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Russian Air Defenses May Have Downed Azerbaijan Airlines Plane; Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills Five Journalists; Hospital Offer Holistic Treatment for Freed Hostages; Bird Flu Kills Big Cats at Washington Sanctuary. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 27, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: A U.S. official is now telling CNN early indications suggest Russian anti-aircraft defenses may have shot down the plane. Now, it's not the first time we've seen an incident like this.

CNN's Oren Liebermann takes a look at the similarities between this crash and the one over Ukraine in 2014.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It's worth noting that this has happened before, a decade ago with Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, MH17. It was a Russian anti-aircraft missile, operated by Russian- backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, that downed that commercial airliner, killing those on board. So there has been a similar situation to what the U.S. may be seeing when it comes to this Azerbaijan Airlines flight.

Now, it's worth looking at the environment there. Ukraine had just carried out a drone strike in southern Russia, and according to defense experts, Russia's air defenses were active in that region at around the time of this Azerbaijan Airlines flight. In fact, the U.S. official with whom I spoke said that because of the poor training for Russia's air defense units and for its military, it may be that that led to the confusion in which Russian air defense units may have fired on a commercial airliner.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now to the Baltic Sea, where Finnish authorities have seized a tanker carrying Russian oil suspected of causing undersea internet and power cable outages. The vessel is believed to belong to Russia's Shadow Fleet, looking to avoid oil sanctions. Countries around the Baltic Sea are on high alert for sabotage after a string of disruptions with power, communications and gas.

In Gaza, medical officials say Israeli forces have surrounded a hospital in northern Gaza and ordered staff and patients to evacuate. People inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital say they've been ordered to leave and go to the yard of the compound earlier on Friday. A nurse shared a video of a fire burning in the hospital's archives, and heavy gunfire could be heard in the background.

The Ministry of Health and hospital officials say Israeli strikes in the area late on Thursday killed about 50 people, including five medical workers. Israel's military says it's unaware of the strikes but says it's investigating the allegations.

Israel's military says it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early Friday before it entered Israeli territory, and 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, a power station and two ports killed at least six people and wounded at least 40. Israelis as it hit what it called military targets belonging to the Houthis.

The head of the World Health Organization says he and the 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 details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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, cease-fire talks aimed at securing the release of the 100 or so hostages still being held captive appear to have hit another snag. 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.

Elliot Gotkin, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Families and friends of hostages held in Gaza are marking the second Hanukkah without their loved ones. Protesters marched in Tel Aviv to repeat their demand for a cease-fire and hostage-release deal. Others prayed for the safe return of hostages as they lit the menorah.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum says many of those freed from captivity are struggling to recover from the traumatic experience due to a shortage of resources for their complex needs. The Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv is taking an innovative, holistic approach to help the survivors with physical as well as emotional care.

And joining me live from Tel Aviv, Dr. Noya Shilo is the head of the Returned Hostages Clinic at Sheba Medical Center. Thank you so much for being here with us.

DR. NOYA SHILO, HEAD OF THE RETURNED HOSTAGES CLINIC: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: So when the Hostages and Missing Families Forum came out talking about all the problems that are being experienced by the former hostages, both physical and psychological, I mean, you mustn't have been surprised. I mean, you've been facing such unique circumstances, treating them, that you said your hospital quote, had to reinvent medicine. Explain why.

SHILO: In many ways, I think that the atrocities of October 7th and the aftermath of people being civilians, children, elderly, women and men being taken hostage from their own homes, from their own beds, and being taken hostage in the most violent, cruel ways one can imagine is something that we've never faced before. And the aftermath of that really calls for a new kind of medicine, which is exactly what we're trying to invent for them.

BRUNHUBER: So before we get to exactly what that is, I just want to know what are some of the most common and persistent challenges that you've seen in these patients now a year after their release?

SHILO: OK, so we can -- there are a few types of things that we handle. First of all, there are injuries from the kidnap itself. Usually most of them are gunshot injuries that were very badly dealt in Gaza, obviously, and we're dealing with that.

There are chronic diseases that were neglected, and we're dealing with the consequences of them being deteriorated. And the third thing is the damage, the physical and emotional damage

of being taken hostage and being in Gaza, and this is an ongoing -- it's an ongoing challenge for them and for us to help them go through it.

BRUNHUBER: The report mentions the difficulties of reintegrating into daily life, including going back to work, education, things like that. I mean, one can just imagine intuitively it wouldn't be easy, but take us through some of the issues that they face.

SHILO: I think the main thing is that we cannot talk about healing or rehabilitation as long as we're not post the trauma. We're still, the trauma is ongoing. Some of my patients have family members who are still kidnapped in Gaza, which is unacceptable, unbelievable, and it does not allow them to go on with their lives as long as the war is ongoing and as long as they're hostages in Gaza. It's impossible to move on.

BRUNHUBER: So what are you learning then in terms of trying to help them to integrate their care together and what success stories have you seen?

SHILO: Well first of all, I want to say that I will not mention any personal stories because these are not my stories to tell, obviously it's theirs. But I think that's what's really moving, in my opinion, is to see the incredible resilience and the incredible power of the community, of the people themselves, of their families, and of us being with them, trying to help them in any way we can. And I think that once they see, there's the magnitude of miracle in the fact that they came back home and what we're trying to do is help them go from post-traumatic stress disorder or the trauma itself to post-traumatic growth. And this is actually one of the biggest goals of our work, is to help them grow beyond the trauma.

It's a very big challenge. It's very individual. Each patient has their own path, their own challenges, but this is our goal and this is what we aim for.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, a huge challenge, as you say. Still some 100 hostages left in Gaza. The report emphasizes the lack of a dedicated rehab path for former hostages, so one can hope that these 100 will come back to Israel.

In that case, what recommendations would you make to the Israeli government that would improve the current system to support people who come back?

[04:40:00]

SHILO: I think the main thing, beyond anything else, is bringing them home now. I think it's the obligation of the Israeli administration and we need all the help we can get, both from the American administration, the Biden administration, the President-elect Trump administration, and everyone around the world to help us bring them back home. Once they're here, we'll take it from there, but we need them home now. BRUNHUBER: All right, well, we certainly hope you get your wish. Dr. Noya Shilo in Tel Aviv, thank you so much.

SHILO: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: A security crackdown is underway in western Syria after an ambush that left at least 14 law enforcement officers dead and 10 others wounded. State media say the new government launched the operation to flush out troops still loyal to President Bashar al- Assad. The attack happened in a coastal region that's home to Syria's Alawite minority. Its members held many key military and political positions during Assad's brutal rule. The new administration has been encouraging former Assad forces to return their weapons.

Israel's attorney general has ordered an investigation into Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over allegations she harassed opponents. This comes after a report from Israeli media outlet Channel 12 alleged the prime minister's wife intimidated a witness in her husband's criminal trial and indirectly harassed the attorney general and deputy state attorney. Hours before the investigation was announced, the prime minister defended his wife and condemned the report as biased and false propaganda. The prime minister is facing corruption charges in three separate cases.

While there are new concerns about bird flu potentially spreading to humans after the virus killed more than half the big cats at a U.S. wildlife sanctuary. That story after the break. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: It seems thousands of Amazon workers have ended their strike against the online shopping giant, but the union says it isn't over.

[04:45:00]

A union rep is now stressing that work strikers will not stop fighting for their rights and for everyone to, quote, stay tuned. Amazon delivery drivers across a handful of states went on strike last week, protesting workers demanded higher wages and better benefits.

It's getting harder for job seekers in the U.S. to find work. The number of people receiving ongoing unemployment benefits has hit a three year high. But on the other hand, layoffs remain low, with the first time jobless claims holding steady.

The new labor data shows a drop of 1,000 initial filings compared to 219,000 last week. The U.S. labor market has cooled significantly this year, and a lull in job growth has largely been attributed to employers reining in hiring rather than mass layoffs.

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL 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 MATHEWS, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, WILD FELID ADVOCACY CENTER: 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 Mathews, 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.

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

KAYE (voice-over): This Bengal cat, Pebbles, also succumbed to bird flu, as well as Mouse, a Jeffrey 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Feeling devastated, kind of in shock and just taking really good care of those ones who are recovering.

KAYE (voice-over): The disease spread rapidly and they still don't know how exactly the bird flu entered their facility.

MATHEWS: 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.

DR. 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 that, of course, could signal another pandemic.

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

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: 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, and says the numbers peaked with Beyonce's performance. CNN's Cory Weir reports on the big night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, the bar has been set pretty high for Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show as Beyonce crushed it with some special guests at halftime of the Ravens-Texans game. Take a look.

BEYONCE, SINGER, SONGWRITER: Hello, girls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: Hello, Beyonce.

BEYONCE: Hello, fellas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALES: You'll be swell.

BEYONCE: Those petty ones can't touch me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALES AND FEMALES: Why?

BEYONCE: Because I'm a clever girl. We clapping.

WIRE: The 32 time Grammy winner rocking her hometown of Houston performance songs from her Cowboy Carter album in front of a live audience for the first time. Special guests Shaboozey, Post Malone and her daughter, Blue Ivy, gracing the stage as well. Beyonce also teased something coming on January 14th. We shall see.

As far as the game, the Ravens were flying high against the Texans. There was no stopping quarterback Lamar Jackson. He threw two touchdown passes and he also ran for one. He went 87 yards in this game, including this 48 yard score. Then Lamar ran into the record book in the third, moving past Michael Vick at the top of the all time rushing list for quarterbacks.

Baltimore wins 31 to 2, improving to 11 and 5 on the season. They're one game up on the Steelers now for first place in the AFC North. The Chiefs taking on the Steelers in the first game of Christmas Day.

Patrick Mahomes led Casey out to a point lead, and they were never really threatened by Pittsburgh. Mahomes threw three touchdown passes, one to his favorite target, Travis Kelce. Travis's 77th career touchdown catch early in the fourth, breaking Kansas City's all time TD receptions record. He dunked it to pay tribute to former record holder Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.

The Chiefs lock up the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven seasons in a 29 to 10 win.

Now, it was a very merry Christmas for the Chiefs as Santa Claus showed up to help them celebrate in the locker room. But this was actually head coach Andy Reid. He was there laughing and chuckling with a bowl full of jelly. And then a jolly old elf showed up to give coach the game ball after his Chiefs earned a franchise record 15th win on the season.

Back to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(VIDEO CLIP OF MOVIE "WICKED)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I saved you some space, by the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you really think this is fair?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do not. I was promised a private suite. But thanks for asking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: "Wicked" will be able to enjoy the hit film along with new bonus content from the comfort home starting next week. The musical will make its streaming debut December 31st on several platforms, including Prime Video and Apple TV. Viewers can buy or rent the nearly three hour long movie and check out additional features, including deleted and extended scenes, commentary and even a singalong version of the film.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. CNN "THIS MORNING" starts right after the break.