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U.S. Under Threat From Massive Winter Storm; Remembering Jimmy Carter; Trump's Plan To Advance His Political Agenda; Little Progress In Israel-Hamas Ceasefire And Hostage Talks; New Orleans Mourning After Terrorist Attack; New Clues In Cybertruck Bombing; White House Strengthens Response To Bird Flu; American Medic's View From Ukraine Front Line. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired January 05, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and around the world. I'm Fred Pleitgen. And here's what we have ahead of you in the CNN Newsroom.
In the U.S. More than 60 million people are under a threat from a massive winter storm set to unleash a barrage of heavy snow, treacherous ice and rain. Also, saying farewell to President Jimmy Carter. Mourners pay their respects to the Americas 39th president as he's honored in his home State of Georgia. And Donald Trump's risky plan to advance his political agenda.
We begin, though, with that powerful winter storm creating miserable conditions across a wide swath of the United States. In Colorado, travelers were dealing with blizzard like conditions. You see that on your screen there. The storm is expected to bring heavy snow, hazardous ice, rain, and severe thunderstorms stretching more than 1,300 miles across the country. That's around 2,000 kilometers for our international viewers.
Icy roads like here in Kansas made for dangerous travel. Even tractor trailers were slipping along the interstate. The Kansas City International Airport closed for a number of hours Saturday because of icy runways and taxiways. Officials say travel in the area will be hazardous as Kansas City and St. Louis will be hardest hit. This morning, more than 550 flights in the U.S. have already been canceled for today, the bulk of those in Kansas City, St. Louis, and the Windy City Chicago.
More than 60 million people are under threat. And while snow and ice have been largely limited to northern states so far this winter, the storm could bring treacherous conditions from the plains all the way to the East Coast, including areas less prone to winter weather. Our own meteorologist Elisa Raffa brings it all down for us now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's our first major winter storm of the season with these impacts stretching from the Central Plains to the mid-Atlantic. Some of these impacts could be major or extreme. We're talking about difficulty to nearly impossible travel, heavy and blowing snow, significant ice that could cause sporadic or even long- lasting severe power outages.
The snow and the ice will continue to blow up as we go through the day today in the Central Plains. Some of that snow could be heavy at times. That ice could be significant. It continues to move east as we go through the afternoon. By Monday morning, we're waking up to a messy morning commute from D.C., we'll have some showers down to Atlanta, even stretching down to the Gulf Coast.
Some of the snow could be heavy. It also will be blowing around that could cause some blizzard conditions across parts of Kansas. Some totals of six to 12 inches possible. Some locations, those totals could top a foot, mostly in the Central Plains where you don't have the heavy snow, you have the heavy ice. That warm air comes in, tries to melt off some of that snow and you get that fleet and that freezing rain. That freezing rain could be significant for parts of Missouri and Southern Illinois where we could be looking at up to a half to three quarters of an inch of ice. That would really weigh down tree limbs, power lines, and cause some problems as we go through with the rest of the weekend.
And we've got the snow and the ice on the winter part, but we also have some warm air really feeding some severe storms too across parts of the south. Some of those storms could organize into a line and bring you some damaging winds and several tornadoes as we go through the day on Sunday. So, truly a multi-hazard, multi-threat storm as we go through the rest of the weekend.
On the backside of this Arctic air spill south and will bring us some of the coldest temperatures that we've had so far this season. Really frigid air, making it all the way down to the Gulf Coast. More than 70 percent of the lower 48 will find temperatures below freezing over the next seven days, which means any snow and ice that falls will hang around for a while.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: The U.S. is bidding a long farewell to its 39th president, Jimmy Carter, who died a week ago at the age of 100. His state funeral will be held this Thursday in Washington. But on Saturday, Georgia paid respects to its native son with a motorcade that wound through the state and a private service at the Carter Center. CNN's Ivan Rodriguez has the details.
[04:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The nation and the world is honoring Former President Jimmy Carter. Carter's motorcade passed through his hometown of Plains, Georgia, where in that downtown area, people lined the streets to say their final goodbyes. Eventually, they made a stop at the Georgia State Capitol in order to have a moment of silence that was led by Governor Brian Kemp. Finally, the motorcade arrived here at the Carter Center for an arrival ceremony and also a private service.
RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): The life and legacy of Former President Jimmy Carter honored Saturday. Carter family traveling with the motorcade from Phoebe Sumter Medical Center to his historic boyhood farm in Plains, Georgia, where the National Park Service Honor Guard rang the famous farm bell 39 times, a nod to him being the 39th president.
Carter grew up in the town of Plains. He became governor and was elected president in 1976. He was a one term president, losing re- election to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980. But it was his post- presidency years that laid the foundation for his legacy.
MARVIN LASTER, CARTER FAMILY FRIEND: I want everybody to understand that, you know, the grave is only getting the body. His spirit will live on forever. And the legacy that he lives on -- that he left behind will live forever.
RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): The motorcade brought his body to the Carter center that he and his late wife, Rosalynn, founded in 1982 in Atlanta to promote peace, democracy, human rights, and economic and social development all over the world.
At a short service there, his son honored them both.
CHIP CARTER, JIMMY CARTER'S SON: He was an amazing man and he was held up and propped up and soothed by an amazing woman. And the two of them together changed the world. And it was an amazing thing to watch from so close and to be able to be involved in. And I thank you for your service.
RODRIGUEZ: The men who served as pallbearers for Carter were former and also current U.S. Secret Service agents, again, for nearly 50 years, the Secret Service provided detail for Carter and his family. Carter will lie in repose until Tuesday morning. He'll then be taken to Washington, D.C. for the official state funeral.
In Atlanta, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: Moving on to Washington now, where we are learning that Donald Trump plans to concentrate his ambitious policy agenda into one sweeping package. It now appears Trump expects some of his biggest campaign promises on tax policy and the border to pass through Congress in a single, very large bill.
Sources say the U.S. House Speaker told Republican lawmakers of the plan in a closed-door meeting on Saturday. After the spending bill debacle and a narrow Speaker's race, Trump seems to believe there will be very little room to maneuver separate bills. But legislation of this size will still be a massive challenge for the GOP and will take far more time to negotiate. CNN spoke with Republican Congressman Rich McCormick, who was at that meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. RICH MCCORMICK (R-GA): It's going to be very difficult, but everybody has the idea that we want to get something done historically. Because a lot of times, quite frankly, when the Republicans take over and we have both the -- when we have the trifecta, we don't get things across the finish line because they're not working well together.
I think this is the first time in a very long time that the speaker and the Senate leader both are going to be working hand in hand to get this across the finish line along with the president's guidance and make sure we deliver on the things that we ran on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: And Rich McCormick also added that incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune was at that meeting as well and is also on board with the plan.
The U.S. president-elect also welcomed Italy's right-wing prime minister to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Saturday. Trump's campaign posted a picture of him with Giorgia Meloni on social media. This is not the only meeting the two leaders have had recently. Last month, Meloni dined with Trump and billionaire Elon Musk in Paris during festivities to mark the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Meloni will meet with President Joe Biden when he's in Rome later this week.
And we are going to unpack all of that with Natasha Lindstaedt, who is a professor of government at the University of Essex here in the United Kingdom. She joins us now from Colchester. Natasha, there's so much to unpack here, but I do want to begin with that visit by Giorgia Meloni to Mar-a-Lago, because it certainly seems as though a lot of European leaders are trying to create ties with Donald Trump, but at the same time, it also seems as though he's meeting with European leaders who are similar inclined as himself. What do you make of it?
NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: No, definitely. We're seeing a lot of symmetry between Trump in particular, the far-right leaders in Europe, and there's been definitely a rise of both leaders in the far-right, but also the parties on the far-right and seen this and not just Italy, but also Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and so forth.
[04:10:00]
And Trump and Elon Musk are forging closer ties. They share similar ideas on an immigration or being anti-woke. And along these lines they have been connecting. Now, in terms of the case of Meloni, she doesn't see Musk or Trump as a threat to her Italian policies that are based on making things in Italy and supporting Italian companies, and she's hoping that this relationship will only strengthen Italy.
Now, as far as Trump is concerned, I think he tries to forge these types of relationships that ultimate -- the ultimate goal is really to weaken the European Union and possibly also NATO. He is an anti- internationalist. He is, you know, anti-globalization and he's against these international institutions or these intergovernmental institutions as well. And so, I think that's what's often driving these types of partnerships.
PLEITGEN: Yes. It's really interesting you say that because there was no readout or anything of that meeting. The only thing that we heard, I think this came from the Italian side beforehand, is that they said the main topics were going to be Ukraine, the Mideast trade, and of course that Italian journalist who's currently being held in Iran, but all of these, of course, extremely important topics for Europe.
Do you get the sense that right now European leaders are trying to sort of figure out what Donald Trump's presidency is going to mean for Europe, for the future in Europe, and certainly, also for the conflict in Ukraine that is so important for the European leaders as well?
LINDSTAEDT: Definitely. I mean, it's a very precarious time in Europe because of all that -- you know, as I mentioned, the rise of all these different far-right parties and leaders. And so that means that Europe is not as united as it normally would be. And there are huge challenges ahead with what is going to happen with Ukraine.
So, let's just say Trump does manage to engineer some sort of deal that ends or pauses the war in Ukraine, the idea behind that would be much of the reconstruction would be paid for by Europe. And if there isn't some sort of deal, Trump has already signaled that the U.S. isn't going to be supporting Ukraine in the same way it has in the past, militarily, financially, and so forth. And so, that means that European leaders are going to have very tough choices about how much money they can continue to give to Ukraine.
So, that's just one big issue. And there are others, you know, in terms of, you know, what is Trump going to do to NATO? Is he going to limit a U.S. military spending? And that will offer more burden for European NATO countries to pay more for their own military. And we've seen Emmanuel Macron already talking about this that Europe needs to be more independent.
So, they're all trying to weigh and figure out how they're going to deal with Trump and whether there are actually any opportunities to him being in power in terms of trade deals.
PLEITGEN: I want to go to Washington now and I want to get your take on what you believe this idea of a large bill to push through a lot of the Trump agenda going forward, what that is going to mean, what the difficulties are with that, what the possibilities are for that. And if you look at just some of the things that are apparently are going to be in there, it's tax cuts or the extension of tax cuts, especially for wealthier people, the border, and also energy as well. Where are the potential pitfalls and why do you think they're doing this?
LINDSTAEDT: Right. It's going to be a huge challenge to get this passed. I know the thinking behind it is that if they were to break it down into all these different separate bills then that would also pose huge challenges as well, because they'd have to negotiate in each bill with the Democrats. And with such a razor thin majority in the House was only really one defection that they can handle. This is a really different environment than when Trump entered the White House in 2017 when the Republicans had something like a 47-seat lead in the House. It's going to be very, very difficult to get anything passed without some cooperation of the Democrats.
So, at the very least, putting everything into one bill means this is going to take a very long time. It's going to be a lot of negotiation. And I think part of the problem is that they want huge spending cuts. They want a huge tax cut. And so, in 2017, they were able to engineer a massive tax cut, but that led to a ballooning of the budget deficit by 4 trillion.
And then they also, at the same time, want to spend all this money on immigration, on border security, and on this deportation plan. All of these things -- managing all these things and trying to find some Democrats to get on board with this is going to be incredibly challenging.
PLEITGEN: Natasha Lindstaedt in Colchester, England, thank you very much for joining us.
LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.
[04:15:00]
PLEITGEN: And we are keeping an eye on a developing story for you in South Korea, where both supporters and opponents of its impeached president, Yoon Seok Yeol, are holding rallies near his official residence. You're seeing live pictures on your screen. Investigators tried to arrest Yoon on Friday, but they backed down after a standout with his security detail. Police are now urging the country's acting president to order the security team to stand down and allow investigators to reach Yoon.
He's been charged with abuse of power and leading a rebellion over a martial law he briefly imposed last month. The arrest warrant against him is valid until Monday, but it could be extended. Now, all of this is happening just hours ahead of the arrival of the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, who will meet the acting president later today and they will discuss ways to improve U.S.-South Korean relations.
Despite optimism in recent weeks, officials now say there's little progress in the latest Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks. Thousands of anti-government protesters were on the streets of Tel Aviv in Israel Saturday night, and they are demanding a deal with Hamas to get the hostages home. One of the protesters said. Israel's government doesn't understand what is really important.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE CAMERON, PROTESTER: It definitely has to go. It's a very simple equation. When the government realizes that the people that they serve are more important than they themselves, perhaps we'll get the hostages back.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PLEITGEN: Of course, the war in Gaza continues. And officials in Gaza say Israeli strikes killed 28 people on Saturday. Gaza's civil defense says 11 people, including seven children were killed in a strike on a house east of Gaza City. The Israeli military says for the past week it's conducted what it calls operations in an area used by Hamas commanders as a hideout and terror complex, as the Israelis say. But in one of the areas hit Saturday, a witness says there were no members of Hamas present.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMJAD QANDI, WITNESS (through translator): I was waiting outside the bakery to get bread and get it to my kids. We felt an earthquake at the site. A full neighborhood was destroyed. There are no militants here. They're all women and children. You have to see the bodies. Go to the hospital, and you can find out they're all civilians. Why were they targeted? There are no militants in this area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: And our own Paula Hancocks has more on the ceasefire and hostage talks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indirect talks have resumed in Doha, Qatar between Hamas and Israel trying to secure a ceasefire and also the release of some 100 hostages still being held. Now, we understand from the Israeli delegation it is a working level delegation and we have heard from one official it is slow progress at this point.
We had been hearing from sources on both sides there was cautious optimism, but we have been here many times before. There have been many months of these negotiations, and as yet, they have not resulted in a ceasefire. But there was a stark reminder of exactly what is at stake as Hamas has released a video of one of the Israeli hostages. Liri Albag was a field observer at the Nahal Oz military base on October 7th, when she was taken hostage.
We are not airing the video itself, as requested by her family. We're also not divulging its contents, assuming that she was speaking under duress. We do have a statement from the family, though. They say that the video, quote, "Has torn our heart to pieces. This is not the daughter and sister we know. She is not well. Her severe psychological distress is evident."
The prime minister and president of Israel have spoken to the family. The president's telling them that the negotiations would continue until all 100 hostages come home.
Paula Hancock's CNN Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: New Orleans is in mourning days after a terrorist attack strikes the heart of the city. We'll have more on the fallout coming up next.
Plus, new evidence emerges in the Las Vegas Cybertruck bombing. What investigators are learning about the political grievances of the bomber as they search for a motive. Stay tuned.
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[04:20:00]
PLEITGEN: New Orleans is mourning the 14 people killed in the Bourbon Street terrorist attack. Several hundred people gathered for a candlelight vigil in the city's French Quarter on Saturday. Dozens of blue crosses, each bearing photos of the victims, stood in a row with Mardi Gras necklaces, flowers, and clothes draped over them. Meanwhile, a source says U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to attend a vigil in the city on Monday.
And the Reuters news agency is now reporting that new vehicle barriers being installed in New Orleans would have done almost nothing to prevent the New Year's attack. The new barriers reportedly can only withstand vehicle impacts of up to 16 kilometers or around 10 miles per hour. Months ago, an assessment found a similar truck model was capable of plowing through the area at speeds up to seven times faster. CNN's Rafael Romo reports on the prior warnings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN has learned that a security firm warned five years ago that the Bourbon Street area in New Orleans was especially vulnerable to a vehicular ramming attack. Both the FBI and ATF say the killer set fire to the short-term rental location where he stayed to destroy evidence including precursors for bomb making material. The FBI also says the killer intended to use a transmitter found in his truck to set off two improvised explosive devices that he had previously placed on Bourbon Street.
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Louisiana, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser accused New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell of failing to secure Bourbon Street despite requests made years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY NUNGESSER, LOUISIANA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: The mayor and her team failed miserably. You know, today I sent out a video of the balusters in front of Jackson Square. Historical Jackson. Two years we've been asking to get him replaced. I didn't let that out to the public because we didn't want people to know you could drive through that pedestrian mall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: New Orleans Mayor Cantrell said the day after the tragedy that over 10 years ago, the city undertook an infrastructure project that included installing bollards on Bourbon Street, but they would frequently malfunction and had to be replaced. She also said at the time of the attack, there was already a plan in motion to get those bollards replaced.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LATOYA CANTRELL, NEW ORLEANS MAYOR: We were able to build in bollard replacement into our Super Bowl infrastructure package. And because of that, the City of New Orleans has moved forward with that infrastructure that is nearing completion.
[04:25:00]
Bollards were not up because they are near completion, with the expectation of being completed, of course, by Super Bowl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: A royal source has told CNN that a British man killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack was the stepson of a woman who was the nanny of Prince William and Prince Harry. British media reported Edward Pettifer was the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, formerly known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who served as nanny for both princes for several years and is remembered that someone who supported them after their parents, Charles and Diana separated and especially following the death of the Princess of Wales.
Meanwhile, the Orleans parish coroner released the list of 12 of the 14 people who died in the attack. Seven of the victims were from Louisiana, but there were also others from Alabama, Mississippi, New Jersey, and New York, as well as the British national and one person who remains unidentified.
Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: Investigators looking into the New Year's Cybertruck bombing in Las Vegas have recovered a second letter from a cell phone left behind by the man responsible for the explosion. And they say it sheds more light on the political grievances he harbored in the final days of his life. Natasha Chen has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA CHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One letter that investigators believe was written by Livelsberger calls for action to remove Democrats from the federal government and from the military, including the possibility of occupying roads and federal buildings, not ruling out the use of force.
Another letter that investigators found outlines grievances, political grievances what he found wrong with American society and culture, supporting President Donald Trump and supporting Elon Musk. The investigators read a few excerpts from these letters to the media on Friday in hopes that it would provide some context to Livelsberger's state of mind and why he did this on New Year's Day. One of those excerpts said, time to wake up. We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves. Now, the day before the explosion, he had sent an e-mail to some online media outlets saying that he was in possession of a vehicle born improvised explosive device, that he was armed. U.S. officials also told CNN that he had been to see the military behavioral health program during recent months and was diagnosed with depression last year, but he was not assessed to be a risk for violence toward others or toward him toward himself.
Right now, investigators are still combing through a lot of evidence trying to look at all the data on his devices, and they said they're just scratching the surface of that.
Natasha Chen, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M PLEITGEN: And just ahead, we will bring you the latest on the winter storm, bringing ice, snow, and miserable temperatures to large parts of the United States.
Plus, the White House strengthens its response to bird flu, but is it enough? Ahead, I'll speak to a doctor on what can be done to prevent a possible pandemic. You are watching CNN Newsroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:30:00]
PLEITGEN: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Fred Pleitgen, and this is CNN Newsroom.
A powerful winter storm is creating a dangerous mix of precipitation across large swaths of the United States and more than 70 million people are now at risk. That includes some 4 million people in Eastern Kansas under blizzard warnings.
The storm system is expected to bring heavy snow, hazardous ice rain, and also severe thunderstorms stretching more than 1,300 miles across the country. Officials warn that blizzard conditions accompanied by winds gusting up to 40 miles an hour could create treacherous travel conditions and potential power outages across a vast region.
And the United States Department of Health and Human Services is investing more than $300 million to help monitor bird flu in the United States and help prepare for potential outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the risk to the general public remains low, but not everyone is convinced that Washington is doing enough to prevent what could be the next pandemic?
Dr. Deborah Birx is the former coronavirus response coordinator for the Trump White House, and she recently appeared on CNN saying the concern that a person could get infected with both seasonal flu and the H5N1 virus, that is bird flu, that could allow the two viruses to swap genetic segments, giving the bird flu virus more tools to better infect humans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DEBORAH BIRX, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: Well, certainly we're setting ourselves up for that potential, which you know, I flash back to January of 2020, and I'm hearing the same words come out of the CDC.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Like what?
DR. BIRX: Low risk. Low risk of human-to-human transmission. Didn't we hear that from the WHO and the CDC about COVID? So, I think our way through this is to use 21st century technology. Remember, it was the private sector that gave us tests within weeks. We went from 20,000 tests to 2 million tests. So, if we got the private sector engaged in our response, they would help us get tests out to all of the dairy farms, all the poultry farms, where they could test both the chickens and the people exposed to the chickens, and then we would know how far spread this virus was.
BROWN: It sounds like from what you're laying out, you don't think this country has learned from the COVID pandemic, and there's not a sense of urgency right now --
DR. BIRX: Our agencies are making the same mistakes they made with COVID.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: And the CDC responded after that interview saying such comments are about testing are what they say out of date and it added quote, "Despite data indicating that asymptomatic infections are rare, the CDC has changed its recommendations back in November to widen the testing net to include testing asymptomatic people with high risk exposure to avian flu."
And I am joined now by Dr. Scott Miscovich, the president and CEO of Premier Medical Group USA, and he joins us live from Kailua in Hawaii. Dr. Miscovich, the CDC says it's widened its testing net, but is it wide enough?
DR. SCOTT MISCOVICH, PRESIDENT AND CEO, PREMIER MEDICAL GROUP USA: Wow. Fred, likely not enough, and it's not fast enough. And I just think the viewers need to understand a little bit about what we're dealing with this -- with the bird flu.
They've been educated over the last five years, and I've spent a lot of time on CNN discussing it. You know, the thing they should know it is a single stranded or in a virus just like COVID, and it's been really slow and mutating. And that it was not unusual during COVID that we could have 200 mutations in a single region around the world.
[04:35:00]
And the mutation we worried about is that spike. We all saw it a million times about something changes, and then it allows it to stick on to the humans. Fortunately, that is not happening where it sticks to our respiratory track. But, you know, we're past the point where we're going to stop this spreading in animals. It's in more than 500 bird species, 70 mammalian species. It's in polar bears in the North Pole. It's in penguins and birds down in Antarctica. So, it's everywhere.
And so, what Dr. Brix is saying that we could be only one mutation away is very true. How do you deal with that? You test and you test everywhere. And we're not doing it. Remember, most of the positives in the U.S. are in our farmers. We have two-thirds that are in the cattle farmers, one-third in the chicken farmers and only a few unknown.
And she's sounding the alarm because over history, this avian flu has been 50 percent fatal. It's been around primarily in Egypt and Indonesia, but it's usually fatal. So, we're pretty lucky so far. And I totally agree with her about testing and the CDC is dragging its feet.
PLEITGEN: So, from what you're saying that mutation that could turn all of this into a virus that easily spreads from human to human or could spread from human to human could come if someone who has the regular flu contracts bird flu as well, and that could lead to some sort of mutation. How important is it for people watching right now to get their flu shots?
DR. MISCOVICH: I would say definitely this is a big exclamation point to get your flu shot. So, we are still seeing a lot of flu uptick right now. The last classic -- we're in a classic flu cycle where, you know, over Christmas and over the holidays, we see an upslope, we're seeing other respiratory viruses.
And as you highlighted through the Dr. Brix recording, if we see someone working in a farm region that gets the flu and they get the bird flu at the same time, there is something called antigenic shift which is where, you know, they almost come together and they take pieces of each other's virus and they basically have a baby, and that is the danger. We saw that likely back in the 1918 massive Spanish flu that occurred. So, very, very important that we see everybody get flu shots.
PLEITGEN: Yes. Dr. Scott Miscovich in Hawaii, thank you very much for joining us.
DR. MISCOVICH: Thank you, Fred.
PLEITGEN: And coming up, an American medic gives her view from Ukraine's frontline. Find out how one advantage the country enjoyed may be slipping away as Kyiv struggles to keep from losing more territory. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:40:00]
PLEITGEN: Welcome back, everyone. And Mexico says it will consider receiving non-Mexican deportees from the United States. On Friday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she's open to, quote, "collaborate" with the U.S. on returning migrants to their countries of origin.
Now, just last month, Sheinbaum said she would push U.S. President- Elect Donald Trump to handle non-Mexican deportees. This somewhat sudden change in position comes weeks before Trump's inauguration, of course. One of Trump's main campaign promises was to begin massive deportations, as he put it.
Meanwhile, a new report ranks Mexico as one of the most violent places on earth. And according to the group armed conflict location and event data, Mexico could face even more violence in the year ahead. Our Karol Suarez reports from Mexico City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAROL SUAREZ, JOURNALIST (voice-over): Mexico now shares a grim distinction with some of the world's most violent regions such as Syria and Myanmar. A new report exposes a troubling rise in political violence and organized crime, setting the stage for a turbulent and dangerous 2025.
ARMANDO RODRIGUEZ, SECURITY ANALYST (through translator): One of the key factors driving political violence is the presence of criminal groups across the territory. This is perhaps the main distinction compared to other countries included in the Global Index.
SUAREZ (voice-over): According to the report, Mexico is the second most dangerous country for civilians with attacks targeting political candidates, although analysts say the issue runs deeper,
FRANCISCO RIVAS, NATIONAL CITIZEN OBSERVATORY, MEXICO (through translator): I think, beyond whether it's second or third, Mexico is a country where citizens face high risks due to the presence of these criminal groups and the state's inability to restore peace.
SUAREZ (voice-over): Unlike other countries in the report, violence in Mexico is shaped by organized crime and internal political conflicts. The report places Mexico seventh in the number of deadliest events, fourth in conflict fragmentation, and 17th in the most diffuse conflicts.
RODRIGUEZ (through translator): This doesn't surprise us. It simply provides more insight into the local levels of violence happening in the country.
SUAREZ (voice-over): The Mexican government has not responded to CNN's request for comment on the report. President Claudia Sheinbaum has said the security in the country will improve, pointing to a drop in homicides in December.
RIVAS (through translator): But we are still far from achieving conditions that would allow Mexico to recover peace.
SUAREZ (voice-over): This data highlight persistent violence in Mexico, with forecasts pointing to a more violent 2025 driven by judicial elections and the fragmentation of criminal groups.
Karol Suarez, CNN Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: Austria's chancellor says he'll resign after talks to form a centrist governing coalition broke down for a second time. Karl Nehammer's resignation could pave the way to for the far-right, quote, "Freedom Party" to its own coalition government. That pro-Russia party has been locked out of talks, despite winning the biggest chair of the national vote in September. Nehammer withdrew from negotiations on Saturday, blaming what he calls destructive forces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL NEHAMMER, AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): My election campaign and my political activities were and are characterized by being the force of the political center in order to build a bulwark against the radicals. It is my deep conviction that radicals do not offer a solution to any problem, but only live by describing problems. That is bad for Austria, and it is bad for the people in our country.
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PLEITGEN: Moving on to Guatemala and Guatemala has completed its deployment of security forces in support of Haiti on Saturday. The final contingent of 75 military police arrived in Port-au-Prince, completing the total of 150 promised by the Guatemalan government to help battle gang violence in Haiti.
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The first 75 arrived on Friday together with troops from El Salvador. The multinational security support mission is headed up by Kenya, which has deployed about 400 police. Some 10 countries have promised more than 3,000 police, but that number has so far fallen short.
Venezuela's exiled former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia is back in South America after seeking asylum in Spain. The opposition leader kicked off what he's calling his international tour in Buenos Aires, in Argentina.
He met with Argentina's far-right president, Javier Millay, on Saturday. Gonzalez is also due to visit Uruguay and the United States. The trip is seen as a show of defiance to Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro ahead of his inauguration. Gonzalez fled to Spain last September after a warrant was issued for his arrest by Venezuelan prosecutors. Venezuela's contested election last July were marred by allegations of vote rigging. Gonzalez has pledged to return to Venezuela to inaugurate his own government.
In one of the more emotional acts of his last few weeks in office, U.S. President Joe Biden has awarded 19 people with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is, of course, the highest civilian honor in the United States. CNN's Julia Benbrook tells us who was chosen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a star-studded event here at the White House. The Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients represent a wide range of accomplishments in areas like philanthropy, politics, sports, and the arts. It's the nation's highest civilian honor, and the White House says it's reserved for people who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace or significant societal, public or private endeavors. President Joe Biden presented each of the awards and called the honorees an extraordinary group.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: For the final time as president, I have the honor of bestowing the Medal of Freedom on our nation's highest civilian honor on a group of extraordinary, truly extraordinary people who gave their sacred effort to shape the culture in the cause of America.
BENBROOK: Among those honored was Hillary Clinton, who received a standing ovation during the ceremony, she was honored for her decades long career in public service, her time as first lady, a U.S. senator, secretary of state, and the first woman to lead a major party ticket when she was the Democratic nominee for president back in 2016. During the ceremony, they said that her nomination broke barriers and inspired generations.
Also honored design industry Titan Ralph Lauren, whose clothing has been a longtime favorite of the Biden family. In fact, first granddaughter, Naomi Biden, got married here at the White House in 2022, wearing one of Lauren's designs. Renowned chef Jose Andres, whose work with World Central Kitchen has provided large scale relief to areas affected by natural disasters and conflict around the world.
Now, there were 19 honorees in total, and world-renowned conservationist Jane Goodall was one of them, Bill Nye the Science Guy, legendary basketball player Magic Johnson, editor in chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour, award winning actor Denzel Washington, and U2 frontman and philanthropist Bono.
Now, this event brought back memories of 2017 when Biden himself received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-President Barack Obama. It was a surprise and one that seemed to catch Biden off guard. He was visibly emotional during that ceremony.
At the White House, Julia Benbrook, CNN.
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PLEITGEN: And we earlier promised you an interview from Ukraine. We have been trouble getting that set up for technical reasons. We are on that. We are going to try and bring you that later. Meanwhile, stay tuned.
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[04:50:00] PLEITGEN: Welcome back, folks. Jeff Bezos space company, Blue Origin, says it plans to launch its newest rocket as early as next week. The uncrewed launch vehicle called the New Glenn, of course named after John Glenn, the first American in orbit, is roughly 100 meters tall, named for U.S. space pioneer John Glenn. It is the company's first attempt to send a rocket into orbit.
Blue Origin is hoping to chip away at SpaceX's industry dominance. Like its competitor, it plans to reuse the new Glenn's booster by guiding it safely back to Earth. It's theoretically capable of carrying larger object than SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. However, SpaceX is, of course, developing its Starship, that nearly 400-foot- tall rocket that would be the largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever constructed.
U.S. Olympic sprinter has been arrested and stun-gunned in a confrontation with police in Miami. Body cam footage obtained by CNN Shows the incident between officers and Fred Kerley. Authorities say he faces charges of battery, resisting officers, and disorderly conduct. They claim Kerley approached officers while they were conducting an unrelated investigation. They say he disregarded lawful commands and then pushed one of them before resisting officers' efforts to detain him.
The attorney for the Olympian says his client was treated, quote, like millions of African Americans throughout the country with a lack of humanity, compassion, or respect.
And the glitz and glamour of Hollywood will be on full display as the 82nd Golden Globes kicks off the award season. Entertainment journalists from around the world will decide on what represents the best this year on the big and of course also on the small screen.
Some of the films up for best drama include "Conclave" as well as the 2024 sequel to "Dune," "Complete Unknown," the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee Chalamet.
And speaking of Hollywood boys, Timothee Chalamet, he's also up for best acting for his role in quote, "A Complete Unknown." And the movie "Wicked" could potentially clean up the globes. The film is nominated for best picture, musical, or comedy, as well as it stars Cynthia Erivo for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, musical, or comedy and Ariana Grande for best supporting actress.
But all eyes on this year's host, history will be made as comedienne Nikki Glaser becomes the first woman to host the award solo. The Golden Globes takes place tonight and are voted on by entertainment journalists from around the world.
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And finally, here's a story to spruce up your day. Unsold Christmas trees are getting a new second life as part of a festive feast for Berlin's zoo animals that's been delighting animals and humans alike.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PLEITGEN (voice-over): Change on the menu at the Berlin Zoo. in a brilliant fusion of sustainability and fine dining for our four-legged friends. Zoo animals are once again savoring some Christmas leftovers. It's a yearly tradition in which Christmas tree sellers donate their unsold organic trees to the zoo that become crunchy treats for the animals.
Zookeepers say the branches are eaten or played with. But one thing you won't find here is a used Christmas tree that was once in someone's house.
JENNIFER GEUBERT, BERLIN ZOO CURATOR FOR HOOVED ANIMALS (through translator): We only take trees straight from wholesale that haven't been sold already. We don't take any trees from private homes, as it's really important that there's no tinsel or fake snow or anything like that on the tree that would be poisonous or bad for the animal.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The post-holiday buffet has become a draw for zoo visitors, who say it's fun to watch the animals enjoy the trees, maybe even a little more than humans do.
KAI LEHMANN, BERLIN ZOO VISITOR (through translator): We thought the trees would be too spiky and were wondering how they could even eat them with their tongues. But they are munching away and don't seem to be at all bothered.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): This year, a pair of giraffes were fed some of the trees for the first time. Served, of course, as only a giraffe would like, hoisted high up in the air. And after a sniff and some nibbles, it looked like another successful meal at the Berlin Zoo.
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PLEITGEN (on camera): Berlin Zoo, always worth a visit. And I'm Fred Pleitgen in London. I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom in just a moment. Stay with us.
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