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Russia Pounds Kyiv ahead of Sunday's Peace Talks; Severe Weather Threatens California; Woman Pleads Not Guilty in Murder of 9- Year-Old Daughter; Venezuela "Blockade"; Ukraine's "Dancing with the Stars" to Help the Wounded; Israeli Minister Calls for "Death Penalty for Terrorists" Law; Michigan Names Kyle. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired December 27, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Russia launches a major overnight attack on Ukraine's capital city ahead of president Zelenskyy's meeting with president Trump. We'll have the latest in a live report.

Storms are pounding California day after day this week. We'll have a look at the forecast ahead and the toll the severe weather has already taken on residents.

Plus, president Trump suggests the Justice Department move on from the Epstein files. But frustration seems to only be mounting over how the administration is handling the issue.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Emergency crews are scrambling to contain fires across Kyiv following a massive strike overnight.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Well, that was the moment a Russian drone slammed into a residential building in Ukraine's capital. Officials say at least one person is dead and 19 others wounded, as Russia pounded the city for eight hours. Some 3,000 buildings have already lost heat amid the freezing winter weather.

Now that's all happening as the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents prepare for new peace talks on Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says they're largely on the same page but some of the toughest issues are yet to be resolved. Nada Bashir is monitoring those developments and she joins us from London.

So now to the timing of this major attack, certainly interesting. Walk us through what we've been seeing.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This has been a massive scale attack, as we've seen over the last at least eight hours now taking place, targeting the country's capital, Kyiv.

And as we've been hearing from residents and officials on the ground, drones are said to have targeted the city overnight, targeting residential buildings. Many of them now have been hit and engulfed in flames. Many are without heat and electricity.

We've been hearing from residents on the ground who have been forced to leave their homes as a result of this large-scale attack and we've been hearing from one of our reporters on the ground in Kyiv describing the sound of drones coming in overnight.

And a real sense of shock, of course, for residents in Kyiv, given the scale of this attack. And this is something that the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned about over the Christmas period.

The Ukrainian armed forces had been put on high alert in anticipation of a possible ramping-up of Russia's assault on Ukraine. And we have certainly seen that over the last few days.

Daily attacks, daily aerial assaults by Russia on Ukrainian territory. And we've seen, of course, many families being forced to celebrate the Christmas period away from their loved ones, many away from their homes, still internally displaced. Another Christmas being celebrated under wartime conditions.

And, of course, this comes, as you mentioned, Kim, as we are seeing some indications of potential progress in peace talks to try to come to some long-term ceasefire plan between Russia and Ukraine.

And it comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that he would be traveling to the United States on Sunday to meet with the U.S. president, Donald Trump, to continue to hammer out the details of that peace plan.

Now according to the Ukrainian president, some 90 percent of that peace plan has already been reviewed and hammered out. That is according to the Ukrainian president. President Trump has said that nothing is done until he has confirmed it himself.

But there have been some indications of Ukraine's willingness to make crucial concessions, including on ceding territory. And, of course, for many in Ukraine, this might be a slight moment of hope as they continue to face deadly bombardment. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't expect any dramatic changes. The strikes will continue but I sincerely hope their intensity will decrease and that over time things will gradually subside. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I believe Russia has no

intention of changing anything. And as for what they expect from us, we cannot accept it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now the Ukrainian president has indicated that Ukraine may be willing to cede some territory in the Donetsk region. This is something that Russia has long pushed for and something that the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has said could be a positive move when it comes to hammering out that peace deal.

[04:05:04]

U.S. President Donald Trump also expected to speak with Putin in the coming days, as well. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: I appreciate that. Nada Bashir in London with the latest.

A final round of heavy rain could cause new damage in California. Days of flooding created mudslides and debris flows that buried homes and cars in Wrightwood, California. That's about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Since last weekend, waves of storms have killed at least four people, forced evacuations and led to more than 100 rescues. In the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, two ski patrollers were injured in an avalanche on Friday. More than five feet of snow has fallen there since Tuesday.

I want to bring in Andrew Rorke, who's a senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Los Angeles and he joins us live from Oxnard, California.

Thanks so much for being here with us. I appreciate it. This has just been an incredibly intense week in California. We're hearing about homes buried in mud, people rescued off rooftops. At least four deaths as we sit here Saturday morning.

What is the situation on the ground right now?

ANDREW RORKE, SENIOR METEOROLOGIST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, LOS ANGELES: Fortunately, the ground and in the sky is quite good now. We have -- the rain has ended. It has exited to the east. We have clear skies overhead. We do not have rain in the forecast for at least another five days.

So now people can turn their attention to cleaning up, digging out and making the best of whatever has happened to them, which, in some cases, has been horrific with mudslides, flash flooding and everything else.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Speaking of those mudslides, I mean, Wrightwood got absolutely hammered. The fire burn that we saw in 2024, I mean, that scar seems to have played a big role there. Describe what happens in situations like that that we're seeing in Wrightwood. RORKE: What happened in Wrightwood is that they received up to eight

inches of rain in less than 18 hours. All of that rain liquefied the ash and the debris and everything, causing it to flow in enormous volumes. And that's what eight inches of rain will do to it.

And then it was just like a river except the river contains just all this ash debris, dirt and debris. It was just really horrible that -- you saw the images. They were just disastrous.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, we're just showing some of those images right now. And because of that, I mean, we saw some 100 water rescues in L.A. County alone this week. Many people clearly tried to drive through flooded roads.

I mean, what would you wish people understood about how quickly these flash floods can turn deadly?

RORKE: Flash floods can turn deadly. And as you alluded to, though, people really need to learn that it doesn't take much water at all across a road to pick up a truck and move it away.

You know, you might think you're safe in a four-wheel drive but, really, you're not. The weather service strongly urges people to never try to cross roads that are flooding with water.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Now this forecast, I understand it was a one-in-five years type of storm. I mean, walk us through what exactly made this particular storm system so dangerous, compared to what we normally see in California in terms of winter rain

RORKE: Actually, we're thinking this is more like a one-in-25-year storm. The last time we saw anything like this was 2005. It is, like most big soakers in California, the result of an atmospheric river.

This atmospheric river just happened to affect most of the state. And by Christmas, it had moved down out Northern California into Southern California.

And essentially, it's just a narrow band of very, very wet, moist air that, when it meets the state and especially all the mountains we have in California, gets lifted up and produces copious rain.

And they don't move very fast, which is why it was hung around for 48 to 60 hours, just continuously dumping rain, sometimes more rain in three days than some areas get in a year.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, it's just incredible. Some of those areas that were really hard hit, you saw some homes were able to survive it better because of preparations that they've done in terms of clearing and changing the landscape and so on.

I mean, what should people be doing?

Because obviously these types of storms seem to be happening more and more often now. RORKE: Sometimes with flooding, is there's not a lot you can do to be

prepared. You have to be prepared to evacuate when your house may be in danger. You can do lots of things to make your house less vulnerable to fire by clearing debris and everything.

But in terms of a wall of water or a wall of debris, your best course of action is just to have your go bag ready. And emergency officials tell you to go, don't hesitate to get out of the way.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Important advice there. Really appreciate it, Andrew Rorke. Thank you so much.

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RORKE: No problem. Glad to have.

BRUNHUBER: Well, more than 23 million people on the U.S. East Coast are waking up to winter storm warnings. The region is getting heavy snow and treacherous ice, with the heaviest snow expected in the coming hours.

The FlightAware website says the storm has already forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights in New York and Philadelphia. Parts of New York could get up to 10 inches of snow. New York City could have its biggest snowfall in years.

Now in Michigan, ice is weighing down trees and power lines. The website poweroutage.us says tens of thousands of customers have lost power.

President Trump is raging about the Jeffrey Epstein files as the Justice Department pores over additional documents. When those files might be released to the public, that is ahead.

And gasps in California as they look in the courtroom as a mother accused of brutally murdering her 9-year-old daughter enters a plea. We'll have the details and a look at the evidence police have gathered about the killing. We'll have that story ahead. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: I want to get more now on those storms that pummeled California. Days of flooding created mudslides and debris flows that buried homes and cars and Wrightwood, California, northeast of Los Angeles.

And joining me now from Wrightwood is Elisha Gorman. She's the founder of the nonprofit Wrightwood's Littlest Pet Shop and The PurrGround cat arcade, joining us by phone.

Thanks so much for being here with us. You're in one of those hardest- hit areas. I mean, walk us through what happened on Christmas Eve when that water just started coming in.

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ELISHA GORMAN, FOUNDER, WRIGHTWOOD'S LITTLEST PET SHOP AND THE PURRGROUND: What happened?

Our washes got washed out and our streets started overflowing. And it became a nightmare on Christmas Eve. And unfortunately, one of the streets that got hit really hard is Pine Street. And our cat rescue is at the bottom of that street.

So by the time we got over there, it was just a river flowing to the front door; debris, mud up to the door handle. And we had to get manpower and sand bags to reroute the water before we could even -- it was just a nightmare.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I can imagine. We're just showing some of the pictures of the aftereffects. You're seeing some of that water and mud.

I mean, what was it like, I mean, going through your mind as you're trying to keep those animals safe?

GORMAN: Well, I was scared to see what was inside the building. And luckily, where most of the cats are housed is more in the back of the building. So the water had only come halfway through and the cats have very high towers. So luckily everybody could be up above.

Except for our lobby cat, Mo (ph). He was kind of floating on his cat tower in the lobby. But he's OK.

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BRUNHUBER: I mean, it just must be absolutely terrifying for the animal. Glad that so many of them were OK.

I mean, I understand in terms of, you know, the community, I mean, they really stepped up for you. Tell me about those -- the volunteers who showed up with shovels and so on to kind of redirect the mud away from the building.

GORMAN: Well, our community is amazing. When we realized we needed a ton more sandbags than what we already have, when my husband and another friend had showed up to the fire department.

Not only was there firemen loading sandbags and bagging them, there was other volunteers that -- just community members that were there to see if people needed help.

They would follow them back to their house and help them with shovels. And that's what happened in our case.

A couple of people just jumped in my husband's car and came with us to the cat place. And next thing you know, I was kind of trapped in the building at that moment, dealing with the inside flooding. And when I looked out the front door, I could see them shoveling and

sandbagging and cars were just pulling up back to back. It was amazing. Without that, the flooding would have just -- it just would have been worse. So the community, this community is amazing. Everybody pulls together here.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Oh, my gosh. Just must have been terrifying to see that. Now we're showing some of the shoveling and so on that the volunteers were doing. But there are people, you know, elderly, disabled people, who couldn't, you know, get out and shovel and so on.

How are they faring?

How are the other residents in your community faring right now?

GORMAN: Everybody is taking care of each other. We have a community page and, anytime somebody felt they were in trouble, if they could, they would post, "I'm at this address on this street."

And next thing you know, you would have a ton of comments, with people saying, we're on our way. And people would go and save the day, even with food. Even after the fact, fact, you know, people were really prepared to have families over for Christmas and people were cooking a lot of food.

And next thing you know, you have no power and you have all this food.

And so people are like, where do you live?

And they're dropping off meals or some people that were able to get out, like, I have a really good friend. And he went to McDonalds in the morning and got a ton of breakfast and was passing it out in the morning to people that needed it.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. It's great to hear stories like that, when the community comes together at times like these and we're just showing some of the pictures that are just incredible, with cars displaced and homes just absolutely trashed by all of this water.

And this is a community that already went through the Bridge fire back in September. Now you have no power for days. The drinking water isn't safe.

How are the residents coping with all that and businesses, too?

I mean, this is an important time of the year. The holiday weekend being so important for a community like yours as well.

GORMAN: It is so important. There's only a few times out of the year here that the businesses really rely on the tourism that comes up, because we're a resort town. So this is going to hit them tremendously. This is a moneymaker weekend and we rely on it. And now it's residents only.

We have no power. So it's everybody's going to take a hit really hard. And as far as us right now, we're very lucky in the sense our local grocery store and gas station, they got their generators up and running. The trucks are bringing supplies. So at least we can go into town and get supplies that we need, which is amazing.

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Like shout out to them. They're always there for us.

BRUNHUBER: This type of thing, terrible anytime it happens. But certainly around this time of year, it just hits even more. I really hope that everybody in your community gets the help they need. Really appreciate hearing from you, Elisha Gorman. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

GORMAN: All right. Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: President Trump continues to vent his frustration over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein documents. On a Truth Social post, he suggested the Justice Department focus on his claims of election fraud instead of parsing through the rest of the documents.

This comes after the Justice Department announced more than a million more pages potentially related to the Epstein case were found. The department says it may need a few more weeks to review all the documents before releasing them.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz has the latest on the Justice Department's timeline for releasing those documents.

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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: We don't know when the next batch will be out or how long it will take for the Justice Department to get through all of the Epstein files for public release.

But we know there is quite a large amount still to go. Attorneys are being asked to volunteer their time, at least out of the Miami U.S. attorney's office over the holidays to look through documents that the Justice Department needs to have redacted.

So that they can be made transparent under that congressional act related to the Epstein files, demanding all of them are released publicly.

On top of that, the Justice Department just tweeting this week that they now believe they have a million more documents to go through that were in the hands of the FBI and the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, that were the ones who did that very massive case against Ghislaine Maxwell, the coconspirator of Epstein.

And also, they had charged Epstein in 2019. We know that, from that investigation, there were some 300 gigabytes. That is a lot of data, of paper, video, photos and audios that had been in the hands of the FBI for the federal investigations of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

All of this is creating a perfect storm, where the Justice Department, they just aren't meeting the deadline that had been set by Congress of last Friday to release all of the Epstein files. How Congress responds to it now still remains to be seen.

There are quite a few members of Congress that are very unhappy about this discussion about potentially holding the attorney general in contempt. But other than that, all there is to do is to wait and see exactly what is next for Epstein files and to see just how much out there is still to come and what in it may be new and revelatory -- back to you.

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BRUNHUBER: And political analyst Michael Genovese says the Epstein files will be an enduring problem for the president and the Justice Department in the year ahead. Trump might have hoped it would go away but Genovese says he's losing some of his base over it. Here he is.

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MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: The Department of Justice is facing a lot of criticism. They have had their thumb on the scale for Donald Trump, not the victims. And they've lost a lot of credibility.

There's been a blowback. A lot of people are talking about contempt charges filed against the attorney general, Bondi.

But Donald Trump, he promised to drain the swamp. And on the Jeffrey Epstein matter, he's the swamp. He and his rich friends, who would visit the island or be on his plane or hang out with him.

And so Donald Trump is losing a key element of his base, the Christian conservative base, who take this very seriously. Donald Trump is speaking, especially at his Christmas time address, with more empathy toward the men who were named than of the victims of this.

And so there's a real problem for Donald Trump. He has long believed that he could distract the voter and that they have a short attention span. But on this, this story will not go away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Investigators in California are searching for a possible motive in the killing of a 9-year-old, Melodee Buzzard. The child's mother, Ashlee, stunned the courtroom Friday when she entered a plea of not guilty after being arrested and charged with murdering her daughter.

Melodee's body was discovered in the Utah desert months after school officials called police to do a welfare check on the girl. Josh Campbell has more.

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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: An update in the tragic case of Melodee Buzzard, the missing nine-year-old California girl whose remains, police said were found this month in the state of Utah. Her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, made her first appearance in court on

Friday, charged with first degree murder in connection with the death of her daughter. In this brief hearing, Ashlee Buzzard entered a plea of not guilty. CNN has reached out to the public defender representing her for comment.

Authorities gave an update on Tuesday, laying out various items of evidence that they believe connects the mother to this alleged killing. They said that includes forensic evidence, digital evidence, as well as ballistics evidence, including a comparison of ammunition found at the crime scene with ammo found at the Buzzard's family home.

[04:25:04]

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SHERIFF BILL BROWN, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Sheriff's detectives along with the FBI evidence response team responded and served follow-up search warrants at the home of Ashlee Buzzard.

During the search of the Mars Avenue residence, an expended cartridge case was recovered. Cartridge cases found at the Utah crime scene resulted in a NIBIN hit linking them to the single cartridge case that was found at the Buzzard residence.

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CAMPBELL: Now this all started in October when the young girl's school contacted authorities after they had not heard from her for some time. Authorities launched an investigation. They determined that over the course of days, both the mother and the daughter traveled about 1,000 miles from California east as far as the state of Kansas.

Authorities released CCTV footage as part of their investigation that allegedly showed both the mother and the daughter wearing wigs.

Police say that at times the license plates on their vehicle were swapped out. The mother returned to California, the young girl was not with her. Authorities say that the mother wasn't cooperative, and she didn't have a plausible explanation about where her daughter was.

Police say a couple out taking photographs in Utah discovered human remains earlier this month and called police. Investigators say they were able to identify those remains as belonging to Melodee Buzzard based on DNA analysis -- Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.

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BRUNHUBER: New York now requires social media platforms to display warning labels about potential harm to young users' mental health. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the new law.

It targets features like infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithm- driven feeds that encourage excessive use. It will apply to platforms available in New York. Violations can lead to civil penalties of up to $5,000 per incident. California and Minnesota have similar laws. All right. We'll take a quick break. For viewers here in North

America, we'll have more news in a moment. For our international viewers, "CNN CREATORS" is next.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States and Canada. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Southern California is getting a much-needed reprieve after days of heavy downpours caused flash flooding and mudslides. But the danger remains with more rain in the forecast next week.

Storms hit the area over the holidays, bringing as much as a foot of rain to the foothills east of Los Angeles. The small town of Wrightwood is just starting to clean up after streams of mud cascaded through the area, burying cars and damaging homes.

Strong winds also uprooted trees across the region, leaving many areas without power or drinkable water.

Nigeria's foreign ministry says no civilians were killed in the Christmas Day airstrikes the U.S. carried out against Islamic State terrorists. The foreign minister says Nigeria acted jointly with the U.S. He also says the strikes weren't about religion but about fighting terrorism and protecting lives and property.

But the people of Jabo in northwestern Nigeria say they were shocked and confused by the bombing. They say the area isn't known for terrorist attacks because Muslims and Christians there live in harmony. CNN's Larry Madowo joins us live from London.

So Larry, plenty of questions and controversy surrounding these strikes.

What's the latest?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's some shock and confusion in Sokoto. This is the state in northwestern Nigeria where the attacks were carried out, these missile attacks by the United States, coordinated with the Nigerians.

And many of the residents say, yes, they have some kidnappings, some banditry and even some attacks from armed groups like Lakurawa, which is affiliated with the Islamic State. But they haven't had any major conflicts in the way that other parts of the northeast in Nigeria have seen.

And they don't understand why they were the target for this. The state is 90 percent Muslim. They coexist peacefully with the Christian minority there. And so they were a little taken aback by that and surprised.

So you see, what you're looking at right now is the aftermath in neighboring Kwara state. We haven't seen any civilian casualties but we also haven't seen any other casualties. The battle damage assessment has not been given, even though the American military said that several ISIS combatants were taken out in this attack.

But after it happened, the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu, who approved these airstrikes, met with religious leaders, including a gentleman who has been one of the main proponents of the Christian genocide that has become an animating issue for the U.S. conservatives.

And he, after that, appeared to change his tune, supporting president Bola Tinubu for taking some action against the concerns that have been raised, rising within the Nigerian Christian community, that the government was not doing enough to keep them safe.

And there's been a repeated cycle of attacks targeting Christians, targeting kidnappings, targeting schools. This is what the chair of the Christian Association of Nigeria said.

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DANIEL OKOH, PRESIDENT, CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA: We are seeing renewed efforts and renewed commitment, you know, to strengthen the security architecture and to make sure that at least Nigerians will be going out in peace and coming back in peace.

Of course, there is still a lot to be done but we know that the president has done, started very well and we pray that this will be sustained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: President Trump said he decided to have these airstrikes take place on Christmas Day as a Christmas present to the Islamist terrorists. And that is the point of disagreement between the Nigerians and the Americans.

The Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, told CNN that terrorism is a regional security issue in the Sahel, this arid part of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert that comes from the Atlantic, all across the Red Sea.

And that's why many of the residents in that part of Africa are Muslim and they have suffered the most from these attacks. They disagree with the American characterization as Christians getting persecuted. They welcome any foreign involvement in tackling terrorism, period.

And that is where this push and pull exists. The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said there's more to come, so it's not clear if there will be more airstrikes or there will be boots on the ground at this time. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate that update. Larry Madowo in London. Thanks so much.

Sources tell CNN that the U.S. administration hasn't given up its pursuit of the oil tanker that was chased near Venezuela last weekend. The Bella 1 fled when the Coast Guard tried to stop it and is still on the run.

[04:35:00]

Officials no longer expect it to return to Venezuela to load up with oil. Those familiar with the situation say the U.S. is considering sending a maritime special response team to seize it. The team has experienced boarding ships that refused to submit.

The White House says the Bella 1 is a dark fleet vessel sailing under a false flag and covered by U.S. sanctions.

A group of Venezuelans who were sent to a maximum security prison in El Salvador are trying to challenge their deportation. In U.S. court, a U.S. judge ruled this week that the Trump administration must arrange for the return of hundreds who were deported and held in prison in San Salvador.

The ruling says the men's right to due process was violated and they can challenge their deportation. In the United States, it requires the Trump administration to present a plan within two weeks for their return.

The administration had invoked the 18th century Alien Enemy Act to deport the men, claiming they were gang members and foregoing hearings. Many of their lawyers and families say they have no links to gangs.

One of the biggest franchises in television is coming back to Ukraine for a special performance, not in spite of Russia's war but because of it. Have a look.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): All right. You're getting a sneak peek at tomorrow's premiere of "Dancing with the Stars." It showcases all of the glitz, glamor and grace you would expect from the global hit. But this is Ukraine, where Russia's full-scale invasion is felt everywhere.

Now many dancers impacted by that conflict performed with prosthetic limbs. Rehearsals were at times held in the dark when energy grids were bombed offline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: This year's show is in support of the Superhumans Center, a clinic providing rehabilitation in many forms to wounded vets. Marina Mazepa is a Ukrainian movement artist and actress living here in the United States, taking part in this effort. And Marina joins me live from Kyiv. Thank you so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it. Just

before we talk about this, this project, I just want to start with the latest news there in Ukraine. I mean, we've been seeing that -- those huge attacks on Kyiv. I mean, you're right there.

Now what have you been seeing?

MARINA MAZEPA, UKRAINIAN MOVEMENT ARTIST AND ACTOR: Good morning, everyone.

Yes, I'm in Kyiv currently and it was another hard night in Kyiv. Very loud; I haven't slept all night. I -- explosion sirens during this night. It was just terrible. Homes were damaged and cars burned, people injured again. And the energy infrastructure was damaged.

So my condolences to all the families who had losses because we had losses this night as well.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. You speak of, I mean, having losses.

How do you mean?

MAZEPA: During, you know, like, we watch the news just like everybody else. I don't have personal -- personally, me, I don't have losses, thankfully. But I know how many people just lost their families or members of their families.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And it sounds like you feel this personally whenever you see anything like this happening in your community, in your city.

And as all of this is happening, I mean, the last thing many of us are thinking about is dance. But I mean, you're rehearsing for this special episode of "Dancing with the Stars."

I mean, what's it like trying to put together a show in the middle of all of this?

MAZEPA: You know, I think, during four years of war, even now, despite the war, I think Ukrainians are willing and can create powerful and meaningful projects like "Dancing with the Stars."

And the rehearsals were all in blackouts. Sometimes I would, like, start rehearsing around 10 pm because light would come back for two or three hours during night, usually at night. And everything ran on generators.

The "Dancing with the Stars" pavilion was powered by a 500-kilowatt generator, one of the most powerful in the country. And it broke down overnight right before the recording. And as a result, we didn't have the general rehearsals. Rehearsals were canceled.

So we were supposed to just go on stage and perform as whatever we had before. So -- and the team was so small, it was only seven people in production and around 200 people only, including the contractors. So everyone just understood how crazy the situation was. But we just wanted to make it happen. [04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: And to explain for viewers, I mean, we're showing that footage there, that's why the screen is dark. And you saw people using their flashlights trying to -- trying to light things as they're --

(CROSSTALK)

BRUNHUBER: -- yes, exactly. I mean, just a surreal experience as you're trying to mount this production. And in terms of what this is for, the show is raising money for the Superhumans Center. This is the same place that Prince Harry visited earlier this year.

I spoke to somebody associated with that a couple of months ago, quite an incredible project. I mean, you're dancing alongside people like one woman, I understand, who lost her leg at 18 and now helps other veterans learn to live with prosthetics.

I mean, what does it mean to you to share the stage with someone like her?

MAZEPA: It was incredible to watch people, Superhumans dancing on the floor. So the this is -- this was a special show. It's called Movement for Life. And Superhumans, for -- to support Superhumans fundraising for targeted evacuation.

It's like an -- it's an innovative system for rapidly transporting severe wounded soldiers with the limbs from the ground.

I was so shocked. And it was just touched me so deeply to see strong people, despite their conditions, dance on the floor. And their performance was choreographed, by the way, by Olena Shoptenko, whom -- she won "Dancing with the Stars" with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2006.

And personally me, I created a performance that -- called Live. I spelled with my body L-I-V-E. It's a message to the whole world. It's about evolution, rebirth and strength. L means for light. I will show you my -- that's my art. So that's what I performed and danced and spoke about each letter.

Light, Identity, the Void and Evolve -- evolution. And together, this, Live, (INAUDIBLE) in Ukrainian.

This is Ukrainian embroidery, (speaking foreign language). So I just want to say this is about inner strength. And it's about believing in yourself so -- and this strength within yourself to rise above trauma.

BRUNHUBER: It's such a powerful message, being expressed both in language and in dance, as you say.

I want to ask you about a message that you want to send now. I mean, you grew up in Ukraine. You trained at the circus academy in Kyiv. Now you're living in L.A., working in Hollywood. So you've kind of got one foot in each world.

When you -- when you're back home and you see what people are going through, there in Kyiv, across the country, what do you think Americans still don't fully understand about what's happening, especially as we're debating now how much support we should be giving Ukraine here in this country?

MAZEPA: Ukrainians, I adore and I am so proud of Ukrainian spirit and their strength. It's not only about they're pleading for help but, even through these dark times, they can -- they continue living, they continue creating.

They continue, not create; they continue, create their art and speak to the whole world through different ways, in different ways, I think. And I just want the whole world to know how powerful we are, Ukrainians.

And I'm so proud to be a Ukrainian and so proud to be here right now, during this, these dark times, to understand it, personally, how it is and feel it through and support my family and my friends and my followers

BRUNHUBER: It's a message, I'm sure, that will resonate loud and clear in the show Sunday, "Dancing with the Stars." Really appreciate having you on, talking about all this, Marina Mazepa. Thank you so much.

MAZEPA: Thank you so much for having me

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll be right back here on CNN NEWSROOM. Please stay with. Us.

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BRUNHUBER: Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after weeks of fierce border clashes. Both countries announced the deal a short time ago. It follows nearly three weeks of clashes that have killed more than 100 people.

As part of the agreement, the two countries agreed to maintain current troop deployments with no further movement. Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire in the fall that Donald Trump helped broker. The fighting resumed earlier this month when that ceasefire broke down.

Israel's military was ordered to launch an operation in the occupied West Bank after a car and knife attack in northern Israel on Friday. Police say the suspect, a Palestinian man, killed two people when he ran over a pedestrian with a car and stabbed a teen girl. CNN's Matthew Chance has more from Jerusalem.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, police are calling it a rolling terror attack, in which two people have been killed in northern Israel.

The suspect, a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank, ran over a 68- year-old Israeli man in the city of Beit She'an, according to police, and then stabbed a teenage Israeli woman near a kibbutz. A 16-year-old boy is also said to have been left injured.

Police say the attacker was ultimately confronted by a civilian bystander and then evacuated to a hospital in what's described as a moderate condition. Shortly after the attacks, a military operation in the West Bank city of Qabatiya, believed to be the suspect's hometown, was launched.

In a statement, the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said that he instructed the army to act forcefully and to immediately locate and thwart every terrorist and every terrorist infrastructure in the city.

Well, the attack has also fueled calls in Israel for even tougher anti-terrorism measures, with Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying the attack demonstrates, quote, "the urgent need to pass a death penalty for terrorists," which the Israeli government is currently debating.

"Anyone who sets out to carry out anti-Semitic terror attacks must know that Israel will not allow them to continue living. We'll send them straight to hell."

[04:50:04]

That's what Ben-Gvir said in a statement after the latest incidents, illustrating just how tense the bloodletting continues to be in this region -- Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.

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BRUNHUBER: An explosion during Friday prayers in a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs killed at least eight people. The attack injured another 18 people. Explosive devices were planted in the mosque to target worshipers, according to Syria's state news agency. The interior sustained heavy damage and was strewn with debris.

Survivors described the scene as chaos. A group calling itself Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility. Syrian officials have not yet commented on the claim.

At least 15 people were injured yesterday in a knife attack at a tire factory in the central Japanese town of Mishima. Police say a 38-year- old man stabbed eight people and injured others by spraying a liquid believed to be bleach. Five of those stabbed were reported to be in serious condition. The suspect was arrested at the scene.

Authorities say he was carrying a survival knife and appeared to be wearing a gas mask. No word yet on a possible motive.

All right. Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, what's in a name?

Well, quite a lot if you ask this jazz musician, who pulled out of a holiday show at the renamed Trump Kennedy Center. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The University of Michigan has named its new football coach. Kyle Whittingham, from the University of Utah, will take over the program. Michigan football great and ESPN host Desmond Howard says Whittingham is, quote, "your favorite coach's favorite coach."

Whittingham has agreed to a five-year contract to replace disgraced former coach Sean Moore.

[04:55:04]

Sean Moore was fired earlier this month after it was learned of his inappropriate relationship with a staffer. Two months later, Moore was charged with three crimes. Prosecutors say he barged into the apartment of a woman he was having an affair with and threatened to kill himself.

The president of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., is sharply rebuking a jazz musician who challenged a Christmas performance because Donald Trump, his name, was added to the name of the venue.

In a letter obtained by CNN, Richard Grenell criticized jazz artist Chuck Redd for pulling out of the annual concert and he called Redd's move "classic intolerance" and costly to the nonprofit arts institution.

Grenell is known as a Trump loyalist. He praised Trump's leadership as chairman of the board and said the center would seek $1 million in damage. The name change has sparked outrage from lawmakers, patrons and the Kennedy family. Chuck Redd said the name change saddened him.

While the countdown to New Year's is on, crews installed the New Year's Eve 2026 numerals in New York's famed Times Square earlier today. Each number is seven feet tall.

Organizers say there are 594 LED light pucks on the numbers. This is the first year the numbers will change color and match the design on the New Year's Eve ball.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): And have a look at this in Prague. Hundreds of swimmers plunged into an icy river for a post-Christmas tradition. More than 300 people swam in temperatures around 37 degrees Fahrenheit. That's around 3 degrees Celsius.

And one swimmer, who has done this for more than 30 years, says it does wonders for her mental health.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MIROSLAVA STANKOVA, WINTER SWIMMER (through translator): It gives my soul and body a feeling of relief from negative emotions and from the stress that surrounds us and that we cannot somehow absorb mentally. The water simply takes away the nervousness and stress.

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BRUNHUBER: I've done that. I do not recommend it.

That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.