Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Post-Thanksgiving Travel May be Complicated Due to Wet Weather; Passenger Surge Expected in U.S. Airports This Sunday; Biden, To Try to Get Rid of Assault Weapons; Ban on Assault Weapons Does Not Have Sufficient Votes to Pass. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired November 26, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Buenos dias. And welcome to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Boris Sanchez.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Sara Sidner in for Amara Walker.

If you're heading home for Thanksgiving, brace yourself, sorry to bring the bad news, but holiday travel headaches could be in the forecast. We'll have your latest weekend weather and tell you which state could get hit the hardest.

SANCHEZ: Plus, President Biden renewing calls for stricter gun control after a string of mass shootings. But will a divided Congress really get anything done?

SIDNER: And authorities find a North Carolina woman dead in Mexico while on vacation. Now, an arrest warrant is out for one of her friends. We'll have the latest on the investigation.

SANCHEZ: Plus, new video of a remarkable rescue. A Thanksgiving miracle after a man falls overboard on a Carnival cruise ship. We're going to tell you how this rescue mission went down and update you on how he's doing this morning.

Welcome to the weekend. We're grateful to have you this Saturday, November 26th. We hope you're past that Thanksgiving/Black Friday haze that seems to hit every Thanksgiving Day weekend.

Good morning, Sara, great to be with you.

SIDNER: Good morning, Boris. Did you have a good Thanksgiving, I hope?

SANCHEZ: I was here.

SIDNER: I know.

SANCHEZ: So, yes.

SIDNER: I saw you. You looked happy, though. SANCHEZ: Did you enjoy yourself?

SIDNER: I did. I didn't have to cook this year. So, it was good times.

SANCHEZ: Nice.

SIDNER: No cooking, no cleaning, I win.

All right. Well, it could be a soggy Saturday for the millions of travelers looking to get home after this Thanksgiving holiday. Airports will face a surge of passengers heading home this weekend. Most of them on Sunday.

SANCHEZ: Mother nature could complicate that return home for people in the air and on the road, though. There are already more than 400 flights delayed this morning. That number only expected to climb. Let's go to the CNN Weather Center now with Meteorologist Allison Chinchar.

Allison, you're looking at the map right now, where could we see the worst weather?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, at least in the imminent future, the main concern for today is really going to be in the central portion of the country. You've got a lot of rain and, yes, very heavy at times. And that's going to cause problems, not only in the highways but also the runways.

Out to the west, you've got some snow showers here. But both of these systems are going to be moving across the country over the next 24 hours. So, even if your travel plans aren't today, that maybe they're tomorrow, these systems may end up impacting you as well.

So, let's kind of take a closer look. Right now, we don't any big significant delays. Most of what we're seeing in terms of rainfall is focused over Texas as of this moment. But we anticipate a lot more areas to start to pick up on some of those airline delays as the day goes on and this system continues to spread out. You've got rain showers across Dallas and Houston right now, spreading over into areas of Louisiana and up into Oklahoma.

But on the western side of this, you actually have enough cold air in place that we have snow coming down. So, yes, a tale of two seasons across Texas as of right now. Winter weather advisers in the western portion along the New Mexico border and also flood watches along the southeastern portion, especially right there along the Gulf Coast.

Also, along the gulf coast but a little bit farther east, places farther like Mobile, Biloxi, and New Orleans, we also have the potential for severe storms. So, we're talking damaging winds and, yes, even the potential for an isolated tornado.

But this system is going to move. So, as we take a look at the forecast radar, by the time we get to this afternoon, now you see a lot of that heavy rain spreading into Mississippi, Tennessee, areas of Missouri, eventually into Illinois. A lot of those areas of the Midwest, even the southeast now starting to pick up.

So, Atlanta, lot places in and out of Atlanta, may end up getting some delays there as we head into the day, Sunday. Then by Sunday afternoon, you really start to see it spread into the northeast. So, all of your big east cities, unfortunately, guys, could be impacted tomorrow as well.

SIDNER: I see delays in our future. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: Part of the reason this weekend is going to get complicated for some folks is that we haven't seen these kinds of numbers of travelers since before the pandemic. With travel back at near pre- pandemic levels, the nation's airports are going to be packed with millions of holiday travelers.

SIDNER: And TSA officials say tomorrow's numbers could be record- breaking. CNN's Pete Muntean has the story.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Boris, Sara, we're in a short air travel lull but it's going to come roaring back on Sunday when everybody comes home all at once.

[06:05:00]

The TSA screened only 1.4 million people in airports nationwide on Thanksgiving Day, the lowest number we have seen since February. But look at the day before, the TSA screened 2.46 million people at airports nationwide. That number only six percent up of what we saw in the same day back in 2019 and just shy of a pandemic-era air travel record.

Now, the big question is whether or not Sunday we'll hit a new pandemic-era air travel record. And whether or not it'll hit the all- time air travel record of 2.88 million people screened by TSA the Sunday after Thanksgiving back in 2019. I asked TSA administrator, David Pekoske, if it's a real possibility this time around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID PEKOSKE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: This holiday travel period will be the biggest holiday travel period we think since the pandemic. So, pre-pandemic and on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, almost three million passengers. We'll be pretty close to that this Sunday following this Thanksgiving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: These numbers are so important because of all the uncertainty that airlines and passengers face over the summertime. When airlines cancelled a total of 50,000 flights compounded by staffing shortages and bad weather, this time around, the weather's been pretty good and airlines have been on a hiring blitz. In fact, on Tuesday, United Airlines says it cancelled no flights networkwide. Boris, Sara.

SIDNER: And now to the devastating gun violence that this country has been dealing with. President Biden is calling for a ban on assault weapons. The president making the remarks after the recent string of deadly shootings around our country.

SANCHEZ: Yes. You might remember authorities said the gunman who shot and killed five people at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs used an assault-style weapon and a handgun.

SIDNER: CNN White House Reporter Jasmine Wright is joining us live with more information. Jasmine, President Biden says, he will try to work with Congress to try and get rid of assault-style weapons. Does he have any chance of getting that passed?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. The short answer to that, Sara, is likely not. But that has not stopped the president from continuing to try to advocate for a ban on assault weapons. Now, he's done this time and time again, using these major mass shootings as a way to motivate Congress to try to pass something additional to what they passed earlier this year on guns. But, of course, his request flies in the face of his own political reality which is the fact in this congressional make-up there are likely not the votes to pass something of this magnitude.

And, of course, in January, the House will flip to Republicans making Biden really govern over a divided government. Making it even less likely for something of this magnitude to happen. But still, that has not stopped the president and his request. Now, over this week, when he's been in Nantucket, he did not mince his words to reporters when talking about the state of gun affairs in this country. And what he wants to see. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The idea we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick. Just sick. It has no, no social redeeming value. Zero. None. Not a single solitary rationale for it except for profit for gun manufacturers.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Can you do anything about gun laws during the lame-duck?

BIDEN: I'm going to try.

SAENZ: What will you try and do?

BIDEN: I'm going to try to get rid of assault weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So, there you heard from the president. Now, later on, he said that he would try and count the votes and see where he has some for this type of bill. But, of course, this is not just the only thing that Democrats want to get passed in the lame-duck session before that new Congress starts. It's just one of them.

We see assault weapon ban here on your screen, government funding, debt limit bill, defense authorization bill. So, really a long, long list for the president that he has to tackle when he returns here to Washington, D.C. on Sunday. Boris, Sara.

SANCHEZ: We'll see how much of that they get done. Jasmine Wright, thank you so much for the reporting.

Let's get some perspective now from CNN Political Commentator and "New York Magazine" Columnist Errol Louis. Errol, good morning. Always great to see you bright and early on a Saturday. As you heard there, the president calling for greater action on gun control, a ban on assault weapons. Not the first time he's done that. Do you anticipate that is something that the lame-duck Congress will actually take up?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Boris. I think it's entirely possible that they will try. And it's not a bad strategy, frankly. There are really important pieces of legislation that have passed during lame-duck sessions of Congress. The lame-duck being, you know, defined as post-election day but before the new Congress comes into being.

And with the change of control, in this case, Democrats have their last opportunity to get something done. So, I mean, look, they can try. There's no harm in trying to, sort of, tack on some legislation on to those must-have bills that you just showed on the screen. The defense authorization has to pass, the debt ceiling has to be lifted. When you have things that are going to bring the government, basically, to a halt it's possible to tack some things on.

[06:10:00]

Of course, The politics are very, very inauspicious. That's why we haven't had gun control legislation in essentially a generation.

SANCHEZ: Yes, President Biden and Congress were able to pass some measures earlier this year, obviously in the wake of the Uvalde mass shooting. But if we go into this new Congress, Republicans have control of the House. Democrats have control of the Senate, it will be divided. Do you think Republicans have the political incentive to build any kind of gun reform next year?

LOUIS: Well, first of all, let's make a distinction between having the majority and having control.

SANCHEZ: Uh-huh.

LOUIS: They apparently have, the votes of 222, give or take, seats, but there's no margin for error there. And there's a certain amount of turbulence, we've already seen. But to answer your question, no, the answer is no. Republicans ran nationwide on a promise, as they have in the last generation, to crack down on crime. That did not include, in any way shape or form, promises to deal with gun control and anything resembling a restrictive manner that the president is now calling for.

So, they have no incentive. They didn't run on it. They have a slim margin, but within Republican politics, none of them ran on a promise to dial back on the prevalence of guns. And so, again, very inauspicious time to try and think that we can make some progress on this. There may be some issues around the side that we can deal with the so-called Red Flag Laws that enable localities to maybe take guns away from people who are clearly dangerous, but those are baby steps.

I mean, that's, you know -- most people engaged in mass shootings have not been previously dealt with by the authorities for mental health problems. So, it's not looking very good right now, Boris. I wish I could be more optimistic.

SANCHEZ: So, beyond relying on Congress, do you think President Biden has any other option on this issue, potentially some kind of executive action?

LOUIS: Very few options. I mean -- well, you know -- look, what the president, I think, is getting at is trying to redo something that we know did work which was in 1994, as part of a gigantic crime bill, there was an assault weapons ban. And for the years that it was in effect before it sunsetted, before it expired, we saw that mass shootings did go down. That -- we saw that the proliferation of those weapons of war was in fact put in place -- I mean, the restriction on it.

And so, I think that's what he's going to try for. And trying to, maybe, tack it on to some of this must-pass legislation. That would probably the strategy he's going to go for because, you know, baby steps just aren't going to do it. We've just seen the carnage has not subsided.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And Errol, I wanted to ask you about two other potential pieces of legislation that could get tacked onto that -- those must- pass bills as you noted. The question of same-sex marriage getting enshrined in the constitution. And interracial marriage also, obviously, on the wake of some of the speculation given the Supreme Court overturning Roe versus Wade. That other pieces of legislation -- or rather, policies of the United States that were anticipated to be precedent could be overturned in the future. What do you make of that? Do you think that will happen?

LOUIS: Yes, that starts to look a little bit more hopeful. I just recently interviewed Representative George Santos, here in New York, the first openly gay Republican ever elected where he disclosed his sexual orientation before he was elected.

So, you know, there's some possibilities there. On something like same-sex marriage, interracial marriage, there are a number of Republicans, in particular from swing districts who narrowly won and who might, in fact -- sort of, step up and try and move forward in accord with the wishes of their district.

If that's the case, they could have enough votes to move this forward. It'll be very interesting to see. It shouldn't be necessary on some level. You know, we thought all of these things were settled by the Supreme Court many years ago. But apparently, there need be to be some insurance. And it's possible that even Republicans will step forward and provide that insurance before we go into the next session. Absolutely.

SANCHEZ: Yes. It could be an action-packed two months before we get that new Congress in January. Errol Louis, thank you so much as always.

LOUIS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: So, she arrived in Mexico for a vacation with her friends and was killed the next day. Now, Mexican authorities have a warrant out for one of those friends. And a disturbing video has emerged that might be a key piece of evidence.

SIDNER: Plus, a remarkable rescue after a passenger goes overboard while on a cruise. We'll tell you how long he was missing, and show you a new video of when the Coast Guard finally found and rescued him.

Plus, in the dark. Ukraine races to restore power after emergency shutdowns and a barrage of Russian attacks. We'll have the latest on the conflict there, coming up.

[06:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: So, this is a really tragic story we've been following now for several days. Mexican authorities have started the extradition process for the friend of a North Carolina woman who was found dead on vacation.

SIDNER: The victim's family is demanding justice. CNN's Ryan Young has the story.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris and Sara, as you can understand, this family has been devastated by learning all of the details they have. We still don't have the information about who exactly this warrant is for. But Shanquella Robinson traveled down to Mexico on October 28th with six people that she went to college with. People who should have been her friends.

At some point there's a video that has emerged on social media, we can't authenticate it just yet, but we know her father has indicated to us that he believes it's his daughter in the video that's being beaten over and over. She's not even fighting back against the person who's hitting her.

[06:20:00]

At some point, someone calls for help. But by the time that authorities arrived, it's too late for her and she dies. Take a listen to her mother about the initial phone call she got and what she's learned so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALAMONDRA ROBINSON, MOTHER OF SHANQUELLA ROBINSON: On Saturday evening, they called and said she wasn't feeling well and they was going to call a doctor. And -- but when they called, the doctor hadn't arrived yet but they said she had alcohol poison. We received autopsy report on Thursday and it said that her neck had been broke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, Boris and Sara, prosecutors are calling this a direct attack. You can obviously feel the pain in that woman's voice. So, many people wanting answers here. The FBI is now involved in this investigation. But the other question here is why have no other arrest warrants been put out besides for the one person in the video? What about the people who recorded the video? What about the other friends and what happened after that? So, many questions that still have to be left answered up to this point. We'll continue to follow it.

SIDNER: Thank you to Ryan Young. Joining us now is Joey Jackson, a CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney.

Joey, thank you for coming on the show this early morn.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST AND CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Always, Sara. Thank you.

SIDNER: So, this is a horrific case. The -- you know, she goes on vacation with her friends. She's in Mexico. A lot of people have a great time there. She ends up being killed. How difficult of a process is it to for Mexican prosecutors to have her extradited out of the United States and back to Mexico to face charges, the suspect?

JACKSON: Yes. So, Sara, there are two ways that this can come about. The first way, of course, is what they're doing. They being the Mexican authorities and coordinating with the United States. They'll coordinate with the state department, in addition to the Department of Justice. We have an international affairs office in the Department of Justice which coordinates when there are crimes like this and those that are similarly situated in order to potentially bring someone back.

In addition to that, the other way would be for the United States itself, through the U.S. attorney's office. We have a statute, that when -- as we look at those pictures there, we have a statute that when an American kills an American overseas, there's the potential for that prosecution to occur in the United States.

Generally, it won't occur if there's a legal process and method for them to be properly brought back to the country where it occurred. However, there are exceptions to that. So, I'm looking to see now with the FBIs involvement whether or not that takes place, that being the prosecution in this country, or whether or not they are brought back -- they or the person responsible is brought back to Mexico for a prosecution there.

Last point, Sara, and that's this. We have a treaty with Mexico, it's been in existence for some 45 years, I don't anticipate that that would be problematic at all. In the event the prosecution takes place in Mexico, I think the authorities there will be very cooperative, present the person responsible, and the prosecution will ensue.

SIDNER: Joey, we have learned that people that traveled with Shanquella Robinson gave different versions of how she died. Could they face charges that they gave misleading information to authorities here in the United States or Mexico?

JACKSON: So, that's a critical question. And so, they're going to be looked at in a number of ways before even misleading information, their participation, Sara, will be looked at with respect to how this occurred. What did they do? Were they aiders? Were they abettors? Did they do something after the fact. Did they conceal evidence or information? Did they obstruct justice in any way?

In terms of the lying question, it depends who you lie to. If you lie to the family, not a crime. But you have to then ask, well, why are you lying? What participation did you have? Certainly, if you lie to federal authorities that's a crime. And so, we'll see as the investigation moves forward, what, if anything, lies they've told? What, if anything, they've obstructed in terms of justice? And what, if anything, they did with respected to their participation, Sara, or lack thereof in the actual death of Ms. Robinson?

SIDNER: Yes, and we heard Ryan talking about a video there. I've seen some of it. It's absolutely horrific. I'm sure that will be used if authenticated in the investigation.

I want to move now to the Colorado Spring shooting. We are following developments in that shooting as well, at the nightclub, the LGBTQ night club there in Colorado Springs. And the suspect in that shooting has indicated the desire to be referred to as they/them, a binary person. Now, the motive in the shooting was still under investigation. But authorities said that Anderson Aldrich faces possible murder and hate crime charges. Does his statement about his sexual orientation play any role in this case that's been brought against him?

JACKSON: Yes, it really should not, Sara, for the following reasons. You can identify with who you are or who you believe to be, but at the end of the day, it's about what you did. It's about the motivation underlying that. It's about what the facts and evidence show as to your conduct in that case.

[06:25:00]

And so, yes, indeed, the defendant can attempt to, you know, indicate for self-serving or other purposes who they identify with and what their motivations are. But I think authorities are going to look to the club he went to.

Who were the people who are in that club? What were they doing there, apparently celebrating that particular night in terms of transgender and remembrance and that type of thing. Did you know about it? Did you target them for that very reason? What does your past look like? What is your relationship with that community? Have you made statements that have been derogatory or otherwise all to go to show your motivation.

So, at the end of the day, Sara, he can call himself what he wants. What did you do? That'll be the critical question and authorities will be exploring to determine the motivation behind what happened on that tragic night. SIDNER: Joey Jackson, these families are suffering such a great deal. And I thank you so much for coming on and giving us a legal perspective. It's really important. Thank you.

JACKSON: Always good to see you, Sara.

SIDNER: All right.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, a Thanksgiving miracle at sea. A man goes overboard from a cruise ship and is found alive after floating for hours and hours in the Gulf of Mexico. Coming up, officials are still trying to figure out how he ended up in the water. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]

SANCHEZ: We want to bring you up to speed on some of the top stories we're following this morning. Ford is recalling 634,000 SUVs worldwide because of a potential crack in the vehicle's fuel line that could spark fires under the hood.

SIDNER: A problem impacts Ford Escapes and Broncos Sports model years 2021 to 2023 in the U.S. The company says the issue will affect a small percentage of vehicles, some that were involved in a March recall because of a leak allowing oil to ignite potential fires.

We're learning new details about the gunman in Tuesday's deadly mass shooting at a Chesapeake Virginia Wal-Mart. Police have released a note the shooter had on his phone entitled death note, discussing people he says harassed or betrayed him and hinting at what was to come. He killed six people at the store where he worked as an overnight supervisor, using a gun he legally bought the same day and then finally turned that gun on himself.

SANCHEZ: And a remarkable rescue in New York City. Take a look at this dramatic police body-cam video that shows a good Samaritan and a team of NYPD officers rushing on a subway tracks where a man had accidentally fallen on the platform and was lying on the tracks.

They managed to hoist him back on the platform, as you can see, just moments before an incoming train arrived. The man was taken to a local hospital where fortunately, he's listed in stable condition with minor injuries.

SIDNER: A cruise ship passenger may have been floating in the Gulf of Mexico for up to 15 hours after going overboard. A carnival cruise ship sometime late Wednesday night.

SANCHEZ: He's alive today because of the incredible rescue mission put on by the U.S. Coast Guard. CNN's Nick Valencia has the latest on this Thanksgiving miracle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it kind of blares the normalcy out of the water here.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A miraculous Thanksgiving rescue at sea. After a carnival cruise ship passenger went overboard. The passenger seen here waving at a coast guard helicopter hovering over him, while he fights to stay above water.

The cruise company said the 28-year-old man was reported missing Thursday around noon. He had last been seen around 11:00 p.m. Wednesday by his sister leaving a bar on board the ship which had left New Orleans bound for Cozumel, Mexico.

SETH GROSS, U.S. COAST GUARD: Any point from 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday on, he could have entered the waterway, so he realistically could have been in the water for 15 plus hours before we were able to successfully rescue him.

VALENCIA: Since so much time had passed since he was last seen, the rescue operation was particularly challenging.

GROSS: Understanding that we did have a big-time delay. The longer that somebody is in the water, the greater the search area is going to be, so time was certainly of the essence.

VALENCIA: Ultimately, a crew aboard a cargo vessel located him about 20 miles south of southwest past Louisiana. But the coast guard was able to helicopter in and hoist the man out of the water to safety. He's in the hospital undergoing medical evaluation and is reportedly in stable condition.

GROSS: He was able to identify his name, confirmed that he was the individual that fell overboard. He was showing signs of hypothermia, shock, dehydration.

VALENCIA: Carnival Cruise Line expressing their gratitude in a statement, reading, "we greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially, the U.S. Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water."

GROSS: The will to live is something that you need to account for in every search and rescue case.

VALENCIA: This man's will to survive, leaving him and those who rescued him in awe.

GROSS: This is like I said, one of the absolutely, the longest that I've heard about, and just one of those Thanksgiving miracles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: The U.S. Coast Guard tells CNN that the water where the man was found was an estimated 70 degrees Fahrenheit and could have potentially helped keep him alive for the hours that he was floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, investigators are looking into exactly how he went overboard and what he did to survive. Boris, Sara.

SANCHEZ: Nick Valencia, thank you so much for that reporting. Much of Ukraine has been plunged into darkness by the around-the-clock Russian shelling. Now officials are racing to restore electricity and water as freezing temperatures are gripping the country. We'll take you there live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

SANCHEZ: Some 6 million Ukrainian households are still without power today, following a barrage of Russian missile strikes on the country's critical infrastructure.

SIDNER: New satellite images from NASA show the extent of the damage. They really are breathtaking, with Ukraine almost completely in the dark, compared to the light you can see from its neighboring countries.

[06:40:00]

SANCHEZ: Well, this morning, we're learning there is some good news in the capital of Kyiv, where water, heating and cell service is now being restored.

SIDNER: Our Clare Sebastian is following the latest from London. Clare, some progress, but there are still millions of people without power and water as the weather begins to turn bitterly cold. What are you hearing on the ground there?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, so we're hearing from the country's electricity transmission operator this morning, that about three quarters of electricity demand is now being met. That is helped by the fact that those four nuclear plants, three of them in Ukrainian-controlled territories, are now back online. They were for the first time in decades knocked offline at the same time during that barrage of attacks that we saw on Wednesday.

There are still restrictions in place, there are still millions of people without power, but things are improving. It was down to about 130,000 in the capital Kyiv who don't have power at the moment. But the hardship, we really got a clear look at what this sort of strategy by Russia, these attacks on civilian infrastructure is doing to people.

Take a look at this picture. A young girl was photographed. She had to go to a gas station because she uses a sort of inhaler, breathing equipment, and she needed electricity to make it work. This is the kind of thing that we were seeing.

We also saw doctors having to perform operations in the dark, using head lamps, as one hospital in Kyiv, one of Ukraine's biggest state hospitals that told us that they almost had to evacuate patients when they lost water that impedes things like sterilization, all kinds of things in a hospital that requires water.

So, that's really the kind of thing that we're seeing. They are racing to rebuild. They are making progress. But meanwhile, the threat still remains, of course, that Russia will continue with this tactic of attacking civilian infrastructure that the Kremlin said this week, that if Ukraine wants to, quote, "suffering to go away, they have to meet Moscow demands". There is no sign that Ukraine is prepared to do that.

SIDNER: Clare Sebastian in London, thank you so much. CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel, Cedric Leighton is joining us now this morning. Good morning, Colonel.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Sara.

SIDNER: Let's start with those blackouts. Having been in Ukraine when it's really cold, there is nothing like the cold there. Let's listen to NATO Secretary-General on Putin's shifting strategy, nine months now into this invasion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, SECRETARY-GENERAL, NATO: What we're seeing now is that President Putin is trying to weaponize Winter, and by indiscriminate, deliberate attacks on cities, on civilian infrastructure, he tries o deprive the Ukrainians of gas, heating, water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Weaponizing Winter is a great way to put it. How do you fight an enemy that's now specifically targeting civilian infrastructure, making civilians suffer?

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's one of the most difficult things, Sara, that you have to -- you really look at how you defend the major centers, the major population(ph) centers. The key issue that the Ukrainians have is there's so many things they have to defend. And the Russians have targets to choose from.

The fact that they have all these targets to choose from makes it so hard to defend against. And what they're doing is instead of hitting major power centers which they're doing, they're also going ahead and they're going after transmission lines, transformers, things like that. And so every single localized attack that they make affects local areas.

And when you add that up, then you get the blackout scenes that you see from Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine. So, it's a very difficult thing for the Ukrainians to defend against. They've done a remarkable job given what they have. But, frankly, they -- more needs to be done and more help needs to be provided them.

SIDNER: The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has started providing support to four more nuclear power plants in Ukraine after they were disconnected from the grid. There's a huge fear. I remember feeling that fear very vividly when we heard about the takeover of the Zaporizhzhia plant that has been badly damaged. Is there any fear that he will go that far and try to create a nuclear disaster? LEIGHTON: There certainly is a fear that he could weaponize -- he,

Putin, could weaponize these nuclear power plants. And the way he would do that is potentially use them as the dirty bomb in essence, a huge dirty bomb. He's done that with the Zaporizhzhia plant by occupying it. The other plants would be a bit more difficult for him to control because Putin does not -- his forces do not occupy them.

They're in Ukrainian hands, but if they are struck in a certain -- if their cooling mechanisms for example, are destroyed or impacted in any way, in the dark -- or diesel generators are heard, then that could very well spell a major problem for the Ukrainians.

[06:45:00]

Another thing to keep in mind, the nuclear power plant are very important in Ukraine because the country gets about 55 percent of its energy from those plants. And that's -- that makes them a major target for the Russians and their campaign.

SIDNER: All right, let's go ahead and talk about air defense now and the risk of escalation. Germany offered Poland a patriot air defense units after a stray missile hit Poland and killed a couple of its citizens there. Poland has declined, saying they should be sent to Ukraine instead.

Now, we now know that the U.S. has said that they believe that, that missile came out of Ukraine, trying to defend itself against Russia. But NATO's Secretary-General says all eastern NATO allies should be girding their defenses. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STOLTENBERG: We need both increased air defense of our NATO allies in the east, in the Baltic countries, Poland, Romania, but also, we need -- we need more air defense in Ukraine. That's obvious. We see the horrendous, horrific attacks every day against civilian infrastructure in cities in Ukraine. And therefore, we need to help Ukraine being able to shoot down those incoming Russian missiles and drones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: So, if NATO allies start beefing up their military readiness, if you will, their hardware, like air defenses. is this something that might escalate a conflict or will it give Russia pause?

LEIGHTON: Well, the Russians would look at it as being an escalation. However, it would be a necessary step because in integrated air defense systems, and specifically an integrated air and missile defense systems as mentioned, not only by Secretary-General Stoltenberg, but also the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley, those weapons systems are really defensive in nature.

And what they do is they do the best job that's currently, technologically available, to protect not only the infrastructure, the critical infrastructure, but civilian institutions as well. And so that's the kind of thing that you want. You want the patriot missile defense systems. You want a system known as IRIS-T that the Germans have delivered one of, they've got three more on the way to Ukraine.

But those are the kinds of things that can help protect the cities and help prevent the kinds of blackouts that we're seeing in Kyiv and throughout the country.

SIDNER: Yes, the country is suffering so greatly this Winter, especially. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much. We appreciate your time.

LEIGHTON: You bet. Any time, Sara.

SANCHEZ: Advancing in the World Cup means winning one game for the United States after a hard-fought but scoreless draw against England. We're going to preview what they need to do to make it to the next round when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

SIDNER: It now all comes down to one game for the U.S. men's national team at the World Cup. Win or go home.

SANCHEZ: Carolyn Manno joins us now. Carolyn, good morning, and happy Thanksgiving weekend. The U.S. has to beat Iran to advance.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you both and happy Thanksgiving to you both. You know, more than 11 million people stateside watched the U.S. men on Monday. And so, yesterday's audience is surely going to top that. I mean, U.S. star Christian Pulisic saying he hopes that the fans back home were proud of the performance against England.

But he also knows -- to your point, Boris, that this team has a lot of work to do to move on to the round of 16. And that's really the first goal here, I mean, it was a raucous crowd for the most high-profile match-up of the group stage. England were the favorites in Group B, they had more possession, but the United States really looked like the better side for most of the match. They just couldn't finish.

They had so many chances, Weston McKennie had a great first chance for the U.S. in the 26th minute, he's skied that cross from Tim Weah high. But then a few minutes later, Pulisic missing another golden opportunity, beating the keeper, hitting the crossbar. England did have the final shot at this, the captain Harry Kane's header soaring wide in stoppage time, so the match ending in a scoreless draw, giving the U.S. 2 points through two games.

So it really is win or go home against Iran who beat Wales 2-0 to earn 3 points. This was a bit of a shocker, they scored the pair late in stoppage time after the Wales' goalie left with a red card in the 85th minute, and that effort really leapfrog them over the U.S. in the group's standing.

So, with all the storyline on and off the pitch surrounding the two countries, it will in all likelihood be the U.S. and Iran at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, playing for that second and final spot in the knockout stage. Elsewhere today in sports huge day in college football, number two Ohio State hosting third-ranked Michigan and the stakes have maybe never been higher here.

This is just the fourth time in nearly 120 meetings that both the Buckeyes and Wolverines are squaring off with perfect records. The Buckeyes looking for a little bit of revenge here after their eight- game win streak in the rivalry came to an end last year. And on top of that, this is essentially a play-in game for the playoffs.

So whoever wins this is a virtual lock and the loser has to hope for a little bit of chaos in order to squeeze into the 14 field. But we've seen that chaos before, either way, it is going to be turkey and pigskin all day long. College football is going to be a great slay, guys.

SANCHEZ: Leftovers and fireworks. Love it. Carolyn Manno, thank you so much. So, during the COVID-19 pandemic, technology provided new ways for people to connect. Now virtual reality and artificial intelligence have become the answer for some people trying to cope with loneliness, perhaps in unexpected ways.

[06:55:00]

In a CNN original series, "THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING", Lisa explores a new trend helping some folks find companionship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA LING, CNN HOST: Tell me about when you first became aware of real doll?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, gosh, it was a special on one of the cable channels. And I'm like that's interesting. Before I brought her home, I wasn't sure what to expect. Opened the box and I just went -- like that. I was just so taken back, and I felt her say my name is Tasha, take me home, take me with you.

LING: Is she really heavy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's about 60 pounds.

LING: And you must carry her around a lot, right, or is she usually pretty stationary?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She has a stand or she sits in a chair like this.

LING: And you style her? You do her make-up, everything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do. A lot of YouTube videos.

LING: Doing a pretty good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: This is an eye-opening installment of the CNN original series

"THIS IS LIFE", it airs tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)