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Investigators Fail to Arrest Impeached South Korean President; Update on the New Orleans Terror Attack on New Year's Eve; Bourbon Street Reopened After Terror Attack; Victims of the New Orleans Attack Mourned by Family; Cybertruck Driver Identified, Motive Undetermined; Memos Show Law Enforcement Warned of Vehicle Rammings; President-Elect Trump Falsely Links Attack To Migrants; Netanyahu Approves Sending Negotiators To Resume Gaza Talks. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired January 03, 2025 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: Hello and a warm welcome to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Paula Newton in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, South Korea's impeached president defies arrest. Details of that dramatic standoff from Seoul.
Residents and visitors return to Bourbon Street with a multi-state investigation into the New Orleans attack now underway.
And as Israeli strikes continue to pound Gaza, Palestinians face more than one battle with winter settling in.
And we do begin with developing news out of South Korea. Investigators are now slamming the brakes on their effort to detain the country's impeached president. Now, they arrived at his official residence hours ago trying to execute an arrest warrant against Yoon Seok Yeol as hundreds protested nearby. After a dramatic standoff with the presidential security detail, the operation was put on hold for safety concerns.
Yoon is facing charges of abuse of power and orchestrating a rebellion following a short-lived martial law he imposed last month. Mike Valerio is monitoring developments from the streets of Seoul and he joins us now. I mean, look, the description that CNN now has of this standoff, it's quite grave. I mean, they're talking about having encountered a human wall of about 200 soldiers protecting the president. What is the latest from where you are right now?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we want to focus on that new reporting. Two hundred members of the president's security team and armed members of the military presenting themselves as a human shield preventing the arrest and detention of South Korea suspended president, Yoon Seok Yeol. So the latest, Paula, is that investigators and prosecutors are huddling to figure out how do we do this? How do we bring in the elected president of South Korea, suspended president of South Korea, in for questioning about criminal charges related to martial law that he declared a month ago? So, there's that. And as we zoom in to look at supporters of Yoon Seok
Yeol who have crowded around his official residence, we're only a couple hundred meters away from where it is, the second bucket of things that are happening right now is his impeachment trial. We have new reporting that January 14th is going to be the first trial session poll of the impeachment saga that involves Yoon Seok Yeol. So that's not this Tuesday or the following Tuesday whereby law, Yoon Seok Yeol is required to show up.
But, you know, the law requires a lot of things. The law requires him to cooperate with this investigation, and so far, he hasn't done so. So it's an open question and sort of drama that's held in stasis whether or not suspended president Yoon Seok Yeol is going to show up to his first impeachment trial session on January 14th.
Meantime, everybody here, a couple hundred, low thousand number strong, certainly considers this a victory. Yoon Seok Yeol called everybody out here as soon as this arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday, and he said, you know what, all my supporters, I'm fighting to the end, I'm not giving myself up. All you out here, you got to make the job of law enforcement so much harder to bring me in. And it seems as though for the time being, they were successful in that, Paula.
NEWTON: Indeed, and we will wait to see what happens next. And as you've explained before, Mike, there are a few buckets here. One being what's going on right now, but also there being certainly the legal action that is going to take place now on January 14th. Mike Valerio continues to follow the story for us in Seoul. Appreciate it.
For more analysis now, we're joined by Kenneth Choi. He's the Deputy Managing Director of "The Chosun Ilbo" newspaper, and he does join us from Seoul as well. It's kind of breathtaking, just what we've seen develop in the last few hours, let alone the last month. How do you see this getting resolved?
KENNETH CHOI, DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, THE CHOSUN ILBO: Well, it's a complete mess, Paula. Actually, you know, there are several law enforcement agencies that are competing to arrest the president. And actually, there's a lot of legal matters. And some of these agencies are stretching their limits. They're not mandated to investigate the insurrection by the president and so on.
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So some of these agencies are not mandated to do that, but they're stretching their limits. And for instance, today's agency is called Corruption Investigative Office, so CIO. And so a lot of people are questioning whether they have, you know, oversight or they have the mandate to investigate the insurrection of the president. That's the number one question. And then number two question is that they submitted an arrest warrant to a judge that is like Western part of Seoul who, you know, issued an arrest warrant, but there's a lot of question to that as well.
So, when law enforcement agencies likes executing its laws, then you have to abide by the law, by the rule, and you have to play by the book. But somehow, you know, the public opinion is like almost 70 percent, you know, against the president, I mean, 70 percent, you know, demanding the president to resign and so the president doesn't have much support. But still, you know, when the law enforcement are executing its, you know, law or whatever, then you have to abide the law.
And right now, there are a lot of questions. The president's office is issuing a lot of statements. The ruling party is filing injunctions to the court, visiting the Supreme Court, you know, demanding some explanation. So, right now it's a complete chaos.
NEWTON: How does South Korea, though, find its way through this chaos? There are institutions, there are strong institutions in South Korea. Are they not working? Does the Supreme Court have to move in here in some measure? What exactly is going to help resolve this? Because at its core is yes, political division, but that's what the institutions are there for.
CHOI: Correct. Actually, you know, the most important institution right now is the Constitutional Court. And, you know, the opposition party filed like a whole bunch of impeachments and all these things. So the Constitutional Court has to, you know, come up -- I mean, has to decide not only the impeachment verdict on the president, but we have the acting president who was the prime minister was impeached again. So, it has to decide on that case as well.
And then there were like eight other ministers who are impeached. So, the Constitutional Court has full hands right now. And as you know, they go through a very meticulous procedural, you know, procedures and they have to follow by the book and follow the rules and so on. So it takes time. And you know, some of these law enforcement --
NEWTON: Does South Korea have time? Does South Korea have time right now?
CHOI: No --
NEWTON: Kenneth, I mean, look, it's already dealing even with the national tragedy of the plane crash.
CHOI: Correct. Absolutely right. We don't have the time, so we have to do things, and the Constitutional Court is, you know, overwhelmed with all these cases, so they may take time. And this is the big problem. This is where the impasse comes in, and this is where all the chaos is. You know, some agencies wants to push through, some agencies, you know, don't want to do it, and then we have this plane crash [ph] use, so the whole country is divided.
And, you know, I tell you, the rest of the country, like 95 percent of the country is just functioning normal. And only some of these political circles are, you know, head on classes [ph] right now.
NEWTON: That is good to hear. And you, of course, do have an appointed president who's dealing with matters right now. But still, there is a lot at stake, right? I mean, the economy is vulnerable. You obviously have the issues with North Korea ever present. How worried are, as you say, the majority of South Koreans, how worried are they when they see this political chaos unfolding?
CHOI: Well, a lot of Koreans are worried not just because of these political clashes, but because of the economy, most of all. And when we don't have the president and when we don't have the ministers, the economies could go down one of the two. So a lot of people, you know, already worsened by the global supply chain issues and stuff like that. So, a lot of corporates, business leaders, they are worried a lot.
And, you know, right now because of this political impasse, and to tell the truth, a lot of Koreans do feel that, you know, we have to revamp our political system and, you know, read -- I mean, do something with these politicians. Otherwise, you know, they're not the best and the brightest. That's a key question, a key issue, actually.
The corporates, the business sectors, they are much more talented. They are the best and the brightest. They're the ones who are going out and make Korea a great place for everybody. And these politicians are screwing things up. So, to tell you the truth, I don't know where to resolve this issue, but you know, the time will tell and I think the Koreans are resilient.
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And North Korean issues, yes, I don't think they will move an inch because once they move, then the entire South Koreans will unite to fend off any North Korean aggression. So it remains to be seen still.
NEWTON: And we are watching and waiting to see how this resolves itself. So as I said, a dramatic month and more to come. Kenneth Choi for us. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
CHOI: Thanks for having me.
NEWTON: Now, new developments in the New Orleans terror attack. A law enforcement source tells CNN FBI agents and local police found precursor chemicals typically used to make explosives at the suspects' residence in Houston, Texas. The FBI has released new pictures of Shamsud-Din Jabbar walking around the French Quarter casually in the hours before the attack, which killed 14 people.
One shows a blue cooler with a long handle, which investigators say contained one of the two improvised explosive devices he planted in the area. A disturbing new video shows just how frightening Wednesday's attack was. Jabbar speeding down Bourbon Street in a white pickup truck. You're about to see it there. Pedestrians celebrating the New Year and then having to scramble to get out of the way.
Another video obtained exclusively by CNN appears to show Jabbar putting a white pole with a black top into the back of the truck. Police say an ISIS flag was attached to the trailer hitch during that attack. The FBI is focusing on the suspect's apparent interest in ISIS as the motive. CNN's Ryan Young has our details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER RAIA, FBI DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A change in theory in a brand new timeline laid out one day after the deadly attack on Bourbon Street.
RAIA: We do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack except for Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
YOUNG (voice-over): The FBI now saying they believe the suspect acted alone after initially saying Wednesday, they believe he was not solely responsible for the deadly attack. Shamsud-Din Jabbar first rented the white pickup truck in Houston, Texas on December 30th.
RAIA: He then drove from Houston to New Orleans on the evening of the 31st and he posted several videos to an online platform proclaiming his support for ISIS.
YOUNG (voice-over): New Ring video obtained exclusively by CNN from a New Orleans resident shows the suspect unloading the white pickup truck at an Airbnb just hours before the attack.
JEFF GONZALEZ, RING CAMERA OWNER: The white truck was parked right in front of our place.
YOUNG (voice-over): The FBI also revealed dark details about Jabbar's Facebook videos the morning of the attack. His last one posted at 3:02 a.m. just moments before he plowed down crowds on Bourbon Street.
RAIA: Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the quote, "war between the believers and the disbelievers," end quote.
YOUNG (voice-over): And the FBI is sending an important message to the public.
RAIA: So far, we have received just over 400 tips from the public. Whether you know Jabbar personally, worked with him, served in the military or saw him in New Orleans or Texas, we need to talk to you.
YOUNG (voice-over): Investigators revealed that two laptops and three phones were recovered linked to the suspect and are being reviewed for leads. And more evidence was released about the reported explosives found near the site of the attack.
RAIA: FBI bomb technicians also recovered two IEDs in coolers, one from the cross section of Bourbon and Orleans Street and the second at an intersection approximately two blocks away.
ANNE KIRKPATRICK, NEW ORLEANS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: New Orleans is a resilient city. We have every resource nationally, locally, statewide. We're a team.
YOUNG (voice-over): A much needed sentiment for a shattered community.
(On camera): What message are you trying to send?
KIRKPATRICK: Presence and making sure that people know that we are confident that we can keep them safe.
YOUNG: So you can hear some of the sounds of Bourbon Street back. There are families out here. There are tourists who are walking down this famous road once again. One of the things you will notice though, there is extra police protection here and as we walk back this direction, the barricade that was down that night is up.
They've been having technical issues with this. They wanted to make sure this was up. They have a big truck blocking this way as well and the sidewalk is blocked so no truck could ever make it through here again. We know the city will be focused on security from here on out and that's something that we'll continue to follow. Brian Young, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: For more, we're joined by CNN senior law enforcement analyst, Chief Charles Ramsey.
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Listen, (inaudible) I think you could sense the relief from authorities saying that this was not a cell, a terror cell. This was indeed a lone attacker. How significant was it that they were able to actually underscore that today?
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, it's very important. First of all, you know, whenever you have an offender, even if they're dead, but if you tell people that you've got additional people out there, then you know, the anxiety is still going to be pretty high. So at that point in the investigation, when they made that announcement that they didn't think he acted alone, that was based on what they had at that moment.
But as the investigation progresses and more information becomes available, they recovered the video that he recorded in the car on his way to New Orleans, all those things together, as well as going over the video evidence, the forensic evidence that they had, they were able to come to the conclusion that he acted alone.
NEWTON: Bourbon Street, open. Sugar Bowl, went ahead, well attended, no incidents. New Orleans has changed its security profile though, and they say it will continue to change for all events going forward. What could that look like do you believe, Chief, not just in New Orleans, but in other communities?
RAMSEY: Well, I think as far as New Orleans goes, you got a preview of it tonight with the Sugar Bowl with the added precautions on Bourbon Street, and the added presence of police. They even had, I believe, National Guard assisting along with state police. And so you saw a massive presence, and of course they have the Super Bowl coming up in another month.
But this is a lesson not just for New Orleans, this is for police departments around the country especially those hosting major events or major times like New Year's for an example, when you know you're going to have a lot of people. That's a soft target in and of itself. You have to take a look at your security plan. You have to make sure that you have sufficient resources, that you do all you can to try to prevent not just a vehicle-borne attack, which is what this was, but any kind of attack.
You can't be 100 percent certain that you can stop everything, but you can certainly make it less likely to occur. And so the police departments are going over their security plans now.
NEWTON: Yeah, and some of that deterrence posture can also prevent attacks. Anybody who's scoping it out decides against it just given the security posture that they see. When we talk about lessons learned though, you know if we take Bourbon Street, you have so much insight into this just in terms of law enforcement. Everyone was saying well why weren't the barriers up?
Certainly the barriers went up today. But it is much more complicated right? Because if you put a ring of security around a place like Bourbon Street, you also have to make sure that first responders can get in and you have to make sure if there is let's say a mass casualty event that people can also get out. It is more complicated than it sounds.
RAMSEY: Well if you look at like today, they had that wedge-like barrier that can go up and down that's really kind of a thing that you need to have or the bollards that come up from the ground that they do in D.C. by the White House for example for the upcoming inauguration. You know, normally those are up. By day it will be down because the motorcade will go through that area, just a way in which you can allow emergency vehicles or authorized vehicles in but at the same time stop all other traffic.
And so they got to come up with a plan that really allows for some flexibility. You've got businesses there that need deliveries. It's residential, you got people that live in the area. And so, you know, to permanently shut it down is something that just doesn't make a lot of sense, but at the same time you have to be very mindful that you know this is a target. I mean, Bourbon Street with all the people I mean you've been there, I've been there, it gets pretty crowded, and we've been an easy soft target.
NEWTON: And yet so many cities like you said, and not just in the United States and beyond can obviously relate. When we talk about the mood though in New Orleans as a law enforcement professional and you see that there wasn't defiance necessarily but there was certainly resilience and almost seeming to want to honor the victims. What do you tell people who say maybe it was too early? Why does it look like business as usual out there?
RAMSEY: You can't let the terrorists win because if you do it's only going to get worse because they're going to shut down everything if they think that it's going to put everything -- bring everything to a standstill. I mean, you know, think of something as simple as you know, kids that pull fire alarms in schools and you empty the whole school, you know, time after time after time, they do it over and over again, or calling a bomb threat or whatever and we just to see the reaction.
And so I'm not saying that you can't take steps, you know, just to make sure it only takes one time for that bomb threat to be real. But at the same time, you have to have some balance there because if you shut everything down every single time you get a threat, that's not even a credible threat, then of course you go to the opposite extreme. It's a balancing act and it's very difficult. It's very difficult.
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NEWTON: Well, I'm sure as you say lessons will be learned and that really is the tribute to the family members who have lost so much in this incident that they realize that things will change and others will be safer going forward. Chief Ramsey as always thanks so much.
RAMSEY: No, thank you.
NEWTON: Now as the investigation continues in New Orleans, families across the country are mourning their loved ones who were killed in that attack. I speak to one of those family members next.
Plus, we have new details about the driver of the Cybertruck that exploded in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. That and more straight ahead on "CNN Newsroom."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: The security camera in Southern California captured this frightening moment. A small plane crashing into a commercial building just about a minute after takeoff. Now police say two people were killed and 19 injured. It happened in the city of Fullerton, south of Los Angeles. First responders worked to put out the fire and evacuate surrounding buildings. The warehouse that was hit was home to a furniture upholstery manufacturer.
Now, the families of victims mourn and hope for more answers after the New Year's attack in New Orleans. And the Bourbon Street Memorial for those who lost their lives continues to grow. A large cross and flowers now fill the site together with signs that indicate a vigil to be held on Saturday evening. Now, they'll remember the names and the faces and the victims that are killed in this attack. So important as a tribute to their memory. CNN's Dany Freeman has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA BOUNDS, COUSIN OF MATT TENEDORIO: My grandma, grandpa, everybody is just crying, wailing together. And yesterday my grandma cried nonstop for eight hours. Like, we just can't believe it.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-five-year-old Matt Tenedorio was from Slidell, Louisiana. The youngest brother of three loved working with his dad at the Superdome. Matt had dinner with his family earlier on New Year's Eve, and his cousin said Matt was not hit by the truck that night, but died from a gunshot. Matt's mother devastated.
BOUNDS: She wanted people to know that he was so lovable and kind and that he liked skateboarding, you know, and he loved his niece and nephews and, um, yeah, and that they're heartbroken.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Matt is just one of 14 who were killed in the New Year's Day morning horror on Bourbon Street.
LATOYA CANTRELL, MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS: They mattered. The families matter and matter to the city of New Orleans.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Thirty-seven-year-old Reggie Hunter was a father of two, an 11-year-old and a one-year-old. He was from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
TRAVIS HUNTER, COUSIN OF REGGIE HUNTER: Reggie was a beautiful person inside and out. To know Reggie was to love Reggie.
FREEMAN (voice-over): Reggie survived the initial attack, but passed away at the hospital from internal injuries.
HUNTER: He would change the environment in the room. Always smiling, just pure person, good, pure-hearted person.
[02:24:58]
FREEMAN (voice-over): Tiger Bech was 27 years old, the former Princeton football player from Lafayette, Louisiana. According to his sister Virginia, Tiger was walking back to his hotel with his best friend on New Year's Eve when they were both struck. His friend survived, but Tiger passed away at the hospital. Tiger's sister Virginia telling CNN, she's heartbroken, but evil will not prevail.
Twenty-one-year-old Hubert Gauthreaux was killed in the attack as well. His high school in Marrero, Louisiana, asking the community to pray for the repose of Hubert's soul, his family and friends during this difficult time.
Drew Dauphin graduated from Auburn University in 2023. Words cannot convey the sorrow the Auburn family feels for Drew's family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time, wrote the university's president, Christopher Roberts.
The University of Alabama confirmed student Kareem Badawi was also one of the victims. The president of that school writing, I grieve alongside family and friends of Kareem in their heartbreaking loss. We're still learning more about the 14 people lost and the dozens injured on New Year's Day. Parents, siblings, students, locals, and tourists, loved and not forgotten. Danny Freeman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Joining me now is Shirell Jackson. She's the cousin of one of the victims of the attack, Reggie Hunter. And firstly, I just want to extend our condolences to you and your entire family. And we'd love to start with you just telling us about your cousin, what made him special. You know, I was looking at some of the pictures you sent over and just him holding his kids. He seems like such a happy guy.
SHIRELL JACKSON, COUSIN OF ATTACK VICTIM REGGIE HUNTER: Yes, that's true. He really -- I keep saying the word was, you know, you got to get used to that. Awesome guy, life of the party, gentle soul, loved his kids. Like, one of the things that he would say that made him the proudest is he's a great father. And that is proven, like you said, just from the pictures you can tell. But life of the party, very nice, outgoing, funny, funny guy. Love little cousin Reggie.
NEWTON: Little cousin Reggie, I cannot imagine your loss at this time and you guys just trying to process everything that happened. And so what did happen? It wasn't even that long ago. It must just seem like such a blur.
JACKSON: It is. From the minute that we got the phone call, 5:30, 6:00 that morning, he was involved in an accident. We needed to get to the hospital, from getting to the hospital and finding out that he was no longer with us. And then the nature that he was taken from us, it has just been unbearable. And as a family, we just communicate, talk to each other. We all met up at the hospital.
A lot of crying, holding, hugging each other, emotional, all over the place praying for one another and just staying together like that family unit that we already you know that we truly are. That's what's getting us through this. We just had conversations tonight on doing a visual for him and trying to come up with a best, the best day that's going to work with everyone's schedule and just do something again in his honor just to remember him and shine a light on him in this horrific situation that we're faced with.
NEWTON: Absolutely. I'm sure it will bring you all comfort. In terms of what happened that night, have police been able to really give you details of how this happened to him?
JACKSON: No. I've spoken to several people for, you know, on the behalf of the family, his sister speaking with people. We don't have a coroner -- a coroner's report yet. There's not -- no one said, hey, he was ran over by a trucker. That was the exact reason.
How did it happen? The time we just like the rest of the world, videos on social media, on TV, on Instagram, snippets of just seeing that horrible night flash, you know, in front of our eyes. That's what we're going off of. But not a direct link to say this person, you know, murdered your cousin and it was on this fashion. No, we have not received that.
NEWTON: How difficult is that?
JACKSON: We come to the conclusion, you know, what we think happened, and we're just processing that. To have it formally in writing, I don't think that's necessarily a hiccup for us because it's so -- many people are working trying to figure out, was it an individual person? Was it multiple people? Is it terrorism? It's all over the place. We just know at the end of the day, whoever it was, whatever reason, our cousin Reggie, he's no longer with us.
[02:29:59]
So that's what we're focusing on, how to move forward and be there for each family member knowing that Reggie's never coming back to us.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah.
JACKSON: That's what we're focusing on.
NEWTON: And it's so tough considering he has two children.
So, before I let you go, New Orleans opened up again. They had the Sugar Bowl. Bourbon Street is again open.
How is your family feeling about that? Do you think that's right and just that that happened now?
JACKON: We are very close knit family. One of the things that we would do every single year is Mardi Gras. Love it. It's in our blood. We're there under the bridge every single Fat Tuesday.
I know that Reggie wouldn't want people to just say, I'm staying at home. Don't go to New Orleans. It's not a safe place. It's not a good place.
This was an unfortunate event that occurred. We -- no one could have prevented what this person, this hateful, evil thing that this person set out to do. It could have happened at any city.
Why did he pick New Orleans? We don't know, but New Orleans is a beautiful city. Our family love it. We love Louisiana.
We want people to come. We want people to visit and go to the Super Bowl. Enjoy it. That's like an American thing that we do every single year.
You know, that's what Americans do. We love football. We love the Super Bowl. Go enjoy it. Be with your family. Continue to live your life.
Come to New Orleans, enjoy the food. Enjoy the Southern hospitality. Enjoy Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, everyone was there that night to have a good time and enjoy themselves and someone just snubbed that away from them.
But that doesn't mean that New Orleans isn't a safe place and that you can't continue to come and visit this beautiful city and enjoy it with your family. We definitely will be in New Orleans for Fat Tuesday, celebrate Mardi Gras in Reggie's honor like we've done so many years before.
NEWTON: Yeah, in Reggie's honor.
Shirell, I can't thank you enough for showing so much grace and strength and for sharing your memories, because we really want to put the focus here on the victims where it should be. Shirell Jackson for us, thank you so much.
JACKSON: Thank you. You're welcome.
NEWTON: Now, investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas. A law enforcement source tells CNN that the FBI is investigating tips received from the public. Officials say the driver, Matthew Livelsberger, was a new father and a decorated active duty U.S. Army Green Beret.
CNN's Natasha Chen has more now from Las Vegas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAOPE)
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Authorities say they believe the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded just outside the entrance doors of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas was 37 year old Matthew Livelsberger.
His body was burned beyond recognition, and police are waiting for additional forensic analysis for final confirmation.
SHERIFF KEVIN MCMAHILL, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: In how we're trying to identify him, and I'm feeling comfortable to give you this information is a tremendous amount of substantial evidence.
CHEN: The motive for the bombing remains unknown, but police say Livelsberger died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head just before the explosion. They found two guns, a military ID, a smart phone and a smart watch inside the Cybertruck. They've also identified two tattoos they say Livelsberger had.
MCMAHILL: One of which was on the stomach and one of which is on the arm, that we can see bits and pieces of it, as in comparison to what it is that we now know he had on his body.
CHEN: Livelsberger was an active duty member in the Army Special Forces operations, serving in Germany with previous tours in Afghanistan. He was awarded five Bronze Stars and held the rank of master sergeant, a senior enlistment, according to four U.S. officials.
He was on approved leave when police say he rented the Tesla Cybertruck in Colorado, arriving in Las Vegas on New Year's Day. He drove up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before passing the Trump Hotel. Livelsberger then circled back and parked the Cybertruck in the entrance driveway just moments before the fiery blast, according to law enforcement officials.
Video of the aftermath shows the bed of the Cybertruck loaded with fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel. KENNY COOPER, ASST. SPECIAL AGENT, ATF: The level of sophistication
is not what we would expect from -- from an individual with this type of military experience.
CHEN: Police credit the Tesla vehicles body construction, forcing the blast upward and limiting the damage to the hotel driveway, even leaving the glass doors intact.
Law enforcement officials say they have not connected the explosion at the Trump Hotel to the deadly terror attack in New Orleans in the early morning hours on New Year's day, but acknowledged the similarities.
Like Livelsberger, the suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar used a vehicle to carry out the attack, killing 14 people. Both have a military background. Jabbar was an army veteran and served in Afghanistan. They even rented their trucks through the same company, Turo.
MCMAHILL: If these turn out to be simply similarities, very strange similarities to have. And so we're not prepared to rule in or rule out anything at this point.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHEN (on camera): It was a frightening moment for the seven people who were injured in the immediate vicinity, as well as hotel guests inside.
[02:35:04]
We spoke to a couple of guests who were here at the time, staying between the 40th and 50th floors, who felt the windows rattle, and they said smoke was billowing in the stairwells and coming out of the elevator doors. Now, something investigators are now working on is trying to retrieve any possible footage from any cameras inside the Cybertruck before the explosion. Investigators said Elon Musk is sending staff to Las Vegas to help them with that.
Natasha Chen, CNN, Las Vegas.
NEWTON: Now, warnings about lone wolf attacks here in the United States may have been missed. What the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said about vehicle rammings just last month. That's next on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: The FBI says the suspect in the New Orleans terror attack was 100 percent inspired by ISIS. And records show the Justice Department has charged alleged ISIS sympathizers in the U.S. at least three times since last fall. There are new questions regarding potential warning signs about vehicle attacks that may have been missed.
A 2019 security assessment showed Bourbon was particularly vulnerable.
We have more now from CNN's Brian Todd. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As law enforcement officials scramble to determine the motive of the New Orleans suspect, new information on recent warnings that these very same types of attacks could occur.
According to two internal memos obtained by CNN, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center issued a joint bulletin to law enforcement agencies on December 6th warning about threats from lone wolf offenders and the possibility of vehicle rammings.
The bulletin warns that lone wolves could hit, quote, soft targets in the homeland during winter holidays, and that those offenders have historically used simple tactics such as edged weapons, firearms or vehicle ramming.
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: The big picture on this attack is that this has actually been a long time coming, and now, we're at a point where the American public are waking up.
TODD: Indeed, back in 2010, al Qaeda's branch in Yemen published an article calling vehicles the ultimate mowing machine, promoting the use of four-wheel drive pickup trucks because, quote, the stronger the better, and encouraging attackers to pick up as much speed as possible while maintaining control and, quote, be able to strike as many people as possible in your first run.
Analysts say it's their simplicity and subtlety that have made vehicles attractive weapons for terrorists.
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: You don't need any special preparation. You don't buy a gun. You might attract attention. Certainly making bombs is something that might attract attention, might also suggest some degree of training.
[02:40:04]
Who knows?
TODD: Following that December 6th bulletin and after the December 20th vehicle attack on a Christmas market in Germany that killed at least five people and injured more than 200, the Department of Homeland Security sent another warning to law enforcement, reiterating that mass gatherings were potential targets and that vehicle ramming had been used in the U.S. as a tactic before.
One of those bulletins referred to the attack on a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in November 2021 when a suspect driving an SUV killed six people and injured more than 60.
Still, analyst Beth Sanner says there's only so much law enforcement can do to prevent vehicle attacks.
SANNER: You can do things around big events like blocking off entrances to the venues using, you know, dump trucks, other large vehicles, but you can't close off everything. And it is incredibly expensive to -- to really shut down events. And you have things like parades where people are moving down streets.
TODD: Beth Sanner says none of this should discourage anyone from going to large outdoor gatherings. But she says there are some things citizens can do to protect themselves at those events. Pay attention to where the barriers are and where there could be spaces where vehicles could get through. Don't stand near the edges of entryways and don't constantly look at your phone.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, Donald Trump has been done misinformation about the New Orleans attacker being an immigrant, which is absolutely false.
On Thursday, the U.S. president-elect claimed that Biden's border policies allow radical Islamic terrorism and other forms of violent crime to flourish. And its now, quote, worse than ever imagined.
Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to compare what happened in New Orleans to the ramming attack at a German Christmas market. The congresswoman wrote, what did we expect would happen with wide open borders and millions of gotaways?
Again, the New Orleans attacker was a U.S. citizen and a U.S. Army veteran.
CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein, senior editor for "The Atlantic", and he is with us now from Los Angeles.
Ron, happy New Year, I say to you.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Happy New Year to you. Yeah.
NEWTON: It's good to see you.
I mean, look, its been a tough few days already, given how everything unfolded in New Orleans and given how the president-elect then reacted, what does it tell you about what were about to see in the second Trump administration?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, I mean, you know, the saying when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, doesn't even fully capture what the president-elect has done in the last 48 hours, because, I mean, he knows this is not a nail, and yet he continues to strike with his hammer, which is that, you know, Trump is determined.
You forget -- you can forget the combination, you know, as powerful a source of disinformation as he was as a candidate, the megaphone of a president and even a president-elect is infinitely larger. And he shows himself at every turn, willing to use information that he knows is untrue in order to make the case for what he wants to do. So this gives you a sense, I think, for all of us, both of the
magnitude of his willingness to, you know, use prevarication and lies to drive his agenda, but also just how determined he is to go even further than he did the first time in removing undocumented immigrants and moving radically at the at the border to shut it down.
NEWTON: Yeah, it's difficult to fathom here, though, Ron, is that he's the president-elect. He can make calls and get the correct information, as far as authorities know, and get more information, even in the public, at any given hour, because he can get classified information. I'll leave that alone for a second.
But given the fact that he was mistaken about who this was, the president-elect still pivoted to this attack, being called, in his words, radical Islamic terrorism. Now, given that, it does seem as if he was inspired online, the attacker was inspired online by ISIS. Do you believe the president could now be planning to put in another Muslim ban, another travel ban?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, he -- you know, he talked about -- I mean, he not only talked about that that idea again. And I think I think, you know, it would be more likely than not that that he will attempt to do that again.
I mean, Stephen Miller openly talked about during the campaign, posted pictures of pro-Palestinian demonstrators with the tagline that ICE will be busy in 2025. So, you know, of course, the intervening factor here is that Trump ran much better than he has before among Muslim- American voters and Arab American voters in Michigan.
[02:45:04]
And whether that provides or any constraint on what he does, we'll see. My guess is not much that those voters took. Like many voters who were ambivalent about Trump or ambivalent about parts of his agenda. They took the risk of voting for him anyway, on the theory that he would not do some of the most extreme things that he said. And we're going to find out whether that gamble pays off for them.
NEWTON: Yeah. And there continues past the election, political mudslinging. There is certainly no detente here between the Democrats and the Republicans, even when you look at this issue in terms of the attack that just happened. Are you worried, Ron, that it could start to hurt national security?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think, you know, look, we are -- I think the damage that could be done by polarization and national security, we are already well into. You know, the parties are diverging enormously on the question of Americas role in the world.
I mean, you really, you know, Biden sought to reaffirm the traditional vision of America as a leader of democracies defending democracy, rallying allies, as he did in Ukraine, as he has in Asia, to try to, in effect, contain China in many ways, or at least channel the competition in more productive ways. Trump is a very different vision. America First, alone, unilateral
action, threats, more coercion, more than convincing, And I think we are in for as on every front, a radical shift in direction.
NEWTON: Well, certainly, wait and see. A busy few weeks coming up in this country, especially as the country gets set to remember Jimmy Carter.
Ron Brownstein for us in Los Angeles, thanks so much.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
NEWTON: In Washington, Mike Johnson is fighting to keep his job as speaker of the House. The speaker's reelection vote will happen in just a few hours from now. Johnson is looking to avoid a drawn out fight as Donald Trump throws his support behind him.
He's even calling potential holdouts. Allies say Speaker Johnson is resisting cutting any backroom side deals to keep his position, whether that stance changes remains to be seen. Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican vote. A massive problem for the leader, as there is already one known GOP congressman opposing him.
Still ahead for us, a deadly Israeli strike on a designated humanitarian area in Gaza, and amid the violence, displaced Palestinians struggle to survive the elements in the second winter of the war in Gaza.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Israel's prime minister has approved sending negotiators to Qatar to continue talks for a Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages. Benjamin Netanyahu's office says Israeli security and intelligence officials are expected to travel to Doha for the talks. Both Israel and Hamas have blamed the other for talks stalling in recent weeks.
[02:50:04]
Indirect discussions are ongoing, even as official negotiations have been deadlocked for months now.
Meantime, Israel continues to bombard Gaza, Reuters reports. Israeli air strikes killed at least 68 Palestinians across the enclave on Thursday, marking one of the deadliest days in the territory in recent weeks. Now, a warning, the next video you're about to see is graphic and may be disturbing to some viewers.
In one incident, a local hospital says relatives say an Israeli drone strike killed at least eight people working at a petrol station in central Gaza. Elsewhere, Palestinian officials say an Israeli strike in southern Gaza killed 11 people, including the head of Gaza's police and a top deputy. Gaza's interior ministry accused Israel of attempting to undermine law
and order, while the Israeli military accused the police deputy of being a terrorist in coordination with Hamas. The location of the strike, al-Mawasi, was previously designated by Israel as a humanitarian area, but has repeatedly come under attack nevertheless.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AIYDA ZANOUN, PALESTINIAN WOMAN DISPLACED FROM RAFAH (through translator): When the morning came, we went to inspect the site and as you can see, it is devastation, complete destruction. What have the children done to be hit at 1:00 in the morning?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is calling on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza as the winter sets in. UNWRA warns that frigid temperatures and heavy rain are threatening lives. Several people, including at least five infants, have died from the severe cold weather in recent days.
In recent days, details now from Paula Hancocks and a warning her report is graphic and may be disturbing to viewers, but it is also a reminder that this is the reality for Palestinians in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I did everything I could, my son, I swear I did.
A father seeks forgiveness from his 20-day-old baby. Jumaa (ph) froze to death in a tent in Gaza. His twin, Ali, is fighting for his life in intensive care.
His father says, I came from the north, from Beit Lahia, because of the Israeli bombing, only to come here and watch them die from cold and hunger.
Jumaa is one of at least five babies to have died from hypothermia in Gaza in recent days, as funeral prayers are recited above, two tiny bodies, children look on trauma buried in eyes that have seen almost 15 months of horror.
Ali is fighting sepsis. His doctor says he is in critical condition. They live in a tent, the doctor says. In this freezing winter weather, even adults suffer from the cold. So imagine the severe threat to young children.
Jumaa's mother folds up clothes he will never again where she shows a heating device given by a un agency the day before he died. She never had the chance to wrap him in it.
Since Jumaa's death, conditions in Gaza have only worsened. Storms and torrential rain making surviving in makeshift tents almost impossible.
This man from Jabalia camp stands outside his flooded tent. He says it collapsed under the weight of the rain. His family's bedding is soaked as children walk by, he says more water comes in.
This barefooted boy tries to dig a mud defense for his family's tent, but the sheer volume of water makes most barricades worthless.
Despite the heavy rains transforming streets into rivers, drinking water remains scarce, causing chaos at the stations when the water trucks arrive, some try to see the funny side of the rain. Shoeless children run in between the waterlogged tents.
But the misery is acute. This newborn baby. Salah Mahmoud al Fassi (ph) froze to death on Christmas Day.
The cruel irony? She died in a tent in al-Mawasi, an area Israel has designated a humanitarian zone.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:56:09]
NEWTON: Fans and players observed a moment of silence before Thursday's Sugar Bowl game to honor the victims of the New Orleans terror attack. The game, in which Notre Dame beat the University of Georgia, had been postponed a day following the new years attack. Those attending paused to consider what might have been, and gave thanks for the safety of loved ones.
And ahead of the area's reopening on Thursday, musicians and religious -- religious leaders marched down Bourbon Street. As you see them there, in a big, easy effort to bring back a little joy after Wednesday's devastating attack brought the city to a standstill.
Now residents of a remote village in Kenya got quite a scare to end 2024. A huge red hot object fell from the sky on Monday, prompting an immediate investigation from the Kenya space agency. The metallic ring measures 2.5m in diameter. That's about eight feet and it weighs about 500 kilograms, or 1,100 pounds.
The KSA says it's a fragment from a space object, probably a separation ring from a rocket. Police say the ring was still hot. Can you believe that? Still hot. When officers arrived and residents cordoned it off until it had cooled down. Lucky no one was hurt there. How bizarre.
All right. I'm Paula Newton in Atlanta. Thanks for joining me.
"CNN NEWSROOM" with Christina Macfarlane in London is next.
