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New Wave Of Russian Strikes On New Year's Day; New State Laws Taking Affect In The New Year; Fetterman: I Assumed Speaking Out About Mental Health "Would Be The End Of My Career"; College Football Playoffs Kick Off Later Today; Seattle Rings In New Year With NHL Winter Classic. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired January 01, 2024 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:30:42]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A huge wave of more than 90 Russia drone strikes on Ukraine just hours into the new year. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia attacked the southern port city of Odessa with an unmanned Russian drone. That attack killing a teenager and injuring at least seven other people.

This was happening as New Year's Day was officially declared a day of mourning in the Ukraine's capital after Friday's massive attacks by Russia. Search-and-rescue operations still under way in the capital of Kyiv where those attacks killed at least 28 people.

Across the country, these attacks killed at least 53 people on Friday. It was Russia's largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

Let's bring in Steve Hall, a former CIA chief of Russia operations.

Steve, what are we learning about the new New Year's attacks?

STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think, Brianna, we are learning is that Vladimir Putin is trying to take advantage, not only of the holiday season when people try to celebrate or relax a bit.

So there is a psychological warfare element to this. Of course, that does not mean the attacks are any less serious or any less large. This was a very, very significant attack.

Some of it, we think, probably stemming from the increased naval presence in the Black Sea. If those particular armaments were not used this time, you can be sure that is one of the things the Russians will try to do in the future.

But I think really the other thing we have to recall is the reason why Vladimir Putin is being as aggressive as he is right now. It's because he senses softness in the West and in the United States with regard to continued support for Ukraine.

So that's, I think, also on his mind. KEILAR: He made some comments vowing that Russia will increase strikes on Ukraine. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): You may have noticed literally the next day, strikes were carried out. I think they are still being carried out today. And we will do it tomorrow.

You know, what is the point of what they are doing? They want to, A, intimidate us, B, create some kind of insecurity in our country. For our part, we will build up these strikes that I mentioned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: This is really interesting, these comments that he made earlier, Steve. Because what he said in the beginning, you may have noticed that literally the next day, such strikes were carried out. He was talking about following the Ukrainian attack on this key naval vessel in Crimea.

I wonder if you can speak to the domestic audience that he is aiming these comments at to assure them that he is responding mightily to Ukraine.

HALL: I think you put your finger on it. There is an imperative for Putin to show the Russian people that any attacks on Russia from Ukraine are going to be answered.

Because, of course, I think this is something that Vladimir Putin and his inner circle did not expect a year and a half ago that they are contemplated attacks on the Russia homeland. They thought they would go in and the war would be contained inside of Ukraine.

So he has got to pay attention. The reason he has to pay attention is that, although he can repress his population, which he is exceedingly good at doing, he also realizes that, during wartime, there's a lot of potential for protests.

The mother's coming to the streets to mourn their children. We saw this in Afghanistan and in the Chechen wars. So he has to pay attention to that as well.

He just cannot repress everything. He has got to understand that the Russian people will only take so much. So he's making it look like it is a response.

KEILAR: Do you think that will happen? You mentioned Russian mothers. I think we need to be clear about just how vociferous they were during the conflicts and they could not be ignored. Some of them going to battlefield's to get the bodies of their sons.

Do you see an environment where anything like that could change the dynamic internally in Russia? HALL: Yes, I do. It is interesting because there have been a lot of

protests in Russia over the years. I mean, when I was in Moscow in 2011, there were the protests. That was more of a political. But you had tens of thousands of people in the street.

[14:35:03]

But for the most part, again, Putin knows how to use his internal security service to beat those people into submission, to send them off to jail.

But the exception, the Achilles' heel seems to be these mother's groups and family groups, which it is extremely difficult to see older mothers and grandmothers hauled away by the law enforcement, by the special police forces into these trucks.

It can have a real stimulating effect for the Russian people. And of course, there is a, quote, unquote, "election" coming up for Putin. The result is not in any doubt.

But he does not want that kind of stress, those kinds of incidents in the street, which is why I think he's taking -- one of the reasons he is taking the strong action that he is right now.

KEILAR: Yes, trying to project strength but certainly tamp down any possibility of dissent.

Steve, great to have you and have you explain this. We appreciate it.

HALL: Sure.

KEILAR: So when we come back, new state laws are going into effect in the new year about book bans in Illinois, about gender-neutral toy aisles in California, and a whole lot of others. We're going to take you through some of the major ones for you.

And in just a couple of hours, Alabama will face Michigan in the first of two college football semifinals followed by Texas and Washington. More on what you need to know before kickoff, coming up.

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[14:40:24]

KEILAR: A new year brings new state laws, including legislation about gender-affirming care and legal protections for abortion providers.

CNN's Rafael Romo has been looking at changes around the country.

Some pretty interesting ones here, Rafael. Can you tell us what stands out?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very interesting, indeed. Brianna, happy New Year to you.

Among the most polarizing new laws that take effect with the new year are those related to gender-affirming care with minors with several Republican- led states moving to enact restrictions.

For example, in Idaho, petitioners who provide puberty blocking medications and gender-affirming surgeries or other treatments to minors could face a $5,000 fine and a felony charge.

In Louisiana, it will become illegal for those under 18 to receive those treatments. And health care professionals can help their licenses revoked for two years or more if they provide services.

On the other hand, Maryland, along with other several Democratic-led states, passed protections for gender-affirming care for all ages. As of January 1st, the state would require Medicaid to cover them.

When it comes to abortion, the state of Washington is enacting a law with the goal of making the procedure more accessible by eliminating out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and co-pays.

This is, of course, in response to near-total bans in several Republican-led states that took effect in 2023.

In California, a law taking effect Monday protects local health care providers from out of state from litigation over both abortion and gender-affirming care to people from other states -- Brianna?

KEILAR: That's very interesting.

There is also this new law in California, Rafael, that has to do with toys. So tell us about this law and why it is generating so much controversy.

ROMO: Yes, Brianna, it is because this new law requires toy retailers to have gender-neutral toy aisles. This is another law that went into effect today.

It stems from a bill that passed the California legislature in 2021 and it requires toy retailers with physical locations in the state and at least 500 employees to maintain a gender-neutral section or area to be labeled at the discretion of the retailer.

According to the law, stores that fail to comply will face a $250 penalty for the first violation and up to $500 for subsequent infractions. A lot of controversy there in California -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes, certainly.

Rafael Romo, thank you for that report.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman getting candid about his mental health struggles. Ahead, why he thought going public with those struggles would mean the end of his career.

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[14:47:23]

KEILAR: Senator John Fetterman said he thought speaking out about his mental health would end his career. Last year, the Pennsylvania Democrat checked himself into Walter Reed Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression.

He told NBC News yesterday that he hopes he can help others by being open about his struggles.

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SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): When it got released where I was, and what I was doing, it was a big story. And so I had assumed that would be the end of my career.

I thought at that time, well, if I can be of most service or if I can be helpful to people, I have to be fully honest about it. That is what I decided to do.

And it will be my goal or is to, if somebody can hear this kind of message and this conversation that we are having, it might make a different choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now Fetterman's comments are coming as the world is grappling with mental health issues, and specifically with loneliness.

The World Health Organization just declared this a global health priority. And a recent survey found nearly one and four adults across the globe say they feel very or fairly lonely.

For more on this, we are joined by Dr. Joshua Weiner.

Dr. Weiner, thank you so much for being with us.

I want to ask you about the impact of loneliness on depression.

But first, I want to ask you about the impact of having someone like, really anyone who is well known, in this case, it's the Senator, speaking out so that others can see themselves in what he or she is going through.

DR. JOSHUA WEINER, PSYCHIATRIST: Yes, absolutely. The more we have people talking about this, people in the public eye, it normalizes it. One thing that I think is good is that we have people -- this has been a slow burn over time.

We had Patrick Kennedy maybe a decade or so ago, and we have had some other congressmen and Senators talk about their issues, celebrities, et cetera.

The more you talk about it, the more it normalizes it and the more it opens up the conversation.

One thing that I think came out of Covid that maybe was a positive is that mental health issues became more of a focus and people started talking about these issues more and more openly.

KEILAR: Yes. They looked at their neighbors and friends and they saw everyone having the same issues and it became easy to talk about.

Tell us about loneliness and how this is affecting people and how they can identify that they are struggling.

[14:50:00]

WEINER: Well, so loneliness is a subjective feeling, right? You can be in a crowded room or lying next to your partner and feel lonely or you could be by yourself and not feel lonely.

So it is when your desires for social connectedness do not match what you actually have.

What is concerning is -- there was a great report put out by the surgeon general about six months ago, and what this found, and other stories backed this up, is that when people experience loneliness, it puts them at risk for all sorts of mental health and physical health issues.

So chronic loneliness, from a health perspective, increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, early death, depression, anxiety.

What they found is that chronic loneliness is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. So we know this is not good for you.

We wonder, why is this the case? And what we think might be going on is that loneliness triggers you to have a release of stress hormones. And chronic stress hormones are not good for your body or for your mental health.

Anything that increases inflammation, in the body or in the brain, it increases the risk of depression and anxiety.

In addition to that, we know is when people are lonely, when they are not feeling good, they engage in unhealthy behaviors, right?

So they're more likely to eat poorly, drink alcohol, engage in unsafe behaviors. So this is a bidirectional thing.

And so we know this is a problem. And anything we can do to improve this will be healthy for people because what we know is, over the years, especially with social media, people are spending less and less time with one another in person.

KEILAR: When should people look at themselves and say, all right, this is time to get help? And what do they need to do to get that help?

WEINER: Certainly, if you are having problems with loneliness and it's interfering with your day-to-day functioning, right?

So, everything, when it comes to mental health, is all about, is it interfering with your day-to-day functioning, right?

So everybody experiences loneliness at times. Everybody has sad moods at times. But when you start to have these things occurring on a day- to- day basis and it's interfering with your ability to go through your normal day, that's when it's time to seek help.

We know therapy is out there to help people, medication can obviously be helpful as well. But I think people really need to recognize that they need to sit down, especially like a day like today, New Year, and they want to take an inventory of your life.

And you want to figure out, what can I do to make things better for myself?

Interestingly, there's a study called that Harvard Happiness Study. It came out -- it's been going on for 85 years. It's the largest longitudinal study looking at what makes for a good life.

And what they found is that the most important factor for people when it comes to them looking back at their life and feeling good about things is the quality of their relationships.

We're not talking about numbers. We're talking about the quality.

And so, what that means is this is something people need to put a priority on and they really need to focus on this. And like everything, it takes effort. Relationships take effort.

KEILAR: They do, just like a job, right? But it's one that really, really pays off.

Dr. Weiner, so great to have you, as we all get ready today to take our inventories. Thanks for being here.

WEINER: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: And we will be right back.

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[14:58:00]

KEILAR: As we turn our calendars to 2024, four teams have their eyes set on making it to the championship game next week in Houston.

Carolyn Manno joining us now with more on this -- Carolyn?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna. The college football playoffs kick off later today with a clash of the Titans.

I'm excited about this. Michigan facing number-four Alabama, in the first semifinal game at the Rose Bowl.

The Crimson Tide have won six national titles under Coach Nick Saban. And the Wolverines have also won six but the most recent coming in 1997. But they lost in the semifinals the past two years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM HARBAUGH, MICHIGAN HEAD COACH: Things we've learned from being in this game for the last couple of years, we're playing those. And really, really locked in. You know, we're ready to go, ready to play.

NICK SABAN, ALABAMA HEAD COACH: I don't reminisce much about what has happened in the past. I'm kind of looking forward to today and the next day. So we just got to take it one day at a time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Kickoff for the Rose Bowl is set for 5:00 Eastern.

The other semifinal pits number-two Washington against third-ranked Texas in the Sugar Bowl at 8:45.

As we turn the calendar to 2024, one of the most beloved traditions in sports returning in Seattle. It's the NHL Winter Classic, the annual hockey game played in the great outdoors.

And this year, the Kraken in is the defending Stanley Cup champs against the Vegas Golden Knights inside T-Mobile Park, which is the home of baseball's Seattle Mariners.

Fans are looking forward to this every single year.

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BRANDON TANEV, SEATTLE KRAKEN WINGER: Extremely exciting, to get a Winter Classic so early on in the franchise career. It's great for the city, the organization, the people of Seattle. I think that's what it's all about.

I mean, we are all very excited to be in the game. I think it's a great way to show off the city of Seattle, the people of Seattle, and how great of a franchise we have here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Players able to take the ice yesterday with their families creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Brianna, so many of these guys grew up living the game on ponds where they live. And it's one of the many traditions that mark the start of the new year in sports. It's such a great moment for the host city and for the organizations involved.

It was so cute to see them out there with their families, right?

KEILAR: You've got to love, like, the two-year-old ice skaters. They are amazing.