number 10, a rare moment of national unity and wonder, thanks to the celestial dance of Sun and Moon. April's eclipse stretched from Texas to Maine, putting over 30 million Americans in the path of totality. We won't see another one over the U.S. until 2044.
At Number 9, this year's Haj fell in June, drawing millions of Muslim pilgrims to Mecca just as thermometers hit 125 degrees. And the Saudi Kingdom reported over 1,300 heat-related deaths.
At Number 8, wildfire nationwide. While July's park fire was the fifth biggest in California history, Texas saw their biggest-ever with the million acres Smokehouse Creek blaze. And in the northeast, the worst drought in decades led to over 500 wildfires just in New Jersey.
At Number 7 and fueled by record high ocean temps, Hurricane Beryl roared to Category 5 strength in July, the earliest storm to ever hit the top of the scale. While it hit Texas as a weaker Cat 1, millions lost power around Houston and it took nearly two sweltering weeks to get the air conditioning back on.
At Number 6, tornadoes and lots of them, the most in a decade of the two dozen $1 billion disasters this year, over half included twisters. And while Oklahoma saw two monster EF4s, climate change is shifting tornado alley from the Great Plains to the southeast.
At Number 5, earth's overheating atmosphere is like a giant sponge in the sky, soaking up more water, wringing it out with a vengeance, and causing the National Weather Service to issue an unprecedented 91 flash flood emergencies this year.
And at Number 4, the deadliest rain fell in Spain, where in late October, a year's worth fell in hours around Valencia, the surge broke riverbanks, turned streets into raging rapids, and took over 200 lives.
[02:50:00]
At Number 3, the devastating duo of Helene and Milton, back to back hurricanes that began with a 15-foot surge in Florida's Big Bend, but got worse in the mountains of Appalachia. Up to 30 inches of rain around Asheville, North Carolina brought horrific flooding, while spun up tornadoes helped make Helene the deadliest since Katrina. And then came Milton just two weeks later, jumping from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in 24 hours. Milton is just the latest example of rapid intensification in the age of climate change.
But at Number 2, we have the rise of climate denial. After promising fossil fuel executives de-regulation, Donald Trump retakes power with a promise to hamstring the nation's clean energy momentum and pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord for a second and possibly final time. The American election cast a pall over COP 29 in Azerbaijan, where petro states that agreed to transition away from fossil fuel at COP 28, transitioned back to praising oil.
And at Number 1, the heat driving so much of this destruction. Eight years ago in Paris, the world agreed to limit global warming to 1.5- degree Celsius, but this year topped it. It was over 100 degrees in Phoenix for 113 consecutive days, shattering the record by 37 days. So first responders now carry body bags in ice and the city has embraced a policy of shade, signs that humanity will have to adapt because 2024 could be the coolest year of the rest of our lives.
Bill Weir, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead, we'll take you to a school in Boston, Massachusetts that's giving homeless children free access to education, playtime and meals. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: After years of declining numbers, family homelessness in the U.S. went up 15 percent between 2022 and 2023. CNN's Jake Tapper traveled to Boston to learn how one organization is working to help some of the city's most vulnerable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why don't you say good morning?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You'd never know it by looking at them, but the children in this school have at one point or another experienced homelessness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell me how you feel so far since you've gotten here? Show me with your thumbs.
TAPPER (voice-over): Five days a week at 'Horizons for Homeless Children' in Boston, more than 200 kids are given free access to education, playtime and meals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have we been doing every day in community meeting? We've been doing what? We've been --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breathing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, we've been breathing. And what kind of breathing have we been doing? We've been doing what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Triangle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Triangle breathing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Triangle.
TAPPER (voice-over): The program has been a lifesaver for moms like Karian, who struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety after the birth of her second daughter.
KARIAN, MOTHER OF HORIZONS STUDENT: And I was really bad. I was all over the place. I couldn't concentrate.
TAPPER (voice-over): Karian and her daughters moved in with a family member, but when that got too crowded, they moved into a shelter where they lived doubled up with another family.
KARIAN: It wasn't really ideal, it was too crowded. We were all in one room, so we were all cramped up.
[02:55:00]
TAPPER (voice-over): Karian worked overnights at a fast food chain to make money for her family while caring for them during the day. But her youngest daughter started to struggle.
KARIAN: She was very like in her shell. She wasn't really growing, like her developmental growth wasn't doing good. She has speech delays and everything.
TAPPER (voice-over): Developmental delays are a common problem for children experiencing homelessness. It's an issue that the CEO and President of Horizons, Kate Barrand, has been trying to address for years, not just as a housing crisis, but as a public health crisis.
KATE BARRAND, PRESIDENT AND CEO, HORIZONS FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN: At the age zero to six, your entire brain is being formed. If you're homeless during that period, it can cause significant challenges to your brain development. So, children who've experienced a period of homelessness are four times more likely to have developmental delays. And if those developmental delays aren't remediated, that will follow them.
TAPPER (voice-over): Last year, families with children made up about 30 percent of the homeless population across the United States, and more than half of all families experiencing homelessness live in the nation's largest cities.
BARRAND: Cities like Boston are a perfect storm for family homelessness. We have high housing costs. We have a huge gap between the minimum wage and the living wage in the city of Boston. We have significant child poverty. So when you put all those together with the high cost of childcare on top of it, it's impossibly difficult for families.
TAPPER (voice-over): Karian learned about Horizons through the shelter she was staying in. Then her family's life changed dramatically.
KARIAN: She's going to age out of here, so that gives me like, OK, a sense of security. She's going to stay here until she goes to kindergarten and she's getting everything she needs, the nourishment, the warmth -- not only education, the warmth, that makes me feel calm.
TAPPER (voice-over): Karian now has her own apartment, her GED, and a new full-time job. Most importantly, she's now on the same schedule as her children.
KARIAN: They're extremely happy, now they have that consistency. You know what I mean? It's a huge sense of relief that we're all in the house at the same time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Well, that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. "Bold Pursuits" is up next. Then "CNN Newsroom" will continue in an hour with Max Foster in London.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
