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Wet Weather May Impact Post-Thanksgiving Return Trips; U.S. Airports Expect Surge In Passengers This Sunday; More Than A Dozen People Missing After Landslide In Italy; Ukrainian Civilians Were Key To Liberation Of Kherson City. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 26, 2022 - 08:00   ET

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

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[08:00:42]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to CNN this morning. I'm Sara Sidner in for Amara Walker.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Sara. I'm Boris Sanchez. If you are heading home from Thanksgiving, you better brace yourself. Holiday travel headaches could be in the forecast. We're going to have your latest weekend weather and tell you where you are going to see the biggest impact.

SIDNER: Plus, new video of a remarkable rescue after a man falls overboard on a Carnival cruise ship. We'll tell you how the rescue mission went down and how he's doing this morning.

SANCHEZ: And President Biden renewing calls for stricter gun control after a string of mass shootings. But will a divided Congress really be able to get anything done on this?

SIDNER: Also, nearly two weeks after the killing of four University of Idaho students, police are still searching for a suspect. We'll have the latest on what we know about the investigation and some new details coming up.

SANCHEZ: Welcome to your Thanksgiving weekend. It's Saturday, November 26. We appreciate you joining us. Glad that you survived Black Friday. Good morning, Sara.

SIDNER: Good morning, Boris. It could be a soggy Saturday for the millions of travelers looking to get home after the Thanksgiving holiday. Airports will face a surge of passengers heading home this week, most of them on Sunday.

SANCHEZ: Yes, mother nature could complicate that return home for people in the air and on the road. Already more than 620 flights had been delayed this morning. That number only expected to climb.

Let's go straight to the CNN Weather Center with Meteorologist Allison Chinchar, who's been tracking what appears to be an upcoming storm. Allison, where are we going to see the worst weather? ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So at least initially today, the main focus is going to be across the central portion of the U.S. But this system right here is going to spread its way across pretty much the entire eastern half of the country today and tomorrow. So a lot more cities are likely going to be impacted in the next 24 to 48 hours.

For today, the cities where we're looking at some of the biggest impacts are going to be Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Atlanta and Kansas City. We also have that secondary system in the West. So places like Denver and Salt Lake, even Seattle may also have some delays in the airways.

Here's the thing you want to take a note of, also the highways. It's not just the runways, but the highways that may also have some issues, especially along the Gulf Coast, Houston stretching over towards New Orleans up to Dallas, even into Oklahoma City. You're looking at rain and it's going to be very heavy at times. So flooding with that water that will just be standing at times could be an issue.

Here's the areas where we anticipate the greatest flood threat. Notice it stretches from Houston all the way over towards the Pensacola region and then up through Little Rock, Arkansas. All of these areas have the potential for those downpours at times through some of these waves coming through. And yes, even the potential for some severe storms along the Gulf Coast, including the potential for some tornadoes.

Here's a look at the system for today. This is where the main focus is going to be for all of the delays, whether it is by air or by roadway. But once we go into tonight and early tomorrow, then we start seeing a lot more Midwestern cities and portions of the southeast, now starting to tick up and see some of those problems as well.

So Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, Charlotte, also looking at potential delays. By the time we get to Sunday afternoon and heading into Monday, now we're talking the Northeast being some of the problem cities including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, stretching down to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. So that's where you'll notice a lot of those airports also starting to tick up in the color of the yellow and orange is indicating the delays there as well.

But we also have a new system that will be arriving to the Pacific Northwest. So that means additional delays even for Seattle, Portland stretching over into some of the other cities as well could also in turn be a concern too. Overall, most of the areas in the eastern half of the country likely looking, Boris and Sara, at about an inch of rain but we will have some places that pick up 2, 3, even 4 inches in a short period of time.

SANCHEZ: Sounds like quite a few headaches on the way. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much for that update.

CHINCHAR: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Complicating matters is the sheer number of travelers. Travel is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, meaning, the nation's airports are going to be packed with millions of holiday travelers.

[08:05:07]

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

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Boris, Sara, we're in a short-lived air travel law, but it's all about to come roaring back on Sunday when everybody begins coming home all at once. The TSA screen only 1.4 million people at airports nationwide on Thanksgiving Day. The lowest number we have seen since February.

But look at the day before, the TSA screen 2.46 million people at airports nationwide, that number only 6 percent off of what we saw on 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 will 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 that's a real possibility this time around.

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DAVID PEKOSKE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: This holiday travel here will be the biggest holiday travel period we think since the pandemic So, pre- pandemic on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, almost 3 million passengers, will be pretty close to that the Sunday following this Thanksgiving.

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MUNTEAN: These numbers are so important because of all the uncertainty that airlines and passengers face over the summer time when airlines canceled a total of 50,000 flights compounded by staffing shortages and bad weather. This time around the weather has been pretty good and airlines have been on a hiring blitz. In fact, on Tuesday, United Airlines says it canceled no flights, network wide. Boris, Sara?

SIDNER: All right. This might temper folks' frustration as they're trying to get home. This story is incredible. You do not want to be this guy, although he was rescued. 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 is so, so lucky. He's alive today because of an incredible rescue mission by the U.S. Coast Guard. CNN's Nick Valencia walks us through the details of this Thanksgiving miracle.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it kind of blows 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.

LT. SETH GROSS, U.S. COAST GUARD: At 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 hours plus before we're able to successfully rescue him.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Since so much time has passed since he was last seen, the rescue operation was particularly challenging.

GROSS: Understand, you know, 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 (voice-over): Ultimately, the crew aboard a cargo vessel located him about 20 miles south of Southwest past Louisiana with 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, confirm that he was the individual that fell overboard. He was showing signs of hypothermia, shock, dehydration.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Carnival Cruise Line expressing their gratitude in a statement reading, "We greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially the US Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water."

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

VALENCIA (voice-over): This man's will to survive, leaving even those who rescued him in awe.

GROSS: This is, like I said, one of the absolute longest that I've heard about and just one of those things giving 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 potentially help keep him alive for the hours that he was floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, investigators are looking at exactly how he went overboard and what he did to survive. Boris, Sara?

SIDNER: President Biden is calling for a ban on assault weapons. The President made the remarks after the recent string of deadly shootings around our country.

SANCHEZ: Yes. You may recall authorities confirmed the gunman who shot and killed five people at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs used an assault style weapon and handgun.

SIDNER: CNN White House Reporter Jasmine Wright is joining us now live with more. Jasmine, the President says as he must do, he'll work with Congress and try, in his words, get rid of assault style weapons. Is there any chance that he could get this passed considering what's happened in the 2022 election?

JASMIN WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Sara, the short answer here is likely not, but that has not stopped President Biden from continuing to advocate for a ban on assault style weapons. That is something that he has done time and time again, trying to use these major mass shootings as a way to motivate Congress to get something done.

[08:10:16]

But of course, this time, his request flies in the face of his own political reality, which is that in this makeup of Congress, there are likely not the votes of passes despite the fact that the House passed something similar to this in July, the Senate did not take it up. Now, of course, come January when the House flips to Republicans giving Biden a divided government to govern over, of course, this becomes even less likely.

But this week in Nantucket, President Biden, he was talking to reporters, and he did not mince his words when he talked about what he would like to see. Take a listen.

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you do anything about gun laws during the lame duck, sir?

BIDEN: I'm going to try.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What will you try and do?

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So the President later on so that he would try and count the votes and see where they land, trying to get Congress to pass something additional on guns to what they pass those limited bill on guns that was passed in June. But, of course, this is just not only the thing that Democrats in the President has to pass -- have to pass come January that we know that there is a long list of priorities on the plate and that comes from assault weapons ban.

We just heard the President talk about government funding bill must pass, debt limit bill must pass, defense authorization bill. So there are certainly a lot of things that the President will have to come and talk about when he gets back in D.C. this weekend on the list for must pass things coming out of Congress. Of course, now he wants to add an assault weapons ban.

SANCHEZ: No shortage of must pass items on that agenda. Jasmine Wright reporting from Washington, D.C., thanks so much.

So the United States has now seen more than 600 mass shootings for the third year in a row after yet another week of bloody gun violence. Five people murdered at a shooting at a nightclub in Colorado and then another six lives needlessly lost at a Virginia Walmart. These statistics are sobering.

The nonprofit Gun Violence Archive says the United States is now on pace to record 675 mass shootings by the end of the year. The definition of mass shooting being a shooting in which four or more people are killed or injured. That would make it the second most deadly years since they started tracking gun deaths. Last year still holds the record 690.

A pediatrician scene here pictured with her family right before the Highland Park shooting at a July 4 parade right outside Chicago, says that policymakers need to reframe this as a public health crisis. That Pediatrician Dr. Emily Lieberman joins us now live.

Emily, we're grateful to have you with us. I'm curious to get your solutions to the cycle of violence. But first, I want to remind our viewers what happened to you and your family this summer during that parade, and why it made you decide to take action.

DR. EMILY LIEBERMAN, PEDIATRICIAN AND MASS SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Yes. First of all, thank you so much for having me today. I am a pediatrician, a natural child advocate. I'm a mother of two beautiful daughters. This summer, I attended a holiday parade on the most patriotic day of our year without a fear in my mind. And that parade ended up being a mass shooting.

There were seven people from my community who were killed, there were almost 50 injured, and there are thousands that were traumatized, including my own family. And in the aftermath of that horrible massacre, as a pediatrician and child advocate, I promised that I would help prevent future mass shootings and save lives of children and citizens of our country.

SANCHEZ: So Doctor, tell us about the March Fourth Foundation and your push for a federal ban on assault weapons.

LIEBERMAN: In the immediate mass -- aftermath of the -- an incredible woman in a neighboring suburb set out to end this mass shooting epidemic that has plagued our country. I quickly joined her mission and March Fourth was in the White House within almost a week of the mass shooting in Highland Park.

This organization has one single mission, a federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. And I, as a pediatrician, who took the Hippocratic Oath and swore to protect the lives of those who are healthy, to preserve their lives and to treat those are ill, I have created a physician coalition, where we bring physicians from across the country in states who -- the assault weapons ban.

[08:15:18]

We are uniting as one in this public health crisis, this rising incidence of mass shootings, making our children afraid to go to schools, to go to grocery stores, to go to parades. We are coming to tell Senate to act now to be on the right side of history, to sign this bill into action, and to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

SANCHEZ: Doctor, you'd mentioned trauma that your family experienced. What can you share with us about what you've gone through since that day?

LIEBERMAN: As a survivor, and a doctor, I have an entirely different outlook on this. Simple noises like revving a motorcycle, caused near panic attacks in myself and my children, and my husband. Any loud noise is incredibly startling to us to this day. And anywhere that we walk, we are always -- there's no reason my young children, ages six and eight, should be afraid to enter public spaces, and have asked me to never take them to a parade ever again for the rest of their life.

In addition to surviving that horrific day for which I'm very grateful, I'm currently treating in my own office, many patients -- who were either injured by the shrapnel guns that day, or who have severe anxiety, emotional scars that are left from that day. So it's not just the casualties that we experience on that day of seven people dying. It's a ripple effect. It's the children whose lives are forever changed by this trauma. It's the parents afraid to send their children to common place that all that will be the same.

And we're just one of the many communities that have been affected. And this will continue to occur until Senate takes action and passes a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. And they have that opportunity to be on the right side of history and sign this bill into action before the end of the year.

SANCHEZ: Dr. Emily Lieberman, we appreciate you sharing that personal story with us. Thank you so much for the time this morning.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you so much for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

SIDNER: And still ahead, as a search for a killer continues in Idaho, many students are wondering if they'll return to campus after the Thanksgiving holiday, nearly two weeks after four lives were cut short there.

And it's been nine months since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Next, CNN speaks to some of the resistance fighters risking it all to take their country back. Plus, if you spend the holidays at a big family gathering, you're not alone. Now experts say, unfortunately though, we could see an uptick in illnesses like COVID but there is a silver lining. They say don't expect the severe surge, coming up.

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[08:22:29]

SIDNER: New this morning, almost a month after the death of a 25-year- old North Carolina native Shanquella Robinson while vacationing in Mexico, prosecutors have now issued an arrest warrant for one of her friends.

SANCHEZ: Authorities say her death was not an accident but the result of a, quote, direct attack that involved one of her female friends. It's been nearly two weeks since four University of Idaho students, meantime, were found dead in their off-campus apartment and police still have not named a suspect in that case.

SIDNER: Investigators revealed that the latest in their investigation is they are now reviewing more than 260 digital submissions, along with over 1,000 tips received from the public. But so far, no suspect has been found in this small Idaho community and that community, of course, remains on edge. CNN's Stephanie Elam has more on this.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara and Boris police in Moscow, Idaho say they've got more than 1,000 tips so far, but they still don't have a suspect in the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. In witness interviews, police say several people indicated that Goncalves mentioned a stalker, but as of Tuesday, the police had not been able to validate that claim or identify who that person might be.

Goncalves' sister, however, doesn't believe she had a stalker. She said the family thinks this might just be part of the rumor mill. While police have not announced a suspect in the murders, they are revealing more about the people they believe are not involved in the case, including a man Goncalves and another victim Madison Mogen tried to call shortly before they were killed.

Goncalves' family thinks that was her ex-boyfriend, who they have always believed was innocent, but police have not formally named him as being cleared in the investigation. Police are now saying that two roommates who slept throughout the killings are not suspects.

The University of Idaho will allow virtual learning for those who don't want to return to campus after the Thanksgiving break. But police say they also intend to step up patrols on campus until there's a break in the case. Boris and Sara?

SIDNER: Thank you to Stephanie Elam there. Here with me now to discuss this further is criminologist and behavioral analyst, Casey Jordan. Casey, thank you so much for coming in this morning. And this is a really difficult case. It has a lot of us, I don't know, confused is probably the best world.

So, they're going through more than 100 pieces of evidence, like 260 they're saying. Some video evidence I'm sure, and it's a question that they'll think -- a lot of us are thinking about because this was a stabbing particularly and really violently done. How likely is it that the killer left behind some DNA?

[08:25:17]

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Good morning, Sara. That's a great question. And actually, it's very likely that the killer may have left behind some DNA. And yet, especially if he cut himself, the blood DNA is going to be your best bet. But there are going to be some real challenges with identifying that because, you know, police are pointing out that the crime scene looks disorganized to the point that it's very messy, and the killing seemed to be very frenetic.

But at the same time, the killer appeared to be organized, given that he brought his Rambo style knife, the fixed blade knife to the event, and took it home with him, so -- wherever he went. So he is thoughtful enough to take precautionary measures. And if that's the case, that it's entirely possible that the killer wear a hat, wear gloves to minimize any trace of DNA.

The second thing is that the house, we have to admit, has a long history of housing, a lot of students, it is a student rental house. So for years, up to six people have rented there per semester, plus all their friends, the neighbors say it was a party house. Lots of visitors, lots of students going in and out of there. For years, a lot of people had the code to the keypad.

So you could have potentially dozens of DNA samples, a hundreds even. Contractors, landlords visitors, to track them and match them, assuming you can get these people to give a DNA sample consent to it, then rule them out. All you can do is hope that you end up with one DNA sample that doesn't match anybody you know has been in the place and hopefully see if it comes in with a match to code this. It's a long shot, but that's going to be the holy grail of what they are looking for.

SIDNER: Yes. What does it tell you? You talked a little bit about the fact that the killer, you know, took home, whatever he used to kill these four innocent students. What does that tell you though, about his tactics, his mindset that he was able to go into this house and kill four people?

JORDAN: Yes, when looking at other cases like this, that we can -- you know, Ted Bundy, Danny Rolling, BTK, we can be pretty confident that he fantasizes to the point of obsession, the idea of bloodletting, the McCobb. This is probably somebody who loves slasher films, violent pornography, plays a lot of video games that involve bloodletting and combat. He is obsessed with bloodshed, because it was a horrifically bloody scene.

So this would not be an impulsive act, Sara. Otherwise, there would be a lot more clues left behind, and we would have a suspect by now. And, you know, just given the amount of bloodshed, the high risk of killing these four students, this killer was extremely organized, or he's extremely lucky, because we're coming up on two weeks, and we have zero suspects.

SIDNER: You know, police have time and again, said that they believe this was targeted, perhaps to one student. But what is it that would make law enforcement say that? I mean, potentially, they have some evidence of that, correct?

JORDAN: I don't think so. I think that that's just conjecture on their part based on two things. The fact that the door was unlocked and open, I think they may have jumped to that conclusion, not understanding that the two surviving roommates invited their friends over before they even called 911.

And mostly, I think it's just -- so the open door, and mostly just the fact that the two surviving roommates were left alive, and that the killer behaved with confidence, assuming that person knew that there were two other people in the house, which I'm -- I don't quite accept, I think it's possible the killer had no idea that those two roommates were on the lower level, it simply suggests that perhaps the killer was targeting the four people killed.

But we have seen killers who simply try a doorknob, find it unlocked, and believe that this is a sign that they should go in and kill everyone in the house. So I'm kind of 50-50 on whether or not it was targeted. Most likely it was. But the more time that goes on, the more I'm convinced that this could be the random act of a stranger completely unrelated to the students.

SIDNER: And that for a lot of people makes it much more scary to think about going back to campus and we'll see how many students do return after the holiday. Casey Jordan, always a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us.

JORDAN: Good to be here, Sara.

SANCHEZ: A hero is being recognized this week. Support for the man who helped stop the Club Q gunman in Colorado poured in at his family's brewery in Colorado Springs with a line stretching out the door.

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LISA MCGUIRE, CUSTOMER: He deserves all the respect that he can get for just coming out and loving the community and then helping the people in the community right where he was at the right time.

MICHAEL, CUSTOMER: Anytime somebody does what everybody needs to do and then you ask him, oh you're a hero, and they say, no, I'm not I'm just doing what people need to do, you support him. You make sure that his business thrives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:30:00]

SANCHEZ: Army veteran Richard Fierro is one of the men hailed as a hero in the LGBTQ shootings that claimed five lives, including his daughter's boyfriend. Police say the night could have ended in more carnage had Fierro and others not stepped in.

Pivoting now to Eastern Europe, millions of Ukrainians remain in the dark today as Russia continues to target critical infrastructure. Very dangerous situation heading into the winter months. Details ahead.

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SANCHEZ: More than a dozen people are missing following a landslide on an island off the coast of Italy.

[08:35:00]

SIDNER: Take a look at these pictures. Italian authorities say heavy rains triggered a mudslide that damaged or destroyed several homes on the island of Ischia near Naples. At least 13 people are believed to be missing at this point. Search and rescue crews are working to reach the victims, but crews say the weather is making that really difficult. Authorities are urging people to stay in their homes as they try to clean this up.

SANCHEZ: Some 6 million Ukrainian households are still without power today, following a barrage of Russian missiles trikes on the country's critical infrastructure. This morning, we're learning there is good news, though, in the capital of Kyiv, where water, heating, and cell service is being restored.

SIDNER: Meantime, 15 people are dead and 35 have been injured after, quote, round-the-clock shelling in the southern city of Kherson.

SANCHEZ: Since Kherson was taken back by Ukrainian forces, we have been learning more about the resistance fighters who risked their lives to work with the military and make the liberation possible.

SIDNER: CNN Senior International Correspondent Sam Kiley talked to some of the Ukrainians who took Kherson back.

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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Archie killed twice while he was still a teenager.

(on-camera): If I'm the guy, he stops to pee. So I'm having a pee. And then what do you do?

ARCHIE, PARTISAN, PART OF KHERSON RESISTANCE: Firm (ph).

KILEY (on-camera): Oh, God, I got chilling.

(voice-over): He says he left his victim to bleed on the grass in the pitch dark. Archie struck again moments later, another drunk Russian soldier. Another throat cut. He acted alone, but now he was one of Kherson's resistance fighters.

ARCHIE (through translation): They're wasted. It had only been a few days since they entered the city. I finished the first one immediately and then caught up with the other one and killed him on the spot. I threw with a knife and the jacket covered with blood and just left.

KILEY (voice-over): Archie was only 19 when the Russians captured his city in March. With a friend he says he drove around the city gathering intelligence to send to Ukraine's Armed Forces.

ARCHIE (through translation): At least 10 Russians were slaughtered every night. I wasn't the only one in Kherson. There were a lot of athletic and clever partisan guys.

KILEY (voice-over): For eight months, Ukrainian partisans waged a psychological war against the occupiers and their collaborators, targeting Ukrainians who took top posts handed out by Russia.

KIRIL STREMOUSOV, RUSSIAN-APPOINTED DEPUTY HEAD OF KHERSON REGION (through translation): As a result of a sneaky terrorist attack today, our colleague, my friend Dmitry Savluchenko has died.

KILEY (voice-over): Stremousov himself would die in the final days of Russia's occupation of Kherson city, which ended three weeks ago. Kherson was the only regional capital to fall to Russia, but its population made sure that the invaders were unwelcome from the start.

(on-camera): That's incoming. Then the last hour or so that we've been here in Kherson, there's been a constant, shelling backwards and forwards. Almost all of that shelling will ultimately rely on somebody on the ground, telling the gunner where to drop those bombs.

(voice-over): Ihor was a young father. This warehouse is wrecked because of him.

IHOR, PART OF KHERSON RESISTANCE (through translation): The Russian military kept here around 20 to 30 vehicles. There were armored trucks, ABCs. And the Russians lived here. I was passing by this place and I saw all the vehicles.

KILEY (voice-over): Ihor communicated on his phone app with his handler, codename, the smoke.

IHOR (through translation): I turned on the camera and pointed it at the building and I was just walking and talking on the phone. And the camera was filming. I deleted the video of course, because if they would stop me somewhere and check my videos and pictures, there will be questions.

KILEY (voice-over): Less than a day later, he says, Russian vehicles were a mangled mess as Ukraine rained missiles down on the newly identified target. It was a crucial stead in destroying Russia's capacity to hold on to the city. With the Russians now massed on the eastern side of the Dnipro River, they're close and still control 60 percent of the province, which they claim is now part of Russia. No doubt there are many Ukrainians among them, who will also prepare to prove them wrong and to kill.

(on-camera): Do you feel sorry for the guys who killed at all?

IHOR (through translation): No.

KILEY (voice-over): Sam Kiley, CNN, Kherson City.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: Thanks to Sam Kiley for that eye opening report.

With many gathering with friends and family this holiday weekend, doctors are worried we could see an uptick in illnesses, including COVID-19. We're going to take a closer look when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:44:33]

SANCHEZ: Here are some of the top stories we are 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: The problem impacts Ford Escapes and Bronco sports model years 2021 to 2023 in the United States. A company says the issue will affect a small percentage of its vehicles. Some that were involved in a March recall because of a leak allowing oil to ignite potential fires.

[08:45:06]

SANCHEZ: Another remarkable rescue to share with you in New York City. Take a look at the dramatic body cam video. It shows a good Samaritan and a team of NYPD officers rushing on a subway tracks where man had accidentally fallen from the platform, he was lying on the tracks. They managed to hoist him back on the platform moments before this, an incoming train arriving. The man, fortunately, was taken to a local hospital. He's listed in stable condition with only minor injuries.

SIDNER: Definitely get the chill down your spine looking at that. As millions of Americans gather with friends and family over the Thanksgiving holiday, this may come as no surprise. Health experts are warning that a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations could happen in the coming days.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and it's not just COVID that's causing concern, holiday gatherings have the potential to spread other viruses, too, like RSV and the flu, both of which are already at high levels for this time of year. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen has more.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Boris, Sara. as we gathered for Thanksgiving this weekend, as we spend time with friends and family this weekend, COVID is probably not the first thing on most people's minds. But it is important to remember that for some people, COVID is still a serious risk.

Now, COVID rates aren't nearly what they were at one point, but let's take a look at where they are right now. Still, there are more than 300 COVID deaths every day, and about 3,400 people are hospitalized with COVID every day. Now, as we know, these COVID variants keep changing. The ones that are starting to dominate right now, there's bad news and there's good news.

The bad news is they're pretty smart, they're pretty wily, they seem to be outsmarting vaccination and infections more so than previous variants. The good news is, is they do seem to be causing pretty mild illness. So for most people, an illness with one of these variants is not necessarily such a big deal. But for some people, for the elderly, for people who are immune, compromised, it can be a very big deal.

So as you're gathering this weekend, think about those people, think about whether there are certain people in your family and friend group who need to be more careful. And maybe around those people, you need to wear a mask. Maybe they need to be wearing a mask. So as you celebrate the holidays, think about those who are most vulnerable. Boris, Sara?

SIDNER: Now, while the world is watching the World Cup, many in the U.S. are turning the attention to some big college football games, including the historic Ohio State Michigan rivalry. The playoff implications, next, in your Bleacher Report.

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[08:51:55]

SIDNER: It now all comes down to one game for the U.S. Men's National Team at the World Cup.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's essentially do or die. CNN's Carolyn Manno joins us now. Carolyn, if they don't win the next one, they go home.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And I mean, it sets up such a fantastic kind of viewing opportunity for fans around the world. And really here, back home, we've been waiting for this moment for so long. I mean, you think about the fact that more than 11 million people state side watched them on Monday, and then yesterday's audience is surely going to be higher than that when those figures are released.

But USR Christian Pulisic says that he really hopes that the fans back home were proud of this most recent performance against England. He also knows that the team has a lot of work to do if they want to move on to the round of 16. They played really well. I mean, it was a raucous crowd for the most high-profile matchup of this group stage.

England were the favorite, no question about it, of Group B. They had more possessions, but the U.S. really looked like the better side for most of this match. They couldn't finish. Weston McKennie, great (ph) first chance there for the U.S. in the 26-minute, he's got it, a little bit high. And then a few minutes later, Pulisic missing just what was a tremendous opportunity. Beat the keeper, hit the crossbar. So unfortunate.

Everybody thought that was going to be the moment. And then England with the final shot here. This had fans on the edge of their seats, but Harry Kane's headers sword wide in stoppage time. So the match ending in a scoreless draw, setting up what will be a win or go home match against Iran on Tuesday.

Elsewhere for you, huge day in college football. Number two, Ohio State hosting third rank Michigan. And the stakes have maybe never been higher. There is so much hype around this game, guys. This is just the fourth time in nearly 120 meetings that both the Buckeyes and the Wolverines are squaring off with perfect records.

Buckeyes looking for a little bit of revenge here. They had an eight- game win streak in the rivalry come to an end last year. But on top of that, both sides are so hungry because this is basically a playing game for the playoffs. So Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud is ready to lead. Take a look at this.

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MANNO: So that's the Heisman hopeful, taking over conducting duties for Best Damn Band in the Land at practice on Monday. And even the youngest Buckeye fans are ready to go. Newborns at the Western Medical Center swaddled in red with the phrase of beat Michigan. No Ms, of course, this week. Therapy dogs at the hospital, posing in front, amazing blue fire hydrant.

This is what happens. You start them so young, Sara and Boris. Puppies, babies. It's a game for a reason. And it means so much and always will. I mean, the playoff implications just amplify this to another level. The undefeated records amplify this to another level. But this game has always meant everything to both sides. And it's just going to be such a fun atmosphere with more than 100,000 people in the stadium and so many people watching around the country.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And it is one of the best rivalries in all of sports. Carolyn, going back to the World Cup, though, really quickly. The U.S. tied Wales. They tied England. Iran beat Wales, but then England crushed Iran. What does that tell you about this matchup against Iran for the United States?

[08:55:11]

MANNO: Well, what's interesting is what the United States decided to do. I mean, there was a little bit of speculation, Sara and Boris, that they might hold some of their players back and save for this contest because whatever ultimately would happen, aside from a win, wouldn't really matter that much. Everything was pointing towards this final meeting.

But you have to go for broke. I mean, when you look at what they did against England, they really went for it. And I feel like they have to do it again this time.

SIDNER: Isn't it so dissatisfying when you have a tie? It really is hard for me to -- I'm like, can we just keep playing until someone score? Anyway, I know --

MANNO: Hopefully for some goals, Sara. Hopefully for some goals.

SANCHEZ: Penalty kicks. Why not do penalty kicks.

MANNO: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: Carolyn Manno, thank you so much for breaking that down for us.

Before we go, there's a quick programming note we want to share with you. You can catch an all-new season of "This Is Life with Lisa Ling" tomorrow at 10:00, a really unusual episode. We'll leave it at that. It's right here on CNN. And you shouldn't go anywhere because Sara and I are coming back in about an hour.

SIDNER: But Smerconish is up next. I'll see you again.

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