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FBI Lays Out Detailed Timeline Of New Orleans Attack; Interview With Governor Josh Stein (D-NC) About Massive Winter Storm Threat; Nearly Dozen States To Get Hit by Fierce Winter Storm; Biden Signs Social Security Fairness Act; The Late President Carter Lying In Repose At Carter Center In Atlanta. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired January 05, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:13]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and we start with this breaking news.

Truck attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar recorded Bourbon Street using Meta glasses during a bike ride months before killing 14 people on New Year's Day. That shocking detail revealed during a wide-ranging press conference with federal and local authorities earlier today.

CNN's Rafael Romo is in New Orleans for us.

Rafael, officials in New Orleans also provided, you know, a detailed kind of timeline of how Jabbar carried out this attack.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred, and those details that we're learning are very telling as to how the attack happened. And one crucial question that surfaced days after the attack was how long in advance did the attacker plan the attack? Did he know with a long time prior to the attack that he was going to do what he did? And it seems like the answer now is yes, that it was not only weeks, but perhaps years that he was thinking about attacking the United States in some sort of fashion.

And that's because at a press conference earlier here in New Orleans, the FBI told us that Shamsud-Din Jabbar traveled internationally to two different countries. One was Cairo, Egypt, in the summer of 2023. And then a few days later to Ontario, Canada.

Earlier, I asked Special Agent-in-charge Lyonel Northrop here in New Orleans whether he believed that Jabbar was financed, whether he met with people, some entity that might have helped him in the attack, and this is what he had to say. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYONEL MYRTHIL, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, NEW ORLEANS FIELD OFFICE: At this time, we're still trying to determine the answers to that. That is exactly what our priority is for those international trips. Essentially we're looking at who has he encountered during those trips? Who is he meeting with? Where has he traveled while in those specific countries and whether or not any visits to those countries may or may not have any indication as to the reasons behind this attack in our city?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Back live here in New Orleans at the corner of Canal and Bourbon Street, where, as you can see behind me, Fred, the memorial, the improvised memorial has already grown to about a quarter of a block here. And many, many people who keep coming to pay their respects to the victims. Earlier today, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said that the final victim identified was Latasha Polk, a certified nursing assistant and mother of a 14-year-old. And, of course, all of these people are a mix of sadness and respect when we talk to them.

Fred, now, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rafael Romo, there in the French Quarter where, you know, it is an attraction of a lot of people, people who come to visit from all over the world. Thank you so much.

And we're following more breaking news. A massive winter storm is targeting nearly 70 million people, over 1500 miles. At least a dozen states are under winter alerts, including Missouri, which you're seeing right now. I mean, near whiteout conditions there, bringing dangerous mix of snow, ice and wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour. Conditions in Missouri and Kansas are especially intense. The National Weather Service warns the ice is in fact so heavy even emergency vehicles and snowplows are getting stuck.

The south, facing a different kind of threat. A tornado watch has just been issued for parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas with severe storms and hail expected to pummel those states as well, and more than 1400 flights have already been canceled today. A real mess.

Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is tracking the conditions.

I mean, where do you begin? It's all pretty horrible.

ELISA RAFFA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I don't have words on where do I begin. It has been busy for us today because like you mentioned, it's multi-hazard, multi-threat, multi-region, multi-state. I mean this is impacting so many people in so many different ways. I mean the storm is so far-reaching. We have had heavy snow across parts of Missouri from Kansas City to St. louis. I-70 has been a mess since yesterday. Heavy snow also in Cincinnati.

Then look at the stripe of lightning that goes all the way down to Houston. That's how intense the storm is. Some of that sleet and freezing rain has been so heavy that we have had reports of thunder- snow, and thunder-sleet. That tells us just how dynamic this storm is. We are still seeing some reports of that here on the radar. You can see we've got that some of that sleet was mixing into St. Louis earlier.

You've got some of that freezing rain in Paducah. That is really such a problem because just a little bit of freezing rain can make everything an ice skating rink. That's why we had so many problems yesterday before the storm had even really picked up.

[16:05:05]

Now the reason why we're dealing with so many different types of precipitation is because our temperature profile in this storm is just so vastly different. We have warm air squeezing in from the south. So that's where you get that storm threat, you know, with temperatures in the 40s, 50s and even 60s. But then you have temperatures flirting with freezing across parts of Missouri and Kentucky. That's where you get that rain freezing on contact, creating that ice skating rink of ice.

Then you have deeper cold air with temperatures in the 20s from Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Charleston, where you're getting that heavy snow. So it's really just a dynamic mix of everything. All of the winter alerts stretch more than 1500 miles. We have a blizzard warning in effect for parts of Kansas and Missouri. It includes the Kansas City metro in a blizzard warning, an ice storm warning for parts of south central Missouri, southern Illinois, where we could have significant icing there.

All of the winter alerts stretching across the East Coast, and a tornado watch in effect across the south, where we're looking at a few tornadoes possible, some of which could be strong in this area, Fred, already had tornadoes last weekend.

WHITFIELD: And very unusual this time of year for that kind of tornadic activity?

RAFFA: It is classic, textbook winter storm, just dynamic crazy.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Crazy.

RAFFA: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Elisa. Appreciate it.

All right. Western North Carolina, it's also bracing for impacts from this powerful winter storm. That part of the state is still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic damage and killed more than 100 people in the state after making landfall in late September. Western North Carolina now under a weather advisory until Monday afternoon as parts of the Tar Heel State are expecting freezing rain, ice, snow and gusty winds.

I'm joined now by North Carolina Governor Josh Stein.

Governor, thank you so much for being with us, and congratulations on your new job.

GOV. JOSH STEIN (D), NORTH CAROLINA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: You've got a lot on your plate right now. What sort of weather impacts are you expecting in your state? What are you bracing for? What kind of help are you anticipating you're going to have to dole out? STEIN: Yes, we're worried about freezing rain and ice accumulation,

particularly in the mountains. The northern part of the mountains especially. We are braced for whatever comes our way. And our emergency management team is ready to provide whatever help is necessary. But the consequences of this storm really underscore the urgency for us to respond to Hurricane Helene, which was just a massive, devastating storm of immense consequence. More than 100 lives lost, $60 billion in damages. It's just an insane amount of money.

Thousands, tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, private roads and bridges, some 8,000 small businesses lost out on billions of dollars of revenue. Vital infrastructure, roads, water and sewer, wastewater, damaged or destroyed. We have the work cut out ahead of us to get the western part of the state back up and running, and that's why in my first week as governor this week, we've got to work. We've taken action.

WHITFIELD: Yes, in the form of after being sworn into office just a few days ago, you actually put into place a few executive orders aimed at helping people in that hurricane recovery.

To what extent? What will happen that perhaps prior to was not happening?

STEIN: It's all about urgency. Urgency, focus, transparency and accountability. On Thursday, I traveled to Asheville in Western North Carolina and issued five executive orders. One of them had to do with temporary travel trailers. We want folks to be safe and warm on their properties so that they can start the rebuilding process that they eagerly want to do. We don't want folks in temporary structures that are unsafe, not warm, not adequate, and we want to help people be on site because then they can be overseeing the work.

You have to get to your property. One thing that people don't appreciate about Western North Carolina is the necessity of private bridges. The road is on one side of the river. People live on both sides of the river. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of these little bridges that cross the river. 8,000 were damaged or destroyed. Folks cannot get -- even if their house is intact, they can't get to their property.

We need to help them reconnect to their property. It's necessary for them, but it's also necessary for emergency services. You know, fire, ambulance, police. So we want to accelerate the construction of private bridges and roads, and we want to get folks on their property safe and warm with these plummeting temperatures as quickly as possible.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, you're spelling out a lot of needs, you know, absent of politics. But here we are. I mean, sometimes politics does, you know, play a role, and will have to play a role. You're a Democrat, just newly sworn in.

[16:10:02]

You also have to be coordinating with a soon-to-be Republican White House. What do you anticipating in the days or months to come, particularly after inauguration at the end of the month?

STEIN: Well, President Trump has come to Western North Carolina. Vice President Vance was here just a couple of weeks ago. They are very much aware of the needs of the people of the western part of our state, our U.S. senators, our congressional delegation, everybody is focused on doing all that we can to help the people of the western part of our state. I mean, $60 billion is massive. It can only be addressed in a meaningful way when the federal government steps up. And the Congress did pass a continuing resolution, including disaster relief, just before the end of the year. We estimate about $15 billion of that will come to North Carolina.

It's a good start, but its wholly inadequate. We're going to come back to the Congress in the next couple of months and seek probably another $15 billion or $20 billion to help the people of Western North Carolina, particularly we need help with small business relief. So many -- so much of North Carolina's western economy is tourism based. October is the number one month. December is the number two month.

Both of those months were essentially lost in last year's economy for them. We need to make sure that they can get through this winter so that they can open their doors in the spring and summer and make more money. And there are a lot of businesses that are open for business today. I mean, if you like skiing and you're on the East Coast, go to Boone, North Carolina and ski. If you like music, food, culture, go to Asheville, Waynesville, Hendersonville.

Come visit us, spend your money, and help the people of Western North Carolina get back up on their feet.

WHITFIELD: OK. And as it pertains to this storm, which is, you know, fast approaching, you've got a lot of folks in Western North Carolina who are saying, I don't have, you know, running water to count on right now. I don't have warmth to count on. I'm, you know, short on food. Roads are still impassable in certain locations. What can you say to them right now to kind of either reassure them or help advise them on how to endure this weather that is fast approaching?

STEIN: Yes, the work will never be done fast enough. I mean, the needs are so immense, but we are committed to doing everything in our power to act with urgency, to act with focus, to act with transparency and accountability, because we have got to do this work right. The people of Western North Carolina have stepped up for each other in phenomenal ways. The way they responded to the storm in the first couple of months, providing food, providing clothing, providing heating sources.

We as a state, we as a nation have to be there for them the way that they have been there for each other.

WHITFIELD: North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, thank you so much. All the best in the coming days.

STEIN: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, more on this massive winter storm. Thousands of people across Missouri are already without power. We'll have a live report from St. Louis next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:16:19]

WHITFIELD: All right. More on our breaking news. Weather, nearly a dozen states are getting hit by a fierce winter storm. NOAA's weather prediction center warns some areas could see the heaviest snowfall in over a decade. Highways in the Central Plains are especially dangerous right now. The Arch in St. Louis barely visible right there. Officials are urging residents to stay off the roads, as it could take more than 24 hours for help to arrive if you were to need it. And flying, it's also potentially problematic. More than 1400 flights have been canceled today.

In hard-hit Missouri, more than half of the flights at St. Louis Lambert International Airport were canceled by this afternoon.

KSDK reporter Laura Barczewski is joining me now in a very snowy St. Louis.

So, Laura, tell us what you're seeing and not seeing.

LAURA BARCZEWSKI, KSDK REPORTER: Good afternoon. We're seeing a mixed bag of precipitation here. Last night it started out as rain, moved into freezing rain, sleet, into snow into this morning. And right now we're feeling kind of a sleet snow mixture out here off of Interstate- 64.

As you said, you can barely see downtown. It's quite -- the visibility is quite poor and a funny statistic from the National Weather Service here in St. Louis. We've had hamster sized snowflakes reported in the metro area and along Interstate-70 in that corridor, we're projected to get anywhere from three to nine inches of snow and even more to the north.

Driving has been very difficult. The Missouri Department of Transportation reporting that most roads are snow-covered, except for the most southern portions of our state. We've seen some clearing down there as well, where they mostly got some of that rain. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says that from the Bootheel all the way to Kansas City, we've had 865 calls for service, 330 stranded drivers, and 220 crashes.

We've seen quite a few power outages, about 300 power outages across the state right now, which is down significantly from this morning. And as you said, flights out of Lambert, we've had about 253 cancellations. And this snow is expected to continue. We've seen snow plows, salt trucks, all different kinds of vehicles struggling in this. So as they said that if you don't have to drive, just go ahead and stay home. But we're going to expect to see this snow continue to pile up.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. Not really fantastic. You're doing a fantastic job. But the conditions are quite horrible. So hang in there and hang in there all your neighbors there.

Laura Barczewski, in St. Louis, thank you so much.

All right. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a snow emergency and is warning residents to stay off the roads while the city braces for this major winter storm overnight and into tomorrow, hitting that area, too, in the mid-Atlantic states. The storm comes as Congress prepares to certify the 2024 presidential election results tomorrow. Here's more of what the mayor had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MURIEL BROWSER (D), DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Our priority, of course, is the safety of everyone in our city and getting the city cleaned and fully opened as soon as possible. So that said, if you don't need to be on the roads tonight and tomorrow, stay home, please stay off the roads. Give our plow teams plenty of room to work during and after the snowfall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, much more on our breaking news coming up. Also next, workers will soon see an increase to their Social Security benefits as President Biden signs a bipartisan bill into law today.

[16:20:01]

And funeral observances for the late president Jimmy Carter continuing in Georgia. We'll look back on his legacy with a longtime Urban Affairs journalist in Atlanta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. Millions of Americans can expect an increase in their Social Security benefits this year. That's all thanks to a new bipartisan bill President Biden is expected to sign at any moment now at the White House. It's called the Social Security Fairness Act and primarily affects federal, state and local public sector workers, which includes police officers, firemen and teachers.

For more on this, let's bring in Julia Benbrook at the White House.

Julia, what more can you tell us about this Social Security Fairness Act?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Social Security Fairness Act passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. And President Joe Biden is preparing to sign that into law any moment now.

As you mentioned, it would expand Social Security benefits for nearly three million Americans, local, state and federal public sector workers. So let's take a closer look at exactly what this law is doing. Some of the details of it.

It eliminates two policies that reduced Social Security benefits for public service employees, the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. The Congressional Research Service estimates that the two largest groups of Social Security beneficiaries impacted by these two provisions are state and local government employees covered by Alternative Staff Retirement Systems and permanent civilian federal employees hired before January 1st of 1984.

[16:25:10]

Now, a White House official says that this law will enhance benefits by hundreds of dollars per month for those nearly three million people impacted, and it will apply to benefits payable after December 2023.

Now, those who are critical of this law have cited the cost. The CBO estimates that it will cost nearly $200 billion over the next 10 years. And you can see the room is set up there. People are sitting, waiting to see Biden sign this into law. Again, it had overwhelming support in both chambers -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, thanks so much. Let us know when it happens.

All right. Also today, Jimmy Carter is lying in repose at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. His body will remain there until Tuesday morning. He will then be taken by an Air Force One plane called Special Air Mission 39 to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, D.C.

That afternoon his funeral procession will head to the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state until his funeral service on Thursday.

With me here now is Maria Saporta. She is the executive editor of "The Saporta Report," and she spent decades covering Georgia politics for the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution."

And we are so lucky to have you here, because you are just a wealth of knowledge, not just of Jimmy Carter, his legacy, his imprint on Georgia, and really globally, but so much that has transpired in this state and beyond. So great to see you.

MARIA SAPORTA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAPORTA REPORT: So great to see you, too, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So what has this week been like for you, given you've covered him for so long and knowing what he means to this state?

SAPORTA: There's a lot of sadness because he stood for all these values that I hold so important. Like how to make people who are poor better off. How to take care of the needs of those less fortunate was one of his big things, big themes that he went. But the environment piece, fair elections, I mean, the breadth of what he did was just so amazing in our in our country, in our world.

WHITFIELD: And you really helped -- you tried to help him respond to the breadth of his impact back in 2015 during that press conference when he revealed more about his brain cancer, and we went back and looked and the question that you asked him was very profound. And we took a portion of your question, and we have a portion of his answer. We're going to play it now and then hopefully get your reflections on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAPORTA: In the time that you have left, what would give you the most satisfaction to see something happen? Peace in the Middle East or eradication of polio?

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would say peace for Israel and its neighbors. That's been a top priority of my foreign policy projects for the last 30 years. Right now I think the prospects are more dismal than any time I remember in the last 50 years. I would like to see guinea worm completely eradicated before I die. I'd like for the last guinea worm to die before I do.

I think right now we have 11 cases. We started out with 3.6 million cases, and I think we have two cases in South Sudan and one case in Ethiopia and one case in Mali, and seven cases in Chad. That's all the guinea worms in the world. And we know where all of them are. So I would say that would be my top priority.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: There has not been the eradication of the guinea worm, but that really speaks profoundly, you know, to his focus and his hopes.

SAPORTA: Well, I think he -- and I get emotional listening to all that because, you know, we thought his days were really numbered back in 2015. And, you know, his hope, it was so selfless. You know, peace in the Middle East and eradication of the guinea worm. And when the Carter Center got involved with the guinea worm project, it was in 1986 and there were 3.5 million, 3.6 million cases a year at that time.

We're now down to a handful. So he came awfully close to outliving the guinea worm. And I do think that the Carter Center's work will continue in his honor and his legacy. And it's such a good spirit to have in Atlanta. Atlanta is a special place. And Jimmy Carter definitely made it even more so.

WHITFIELD: And that center, his library, the museum, it really is a living museum. And it is represented so much. I mean, the intricacies of his approach on life, his presidency, his work in public service.

[16:30:02]

How do you see that that might continue? It really is still one of the most visited sites in Atlanta, the Carter Center. How do you see that proceed?

SAPORTA: Well, there are two things. There's a library, and then there's a center. And the center is doing all this work internationally.

And that will continue working in partnership with Emory University and some other things. And he made sure that there was a succession for the Carter Center.

And the library. You know, he was the only president elected from Georgia. And, I mean, really, from the Deep South. The -- through improbable circumstances and odds, I didn't think -- I mean, I kind of laughed when he said he was going to run for president. You know, no one really took him seriously.

But there was a wave. And after Watergate, his stance on ethics and in government and in a -- his selflessness, again.

WHITFIELD: You know, it's interesting. I was listening to one former friend of his, or a friend of his, who said, you know, he was probably someone who was hugely underestimated because of his kindness, his dedication to goodness, to faith.

People kind of thought that he was a softie, but in fact, he was quite the opposite. He was just a real fighter.

Did you feel like you saw that in him, in the way he transitioned from being a governor to becoming the 39th president? And all of the challenges that he was met with right after inauguration. I mean, giant world crises.

SAPORTA: Yes, he was just this pillar of strength. And, you know, I was watching earlier an Andrew Young documentary about his relationship with Jimmy Carter. And the whole issue of human rights was something that was so integral to who he was. And he wanted Andrew Young as his U.N. ambassador to actually go to Africa and help build bridges that had never existed before.

He was really a revolutionary president. I don't know what would have happened had he been reelected. But the world -- he was facing unbelievable odds. And that seemed to be true about his whole life.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SAPORTA: The odds that he faced.

WHITFIELD: And that appointment and friendship with Andy Young also helped exemplify a commitment that President Carter made. That he wanted it to be among the most diverse administrations ever.

I mean, he appointed people and brought into his administration representation of women, blacks, other people of color unlike any other presidency. Is that a significant kind of notch in his legacy?

SAPORTA: Oh, absolutely. I mean, it's just one of many. And I think of his relationship with Rosalynn and the true partnership that was there. She was, you know, standing by his side, you know, whispering in his ear the whole time, whether it was issues of mental illness. And, I mean, what a partnership that was.

But he -- you know, he did not let his defeat knock him down.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SAPORTA: He went on and said, I can still contribute. And I will do everything I can to contribute as a private citizen.

And the work that he did -- and I cover Atlanta a lot. And I think of Jimmy Carter and Martin Luther King Jr., the only two Nobel Peace Prize winners from Georgia, their axis (?) of civil and human rights, with Martin Luther King representing civil rights and Jimmy Carter representing human rights, that that's here. They're part of our DNA.

WHITFIELD: Yes, they are emblematic of Georgia --

SAPORTA: Emblematic of Georgia.

WHITFIELD: -- by far and no one else.

SAPORTA: And when you think of the leaders that we've had, you know, Ted Turner, I mean, he was one of those larger-than-life people. He still is. But, you know, he -- it's just -- we have been so fortunate to have people like Jimmy Carter come our way.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. Maria Saporta, we are so fortunate to have you here --

SAPORTA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: -- to share your memories and your emotion. It is very clear the impact that he made, for you as a journalist and as a Georgian here. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

SAPORTA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

[16:34:47]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New Orleans truck attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, doesn't appear to have had direct contact with the militant Islamist group, ISIS, but investigators say he was inspired by the group's ideology.

ISIS may no longer be a military threat, but CNN's Nic Robertson explains the group's capacity for terror is on the rise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): 2024 saw ISIS attacks spike. This massive concert hall attack in Moscow, killing more than 100 people in March. Their deadliest claimed by their most active franchise, ISIS-K or IS-KP in Afghanistan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE.)

ROBERTSON: A month later, this bloody attack inside a Russian jail. Four guards killed. A stabbing attack followed in Germany. They attacked in Afghanistan and Iran. Another of their estimated 10 franchises or provinces fought Nigerian troops. AARON ZELIN, SENIOR FELLOW, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY:

We've seen a huge increase in tempo over the last year or two. In 2024, there were like 14 or 15 arrests related to the Islamic state in the U.S.

ROBERTSON: It's a far cry from five years ago, when ISIS appeared to be on the back foot. Their short-lived Iraq and Syrian caliphate beaten by U.S. and coalition partners into a seeming (?) surrender.

[16:40:01]

ROBERTSON: But not anymore, according to MI5's intelligence chief.

KEN MCCALLUM, DIRECTOR GENERAL, MI5: After a few years of being pinned well back, they've resumed efforts to export terrorism. We, and many European partners, are detecting I.S. connectivity in our homelands, which we're moving early (?) to disrupt.

ROBERTSON: Taylor Swift and her era's (?) tour in Vienna, beneficiary of the heightened safeguarding, an ISIS-inspired plot, forcing her to call off her show. What has changed, Zelin says, is that ISIS is centralizing, learning from its mistakes in Syria.

ZELIN: They integrated a lot of their provinces together under this general directorate of provinces. So, there's a bit more coordination on the global level within its network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE.)

ROBERTSON: In the Mideast, the ISIS brand is apparently still attracting supporters, like these three Omanis in one of many such ISIS propaganda videos the terror group posts. Their bloody bounce back began several years ago, gaining temporary global attention, killing 13 U.S. troops as coalition forces pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021.

But, since then, most of ISIS's recovery has not sparked massive global attention. 2025 might be the year that changes.

ZELIN: If they can do something in the U.S., if they can do something in Europe, if they can do something in Russia, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, if they can do it, they'll do it. Because, for them, it's a global war.

ROBERTSON: And success for ISIS, in this context, could be as simple as an attacker, like Shamsud-Din Jabbar, claiming, as he has to have acted in ISIS's name, when he may not have had any physical contact or support from them.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: With us now is CNN National Security Analyst, and host of "In The Room" podcast, Peter Bergen. Peter, great to see you.

So many, you know, in the West thought that ISIS had been defeated. So, how are they, or its influence, enjoying this resurgence?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Fred, I -- you know, a few -- a few points. One, the most virulent affiliate is ISIS- K which is based in Afghanistan. Which, of course, is now controlled by the Taliban.

And while the Taliban have been occasionally fighting ISIS-K, they've certainly -- the Taliban have been, according to the U.N., there are 20 terrorist organizations that are based there now. So, whether the Taliban has the capacity or the inclination to go after these terrorist groups is an open question.

So, I think one factor is the fact that the Taliban are now back in power in Afghanistan. And now, you have a formerly-affiliated with Al Qaeda terrorist group that now controls Syria. And there's some debate about how they change their spots or not. But the fact is, some ISIS prisoners were let go when the Assad regime was toppled.

And, secondarily, there are a bunch of camps of -- and prisons that are containing ISIS prisoners in Northeastern Syria, which people are concerned, you know, may come under attack and there may be more prisoner releases.

So, some of this is to do with circumstances in the Middle East, and some of this is to do with the fact we still don't know the precise motivations of the New Orleans' attacker. He, obviously, had a very troubled personal history, and he may have been shopping around for an ideology that allowed him to do what he did.

But ISIS remains, you know, a revolutionary ideology that losers, like the New Orleans' attacker or others, and we've seen that in the United States before, can attach themselves to. And, in their own minds, they become a hero in their own story, even though their own lives are usually going nowhere fast.

WHITFIELD: Yes. This, you know, truck attacker, Jabbar, did post a video saying he was inspired by ISIS. But as we, you know, have reported, ISIS is not necessarily saying that they are claiming responsibility or even had an affiliation with that person.

However, what do you glean from his approach? I mean, this use of a vehicle to cause mass carnage, as he did. The planning. I mean, some of his tactics do mirror things that ISIS-inspired attacks also claim to have hallmarks of.

BERGEN: Sure. And, you know, his sort of personality and what he did reminds me of another so-called soldier of ISIS, which was Omar Mateen. Who sort of shopped around for ideologies. At one point, he flirted with Al Qaeda, and then Hezbollah, then ISIS.

[16:45:00]

BERGEN: These are groups that often don't agree with each other. And he had come to the attention of the FBI.

He killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando in 2016. He also said, as he was carrying out the attack, that he was a soldier of ISIS. But there was no evidence that Omar Mateen, who was an American citizen born in Queens, New York, had any real connection to ISIS, other than self-proclaimed.

My guess is is that's what well see in New Orleans. We're still -- obviously, we had a press conference today. The FBI is still trying to sort out some of this.

But, you know, he wouldn't be the first person who proclaims himself to be a soldier of ISIS, who has really nothing to do with the group. Certainly doesn't appear to have traveled to Syria or Iraq or other places where ISIS has camps.

WHITFIELD: Would there be any gain from ISIS claiming some responsibility or affiliation, even by someone who says, you know, they have pledged their allegiance to the group?

BERGEN: Yes. I mean, I think the short answer is yes. But they -- but, you know, the ISIS central is -- you know, they are -- obviously, they've lost their geographical center in Syria and Iraq. They may have other things on their mind. You know, but often these groups will sort of take responsibility, if somebody claims responsibility in the name of ISIS. They, themselves, will sort of say, yes. Yes, we inspired this or we, you know, helped activate this person.

WHITFIELD: How do you see intelligence -- U.S. intelligence or law enforcement preparing itself, bracing itself for others who carry out horrible deeds and claim their affiliation or their allegiance to a group like ISIS?

BERGEN: Well, in the case of the New Orleans attacker, we now know, fairly definitively, that he had no help. So, that kind of person is hard to stop because they don't -- there's no one to confide in. There's no communications that can be intercepted. Or it's just a lot harder to stop.

I mean, we saw that in the previous administration, an Uzbek American killed eight people in Manhattan in a vehicle ramming early on in the Trump Administration. So, you know, unfortunately, this is something that we've seen before. Unfortunately, it's likely to happen again. You don't need any special training to rent or buy a vehicle and then carry out this kind of attack.

WHITFIELD: Peter Bergen, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much.

BERGEN: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, a live preview of tonight's 82nd Golden Globes Awards, hosted by comedian, Nikki Glaser.

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WHITFIELD: All right, the stage is set. We're just hours away from the start of a star-studded Golden Globes. It's Hollywood's biggest party of the year, and dozens of A-list celebrities are getting ready to hit the Red Carpet for the big award show in Los Angeles there.

CNN Entertainment Reporter Elizabeth Wagmeister is right there on the Red Carpet, joining us live. OK, so, that atmosphere looks electric.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It is electric. But it's going to be more electric in just about 10 minutes, because that is when the Red Carpet officially opens. Meaning that all the stars are going to start arriving in just a few moments from now.

Now, remember, the Golden Globes honors the best in both film and television. So, what that means is, essentially, there's going to be a ton of stars here. And I have to tell you, this may be the most star- studded A-list nominee list that I have ever seen. We are expecting to see Ariana Grande, Zendaya, Miley Cyrus, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, Timothee Chalamet. The list goes on and on.

Viola Davis is the honoree for the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Ted Danson is being honored with the Carol Burnett Award. And a comedian, Nikki Glaser, is hosting.

Now, I actually sat down with Nikki just a few days ago. She was in the middle of her rehearsals. She tells me she's ready. But I asked, I said, Nikki, is this going to be a Ricky Gervais 2.0? Meaning, are you going to roast the stars? Let's take a look at what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI GLASER, HOST, GOLDEN GLOBES: I'm worried about, like, if I say a joke and then it cuts the celebrity and they're not laughing. I really hope that celebrities look at this as, like, an opportunity to come across as very likable. Like, laughing at yourself is a great quality and it really endears you to the audience at home to not take yourself so seriously.

And I promise that I am not going after them in any way that would deserve a, like, mean mug to the camera.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: So, you heard Nikki say she may roast a little bit, but she is going to play it pretty nice for the room of celebrities. She told me that she wants to be able to make it to an after party after, and not have all these celebrities hating on her.

But I do have to tell you, there has been some additional categories added in the past few years. There's one for standup, and Jamie Foxx is among the nominees. Nikki Glaser is pulling double duty. She's not only host, she's nominated in that category.

And there is another category for Box Office Achievement, which means the big popular films. So, maybe the year of "Wicked", of course.

WHITFIELD: Oh, of course, you know that's going to get a lot of somethings.

[16:55:01] WHITFIELD: OK. So, what are your favorite, I guess, frontrunners or underdogs? Who are you looking out for the most?

WAGMEISTER: So, I did love "Wicked." I, of course, am a sucker for that. And, as I said, that's one of the most popular films.

But when you look at the more arthouse and indie films, I really loved a movie called "Anora", and that is one of the nominees tonight. Leading the nominations for films is "The Brutalist" and "Conclave." And on the television side, leading is "The Bear." And close behind, it is "Only Murders in the Building."

Fun fact for you. Selena Gomez, who, of course, stars in that film, she is a double nominee tonight.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

WAGMEISTER: She is nominated for "Only Murders in the Building." And on -- yes. And on the film side for "Amelia Perez," which is a Netflix film. And with 10 nominations, that is the top nominated film or television show tonight. So, it could be a big night for Netflix as well.

WHITFIELD: OK, indeed. Well, I got a lot of catching up to do because either I don't get out enough or I'm not staying in to watch T.V. enough, because I've seen none of those things that you just mentioned. So, catching up is my assignment for 2025.

WAGMEISTER: Well, here's the good news. It's only the start of award season. Golden Globes kicks off award season every year, so you've got a lot of time till the Oscars.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, we're going to get started.

WAGMEISTER: And the SAG awards, so there's a lot of time to catch up.

WHITFIELD: OK. We're going to get started right now. Starting now. Elizabeth Wagmeister, good to see you. Thank you so much.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Got to go right now. More CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead with Jessica Dean. I got to catch up on my movies. My flicks.

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