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Flights Resume in U.S. after Major FAA Outage; Russia and Ukraine Fight for Control of Soledar; At Least Six Injured in Central Paris Rail Station Attack; U.S. President Joe Biden Facing Questions about Classified Documents; Controversial Catholic Cardinal George Pell Dead at 81; Scientists Say Disastrous Megaflood Coming to California; WHO and Uganda Say Ebola Outbreak is Over; Hollywood's Best at the Golden Globes. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired January 11, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Travel chaos in the United States after a system outage brought flights to a virtual standstill. Normal

operations have now resumed. More on that is coming up.

Ukraine denies Russian reports that a critical town in the east has fallen to the Wagner mercenary group. What we know and why it matters -- up next.

And one year after the Golden Globes canceled its ceremony over a diversity scandal, the show returns. Among the winners, Steven Spielberg. Find out

who else is on that list.

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ANDERSON: A very warm welcome to the show. I am Becky Anderson. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.

"They don't know what the cause is," The words of U.S. President Joe Biden following a major safety system outage of the Federal Aviation

Administration. The FAA says normal U.S. flight operations are now resuming. This all comes a short time after all domestic departures were

halted.

This isn't just a U.S. domestic issue. Let's get you to London, where CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live from Heathrow Airport.

What do we know right now, Salma?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Becky. So we are just starting to see the knock-on effect of this outage in the United States. We

have producers around the world, calling airports, calling airlines, to try to figure out.

And as you can expect, there is an anticipation that there could be delays and even cancellations in the coming hours and potentially days. We do know

that, in the U.S., there is going to be a ground delay program to address the backlog domestically.

That again you can only expect will result in those delays and cancellations around the world. I just want to read you what we know so

far.

Air Canada, that is a foreign carrier with the most flights into that U.S., they say their cross border operations will be affected. They don't know

yet to what extent. They are going to put in a goodwill policy in place, Becky, for travelers to try to figure out what their next steps are, what

their next plans.

Virgin Atlantic says already some of the U.S. flights have been affected. British Airways says it's continuing to operate normally but we've already

seen on the board, inside the airports, that there are some delays already there in place.

Amsterdam airport as well, saying it expects some potential delays for Paris. Paris as well, Charles de Gaulle, saying they have yet to see any

cancellations but also potential delays.

And then here, of course, at Heathrow Airport, we have already gotten eyewitness testimony from one passenger, who said that they were sitting on

an American Airlines flight for three hours, waiting for it to take off as a result of this outage.

And Heathrow Airport in particular has been suffering. It has had staff shortages, lost thousands of staff during the pandemic. During the holiday

season, there were backups and delays due to strike actions by transportation groups across this country. So this really compounds an

already difficult travel period.

ANDERSON: It does, Salma. Thank you very much indeed. I am aware that there will be many people around the world who will be watching this and

may be affected. So thank. You

And stay with CNN as we continue to update you on what is going on.

For the next two hours on the show, we are going to take a deep dive into the battle for control of the town of Soledar and why it is so important in

what is this long, drawn out war in Ukraine. It is a battle that has gone on for months in multiple phases.

Now it is largely being fought on Russia's side by the Wagner group. The private military contractor recruits fighters, sometimes Russian prisoners,

who, by many accounts, fight more effectively on the ground than Russian conscripts.

Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been an outspoken critic of the Kremlin's losing war effort. Here he is, talking with his fighters last

week. A picture posted on Wagner's Telegram channel purports show them inside one of Soledar's salt mines today. We can't confirm where or when it

was taken.

Ukraine claims it was staged. Well, those salt mines are important.

[10:05:00]

ANDERSON: And a vast network of tunnels underneath them makes Soledar strategically important to both sides. Capturing that town would give

Russia a much needed victory and make it easier to move on Bakhmut.

As you see here on the map, Russia's main target in the Donetsk region of the Donbas. Right now, there are conflicting reports about that battle for

Soledar. Let's bring in Scott McLean. He is in Kyiv. He's been talking to his sources and studying what is going on on the ground.

At this point and, as I say, we have had conflicting reports from both sides.

What is going on?

Who controls that strategic town?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So the only person at this stage,, Becky who says that they are in control of Soledar, the strategic town in

the eastern part of Ukraine in the Donbas region, is the Wagner chief, who says that they are completely in control of the territory of Soledar.

But not even the Kremlin is acknowledging that that is the case. They say it is trending in that direction. Of course, the Ukrainians say that is not

that case at all. They continue to fight, even if troops are regrouping.

And so, it is a very mixed messaging. The Russian defense ministry says that their troops have managed, their paratroopers have managed to block

off the northern and southern part of the town. And they have what they call assault squads.

That is essentially doing the fighting on the ground, building to building, with small arms. Perhaps though the most unvarnished view that we got came

late yesterday, when CNN actually managed to reach a soldier, a Ukrainian soldier fighting on the front line.

He said that the reality is that these front lines are changing so quickly. One moment the house is yours; the next minute the house belongs to Wagner.

And the front lines are moving all the time.

But he said that a big chunk of the city, at least as of late yesterday, was this gray zone that both sides claimed to control and frankly where a

lot of the fighting was taking place. He also said that both sides are taking a heavy number of casualties.

They are also replacing those casualties very quickly. The Ukrainian side, he said, new troops were coming in so quickly that he doesn't even have

time to memorize their call signs before he's actually going out and fighting alongside them.

What I also found interesting about what he said, Becky, is that he said everyone understands that the city will have to be abandoned; in other,

words the Ukrainians are going to have to withdraw. They are going to have to retreat at some point.

The question is, when might that be?

His question is, why the command to retreat hasn't happened already, given that the Ukrainians have said before that they are not against the

possibility of potentially moving back if it meant preserving lives so that those troops can live to fight another day.

ANDERSON: Scott McLean's in Kyiv.

We are going to do more on this as we move through the next couple of hours. We are seeing some of the most brutal trench warfare in what is this

10 month war in what we have just been describing.

What Wagner's role in this conflict is and how it is associated with -- or perhaps not, as the case may be -- the wider Russian military is a

discussion that we will have, as I say as we move through this next couple of hours because it is a really important one. So do stick with us for

that.

No word yet on a motive in today's attack at one of the busiest rail hubs in Paris. At least six people were injured earlier. The Gare du Nord train

station, police there say the suspect was disarmed by off-duty officers and by border police. We are live at Gare du Nord with CNN's Jim Bittermann.

Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Becky, this is one of the busiest train stations in the world, the third largest in the world. And

700,000 people passed through the Gare du Nord every single day.

It is a transportation hub that brings together the subway trains, the metro trains, regional trains and, of course, the Eurostar train to London.

And as a consequence, it has its own police station. And that is probably what saved the day today.

In fact, when this attack occurred, a little bit before 7 o'clock this morning, there was an off-duty policeman who was on his way home. But he

still had his bulletproof vest on. And the attacker attacked him.

He was able to neutralize, as the French police say, the attacker, meaning they shot him. Some reports are that they shot him three times. He is in

the hospital right now in critical condition and I'm sure he will survive.

So for the moment they are not classifying -- have not classified this as a terrorist attack. It is still a criminal attack. The criminal

prosecutor's still involved.

[10:10:00]

BITTERMANN: But the attack, because of the importance of this hub, they immediately brought out within hours the transportation minister as well as

the interior minister. Here's what the interior minister told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD DARMANIN, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): At 6:42 am an extremely threatening individual attacked people at the entrance and

then inside the Gare du Nord. At 6:43, he was neutralized by police forces, by police officers who were out of uniform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: He said, as, well that he was thanking the police officers who came to the aid of the passersby and the other people and ended the

incident fairly quickly. As I mentioned, it is because of the importance of this transportation hub that in fact there are so many police here almost

all the time.

There are still a lot of police inside the terminal here today. So I think that they will still keep looking for the motive. The attacker is still in

such a shape that they can't ask him what exactly his motive. Was.

They are not clear on that and, for the moment, it is a criminal attack at this point -- Becky.

ANDERSON: And the station functioning normally again?

BITTERMANN: It is. It came back to life about two hours or so after the attack. But the attack occurred almost in the center of the train station.

So it cut the station in two.

And a lot of people who are trying to get to London on the Eurostar and to get to their urban trains to get to home from work or to go to work, one

way or the other, were frustrated this morning because they had to stay back from the police barricades that were up -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Jim Bittermann, is in Paris at the Gare du Nord, Jim, thank you.

Still, ahead on this, show what President Biden is saying about the discovery of classified documents in one of his old offices.

Also, Californians were hoping to clean up and dig out after days of rain, flooding and mudslides. Instead, they are facing yet another round of

storms. More on that, just ahead.

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ANDERSON: U.S. President Joe Biden is back in Washington from Mexico, facing questions about the classified documents that were found in a

private office. Mr. Biden says he was surprised to learn any government records were taken to that office. He says he doesn't know the contents of

them.

A law enforcement source tells CNN most of the materials found there contained personal information about Mr. Biden's family. The source says

there were also intelligence memos that talked about Ukraine, Iran and the U.K. from the time when he served as vice president. CNN's Evan Perez joins

us from Washington, D.C.

[10:15:00]

ANDERSON: What else do we now about what is in this cache and the response from the White House at this point?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SR. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Becky, what we know is that we're talking about 10 documents so far that have been turned over by the

president's legal team to the National Archives, now being reviewed by the Justice Department, by the FBI.

And they have to do, as you pointed, out with briefing memos that were prepared for Biden when he was vice president during the Obama

administration. They had to do with countries including the United Kingdom, Iran and Ukraine, dating back to the Obama administration period.

The White House and the president seem to be indicating that they believe that there is not much here to worry about, that this is probably going to

be over soon because we're going to hear a lot more about what happened and what was in this.

Not so sure that's exactly the way the law enforcement people feel about this. There is a decision to be made by the attorney general, Merrick

Garland, as to whether to make this a full-blown investigation, not just a review.

That will be something that would take a lot longer to complete, including, perhaps, even appointing a special counsel. Of course, as you know,

politics being what it is, Republicans are already seizing on this.

And they believe that there is a lot more here to be investigated. Listen to Kevin McCarthy, the new speaker, talking about what he thinks is

hypocrisy on this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: It's hypocrisy. Think about this. They've gotten away with so much for so long. This was discovered

before the last election.

Why weren't they raided?

Why didn't they have the FBI coming in?

Why didn't he and "60 Minutes" say I understand that because I have the same problem. They think the law doesn't apply to them. They think they

write their own. And that's what infuriates the American public. America believes in fairness and honesty. And that's not what we're getting from

them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: Becky, as you can hear there, he is drawing some comparisons to the case of -- or the investigation still focused on Donald Trump, who had

hundreds of documents, classified documents, in his possession in his home in Florida, Mar-a-Lago.

Some very big distinctions between that case and this one. But he is raising an important point.

That is something that is obviously going to be weighing on the Justice Department and the FBI, which is how do you make sure that the public

believes that what you've done here is even?

That you're not treating the sitting president, Biden, differently from how you treat Donald Trump?

ANDERSON: Just to be quite clear about this then, why is so that these documents have been recovered or have come to our attention now?

PEREZ: Great question. And I think the White House is still struggling to explain why this happened. Obviously November, November 2nd, a day before

the election. And we are only now learning about it.

And they seem to be trying to come up with their explanations as to what exactly happened. One of the things they are not explaining is why they did

not come out publicly and talk about this until now.

One of the explanations we've heard is this is being investigated by the Justice Department. But that doesn't prevent them from going public with

this.

Becky, one of the big questions for the attorney general and the FBI is going to be, how do we know that there are not other documents at some

other residence or office at the then vice president or where Joe Biden had before he became president again two years ago?

How do you know that he didn't have documents in Wilmington, Delaware, his beach home?

Those are the questions that are still being weighed right now.

ANDERSON: Evan, always good to have you. Thank you.

Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic official to be convicted of child sex abuse before his 2020 acquittal, has died. He was 81. Church

officials say he died of cardiac arrest following his hip replacement surgery in Rome.

He was convicted in 2018 for allegedly abusing two choirboys in the 1990s. He denied the charges and served just over a year in prison before

Australia's high court acquitted him.

Kristie Lu Stout has this look at Pell's life and his legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cardinal George Pell, Australia's highest ranking Catholic has died, age 81. He

entered the clergy in 1966 and went on to serve as Archbishop of Melbourne and later Sydney.

[10:20:00]

STOUT (voice-over): While an archbishop, Pell set up the Melbourne Response, which included payouts for survivors of clerical sex abuse within

the archdiocese. It became one of the earliest responses to address sex abuse accusations in the church but critics say it was geared to prevent

scandal and could have been more generous to victims.

In 2003, Pell was ordained as a cardinal by Pope John Paul II and rose to become Vatican treasurer, widely considered the third most powerful spot in

the Vatican.

Italian newspapers referred to him as a bull in a china shop for his forthright manner when dealing with financial reform. But Pell was credited

for his attempts to make the church's bookkeeping more transparent.

In 2014, Pell was called back to Australia to appear before a royal commission into institutional responses to sexual abuse in the country. The

Commission found that Pell had known about sex abuse in the church but not reported it to police.

In 2018, Pell himself faced court on five counts of historical child sex abuse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cardinal Pell, would you please stand?

STOUT (voice-over): Pell strenuously denied the charges but he was found guilty after spending one year in prison, Pell successfully applied to get

the convictions quashed by Australia's High Court, who said that the jury should have had doubts about the alleged offenses. Pell's name was removed

from Australia's Child Sex Offender Register but he remained the most senior Catholic to ever be accused of Pedophilia.

Pell died in Rome on Tuesday from cardiac arrest after a hip replacement surgery.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: That was Kristie Lu Stout, reporting on the death of cardinal George Pell.

Another round of rain pelting California, even as communities there pick of the pieces from days of powerful storms. The state's rainfall totals have

been 400 percent to 600 percent above average; 6 million people are under flood alerts.

And tens of thousands have lost power. Roads have become rivers. Rescue scenes like these are playing out across the state. The storms have left at

least 17 people dead. All this rain is brought on by what are known as atmospheric rivers.

What are they?

And why are they or can they be so dangerous?

Let's bring in CNN's chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, for a little bit of explanation on this.

We're talking about atmospheric rivers. One well-known example of one such strong atmospheric river is what is known as the Pineapple Express. A lot

of this is going to be unfamiliar to our viewers. It's not uncommon to you. It's not an uncommon occurrence, as I understand it. Just explain what's

going on here.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Becky, you can think of it really as a river in the sky or maybe a giant fire hose in the sky that

snakes over thousands of kilometers, bringing warm water from the tropics.

The pineapple regions, as you mentioned there, Hawaii and South Pacific, slamming it into the West Coast of the United States. It happens about 17

percent of the time. There are big events there, the cause of this phenomenon.

But now on a warmer planet, heated up by fossil fuels, there's so much more moisture that gets picked up and dumped. And the water coming out of the

storm, the end of that river, is like the Amazon or the Mississippi in terms of the sheer amount of precipitation that just gets dumped down to

landscapes.

Of course, burn scars from wildfires create mudslides. Unfortunately, these days, in this megadrought, which is sort of odd to think about at the same

time; when you pray for rain, you got to specify, not all at once.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. What we're running beside you is a really good graphic, which gives us some sense of what you are speaking to.

Going forward, what can we expect to see in the coming days?

WEIR: This is going to last for another 10 days at least. It will be sort of one giant water balloon out of the sky after the other. The one this

weekend, a couple more next week. So there is just no rest for the sodden out there in California.

But long term, this is reminiscent of the biggest flood to hit California since 1861. And there is new science that says those kinds of events

becoming much more probable on a planet heated up by fossil fuels.

What would happen once in a century is now once every 25 to 50 years. We talk about the big one in California. Usually people talk about an

earthquake. But a massive inland sea created by a megaflood could be a trillion dollar storm, according to this latest science.

So it's time to prepare for this as the new normal. I think that's what's being discussed in California now. A lot of this water, fresh water that

they could use in the summer months, is going to end up back in the ocean.

So they have to rethink how water is managed and stored, how it is allowed to seep back into aquifers underground, which have been depleted during

this drought. So a lot of water woes in the near future out West.

[10:25:00]

ANDERSON: It's fascinating. Good to have you, Bill. Always a pleasure, sir. Thank you.

Let's get you to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.

Peru's top prosecutor is launching an inquiry into the new president after violent clashes that left 47 people dead. A police officer among those

killed Tuesday after his car was torched. These protests began last month after former president Pedro Castillo was impeached and removed from

office. Days after a riot by his supporters.

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is out of the hospital and at a private home in Florida. He says he will go back to Brazil. Bolsonaro's

former justice minister, who's just become district security chief, is in the U.S. and he is wanted in Brazil on charges of attempting a coup.

South Korea calling a retaliatory measure by China regarding travel visas is very regrettable. China suspended certain visas for South Korean and

Japanese travelers after the two nations placed restrictions on arrivals from China as COVID cases there soar.

Still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD. CNN on the front lines of the battle for the Donbas. We're going to take a look at how Ukraine is turning the tables

and using Russia's old artillery against it.

And got a very important update on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda that has claimed more than 50 lives in recent months. That is coming up after this.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. The time here is just before half past seven. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.

More now on our top story today. Officials say that normal operations are resuming at U.S. airports after a Federal Aviation Administration's safety

system failed. It's not known what caused the problem.

The head of the U.S. Senate transportation panel is vowing to look into it. At one point earlier today, all U.S. departure flights were halted. Now

FlightAware says there is a backlog of thousands of flights, causing delays, of course.

Well to Ukraine now where we are trying to get a clearer picture of the battle for Soledar. Russian mercenaries known as the Wagner group say they

now control that eastern town. The Russian defense ministry says it's blocked off the northern and southern parts of the town by air.

[10:30:00]

ANDERSON: Russia -- sorry; Ukraine denies Russian troops are in control. Both sides report continued fighting. Soledar is near the flashpoint city

of Bakhmut in the eastern Donbas region. Capturing it with its salt mines and tunnel system would be a strategic and psychological boost for Russia.

Ukraine, of course, trying to dislodge Russian forces occupying parts of that Donbas. It's using modern technology combined with Soviet era

artillery. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports for you now from the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Commander Maksimilian -- or just Max, as he's known -- is finalizing the

coordinates for a strike on the Russian-occupied town of Kreminna.

Before the war, Max was an English teacher. His 43rd artillery brigade has already seen action in the battles of Kyiv, Kharkiv and now Donbas. Their

target today: a building in Kreminna, from where, he says, attack drones are launched against Ukrainian forces.

WEDEMAN: This artillery system is known as a Pion. That's a Soviet era artillery system; 203 millimeters. The rounds weigh 100 kilos, 220 pounds.

This is a system used both by the Russians and the Ukrainians.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The cold here chills to the bone, making this work all the more difficult. To protect against Russian drones, they've deployed

a special weapon that depletes drone batteries.

First, the round goes into the barrel, then the cordite and the trigger cord is pulled, sending the massive round hurtling toward its target 18

kilometers, around 11 miles away. It fires again. And again.

Now a forward spotter radios Max that the target has been hit. He tells his men to use shrapnel rounds to finish the job.

MAKSIMILIAN, 43RD UKRAINIAN ARTILLERY BRIGADE: We damaged it, we destroyed the building where they hide. And I suppose they will not make problems for

us in future.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): A small victory in a big war -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, near Kreminna, Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And more on the war in Ukraine coming up next hour.

After almost four months of uncertainty and fare thee well (ph) the World Health Organization says that the Ebola outbreak in Uganda is over. The WHO

and the Uganda ministry of health made that announcement after 42 consecutive days of no new Ebola cases.

That virus has killed more than 50 people in Uganda since the outbreak started in September. CNN's Larry Madowo has been tracking this outbreak

for a while. He joins me now.

We know Ebola can act in mysterious ways.

Why is it -- what is it that officials have?

What sort of evidence do they have to ensure their confidence that this outbreak has stopped, Larry?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, one reason is that incubation period for Ebola, which is 21 days. Under international law, after two

consecutive incubation periods of 21 days, extends to 42, they haven't seen any new cases, it is safe to assume that they don't have any reported

cases.

Therefore, they have dealt with this outbreak. They are still asking the public in Uganda to be vigilant, to report anybody presenting Ebola

symptoms to health authorities.

They feel confident now and they have gotten the approval of the Africa CDC, the World Health Organization that, yes, the country has managed to

keep Ebola contained in 113 days. They have a control in about 30 days, which a record, well ahead of their own projection.

When I spoke to the minister of health in Uganda back in November, I was in Uganda covering this outbreak, she thought maybe March they would've had

this under control. It's happening in early January. This is what she told the community that made this possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JANE RUTH ACENG, UGANDAN HEALTH MINISTER: Money alone cannot end it. Health workers cannot end it. The structures we have in place cannot end

it. So the most important people in this response are the communities, the population of Mubende and Kassanda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Those people in Mubende and Kassanda, the central region of Uganda, have had to live through lockdowns for most of the past 2-3 months

because that's one of the way that Uganda is controlling this.

[10:35:00]

MADOWO: The other was very frequent testing and quarantine for anyone in the country who came into contact and was a suspected Ebola case. They have

to go to a 31-day quarantine, no questions asked.

That seems high handed but that's one way we see that has been able to put this under control so quickly. And there is a reaction from the

international community. The U.S., which has been screening travelers from Uganda, has announced today the CDC saying it will stop doing that from

today.

And it is commending the Uganda government, the public health authorities there and the people of Uganda who have made this possible. So a big moment

for the country, proving again that, after eight Ebola outbreaks, it's learned something about managing these public health emergencies and doing

so In a way that gets the approval of the international community.

ANDERSON: Yes, and that's really important. And it's good news. And it's good to report on a good news story. It's always good have you, Larry.

Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Well, it's an age old question.

Are there other forms of life on other planets?

Well, NASA says it has spotted a potentially habitable Earth-size planet orbiting a star about 100 light years away. Well, scientists say it's just

the right distance from the star that liquid water might exist on the surface.

This possibility suggests the planet could be or might once have been habitable for life and it is not alone. Another planet found in the same

system in 2020 may have similar conditions for life.

Up next on CONNECT THE WORLD, Hollywood's award season is in full swing. And one of the biggest directors in history collecting more hardware.

And high hopes on the ski slopes. Mikaela Shiffrin has had many wins but she needs just one more. Going to tell you why in our sports update.

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ANDERSON: The Mega Millions lottery jackpot in the United States has surged, get this, to an estimated $1.3 billion, the second largest in the

game's history. That is because no one matched all the winning numbers from Tuesday's draw; 16 tickets won the game's second tier prize, worth just $3

million each. Not a bad consolation prize.

The next Mega Millions draw is now on Friday.

Well, everything old was new again in Hollywood on Tuesday night. An awards show that had been ignored made a comeback. And a legendary director took

home two big prizes. CNN's Stephanie Elam has the story from the Golden Globes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUENTIN TARANTINO, FILM DIRECTOR: Mr. Spielberg, step right up here.

[10:40:00]

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A big night for "The Fabelmans" and legendary director Steven Spielberg, besting heavy hitter

"Avatar: The Way of Water" for Best Motion Picture, Drama.

And Spielberg winning Best Director for the autobiographical story of his life.

STEVEN SPIELBERG, FILM DIRECTOR: I spent a lot of time trying to figure out when I could tell that story. And I figured out when I turned about 74

years old, I said you better do it now.

ELAM (voice-over): The 80th Golden Globes were without the fireworks of the Will Smith Oscars. But lifetime achievement winner Eddie Murphy did

surprise while offering advice for a successful career.

MURPHY: Keep Will Smith's wife's name out of your mouth.

JERROD CARMICHAEL, GOLDEN GLOBES HOST: I'm here because I'm Black.

ELAM (voice-over): Host Jerrod Carmichael not shying away from the Golden Globes' controversial past, the show banished from television last year

after "The L.A. Times" revealed its voting body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, lacked diversity. There were no Black members.

Now the HFPA says an expansion of more than 100 members has led to nearly 52 percent being ethnically diverse.

MICHELLE YEOH, ACTOR: I hope they will uphold and upkeep the high standards.

ELAM (voice-over): The stars telling me it was time to embrace the show's return. But one star not present, Tom Cruise, who returned his three globes

last year, amidst the Globes controversy.

[10:45:03]

CARMICHAEL: Backstage I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned.

ELAM (voice-over): The Globes are not always the best predictor of Oscar gold but they can influence Academy nominations later this month.

AUSTIN BUTLER, ACTOR: Just call (UNINTELLIGIBLE) flash.

ELAM (voice-over): Austin Butler fueled his momentum, winning Best Actor in a Drama for playing Elvis.

BUTLER: And the Presley family, thank you, guys. Thank you for opening your hearts, your -- your memories.

ELAM (voice-over): "The Banshees of Inisherin" bested indie darling "Everything Everywhere All at Once." But the latter film's Michelle Yeoh

proved why she has Oscar buzz.

YEOH: This is also for all the shoulders that I stand on, all who came before me who looks like me.

ELAM (voice-over): On the TV side, "House of the Dragon" won Best Drama and "Abbott Elementary" won big, for Best Comedy.

QUINTA BRUNSON, ACTOR: Comedy brings people together. Comedy gives us all the same laugh. Hey, Brad Pitt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: That was Stephanie Elam reporting. By the way, Oscar nominations will be announced in less than two weeks.

(SPORTS)

ANDERSON: More in "WORLD SPORT," that is after this short break. We're back at the top of the hour with CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with us, please.

[11:00:00]

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