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CNN This Morning

Biden Administration Touts Latest Numbers On Economy; Economy Showing Resilience Despite Recession Fears; Gas Prices Lower Than Before Russia Invaded Ukraine; Democrats Vote To Make SC First On 2024 Primary Calendar; Biden Signs Bill To Avert Railroad Strike; Gingrich Warns GOP "To Quit Underestimating" Biden; Mauna Loa Volcano's Lava Moving Closer To Major Highway; More Than 1.8 Million Early Votes Cast in Georgia Ahead of Runoff; Ukraine Faces Harsh Winter But Vows to Avoid National Blackout. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired December 03, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:25]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone and a warm welcome to CNN this morning. I'm Amara Walker.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Amara. I'm Boris Sanchez. This morning, we're looking at the economy. Another red-hot jobs report even though those strong numbers come at a price. Plus, a big milestone as gas prices are plunging.

WALKER: Lava continues to flow from the Mauna Loa volcano this morning. What officials are saying about where this lava is going and its potential impacts on the Big Island.

SANCHEZ: And closing arguments in Georgia, the final sprint in that key Peach State Senate race. We're going to take you on the campaign trail.

WALKER: And police in Raleigh, North Carolina releasing dramatic new body cam footage of their encounter with a gunman responsible for a mass shooting that killed five people. We'll show you the intense moments just ahead on CNN this morning.

Hi, everyone. It is Saturday, December 3. Yes, we are in a new month. Thank you so much for waking up with us. Boris, always great to see you.

SANCHEZ: Always great to see you, Amara. Just like that, we're in December, almost an entire year off the calendar in the blink of an eye, it feels like, right?

WALKER: Don't remind me. I feel like it's going by way too fast. But I love this time of the year. So I'm going to try to enjoy it.

SANCHEZ: One of two isn't bad. I'm a bigger fan of summer. But let's get to the stories. This morning we start with the economy. The White House touting the latest jobs numbers as evidence that things are headed in the right direction.

WALKER: Yes, employers added 263,000 jobs last month, unemployment remains steady at 3.7 percent. And wages are up. Now the Biden administration says this all points to an economy that is strong and resilient. And here's how Labor Secretary Marty Walsh described the November jobs numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTY WALSH, LABOR SECRETARY: We're seeing areas that quite haven't fully come back pre-pandemic seeing the biggest gains in this report. And we're also seeing opportunities for nearly lows in unemployment numbers across the board.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Inflation still remains a major concern. No, there is also the looming threat of a recession that is putting more pressure on the Federal Reserve to try to cool the economy but to not overdo it. CNN's Matt Egan has the details.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Boris and Amara, the hope was for a Goldilocks jobs number. Not too hot, that would feel inflation and not too cold, that would hit a recession. We did not get Goldilocks. We got hot. Jobs growth has slowed. But the slowdown recently has been glacial. You almost need a magnifying glass to see it.

Now some sectors did lose jobs at retail, transportation and temporary help. They were all down in November. But otherwise, there was a lot of demand for workers. Leisure and hospitality continues to recover from COVID, adding almost 90,000 jobs one month alone. Health care, government and construction, all of them added jobs.

The part of the jobs report catching the attention of economists and investors is wages. Coming in the thinking was that wages would cool off which would be encouraging because that would take some pressure off inflation. That did not happen. Wages heated up, growing by 5.1 percent year over year, some context that is roughly twice as hot as the pre-COVID pace. That's a just very strong demand for workers.

At the same time the supply of labor is shrinking as the worker shortage continues. The labor force participation rate dipped for the third month in a row. Now, this will not please the Federal Reserve which is trying to get inflation under control by easing this imbalance between supply and demand in the jobs market.

Now this is good news for workers in the sense that their paychecks are getting hammered by inflation. So they want pay, of course, to go up. But despite the hot wage number today, wages are still not keeping up with inflation. I think when we take a step back, this is a good news, bad news situation.

The good news is that there's nothing about the November jobs report that screams imminent recession. This jobs market is still chugging along, and that is a relief. No one wants to see the job market go ice cold. And the bad news, though, is that this jobs report is probably going to embolden the Federal Reserve to keep raising interest rates, to cool this economy off. Not just at the upcoming meeting this month, but also raising rates continuing into next year.

[06:05:04]

And the more the Fed does, the greater the risk that they will do too much taping this economy into a recession. Boris and Amara?

WALKER: Yes. It's a fine line there. Matt Egan, thank you so much. And despite the mixed signals on the economy, President Biden said he is optimistic, but the pressure is on the Federal Reserve to decide its next move, of course.

SANCHEZ: Let's bring in CNN White House Reporter Jasmine Wright, who is tracking this story for us. She's at the White House right now. Jasmine, what is President Biden saying about these jobs' numbers?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, President Biden cheered on the jobs numbers, Boris and Amara, saying that the numbers are evidence that his economic policies are working, and that it's showing the first signs that this economy is transitioning into that more stable economy that this White House has really been fighting for for the last two years.

He touted that the U.S. economy added 263,000 jobs. Now, of course, the White House wanted a lower number of 200,000. So this number right now came in a little bit hot. But still he touted that, of course, unemployment remains at the historic lows of 3.7 percent.

Now probably the best number for this White House right now is the gas numbers. Right now is averaging $3.5, $4 per gallon over $1 less than what it was at the height of the summer, when really it was causing a major, major headache for this administration. But as we just heard Matt Egan say, though, President Biden loves this job report, the Federal Reserve probably does not.

And it comes up because of that sharp rise in wage growth really concerning economists, that this economy is not cooling up cooling off as fast as the Federal Reserve wants it to, meaning that they could come in and again, continue to raise interest rates, really, potentially pushing this country into a recession, or at least raising the likelihood that this could happen.

Still, though, President Biden yesterday at the White House was very excited about these numbers. And he touted how things are getting back to normal here. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're in a position now where we -- things are moving, they're moving in the right direction. As we go into the holiday season. Here's what this all means. The Americans are working, the economy is growing. Wages are rising faster than inflation. And we've avoided a catastrophic rail strike.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WRIGHT: Now that real strike portion is really important here, Boris and Amara, because of White House views that because President Biden intervened again and called on Congress to really pass a bill forcing both the labor unions and railway companies to accept a deal that maybe some union members didn't want because it lacked paid leave because President Biden did that.

They avoided economic calamity or really averted a risk which would have the White House contends likely sent the U.S. into a recession. So of course, the economy here is what really matters to the President. It's how it priority and we saw that when he signed that bill on Friday. Amara, Boris?

SANCHEZ: Jasmine Wright reporting live from the White House. Thank you so much, Jasmine.

Some very welcome. economic news to add this morning. It is costing you less to fill up your gas tank. Gas prices are lower now than they were before Russia invaded Ukraine.

WALKER: Yes. AAA says the price for a gallon of regular is $3.43 a gallon, that is down from $3.57 a week ago and #3.78 a month ago.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Pete Muntean looks at what is behind the drop in prices and how long this relief is expected to last.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Boris, Amara, oil producing nations are holding a key meeting on Sunday, but the latest signs show that OPEC will not boost oil production which could mean that oil continues to go up and this drop in gas prices could be short lived. Think back to where we were back on February 24. The average price for a gallon of regular was $3.54. That's the day that Russia invaded Ukraine and gas prices really started to shoot up.

Industry analysts think that prices are going to stabilize at least in the short term. They've dropped more than 13 cents for an average gallon of regular in the last week. Not all good news though. There are still some pretty big uncertainties out there like Chinese COVID lockdowns, fears about a recession.

The thinking though right now from Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy is that we could see gas continue to go down, maybe sub $3 a gallon by Christmas time. Think about where we were back on June 14, $5.01 for an average gallon of regular. That's the highest we have seen ever, the all-time record. We were down more than $1.50, down more than 30 percent since that all-time record. Boris, Amara?

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much, Pete Muntean.

Let's dig deeper now on all the headlines with Politico White House Reporter Daniel Lippman. Daniel, always great to see you bright and early on a Saturday morning. I want to hit --

DANIEL LIPPMAN, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, POLITICO: Good morning.

SANCHEZ: Of course. I want to hit all those economic headlines but we should start with last night's big news that Iowa is out.

[06:10:04]

The DNC approving South Carolina as the first primary state in the 2024 presidential campaign. That's something President Biden wanted, right?

LIPPMAN: Yes, he's pretty happy about this. Remember, South Carolina was where his campaign in 2020 turned around after not winning in Iowa and New Hampshire. He got that endorsement of Jim Clyburn, the powerful congressman in South Carolina and got, you know, the black vote to come out for him, you know, to support Biden.

And so this is kind of a recognition that the party is changing in terms of, you know, Iowa is not a very diverse state, and the party right now is pretty kind of made up of lots of different racial and ethnic groups.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that was a surprising development there. Let's talk about the economy. The American consumer receives some good and not so good news this week. Inflation is cooling, but it's still high, meaning, the Fed may again, raise rates because the job market hasn't really slowed down. The Fed is concerned that if rates go too far, it could mean a recession. So what does that mean for the White House?

LIPPMAN: Well, the White House has to keep the Fed at -- in arm's distance. They don't want to be accused of what happened in the Trump administration, where Trump was kind of bullying the fed into doing actions that would benefit him politically. And so having an independent Fed is good for America long term, even if it means that they're going to be jacking up rates until inflation eases.

And so, I think, you know, for Jerome Powell, the head of the Fed, it means keeping, you know, staying the course. And I think he recognizes that he didn't raise rates fast enough last year, but that he wants to get these, you know, sky high numbers down. And they already showed some signs of easing slightly in the right trajectory, but it's tough.

SANCHEZ: Yes. This is -- it seems like a good phase for this White House considering that inflation is cooling slightly, wages are going up in the last few months compared to inflation, and gas prices are down. So this is actually a positive development for the White House now?

LIPPMAN: Yes, I think the White House is hoping that these numbers continue to go in the right direction as 2024 approaches. Everyone is expecting Joe Biden to run again for reelection. And the only thing that could really stop him is health or Joe Biden's health or heard saying, you don't want to -- you shouldn't run.

But they are kind of hoping that, you know, where they will be in 2024 with the economy means that Americans will recognize that, you know, Biden has done his best at keeping them employed, and keeping the, you know, trying to get hold of inflation, which was fueled by COVID, and the supply chain shortages. SANCHEZ: I want to ask you about another news item. The President often known as union Joe was very pro-labor when he was a senator. He did sign a bill this week, though, that averted a railroad strike that could have hurt the economy. But it imposed terms on rail unions that they did not agree to. Do you think that might hurt the President standing among labor groups?

LIPPMAN: Well, that's an actual question for us because remember, you know, Trump has a lot of those blue-collar supporters. Some of them union members. He got the endorsement of a couple, you know, unions, you know, people in the police force, for example.

And so Biden doesn't want to have to, you know, cross the unions that much, but I think he recognized that this was a, you know, bipartisan consensus in Washington that we can't have a crippling rail strike right before the Christmas holiday season where we're trying to get goods and, you know, no one wants to disappoint their parents and their siblings in terms of hey, there's no -- I have no Christmas or, you know, Hanukkah gift for you because the unions, you know, had this big strike.

And so, they were looking at how this could take a big economic toll. And Biden said, hey, you know, a bunch of these unions actually approve this agreement. And, you know, no one is going to get everything they want.

SANCHEZ: Looking on the Republican side, as we're waiting to find out if Kevin McCarthy is going to achieve his long-held dream of becoming speaker, a former Republican Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich is out with a new warning to Republicans. He says, quote, "Conservatives' hostility to the Biden administration on our terms tends to blind us to just how effective Biden has been on his terms. Our aversion to him and his policies makes us underestimate him and the Democrats."

[06:15:01]

So Republicans now have a narrow majority in the House. Are there any indications you see that they might produce legislation that Biden would actually sign?

LIPPMAN: Yes, I think the answer to that is pretty clear in terms of that's not why people voted for Republicans in the House. There's -- they didn't really present a bipartisan, you know, bills of legislation that they said, hey, elect us and we will work with Biden to get this accomplished in a Democratic Senate. They hoped that it would be a Republican Senate.

And so, I think they're meant to, in their own minds and in their voters, to serve as a check to do accountability, to do investigations, not veer off into, you know, tinfoil hat or in territory. But, you know, it's, you know, as journalists, we know, it's important to do investigations.

And so I think, you know, their theory of the case is that there's just not that much common ground that they could accomplish in terms of getting bills, and they don't want to get killed by their voters back home, who say, hey, why are you working with the Biden administration so much, you're helping him get reelected.

And so, I think, you know, we shouldn't hold our breath. But they also don't want to be seen as total obstructionist and --

SANCHEZ: Right.

LIPPMAN: -- not actually, you know, just focusing on Hunter Biden instead of real world economic issues.

SANCHEZ: Makes sense. Daniel Lippman, thank you, as always.

LIPPMAN: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: So we mentioned that piece of legislation to end or prevent railway worker strike. Coming up at 8:00, a member of a top railway union is going to join us live for reaction to the New Deal and what he is hearing from other members of his organization. Also, what he has to say to the President and Congress. That's still later this morning.

WALKER: All right. Still ahead this morning, lava flowing in parts of Hawaii's Big Island. The spectacular scene is really captivating residents and visitors alike and the concerns among officials as Mauna Loa spews ash and lava into the air.

It's down to the wire in the Georgia Senate run off. The final push, both candidates and their high-profile surrogates are making to turn out voters ahead of Election Day. Plus, Ukrainian officials telling residents to prepare for some really tough months ahead in the face of continued Russian missile attacks. We're going to take you live to Kyiv when we come back.

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[06:21:33]

WALKER: Well this week's explosive volcanic eruption in Hawaii is causing concern and a lot of ah as you'd imagine. Visitors flocking to the Big Island for a glimpse of this breathtaking scene.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it may be destructive and deadly, but it is so cool to look at. That lava flow has slowed significantly, but it's now inching closer to the island's main highway. Officials are also now monitoring air quality because of possible toxic gases that are being released into the air.

CNN's David Culver is on the scene in Hawaii and brings us the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The nighttime glow of Mauna Loa's oozing lava, well, you just have to pull over to properly admire it.

(on-camera): It's basically the middle of the night and you guys are out here. Why?

PILANI ZYCH, OAHU, HAWAII RESIDENT; Well, I mean, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to experience this. And we decided to come early in the morning so we didn't have to sit in the traffic.

CULVER (voice-over): Having hopped from a Oahu to here, the Big Island, this family three generations came to respectfully honor the Hawaiian interruptions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's all beautiful to us and so we pay huge reverence to this. It's very culturally significant for us as well. So it's a big deal.

CULVER (voice-over): A site made even more alluring with a site of sunrise, which brought the crowds to old Saddle Road. Officials turning this stretch into a one-way street allowing passers by the chance to stop and let the views seep in.

(on-camera): And that keeps drivers from pulling over and stopping on this, what is one of the main highways connecting one part of the island to the other. USGS and state officials warned the lava flow while slowed in recent days is inching closer to cutting off this highway. It's within 3 miles now.

The other worry, not here on the ground, but up in the air. What looks like plumes of smoke, experts say, those are acid gases. Officials monitoring the levels warning it could become toxic for residents and visitors of the Big Island.

(voice-over): Mauna Loa is the second of the big islands five volcanoes currently erupting. Kilauea, still rumbling after destroying more than 600 homes here in 2018.

ERECH ZYCH, OAHU, HAWAII RESIDENT: This is very significantly. My wife -- we meet Liz on Oahu. We brought them over here and we gave it as an offering, you know, just come with respect.

CULVER (voice-over): But many Hawaiians see the potential path of destruction as simultaneous creation surfacing from this, the world's largest active volcano.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CULVER: Boris and Amara, officials say that with the eruption continuing at its current pace, they believed that they could give folks up to two days' notice should the lava make its way into that major highway ultimately cutting it off. But they also warn, when it comes to the flow of lava, there is no forecasting forecasting. Boris, Amara?

WALKER: Wow. Well, it is so spectacular to see. And David Culver, scoring a really tough reporting assignment. Really cool stuff, David. Thank you. I wish I was there on the Big Island.

For more on where the lava flow is going and what to expect, but there's no forecasting as David says, so Allison Chinchar in the CNN Weather Center. Tell us what you can.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, so it's really about monitoring the speed in which it's flowing. And that's how they can determine that timeline that he was talking about, how much advance warning they can give people in the area.

Again, here's a look again at some of the lava flows that you can see from this particular area. Now one thing to note, so this is where it all came from. The Caldera here of Mauna Loa, the flow is good laying down basically almost do northward.

[06:25:02]

But it's gotten to that point where it's now in between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. And the thing is, yes, well both of those mountains are very high. That space in between is very flat. And that's very important to know because that actually slows the flow down, it doesn't go down quite as quick as it would have going down, say, downhill.

Now, here's a look, here's the caldera, this is where the flows have been going. This is Fisher 3, this is Fisher 4. You can see Fisher 3 is significantly longer. And part of that is because of the speed. Fisher 3 has been faster at flowing that Fisher 4 has. But I want to emphasize here. When we talk about speed, we're not talking very fast speeds by any means.

Fisher 3 only moving 150 feet per hour, not miles, feet per hour. Fisher 4 is even slower than that. So again, you're not talking significant speeds. But one thing they are concerned about is rain in the area. That also causes additional problems with a lot of the air quality issues there. So something we'll have to keep an eye on.

SANCHEZ: We certainly will. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much for the update.

CHINCHAR: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, the final sprint in Georgia. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker making their final pitch to voters ahead of Election Day. Where the race stands heading into the final weekend, next.

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[06:30:00]

SANCHEZ: A pretty big loose end still has to get tied up from the 2022 midterms, and it's going to get wrapped up this Tuesday in the Peach State. More than 1.8 million ballots were cast in early voting in that Senate runoff in Georgia.

WALKER: And in a race to the finish line, both incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker are using this weekend to make one last pitch to voters. CNN's Eva McKend is live in Atlanta with more. Eva, it's really been just fascinating to see so much interest in this runoff amongst voters. What are the candidates saying?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, there certainly has been a lot of interest. Listen, Senator Warnock will be here campaigning at a union rally in about three hours. Herschel Walker, though, surprisingly, no listed campaign events this weekend, but both campaigns can be heard on the radio, on television.

Georgians, I speak with throughout the state, sick and tired of those ads, well, soon, they'll be getting a reprieve. Just three days left until election day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKEND (voice-over): On the final day of early voting, long lines did not deter Georgians from heading to the polls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This runoff is so important.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a sense of accomplishment to come in and get it done early.

MCKEND: Just four days until Tuesday's runoff, and neither candidate is letting up.

HERSCHEL WALKER, CANDIDATE FOR SENATOR: I said, enough is enough. Now, what we've got to do is we've got to get out and vote!

RAPHAEL WARNOCK, CANDIDATE FOR SENATOR: We can't rest on our laurels. We -- it's way too early to do a happy dance.

MCKEND: New CNN polling shows, Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock holds a slim lead over Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Among likely runoff voters, 52 percent say they plan to support Warnock, 48 percent say they plan to vote for Walker. Both candidates enjoy overwhelming support from their respective parties.

Independents however, break in favor of Warnock, 61 percent to 36 percent, but make up a relatively small slice of likely voters. Turnout has been strong during the early voting period, nearly 1.5 million have already cast ballots according to data from the Georgia Secretary of State's office.

But the overall turnout still lags behind the Georgia Senate runoffs in January 2021, with this year's runoff having fewer days of early voting under the state's new voting law.

WARNOCK: Hello, Kennesaw state!

MCKEND: Both candidates making their closing arguments to voters with Walker continuing to tie Warnock to President Joe Biden.

WALKER: He went to Georgia and said that he was going to represent Georgia, but who is he representing? Joe Biden.

MCKEND: And Warnock urging voters to keep pushing, not taking the early vote totals for granted, and maintaining the race is about competence and character.

WARNOCK: Georgia, I need you to do it one more time!

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKEND: So, even though we saw a lot of people come out during the early vote period, some lamented that there weren't more days that people have the opportunity to vote early here. If they did not have the opportunity to do so, though, they can still get out and vote on Tuesday. Boris, Amara?

WALKER: Yes, one more day. Eva McKend, thank you so much. And it is the final election of a surprising midterm season. Join us for the Georgia runoff between Senator Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker. Coverage starts on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, a harsh Winter ahead. The warning from Ukrainian officials as Russia tries to bomb the country into a cold darkness. How the weather could impact the war, next.

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[06:35:00]

WALKER: Ukrainian resilience is in full force this morning with the country preparing or has been preparing for a tough Winter. But officials are confident they can avoid a national blackout despite repeated Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy sites.

SANCHEZ: Meantime, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog is finally hoping to reach an agreement with Russia and Ukraine to prevent a catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

WALKER: And also making headlines this morning, the European Union is dealing a major blow to how Vladimir Putin funds his invasion with a proposed price cap on Russian oil. The Kremlin says Europe is putting its own energy security at risk and vows to cut off countries that limit prices.

SANCHEZ: So let's take you to Kyiv now. CNN's Will Ripley is there for us live this morning. Will, good morning. Please expand for us on what officials are saying about the upcoming Winter and how that's going to impact the invasion?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really -- there's a number of threats that are facing the people here in Ukraine. The resilient people here as you -- as you so wisely pointed out in your intro, Amara and Boris.

[06:40:00]]

Because not only are they dealing with plummeting temperatures, and the temperatures are really going to start dropping in the coming weeks here. But they're dealing with a situation where here in Kyiv, people are without power for several hours a day. You get farther out into the suburbs, and there are people who only have power for maybe three hours a day, and the rest of the day, they are in the dark.

Which of course, poses a whole list of challenges, particularly for people who are living in these old-Soviet era high-rise buildings, where they have to climb up these darkly-lit stairwells just to get home, not to mention all of the other complications when you're trying to survive really cold temperatures without heat.

Now, they're working very hard to restore the power grid here after last week's devastating Russian attack, where they launched some 70- plus missiles and rockets, and a number of targets across this country within a four-hour period. The Ukrainians shot down more than 50 of those projectiles.

Some of those were 1980s-era nuclear capable missiles without warheads that the Ukrainians think were actually launched just to exhaust the missile defense systems and get some of the other rockets that did have live warheads to hit those targets effectively.

Now, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister is telling CNN exclusively that they are expecting and really bracing themselves for another Russian attack in the coming days. So just as they rebuild everything, they're expecting the Russians to launch another onslaught of rockets and missiles to try to shut down and try to debilitate as much of the nationwide power grid as possible.

That said, I have just observed some really remarkable strength and courage of the people here in Kyiv, where businesses, when the lights go out, they pull out generators, they fire the generator up, and they go on as usual, serving coffee, serving lunch, doing whatever they can to make life here feel as normal as possible, despite this looming threat of yet another Russian attack, Boris and Amara.

WALKER: That has to be really helpful for morale, but obviously, the reality quite dire with this Winter upon them. Will Ripley, thank you very much, live for us there in Kyiv. Retired Colonel and CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton joining us now with more. I just have to feel for the Ukrainian people as Will Ripley laid it out, this harsh Winter.

Let's talk about that because as we know, power has been cut off for hundreds of thousands of people, water supply is badly damaged, making Ukraine even more reliant on the West for support this Winter. Could the weather affect the outcome of the war, and how could Russia use it to their advantage?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Oh, yes, it definitely could, Amara, and good morning to you. The way this will work here, there will be some false starts when it comes to the Winter, and there will be some cold temperatures like next week, in the next seven to ten days, there'll be a bit of a warming trend, actually, in Ukraine.

So things will get really muddy in a lot of areas that the Ukrainians trying to want to mount an offensive in against the Russians. So, this is going to be a bit of a complicated Winter, but I think what will happen is, they're going to -- the Russians are going to dig in as much as they possibly can. They're going to take advantage of some of the warmer temperatures that we can expect in the next few days to, you know, reinforce their trench lines, do things like that.

The Ukrainians, on the other hand are going to wait that out. They've already done some of their own digging of trench lines and moving pieces of equipment up to the frontlines. But they're also going to make sure that they don't make those pieces of equipment, those weapon systems vulnerable to Russian attack.

So, they've got a tall order if they're going to move forward. But the Winter can absolutely affect the outcome of this war, because one little change can make things more muddy, for example, and prevent the movement of troops. One other change in the other direction can make it much easier to move troops.

WALKER: Wow --

LEIGHTON: So that will be one element there that could be critical.

WALKER: And speaking of tall orders, we know that there are some diplomatic moves behind the scenes. As you know, President Biden met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron this week. They clearly, obviously, I mean, the West is all united on wanting to end this war and continuing to support Ukraine, but they differ on their strategy, right?

Their willingness to speak to Vladimir Putin. Listen to what they had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have no immediate plans to contact Mr. Putin. Mr. Putin is -- I mean, I have to choose my words very carefully -- I'm prepared to speak with Mr. Putin, if in fact, there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war. He hasn't done that yet.

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT, FRANCE: I have to engage with the existing leaders and the one in charge of the country, because if we do believe in national sovereignty we cannot decide to say it's a precondition, there's a very slim chance to stop negotiating. I think he made a mistake.

Is it impossible to come back at the table and negotiate something? I think it's still possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Who do you think has the right strategy? Should there be preconditions before talks?

[06:45:00]

LEIGHTON: I think there have to be preconditions before talks, Amara. And you know, in that sense, what President Biden said makes the most sense to me, because you want to make sure that the Russians realize that they need to move their forces out of Ukraine. There needs to be a way in which this war ends on conditions that are favorable, as favorable as possible to the Ukrainians, because the Russians are the aggressors in this case.

President Macron, you know, he has a -- he had a history of speaking with the Russians in the run-up to the war, and you know, trying to use a diplomatic off-ramp at that point in time, that obviously was not successful. But in this particular case, yes, diplomatic affirm is necessary, but it can't be a carte blanche for the Russians.

WALKER: All right, retired Colonel Cedric Leighton, appreciate the conversation. Thank you.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Amara.

SANCHEZ: Still to come this morning, caught on camera. Authorities in North Carolina releasing dramatic body-cam video of Raleigh officers in a shoot-out with a teenager. Some stunning footage, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

SANCHEZ: Police in North Carolina have released some dramatic body-cam footage showing Raleigh officers in a shoot-out with a teenager back in October.

WALKER: The 15-year-old is accused of killing five people including his older brother and an off-duty officer. and also wounding two others. We do want to warn you the video you're about to see is disturbing. Here's CNN's Ryan Young.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNFIRE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police releasing dramatic body-cam footage from the October 13th mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina. A 15-year-old boy allegedly killed five people, including his older brother and an off-duty police officer. After an hours' long manhunt, canine officers tracked him down while he was barricaded inside of a barn-like building in the woods according to the police body-cam video.

(GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shot, my brother, my brother --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is he hit?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right knee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, please, tourniquet on. Tourniquet on his right knee. YOUNG: At one point in the video, an officer is struck by gunfire

while multiple officers continue to fire back. Other officers are applying a tourniquet to his leg. After firing 23 shots, Raleigh officers established a perimeter around the building before going in and finding the suspect wounded according to a preliminary police report released in October.

Investigators say the suspect had a shotgun and shells nearby him.

(on camera): The suspect has not been charged, however, the Wake County District attorney has said her office intends charging the 15- year-old as an adult. In a statement obtained by a CNN affiliate, "WTVD" in October, the suspect's parents saying they don't understand why this happened, writing, quote, "there were never any indications or warning signs that their son was capable of doing anything like this".

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: That was CNN's Ryan Young reporting. Still ahead this morning, win or go home. The U.S. set to take on the Netherlands today in a spot for the World Cup quarterfinals. We're going to have a preview of that big match.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:00]

WALKER: It's match day at the World Cup. The U.S. is taking on the Netherlands and America's biggest star is good to go.

SANCHEZ: Yes, let's bring in Andy Scholes now. Andy, there's something in the script here, some joke about Christian Pulisic taking a hit to his own personal Netherlands. I'm not going to make that joke, but he did take a hit, and it's just great --

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes --

SANCHEZ: To find out that he's going to play today.

SCHOLES: Yes, you, guys, you know, Christian Pulisic, he clarified on Thursday that he had a true pelvic contusion that was very painful, but he is going to start today for team USA. Captain America. He was out on the pitch training with the squad yesterday afternoon, and today, it's the biggest U.S. soccer game in 8 years.

It's win or go home in the knockout stage. The U.S. hasn't made it to the quarterfinals in the World Cup since 2002. They've only made it past this game twice. And Pulisic, you know, he already had that magical goal against Iran, but he says, he hopes his Landon Donovan moment is still to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIAN PULISIC, FORWARD, U.S. NATIONAL MEN'S SOCCER TEAM: It feels great to score in a World Cup. Team knows what that's like. I think -- I'm hoping I haven't had that moment yet, to be honest, I'm hoping it's in front of me. So, it feels great to be where we're at right now, but there's still more to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, kickoff is at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, just a few hours away. The Netherlands has been dealing with a flu outbreak within the team, but everyone is still expected to play. All right, we also have a huge day of college football on tap as it's championship Saturday. Last night, the PAC-12 title game, fourth-ranked USC needing a win to secure a spot in the playoffs, looking good early on.

Heisman frontrunner Caleb Williams, his touchdown pass put the Trojans up 14-3. But then, Utah just took over. They outscored USC 44-10, the rest of the way, the defense coming up big with this interception in the fourth quarter to help seal the win, with Utah taking PAC-12, that means fifth-ranked Ohio State should now make the playoffs.

Utah Coach, Kyle Whittingham had this message for Buckeyes head coach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE WHITTINGHAM, HEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: I'll say you're welcome. What have you got, buddy?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. So now, the big game everyone is going to be watching today is the Big 12 title game. Third-ranked TCU taking on tenth-ranked Kansas state. The Horned Frogs lose. Would two-loss Alabama somehow sneak into the playoffs? That's the big question. Second-ranked Michigan also plays 8-4 Perdue team.

And the big 10 title game, you got top-ranked Georgia going up against LSU in the SEC Championship game. Both Michigan and Georgia, they're undefeated and could lose today and still make the playoffs. So no real drama there, but guys, be sure to have some high drama in just a few hours between the USA and Netherlands.

I'm actually going over to a watch party right now, I'll be live over there. All right, I tell you what? Everyone at these watch parties hanging on every single moment. It's exhausting, but just here hoping that team USA could somehow pull this out.

WALKER: You're not --

SANCHEZ: I'm --

WALKER: Allowed to lose your voice, Andy.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Andy, less celebration than when the Houston Astros won the World Series there. Pelvic contusion is a great way to put that injury.