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Azerbaijan Airline Second Black Box Recovered; Israel Strikes Houthi Target in Yemen; Trump Wants Panama Canal and Greenland; President Biden Visits St. Croix as Final Holiday as President; Peru Declares Environmental Emergency Due to Oil Spill; Bird Flu Kills Big Cats at Washington Sanctuary; Amazon Strike Over. Aired 2-2:30a ET

Aired December 27, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Welcome to all of you you're watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM. A second black box has been recovered from the ill-fated Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan. We'll have the latest on the investigation into the crash and possible evidence of Russian involvement.

Israel launches its first ever attack on Yemen's main airport as concerns grow yet again over escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Plus, new CNN reporting on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's threat to take back control of the Panama Canal.

An investigation is underway after a commercial passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, killing at least 38 people on board. The discovery of a second black box from the Azerbaijan Airlines jet could help authorities figure out what went wrong, that's according to the Kazakh State News Agency.

Officials say more experts are expected to arrive on the scene in the coming hours, including representatives from the plane manufacturer and airline. A U.S. official is now telling CNN early indications suggest Russian anti-aircraft defenses may have shot down the plane.

The official pointed out that it may be a case of mistaken identity as poorly trained Russian soldiers have been firing at Ukrainian drones. Aviation security expert Matt Borie explains why he believes Russia could be behind the crash.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MATT BORIE, CHIEF INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, OSPREY FLIGHT SOLUTIONS: Some of the passengers that were on board the aircraft, they said an explosion was heard outside of the aircraft and shrapnel penetrated through the fuselage into the cabin of the aircraft. There is video from while the aircraft was still in flight showing shrapnel damages inside the aircraft. And then the video of the wreckage shows shrapnel damage to the tail vertical stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer sections of the aircraft as well. So combining the fact that there was a drone attack being repelled by air defenses in the vicinity of where this aircraft was attempting to land and the damage that was sustained in flight and visible after the crash points to a Russian surface-to-air missile being launched at this aircraft.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Nada Bashir is following the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): This is the moment an Azerbaijani plane attempted an emergency landing, bursting into flames upon impact. Rescuers rushed to the scene, extinguishing the fire that engulfed the front of the plane and pulling out dazed survivors from the wreckage. Out of 67 people on board, including crew, at least 38 died. Remarkably, 29 people, including two children, survived and were taken to hospitals.

Questions swirled on why the plane, which took off from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, en route to Grozny in Russia, diverted to Kazakhstan. Flight Radar 24 shows the plane flying across the Caspian Sea and circling in the Kazakh city of Aktau before the crash in a pattern an aviation expert says indicates loss of flight control systems.

The crash came shortly after drone strikes hit southern Russia. And while investigators say they are exploring all scenarios, multiple Azerbaijani sources have told Reuters that the plane was hit by Russian air defenses. Video verified by Reuters reveals a rare glimpse into the last moments on board the flight.

Oxygen masks down as the camera tilts to the window, showing damage to the wing. Then, in another geolocated social media video, the plane appears to nosedive. In the resulting explosion, the plane fuselage is broken into parts, with its rear half miraculously landing almost intact but upturned. Parts of the plane scattered across a wide radius, bodies seen covered in blue blankets.

Russia and Azerbaijan evacuated their injured citizens, as families in Baku waited to see if their loved ones had survived.

[02:05:02]

For Azerbaijan, it is a time of mourning. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now, of course, it's not the first time we've seen an incident like this. Russia was blamed for downing Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 more than 10 years ago. Dutch investigators found that a Russian missile shot down the jet over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. But Russia has repeatedly denied any responsibility.

Lieutenant General Mark Hertling tells CNN he doesn't expect Moscow to be forthcoming about this crash.

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MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: That's why who controls the cockpit voice recorder, who controls the testimony of the people who survived this crazy accident, will tell a whole lot. But, you know, in every single case, not just MH-17 back in 2014, but even back in Korean Airlines Flight 007 in 1983, the Russians have lied about what they've done until they were presented with evidence.

The U.S. has also shot down an airliner, too, back in, I think it was 1988. But immediately upon doing so, the U.S. admitted, hey, this was a horrible accident in a very complicated situation. And we've just seen the Russians will lie about anything that occurs, and they're still lying about the MH-17 flight. They still haven't owned up to shooting that down with a Buk missile system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Russian President Vladimir Putin is talking peace, but without slowing down his relentless strikes on Ukraine. A Russian missile hit a central market in the city of Nikopol Thursday, about 40 kilometers southwest of Zaporizhzhia. Eight people were injured, according to Reuters. But the Russian leader also says he's open to holding peace talks with Ukraine in Slovakia, whose prime minister is known for his pro-Moscow stance.

The Kremlin is making it clear it's not interested in a ceasefire, and it wants a legally binding agreement that will address Russia's security concerns. Putin also says his powerful new weapon, the Oreshnik hypersonic missile is now in serial production.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translation): We have them, and not just one system. But we are in no hurry to use them, because these weapons are powerful. They are designed to solve specific problems. We have started serial production. Now we will produce the required and necessary quantity, and we will place some on the territory of Belarus. We act systematically, but we do not exclude the possibility of using them, both today and tomorrow, if there is such a need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Israel's military says it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early Friday before it entered Israeli territory. That comes just hours after Yemen's Houthi rebels vowed retaliation for a string of deadly Israeli airstrikes on the country on Thursday. The Houthis say the attacks on Yemen's main airport, power station and two ports killed at least six people and wounded at least 40. Israel says it hit what it called military targets belonging to the Houthis.

The head of the World Health Organization says he and a U.N. team were about to board a plane at the Sana'a airport when it came under Israeli bombardment. Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus said, quote, "The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge, just a few meters from where we were, and the runway were damaged. We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave." Elliott Gotkine is in Jerusalem with more details.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: The Houthis have lobbed ballistic missiles towards Tel Aviv for four out of the last seven nights, sending millions scrambling to bomb shelters. On Thursday, Israel responded, launching its first ever attack on Yemen's main airport and hitting two power stations. The strikes, the Israeli military said, targeted infrastructure the Houthis have been using to bring Iranian weapons into Yemen.

Among those hurt, a crew member for a plane for the World Health Organization, whose director general says he was just meters away from the impact. This was the fourth time Israeli planes have attacked the Houthis, who say they're firing on Israel and international shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

On Wednesday night, in the war-battered enclave, five men, all of them journalists, according to hospital officials and Al-Quds Today TV, were killed while sleeping in their van. The channel, affiliated with Palestine Islamic Jihad, which the U.S. and others proscribe as a terrorist organization, says the men were carrying out their journalistic and humanitarian duty. Israel says they were Islamic Jihad militants posing as journalists.

For evidence, it provided what it said was a list of operatives it picked up during operations in Gaza, edited to translate names and details, on which four of the men's names appear, along with their roles. And as the war in Gaza rumbles on, ceasefire talks aimed at securing the release of the 100 or so hostages still being held captive appear to have hit another snag.

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On Christmas Day, Hamas accused Israel of moving the goalposts in negotiations and said this was why a deal had yet to be done. For its part, Israel said Hamas was lying and reneging on understandings that had already been reached. Whatever the case, despite renewed optimism that a deal could soon be done, the reality is the two sides appear no closer to reaching an agreement that could end the year-long war and bring all the hostages home. Elliott Gotkine CNN, Jerusalem.

BRUNHUBER: The spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General condemned the attacks between Israel and Yemen's Houthis, who were backed by Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE TREMBLAY, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL SPOKESPERSON: The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and reiterates his call for all parties concerned to cease all military actions and to exercise utmost restraint. He also warns that airstrikes on Red Sea ports and Sana'a Airport pose grave risks to humanitarian operations at a time when millions of people are in need of life-saving assistance. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The U.N. delegation was in Yemen to negotiate the release of detained staff and to assess the humanitarian situation in the war- torn country.

Donald Trump says the U.S. should take control of the Panama Canal. He's also said he wants to buy Greenland. Are these kinds of statements all bluster or a serious plan? We'll look at that question ahead. And as the clock runs out on his time in office, President Joe Biden prepares to say goodbye to a lifetime in politics. We'll have a look at some of what comes next. It's coming up here on CNN. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has announced his pick for U.S. ambassador to Panama. If approved, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera would have his hands full amid Trump's complaints that Panama is, quote, "ripping off U.S. ships that pass through the waterway." That's just one of many of Trump's comments raising eyebrows worldwide right now. But our Alayna Treene says it's all part of a larger strategy.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donald Trump's fixation this week over wanting to take control over the Panama Canal as well as the revival of his desire to purchase Greenland, a Danish territory, is really part of a larger negotiating tactic, I'm told. One Trump adviser told me his interpretation of what Donald Trump has been saying this week is really that he wants to force foreign leaders to the negotiating table to bolster United States trade, but also to try and curb both Russia and China's larger influence over the global region.

Now, as it relates to Panama specifically, Donald Trump believes that Panama, and as it relates to the Panama Canal specifically, is taking advantage of the United States and its companies. He really is pushing for a new agreement that would lower the price that different American vessels pay for passage throughout the Panama Canal.

[02:15:02]

He also believes that many Chinese companies are controlling the ports around the Panama Canal, essentially giving them more control over what ships can pass through and, again, what the prices are for other countries.

Now, as it relates to Greenland, I'm told that Donald Trump's kind of fixation on that has been about trying to curb Russia's influence in the Arctic region, and that's part of why he's continued to say that he wants to buy Greenland, even though we know that its prime minister, who controls the Danish territory, has said that Greenland is not for sale, just like it wasn't for sale back in 2019 when he first floated this idea of trying to purchase the country.

Now, all to say, this is what one of the Trump advisors told me. They said, quote, "everything has to be looked at in terms of curbing Russia and China influence while also protecting the economy." Now, to be clear as well, to go back to the Panama Canal here and what Donald Trump has been saying, Donald Trump has actually been fixated on this for several months now, I'm told, and I would actually point to an August interview he did with Tucker Carlson on X, where he brought this up.

He said that he believed that the former president, Jimmy Carter, who negotiated this treaty to give Panama control over the canal, despite it being U.S. made, was a stupid idea. He believes that Panama is taking advantage of the United States and that he would potentially want to negotiate some sort of different deal with Panama if he were to be elected president.

BRUNHUBER: And President Biden is spending the final days of a tumultuous year vacationing in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He and First Lady Jill Biden arrived in St. Croix Thursday as the commander-in- chief winds down his final days in office. CNN's Julia Benbrook is traveling with the president and has more.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is no doubt a bittersweet time for President Joe Biden as he says goodbye not only to this role as president, but to a decades-long career in politics. The president and the first lady arrived in St. Croix the day after Christmas. This has become a holiday tradition for them over the years, and I can see why.

You've got beautiful beaches behind me, the temperatures have been between the 70's and 80's since our team arrived. Now, this time last year, his trip was quite different. He was preparing for the election and seeking another four years in the White House. Obviously, a lot has happened since then. There were questions about his ability to serve another term. He stepped out of the race, endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris, who then lost the election to now-president- elect Donald Trump.

Trump is now the one preparing to serve another four years in office, while Biden is focusing on preserving his legacy. Over the next few weeks, we do expect Biden to give several speeches about causes and specific policies that he considers some of his best accomplishments, talking about issues like climate, the economy, and foreign policy. After he leaves St. Croix, he will spend New Year's Eve in Delaware, and then in early January, in the early part of the new year, he will have a foreign trip to Rome and the Vatican, where he'll speak with Pope Francis about global peace efforts.

And we don't expect a lot of policy advancement in these next few weeks. White House officials believe that most of what they would get done in this final sprint toward January 20th could be overturned by the incoming administration. So again, the focus on protecting his key accomplishments and preserving his legacy over these next 20-some days. Traveling with the president in St. Croix, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

BRUNHUBER: The former prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, has died at the age of 92. He was being treated for what the All India Institute of Medical Sciences called age-related medical conditions. Singh served two terms, from 2004 to 2014, in which he continued economic reforms he'd begun as finance minister and helped improve relations with the U.S. India's current prime minister, Narendra Modi, called Singh one of the country's most distinguished leaders.

There are new concerns about bird food potentially spreading to humans after the virus killed more than half the big cats of a U.S. wildlife sanctuary. All that story after the break.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, these are live pictures. Political tensions are gripping South Korea. A very contentious vote, as you can see, has begun in parliament as the nation's acting president, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo faces impeachment. Members of his party are protesting the vote.

Now, it comes as South Korea's constitutional court is holding its first public hearing on another impeachment, this one for President Yoon Suk Yeol. It's part of what could be a very long process. The court has up to 180 days to decide whether Yoon will be formally removed from office or reinstated. He was impeached on December 14th after refusing to resign amid controversy over his decision to impose martial law.

Peru's government has declared an environmental emergency as it tries to handle a crude oil spill in a northern coastal area. The state oil company Petro Peru hasn't disclosed how much crude oil was spilled last Saturday, but Peru's environmental watchdog says it has affected about 10,000 square meters of surface seawater and at least seven beaches. Local officials say the oil spill has damaged coastal plants and animals like crabs and stopped fishermen from working.

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RICARDO BANCAYAN, MAYOR, LOBITOS MUNICIPALTY (through translation): Tourism will suffer losses in Lobitos due to this contamination, so we call on the responsible authorities to take action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Organizers of a Sydney to Hobart yacht race say two racers have been killed at sea amid wild weather conditions. The Associated Press reports both sailors were struck by booms in the large horizontal poles at the bottom of the sail. The race is continuing, although one of the favorites, Master Lock Comanche, was forced to withdraw. Australia's Prime Minister paid tribute to the sailors who died. Six sailors were killed during the race back in 1998.

Concern is growing over bird flu spreading to other animals. Last week, California declared a state of emergency after a mass infection of dairy cattle. In Washington state, more than half the big cats at a wildlife sanctuary died after contracting the virus. Now, it's not exactly clear how they got the disease, but there's fear of a potential spread to humans. CNN's Randi Kaye has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's Thumper, a 10- year-old Eurasian lynx who used to love to play and scratch the decks high above the foliage. The video from August was taken at the Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington, a big cat sanctuary where Thumper lived. Thumper is one of 20 cats from the sanctuary who died in recent weeks from bird flu.

MARK MATTHEWS, DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER, WILD FELID ADVOCACY CENTER OF WASHINGTON: We thought we were doing everything we could to avoid anything like this from happening. The cats are pretty well split up into 30-by-40-foot habitats.

KAYE (voice-over): The sanctuary's director and co-founder, Mark Matthews, says the cats' enclosures are spread out among five acres. He told me their first cat got sick on November 22nd. The 17-year-old cougar named Hannah Wyoming stopped eating and died the next day. A day later, this African caracal named Crackle also got sick and died. Others they lost included this cougar named Holly, and Tabby, a Bengal tiger.

MATTHEWS: Tabby the tiger was a very fun, loving tiger. She had a super personality. Every time I came up, she'd come running to meet me.

KAYE (voice-over): This Bengal cat, Pebbles, also succumbed to bird flu as well as Mouse, a Geoffroy cat. Only 17 of the 37 cats once housed here are left. Niko, an African serval, is still in critical condition fighting to regain the use of his back legs.

UNKNOWN: Feeling devastated, kind of in shock. I'm just taking really good care of those ones who are recovering.

KAYE: The disease spread rapidly, and they still don't know how exactly the bird flu entered their facility.

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MATTHEWS: Initially, we thought it was the bird droppings from waterfowl. We are in a flight pattern for migratory birds, so I don't know if that's part of the equation or not. So we really don't know at this time if it was food-related or not.

DEAN BLUMBERG, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT, UC DAVIS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Although we don't know exactly how it got there, it just makes sense that it's likely due to migratory birds because we know bird flu is transmitted through the migratory bird population.

KAYE (voice-over): Dr. Dean Blumberg is an infectious disease expert at UC Davis.

BLUMBERG: It's spread through the bird's saliva, the feces, the urine, and so you really can't protect against that in the natural environment. KAYE (voice-over): The staff at the sanctuary are working tirelessly

to disinfect the habitats, while also protecting themselves from getting sick. They're wearing PPE, including N95 masks, and doing foot baths when they enter and leave.

BLUMBERG: The virus may mutate and become more easily transmitted person-to-person. So the more this virus circulates, and specifically co-circulates with human strains, that's going to increase the odds of the virus evolving to more human-to-human transmission, and that of course could signal another pandemic.

KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

BRUNHUBER: Well on the night before Christmas, someone without a ticket tried to stow away on a Delta flight from Seattle, Washington to Honolulu, Hawaii. The plane returned from the runway and the attempted free rider was charged with criminal trespass by Port of Seattle Police. The TSA told CNN the person managed to get on the jet without a boarding pass. Now, this follows a recent incident when another un-ticketed passenger managed to get to Paris on a Delta flight from New York.

Well it seems thousands of Amazon workers have ended their strike against the online shopping giant, but the union says it isn't over. A union rep is now stressing that strikers won't stop fighting for their rights and for everyone to, quote, "stay tuned." Amazon delivery drivers across the handful of states went on strike last week. Processing workers demanded higher wages and better benefits.

Well the Beyhive showed up in big numbers for their Queens NFL halftime show on Netflix. The streaming network reported its biggest ratings ever for an NFL stream during Wednesday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans. Netflix says the numbers peaked with Beyonce's halftime performance.

More than 27 million viewers tuned in to see what fans dubbed the Beyonce Bowl. Ratings were strong for Netflix. For the NFL, viewership was down from last year when the games were broadcast on cable television.

All right, that does it for CNN NEWSROOM for now. I'll be back in 90 minutes with more news. WORLD SPORT special is coming up next after a quick break.

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