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Connect the World
CNN International: Hours Away: Johnson Faces Tough Vote to Remain House Speaker; White House: No Evidence of Foreign Involvement; Rights Group Seeks Whereabouts of Gaza Hospital Director; FAA Chief: Federal Scrutiny of Boeing is Far from Over; UK Scientists Unearth "Dinosaur Highway" at Quarry. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired January 03, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, this is the scene in Washington, where in a few hours, House Speaker Mike Johnson is -- we'll
find out whether he still has his job. It's 09:00 a.m. in the U.S. capital, at 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching
"Connect the World", wherever you are watching you are more than welcome.
Also coming up, new surveillance footage helps create a timeline of the New Orleans terror attack on Bourbon Street. A standoff in South Korea with the
nation's impeached president able to keep his liberty, at least for now. And signs of hope for Gaza cease fire and hostage release talks, Israel's
government approves a delegation to attend negotiations in Qatar.
Well, the stock market in New York will open about 30 minutes from now, and the arrows are pointing to a moderately better start, or a higher start, at
least after what has been a pretty volatile start to 2025. More on that at half past the hour. Well, a major political showdown is coming down the
pike in Washington.
Just about three hours from now, the U.S. House of Representatives will convene for the first time of this two-year session. Its first order of
business to elect a speaker. Now, Republican Mike Johnson is hoping to keep the speaker's gavel. Incoming President, Donald Trump has endorsed him.
His party has the majority, but it is a narrow one, and Johnson can only afford one Republican defection. Well, one House Republican Thomas Massie
of Kentucky has already said he will not be supporting Johnson, and several others do remain uncommitted, leaving the outcome of this vote very
uncertain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): I do believe that Mike Johnson coming out and committing to Chip Roy being the Chairman of the Rules Committee, would
secure the vote on the first round.
REP. VICTORIA SPARTZ (R-IN): As of right now, if we don't have concrete commitment from Speaker Johnson, I'm not going to be supporting him
tomorrow, but I'm open minded. I'm going to talk to some other members, and hopefully we'll connect with him later tonight or tomorrow morning, and
figure out if we can actually make real changes on this institution.
REP. NICK LALOTA (R-NY): Two years ago, there was a 15-round knockout, drag out fight. This may be more like a pillow fight, despite a -- my colleagues
dissenting a little bit over the last couple of weeks, I think we'll come together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, our Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten joins us now to talk what was just being described as a pillow fight. Not sure that will
ultimately be what this is. But this is down to the why. There's no doubt about this. Walk us through the math, Harry.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: No --
ANDERSON: And Johnson's margin for error here.
ENTEN: No, there's no doubt about that. I usually think pillow fights are a lot more fun than what goes on Capitol Hill, to be honest with you, Becky.
But I mean, look the math. What you want to do directly after New Year's Day is to do some math. So, let's just talk about the scenarios here in
which Johnson does not become speaker, at least on the first ballot.
You know, this is the narrowest majority, House Majority going into a first session of Congress since 1917. So, it's been over 100 years. Look scenario
number one, if just two Republicans vote against Mike Johnson, just two, that could sink him, he wouldn't get the speakership.
Or how about scenario number two, I'm not a fan of just one scenario, like two scenarios, if one votes against him and two abstain, that is vote
present, that would also sink him. So, the bottom line is, when you have such a narrow majority, there are many ways in which this whole thing could
become a giant screw up.
And it feels like Deja vu all over again given, of course, we had those speakership ballots -- speakership battles back in 2023 where you went four
rounds in October and you went, as was mentioned that clip, 15 rounds in January for Kevin McCarthy.
ANDERSON: Yeah. So, we know that Massie is out. Where do we stand about what we know with other GOP representatives at this point?
ENTEN: Yeah, it's not just that Massie is out. It's that he's hell no, hell no. I've never used the word hell on television. I'm going to do it here
because I'm literally quoting the guy. I'm literally quoting the guy. The guy is hell no. Then of course, you need either to find two folks to vote
present or just one more to vote against Johnson, and at this point, serious qualms. This is just two Republican Representatives.
[09:05:00]
There are far more than just two. But these, I think of the two most serious qualms you got, Chip Roy from Texas, you have Victoria Spartz, who
we saw in that clip leading into this segment, from the great state of Indiana. And keep in mind, both of these folks didn't vote for Kevin
McCarthy on at least five ballots back in January of 2023.
The idea that these two would throw a speakership vote into complete chaos. Well, there's a lot of history for that, Becky.
ANDERSON: All right. Harry, thank you for that. Harry Enten in the House for you. You could argue that this is an election which is less about Mike
Johnson at the end of the day, more about Donald Trump. And I want to explain why. For more on this vote, let's get you to Thomas Gift.
He's an Associate Professor of Political Science at University College London, an expert on U.S. politics. Look, I know, you know, our viewers
love a bit of -- sort of, they love the stats. They love some of this. You know, sports, sort of stat analogies. But this is, there is real
significance and consequence to what we will see here today, not just for the United States, but for the world in its entirety.
I want to get an overall view here of the stakes from you. Donald Trump backing Mike Johnson to retain his job as speaker. How important is this to
the president-elect and to his agenda when he returns to the White House in less than three weeks from now.
THOMAS GIFT, DIRECTOR OF CENTRE ON U.S. POLITICS AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Well, thanks so much for having me, Becky. It's great to be with
you. Without a speaker in place, the House would be unable to certify Trump's election results on January 6. So that's first things first. There
has been some talk of appointing a temporary speaker to handle that task.
But in the immediate term, a prolonged leadership struggle could really paralyze a Republican legislative agenda. I mean, full stop. It could
essentially delay actions like passing funding bills, addressing the debt ceiling or advancing key elements of Trump's platform, such as making the
2017 tax cuts permanent.
All president's early days in office are critical for achieving major policy goals. And internal Republican discord could really squander Trump's
honeymoon period, and that could jeopardize the success of his broader legislative agenda.
ANDERSON: Yeah, we always talk about the 100 days, the first 100 days, Donald Trump has said he will come out of the gate on day one and enact
some of the policies that he's been talking about, or he was talking about on the campaign. The center you lead takes a global perspective to U.S.
politics, of course, from an international perspective then, and this is important.
You just explain why domestically, that speaker being in place for Donald Trump is important on day one, but explain the significance of what is
happening today on Capitol Hill through the International lens, as it were.
GIFT: That's a really big question. I think that U.S. Presidents generally have more power to act unilaterally on foreign policy than domestic policy.
On domestic policy, they're much more constrained by Congress. So, I do think that the implications for policies that are happening within the
United States are more significant.
But at the same time, you know, Donald Trump's position as president is weaken whenever he can't even establish that his own party members are with
him. And I think that that does have some global implications. Donald Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine on day one.
He has essentially said that everyone is going to fall in line with him when it comes to the Israel-Gaza war. If you can't even prove that
Republicans are with him on this basic issue of supporting speaker, then I do think that world leaders, international leaders, are going to say, well,
how much latitude does Donald Trump really have when it comes to the international arena?
ANDERSON: So, this is as much then, you know, as I understand it from you, this is as much about perception.
GIFT: Yeah.
ANDERSON: Donald Trump wants to come out of the gate and be seen as the man who can, and the idea being that if he can't even get the guy, he backs
into the seat and with the gavel in a Republican run Congress, sorry, House. Then that's going to be tough for him. What do you make of those who
are standing in his way at this point?
I'm talking about Mike Johnson he is standing in his way, because it does. You know, you get the sense that the Republican Party is sort of being
told, get in line or get out. There will be a primary, and you will be voted out two years from now. Just how much control ultimately does Donald
Trump have over these Congress men and women?
GIFT: I think you summed it up perfectly. The fight for the speaker's gavel isn't just about who wields that gavel.
[09:10:00]
It's a struggle for the future direction of the Republican agenda, especially with Trump second term on the horizon. The stakes I think, are
highest on fiscal policy. The Freedom Caucus and other hard liners are furious over Johnson's compromises with Democrats, which have allowed the
national debt to swell to 36 trillion, Trump has little interest in fiscal restraint.
He's even suggested eliminating the debt ceiling altogether. That puts him at odds with numerous House Republicans who are adamant about cutting --
spending. You know, there's just this assumption that everyone who is MAGA who supports Donald Trump believes in the same things, and that is just not
the case.
There are very strict ideological lines between kind of this blow up the system need for drama caucus that is standing in Donald Trump's way right
now, and those that are much more into the progressive, populist line of agenda that Donald Trump wants to put forward.
ANDERSON: You making a really good point, because Donald Trump talks about MAGAnomics. That's how he sorts of, you know, that's how he describes what
he's up to, and where he's headed. But as you rightly point out, the not everybody who is MAGA is from the same position when it comes to policy.
It's going to be a really interesting time going forward. It's good to have you, Thomas, thank you for joining us. Thomas Gift in the House. And CNN
will have special coverage as the 119th U.S. Congress begins later today -- going to take you through all the developments from 12 P Eastern time.
That's 09:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. It's a 10 past 6 now, so just under three hours from now. Well, investigators in South Korea have suspended
their efforts to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol following a dramatic standoff earlier on Friday. Now, the corruption investigation office said
that they were blocked by 200 soldiers and members of the presidential security detail as they approach the presidential palace, you see the video
here.
Yoon is wanted for questioning in multiple investigations, including accusations of leading an insurrection. He was stripped of his presidential
powers after lawmakers voted to impeach him last month. My colleague Mike Valerio with more.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, the question now is this, what do prosecutors and investigators do, to make sure that there is not a repeat
of this again, or will they even try again to arrest South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol? But to give you an idea of the backdrop
that we have right now.
All the people, the hundreds of people who you see standing a few blocks with all of their South Korean flags, those are supporters of South Korea's
suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. And for his part, Yoon issued a clarion call as soon as this warrant for his arrest was issued on Tuesday.
And he sent a letter to supporters, paraphrasing here, saying, hey, I need you all to come out and make it much harder for law enforcement to detain,
make it much harder for law enforcement to arrest me. And they answered that clarion call. So fast forward to earlier this morning, we have not
only his supporters, but the equivalent of South Korea's Secret Service protecting the president and refusing to turn over suspended President Yoon
Suk Yeol to investigators.
Investigators who want to hold him accountable for putting this country down the road of martial law, declaring martial law one month ago, on
December 3rd, into the early morning hours of December 4th. So, this is dealing with criminal charges. Meantime, we have new reporting that the
suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol has his first date of his impeachment trial, the first trial session of the impeachment saga, which is set for
January 14th.
So, in some we're waiting to see the next move. What will prosecutors and investigators do? Will they try again to bring South Korea suspended
President Yoon Suk Yeol into custody? Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
ANDERSON: Well, the investigation into the New Year's attack in New Orleans is now uncovering some pretty dark details about the attacker, as well as
previous warnings about the scene of the rampage. Now, a private security firm said back in 2019, that Bourbon Street, a tourist hot spot there in
New Orleans, was at risk of the kind of vehicle attack that we saw on Wednesday.
CNN is told temporary barriers that could have blocked access to the street were not in use. Well, the area is now open again with extra security in
place, while the White House says it has seen no evidence of foreign involvement in the New Orleans attack. The FBI is focusing on the suspects
self-proclaimed support for ISIS.
[09:15:00]
Intelligence service is asking anyone who knew him to get in touch. CNN's Ryan Young filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER RAIA, FBI DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A change in theory, in a brand-new time line laid out one day after the deadly
attack on Bourbon Street.
RAIA: We do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack, except for Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
YOUNG (voice-over): The FBI now saying they believe the suspect acted alone, after initially saying Wednesday, they believe he was not solely
responsible for the deadly attack. Shamsud-Din Jabbar first rented the white pickup truck in Houston, Texas on December 30. RAIA: He then drove
from Houston to New Orleans on the evening of the 31st and he posted several videos to an online platform proclaiming his support for ISIS.
YOUNG (voice-over): New ring video obtained exclusively by CNN from New Orleans residents shows the suspect unloading the white pickup truck at an
Airbnb just hours before the attack.
JEFF GONZALEZ, RING CAMERA OWNER: The white truck was parked right in front of our place.
YOUNG (voice-over): The FBI also revealed dark details about Jabbar's Facebook videos the morning of the attack, his last one posted at 3:02 a.m.
just moments before he plowed down crowds on Bourbon Street.
RAIA: Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the quote, war
between the believers and the disbelievers, end quote.
YOUNG (voice-over): And the FBI is sending an important message to the public.
RAIA: So far, we have received just over 400 tips from the public, whether you know Jabbar personally, worked with him, served in the military, or saw
him in New Orleans or Texas, we need to talk to you.
YOUNG (voice-over): Investigators revealed that two laptops and three phones were recovered linked to the suspect and are being reviewed for
leads, and more evidence was released about the reported explosives found near the site of the attack.
RAIA: FBI bomb technicians also recovered two IEDs in coolers, one from the cross section of Bourbon and Portland Street and the second at an
intersection approximately two blocks away.
ANNE KIRKPATRICK, NEW ORLEANS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: New Orleans is a resilient city. We have every resource nationally, locally, statewide.
We are a team.
YOUNG (voice-over): A much needed -- for a shattered community.
YOUNG: What message are you trying to send?
KIRKPATRICK: Presence and making sure that people know that we're confident that we can keep them safe.
YOUNG: So, you can hear some of the sounds of Bourbon Street back there are families out here. There are tourists who are walking down this famous road
once again. One of the things you will notice, though, there is extra police protection here. And as we walk back this direction, the barricade
that was down that night is up.
They've been having technical issues with this, and they wanted to make sure this was out. They have a big truck blocking this way as well, and the
sidewalk is blocked, so no truck could ever make it through here again. We know the city will be focused on security from here on out, and that's
something that we'll continue to follow. Ryan Young, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, you're watching CNN. This is "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson for you. Also coming up this hour, renewed negotiations for a Gaza
cease fire. Source tells CNN and Israeli delegation heads to Qatar this Friday. And off Tunisia, 27 migrants drowned on New Year's Day, raising
more questions about the desperate measures people try and take to reach Europe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: Well, an Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Qatar today Friday to resume talks on a cease fire and hostage deal in Gaza. That is,
according to a source with knowledge of the talks. Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to hold a meeting today to
discuss the delegation's mandate.
He approves the visit to Qatar, we are told, which will include representatives from Israel's military intelligence and security agencies.
Well, CNN's Paula Hancocks, following developments as she joins us now from Jerusalem and negotiators then arriving in Qatar.
Benjamin Netanyahu expected to discuss the mandate for these negotiations. Do we understand -- do we have any further details on what that mandate
might be?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Becky, there's going to be a security cabinet meeting that Benjamin Netanyahu is going to call today.
And it is within that meeting that they are going to decide exactly how far this delegation can go, what the parameters are of what this particular
delegation can agree to.
Now, of course, it is a working level delegation at this point. We're not talking about the top representatives of the military and the intelligence
agencies going to Doha. So, this will be really laying the groundwork and trying to move forward in an incremental sense.
We're not expecting a significant breakthrough, as this is not the delegation that can really make those calls.
ANDERSON: Right.
HANCOCKS: But we are hearing from the forum that represents the hostage families that they are hopeful, that they say time is of the essence, just
the fact that this meeting is happening as the official meetings collapsed back in late August. And of course, in November, as you remember, we heard
from Qatar itself, that they were pulling back.
They were pausing from being a key mediator because they didn't believe that both sides were negotiating in good faith. So, the fact that this is
continuing now in an indirect way, an unofficial way, at least, is going to be a cause for optimism, potentially. And we have heard from sources within
Hamas and Israel that they are cautiously optimistic they may be able to get to some kind of agreement, Becky.
ANDERSON: OK. Well let's -- because we've been as our viewers will probably feel that we've been here so many times before, cautious optimism, but
let's leave it at that for the time being until we get further information. Israel has detained a prominent hospital director in Gaza that was late
last month. What do we know about him?
HANCOCKS: So, this is Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. He was the Hospital Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, which the Israeli military raided late last month
and shut down. It was really the last major health care facility in Northern Gaza, and they arrested Dr Abu Safiya.
Now he has become prominent because he has been giving over recent months, frequent updates on the situation in northern Gaza, the dire situation,
increasingly desperate calls for more aid, and his hospital over the last couple of months had come under attack from the IDF.
The IDF claiming that it was Hamas terror, strong hold, which Abu Safiya had called nonsense. We know from the IDF, they say that they have arrested
him, that they are questioning him. They believe that he is Hamas operative, something which humanitarian activists, and U.N. experts say is
simply not true.
[09:25:00]
What we now know is that the positions for human rights Israel, an Israeli activist group, has now petitioned, filed a petition with the Israeli high
court saying that they need to know the whereabouts of this individual, that they are concerned about his well-being, as they have had conflicting
reports from Israel as to where exactly he is being held.
Now, U.N. experts have also said that they want to know exactly where this individual is. At this point in fact, Amnesty International called him
quote, the voice of Gaza's decimated health sector. So, at this point, the Israeli military is coming under pressure to say exactly where Dr. Hussam
Abu Safiya is, and certainly his family, those around him are very concerned about his well-being.
He was injured back in November in one Israeli air strike surrounding this hospital. He also lost his 21-year-old son in another air strike. So, this
is a man that has become well known because he has been giving such visual and vocal updates on the deteriorating situation of the health care in
Northern Gaza, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you. Well, moving on, and while people in Europe and elsewhere enjoy the holiday season and end of year festivities,
Europe's borders continue to kill, that was the stark reminder from rescue and support service, alarm phone, after 27 people drowned on New Year's Day
off the coast of Tunisia.
A further 83 people were saved after two boats sank. Now last year, over 2200 people died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, according to
UNICEF. The Red Cross told CNN that in the past week alone, there have been four ship wrecks in the area, claiming 84 lives.
Well, CNN's Nada Bashir has been following the story, and she joins me now from London. What are the details as far as we understand them about the
rescue mission, firstly?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been hearing from volunteers at alarm phone detailing their attempts to raise the alarm bell to signal distress
in the Mediterranean, as these two boats were capsizing, one of them had already capsized when they sounded that alarm bell calling for authorities
and nearby vessels, both in Italy, Libya and Tunisia to pay attention to what was happening there in Mediterranean, if nearby, to signal their
presence, if able to offer any sort of support.
Now, of course, we have learned from Tunisian authorities that at least 27 people have been confirmed to be dead following the capsizing of both of
those vessels just off the coast of Tunisia, some 83 people were rescued. But as you mentioned, Becky, this really signals the dire situation that we
are seeing.
At least four boats have capsized in just the last week. We are seeing the number of people being killed as a result rising already into the new year.
And this follows another devastating year that we have seen, according to new data from UNICEF, more than 2200 people died in 2024 attempting to make
that dangerous crossing from North Africa to European shores.
Many of them, of course, attempting to reach Italy to the Island of Lampedusa, which is the closest point. And of course, both Libya and
Tunisia have become key departure points for many migrants attempting to make that dangerous crossing. The warning from UNICEF is that hundreds of
that figure were children.
That around one in five people attempting to migrate from North Africa into European shores are children. And of course, these people are coming from a
variety of countries, many of them, of course, crossing from Sub Saharan Africa, traveling to Libya and Tunisia in the hope to get on board one of
these boats via these illegals are exploiting this migrant crisis.
But many are fleeing persecution, violence, war at home, and of course, this is a hugely dangerous crossing. We know that there have been
significant deaths over more than a decade now have recorded, and of course, yet people are still so desperate to make that crossing in search
of refuge.
But what we're also seeing at the same time is European nations really cracking down on migration policies, toughening regulations on the border.
Now, of course, some countries like Italy deporting migrants to third countries for processing elsewhere, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Nada. You're watching "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson for you. Still to come a year after a door plug blew off during an
Alaska Airlines flight. Boeing has implemented new safety enhancements for plane production. Details on that are straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Time is just after half past 6 in the evening. You're watching "Connect the World". It's just after half
past 9 in the morning in New York. And we are looking at what is a relatively positive story for the opening of the New York Stock Exchange.
That is the story for you. Better start to this trading day. The picture a little mix on what was the first day of the New Year for traders yesterday.
Well, it's been a year since a terrifying incident happened thousands of meters in the air. And Boeing says it is making progress on its safety
overhaul.
Now you'll remember a door plug of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 blew off during Alaska Airlines flight. At the time there were allegations of short cuts in
airplane production at Boeing. Well, the outgoing Head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says that scrutiny of Boeing has been transformed
over the past year, but long-term fixes are now needed.
CNN's Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean has more. And Pete, I mean this feels like it's been a long time coming that those watching this show
passengers, customers around the world, frankly, waiting to find out from Boeing, what they have to say about safety improvements? So, what have we
got at this point?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boeing says it is making some pretty big fixes here. We'll get to that in a second. You know, hard
to believe that it's been almost a year since that door plug blow out. January 5, 2024 not only one of the most significant incidents on a U.S.
airline in the last decade, but it really kicked off the scrutiny of Boeing's quality control, which is still playing out right now.
And now, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration insists that will not stop, even though he is days away from leaving his job. FAA
Administrator Mike Whitaker is leaving his post on inauguration day, January 20th, only 15 months into a five-year term.
It is essentially the top federal job here in the U.S., overseeing Boeing. And in a new letter, Whitaker says Boeing's turn around is not yet over.
Remember, the FAA did a massive audit of Boeing's production line flooded Boeing's rent in Washington plant with inspectors.
[09:35:00]
That's the same factory where a brand new 737 MAX 9 was delivered to Alaska Airlines without the four critical bolts that held the door plug in place.
Whitaker says this in a new blog post. He says, this is not a one-year project. And what's needed is a fundamental cultural shift at Boeing that's
oriented around safety and quality above profits.
That will require sustained effort, he says, and commitment from Boeing and unwavering scrutiny on our part. The big question now is, who will lead
that federal effort? And Whitaker says he does have the utmost confidence in this new blog post that the agency's highly skilled and deeply committed
team of safety professionals will continue to apply the rigorous oversight required to make sure this happens after my tenure as administrator ends.
Though, it will be up to President-elect Donald Trump's second administration to nominate somebody who can get confirmed by the Senate.
That job has been in the spotlight the last few years. And the rumors are really flying right now, but no clear success or to take the reins at the
FAA and the top job at holding Boeing accountable.
This morning here on the East Coast, Boeing released an update saying that its internal turn around project is moving along. Big focus, Boeing says,
is simplifying process is for workers, empowering them to speak up when they see problems, and not letting little jobs linger and travel down the
production line like we saw in the door plug blowout issue.
Boeing says this morning that the improvement plan is on track and showing tangible improvements, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Thank you. That's our Aviation Correspondent, Pete Muntean. Ski up to speed on some of the other stories
that are on our radar right now. And Ukraine officials say one person has died after Russia launched a barrage of drones in an overnight attack
across the country.
Ukraine's Air Force says air defenses shot down 60 Russian drones. Kyiv's Acting Governor says debris damaged several private houses, injuring four
people. Well, at least 30 people have been rescued from a burning building in South Korea. The fire started in a restaurant from the ground floor of
an eight-story building in Seongnam, just south of the capital of Seoul.
A dozen people were sent to hospital with smoke inhalation. The fire department says everyone was evacuated safely. In Southern California, two
people are dead and 19 injured after a small plane crashed. Securities crashed, security camera footage shows the plane tilted on its side as it
dove into a building, leading to an explosion.
Plane came down less than two minutes from takeoff from a small airport in Orange County. More news after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well scientists at the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham are calling it a dinosaur highway.
[09:40:00]
A huge area in quarry in Oxfordshire in England filled with hundreds of dinosaur footprints. Well, the tracks were revealed when a quarry worker
felt unusual bumps in the muddy ground. CNN's Samantha Lindell picks up the story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMANTHA LINDELL, CNN DIGITAL CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): The footprints you're seeing now are 166 million years old. Researchers say it's the most
important discovery of dinosaur tracks in the U.K. for over 25 years.
EMMA NICHOLLS, OXFORD UNIVERSITY AT MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: So, these footprints we're talking about are 100 million years older than
Tyrannosaurus rex, which is mind-blowing.
LINDELL (voice-over): Five tracks made of approximately 200 dinosaur footprints were discovered in 2023 by chance at the working quarry.
NICHOLLS: Quarry worker Gary Johnson, was removing some of the mud from the limestone floor, and suddenly realized he was hitting these sorts of
hummocks.
LINDELL (voice-over): 40 dinosaur tracks were first found in this area in the 1990s. So, the quarry contacted the Oxford University Museum of Natural
History to investigate.
NICHOLLS: So over seven days, we coordinated 100 people to excavate these footprints, and what we uncovered was just incredible. The footprints at
the site are from at least two different types of dinosaurs. A huge herbivorous dinosaur called a Sauropod. Those are the ones with very long
necks and very long tails, like Brachiosaurus or Brontosaurus.
Those footprints are 90 centimeters long, the largest ones. The other type of track, the fifth track was made by a carnivorous dinosaur called
Megalosaurus. And so, they have the really distinctive three toed footprints, and they're massive. They're 65 centimeters from front to back.
So, the great thing about what we call trace fossils is that it shows us dinosaur behavior. We've calculated the speeds that they were walking and
they were walking at the same speed. They were both walking at about three miles per hour, and that's actually the same speed of an average adult
human.
LINDELL (voice-over): The trackways lie across the working quarry, so they're not safe for the public to visit, but scientists are figuring out
how to preserve them, so that people can see the dinosaur footprints in the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Fabulous, isn't it? "World Sport" with Andy Scholes is up next. We will be back 15 minutes from now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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