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Authorities Continue Manhunt for Gunman Who Killed CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York City; Authorities Likely Believe Gunman has Left New York City After Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO; Trump Defends Hegseth: He'll be a "Fantastic" Defense Chief; Displaced Syrians Return to Aleppo after Rebel Takeover. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired December 06, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

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MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Levels from leaded gasoline exposure in car exhaust, from everyone back through the decades, and then paired that with what's known about the connection between blood- lead levels and mental health diagnoses. And they used that to make this estimate of more than 150 million excess mental health diagnoses that can be attributable to early childhood lead exposure. And so we are talking about things like depression and anxiety, ADHD. But they say also sort of milder impacts that can still negatively impact people's lives. This increase in what they call neuroticism, a lack of conscientiousness, the inability, really, to focus more on details and to get things done. They say all of this is potentially driven by that lead exposure that we had for decades in the U.S. and around the world, really.

They say that the generation most affected by this would be those born between 1965 and 1980 because of how high the lead levels were at that time. That, of course, is Generation X. And Kate, we know that even though we've taken lead out of gasoline, there are still a lot of sources of lead in the environment. It was supposed to be taken out of water pipes in the 80s, but if people live in older homes, they could still have exposure that way. Also, through lead paint in the homes and in other places, can be in the soil and in food. So it's recommended that children get their blood screened for lead at ages one and two. And of course, if anybody has concerns, they can get their blood screened at any age.

Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Meg, thank you so much for bringing us that, drawing attention to it. We really appreciate it.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So we've got brand new reporting just in on the suspect in the shooting of a health care executive. The new images we are just seeing from the hostel where he stayed for 10 days, that's a long time. Plus, the item police are now trying to get their hands on.

We're standing by this hour for the penultimate jobs report of the Biden administration. Analysts expecting a big bounce.

And nearly two years, five continents, and $1 billion later, the end of the Eras. What Taylor Swift is planning after her tour that changed everything.

Sara is out today. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: So investigators are chasing new clues as the manhunt for the gunman who killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare is still going full throttle.

And a surprising source for a potential lucky break. A flirtatious exchange giving security cameras a chance to capture the person of interest pulling down his mask and smiling. Authorities say he was flirting with an employee at the hostel, and she asked him to lower his mask to see his face. He arrived in New York City and checked into that hostel 10 days before the murder.

CNN has also learned he used a fake New Jersey driver's license to check in to that hospital and paid in cash. And he arrived in New York on a Greyhound bus, the route originating in Atlanta, though it's not clear when or where he got on.

Joining us now is CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller. And you've been bringing a lot of this new reporting and breaking a lot of this news. You're saying that -- you have said that there is a new, renewed focus maybe on this backpack that he had. Why is this the new focus?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: You know, they developed the video canvas that shows him going into Central Park on the e-bike wearing the backpack. We knew that a couple of days ago. But then they were able, through further canvases up and down the park, to catch him coming out, and they developed that video yesterday where he's not wearing the backpack. So he comes into the park on a bike wearing it. He comes out of the park on a bike without it. The assumption was he was in the park.

They did a grid search. They brought in a mobile field force. They blocked it out and searched the trees, the bushes, and all that, and they didn't find it. Now, you know Central Park, it's a complicated terrain.

BOLDUAN: Plenty of places to hide a lot of stuff.

MILLER: Yes, and you could miss it in the first one. So they may go back on that. But then there's a message piece, which is if somebody found a light gray backpack in Central Park on Wednesday in the early morning hours, and said, well, here's a great backpack, I think I'll keep it, they're going to want to look at that --

BOLDUAN: Because it's kind of a unique backpack. It's not just like a classic backpack you would -- not just a regular, you know, I don't know, JanSport black backpack. It was a distinctive look to it. MILLER: Right. And they know the make and the brand, and, I mean, we

may be hearing more about that today. And here's the smoking gun question is, is there a weapon in there?

BOLDUAN: Because that has not been found. Right?

MILLER: That has not been found. Did somebody pick it up? So that's one focus.

BOLDUAN: The ability of the NYPD to be able to track him 10 days prior in coming to New York City, I just find fascinating what that says about the capabilities.

[08:05:00]

But also, what does that say about if he arrived 10 days prior, we're now 48 hours after he went on the run, do they still believe he is in New York?

MILLER: They don't. Now, this is what do they believe versus what do they know. And why don't they? Because he came smoking in on a greyhound bus. They have him on video at the Port Authority, courtesy of the Port Authority police moving through the terminal. They have developed a picture of his travels. He's taken taxis. He's going to McDonalds. The first place he goes is the Hilton Hotel. So he starts his reconnaissance on the 24th.

BOLDUAN: First place he goes.

MILLER: Right. So he's getting right down to business. He's a man on a mission while he's here. But the assumption then is, number one, since they put that picture out with his face, they've not been flooded with calls from New Yorkers saying, I know that guy.

BOLDUAN: OK.

MILLER: So it suggests he may not be local. But what suggests it more strongly is he came in on a Greyhound bus. So the assumption is he may have just gotten on the bus going out the day of that murder and is back home. He wasn't expecting police to find that picture of his face and to blast it out. So one of the adjustments in focus we may see today is a call not just to New Yorkers to say, did you see him? Do you know where he is? But to push that out to the nation and say, who left on the 24th from your small town or your city or your social world and came back late this week or midweek --

BOLDUAN: And looks like this.

MILLER: And looks like this. So, you know, they're going to be pushing to get more stimulus under those tips.

BOLDUAN: So fascinating. John, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

MILLER: Thanks.

BOLDUAN: John?

BERMAN: All right, with us now is bounty hunter Zeke Unger. Thank you so much for being with us. So this new picture of apparently the suspect's face, how does that change the search?

ZEKE UNGER, BOUNTY HUNTER: Well, I think now that there's facial recognition, it allows not only the general public, but law enforcement to start searching data bank, using a lot of A.I., and those types of formats, searching Internet and getting the word out there which will broaden the scope of the investigation.

BERMAN: How much harder does it make for this person to hide?

UNGER: Well, again, he came in camouflaged. He left camouflaged. These days it's a society of wearing hoodies and masks. He can blend in like a chameleon anywhere. The question is going to be at some point he's going to make a mistake.

BERMAN: So a mistake. He, we believe, sent a message in this shooting. There were those words "delay" and "deny" scrawled on the shell casings that were used in the killing, and that apparently is tied to a message within the health insurance industry. Someone who wants to send a message in the killing, what might they do while they're on the run?

UNGER: Well, I believe that profiling him now for a few days, he's a social justice warrior, and I believe that he at some point will reach out to social media to justify his position. As you know, on the Internet, there's been a flood of people going, oh, he did what I was thinking. There's a lot of chat out there about the health care industry and people being abused by the health care industry, and I think that was his idea to bring this to the forefront. I think we're going to hear from.

BERMAN: If we do, if he does send some message, doesn't that increase the likelihood of him getting caught? Isn't that a huge risk to try to send some kind of a message now?

UNGER: Not necessarily, because social platforms these days are so masked that you can send it anonymously. But I truly believe that profiling him, he is definitely someone who needs to get his position out there so people understand what he has done.

BERMAN: There are so many pictures now of this individual here in New York. There's this electronic record of him. How hard is it in general to hide right now? If you want to not be found by authorities, particularly if you start in a place like New York City, how hard is it?

UNGER: Well, I mean you have a huge city, and if you stay contained and you stay camouflaged, somebody could hide forever. These investigations sometimes take a long time. Usually successful at the end. Some go quickly, some more timely. But I believe this is going to take a moment. But we will be successful in locating him.

BERMAN: All right, day three right now. Zeke Unger, appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So the one senator who could hold the key to the success or failure of Donald Trump's pick to lead the Defense Department and the no comment comment from Republican Senator Joni Ernst, and how the Trump transition might be reading that today.

[08:10:10]

And also, why one Democratic senator says Joe Biden should pardon President-elect Donald Trump.

California, though, holding its breath right now for more aftershocks. Look at the mess that it left behind after the strongest earthquake this year hits the northern part of the state. Scientists also are saying a stronger, more destructive quake is almost certainly on the way.

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[08:15:07]

BOLDUAN: As Donald Trump heads to France for the grand reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, back home, his pick for secretary of Defense is still trying to hang on to his nomination. This comes after allegations of drinking and sexual misconduct have put his confirmation on shaky ground.

Hegseth's attorney was on CNN last night and speaking to Kaitlan Collins, he said that Hegseth's name has been submitted to the FBI for a background check for one, but also suggested that they could be taking legal action against one of Hegseth's accusers if he is not confirmed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY PARLATORE, ATTORNEY FOR PETE HEGSETH: The false claims of somebody that was part of an extortion that was then put out in violation of a settlement agreement ultimately causes him to lose his future employment opportunities, then yes, that is something that is worth bringing a lawsuit against her and her friend and potentially even the attorney.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Kristen Holmes is tracking this one for us this hour. Kristen, just minutes ago, Donald Trump posted on social media about Hegseth, what did he say?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, this is interesting because what we know for the last several days and we reported this out last night, was that Trump has been supporting Hegseth behind the scenes, but a lot of it has been private.

They've been speaking on the phone. He's been talking to people around him. But now he took this public and he posted on Truth Social to essentially say Hegseth has not only made it to Friday, but it looks like he's going to make it into next week as well.

He says, "Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more than the fake news would have you believe. He was a great student, Princeton, Harvard educated with a military state of mind. He will be a fantastic high energy secretary of Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a winner, and there is nothing that can be done to change that."

So, if you're Pete Hegseth and you're waking up to this, you're probably feeling pretty good today particularly given the week he's had. He ended the week with no hard nos but a lot of senators are still concerned. And while Donald Trump and his team see a pathway for Hegseth, I am told that the support could wane, particularly if there are more accusations.

For example, one of the things we know is that there are people around Donald Trump who don't believe Hegseth was completely forthcoming with his background. Obviously, those FBI background checks will likely see some new results or possibly not. But that would have helped them in the beginning had they gone with that to begin with. But the other part of this is that there are some around Donald Trump who believe that this is kind of turning into a power struggle with lawmakers in the GOP, and they don't want him to give up on Hegseth.

Again, as of now, Donald Trump clearly here voicing his public support for Hegseth amid all of these accusations.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I mean, and that is definitely noteworthy. Also, Donald Trump, as I mentioned, he's heading over to Paris this weekend for the grand reopening of the cathedral. What are you hearing about this trip?

HOLMES: Look, this is a trip because Donald Trump is very fascinated with Notre Dame. It's also a trip because Macron invited him. One of the things that we talk a lot about right after Donald Trump was elected, was one, these foreign leaders trying to ingratiate themselves with Donald Trump rushing to congratulate him.

The first person to congratulate him was Macron in France. He is going overseas as this is his first real debut on the world stage. We are told he is likely to meet with a reception of world leaders, and it's a time where Donald Trump is really trying to stake his claim as the president-elect, soon to be president.

So, it will be interesting to see how he actually reacts and how he interacts with these world leaders on this first overseas trip.

BOLDUAN: It does present a kind of a perfect unofficial official meeting of world leaders all coming together because there are a lot of them arriving in Paris for this grand reopening. It's kind of that perfect opportunity for sure.

It's great to see you, Kristen, thank you so much.

Coming up for us, Trump's election win has sparked a digital gold rush. The value of Bitcoin skyrocketing. So what's behind this? Do we still call it a crypto craze? Let's discuss.

And, it's the end of an era for The Eras Tour at least, Taylor Swift wrapping it up this weekend. Are there big surprises in store?

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[08:23:39]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Today, foreign ministers from Syria, Iran and Iraq meet in Baghdad to talk about the rebel offensive that has caught the Assad regime in Syria and its allies off guard. Rebels now have captured Hama, the second major city to fall since their surprise attack in Syria last week. Bashar al-Assad's grip on the country had been backed by Iran Hezbollah and Russian warplanes.

In an exclusive report, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is the first western journalist to enter Aleppo since rebel forces gained control.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are in Aleppo's old city here by its historic iconic citadel, and it's really surreal being in Syria's second city just days after that lightning offensive by rebel forces, where they managed to capture the city in a matter of days. And you look around here and it seems like business as usual.

Mahmed (ph) never left Aleppo and she says their homes were destroyed. Her children are in Turkey and she hasn't seen them in years. And she's hoping now that the city has changed hands, that this means that she could see her children again.

(JOMANA KARADSHEH speaking in foreign language.)

(ABDUL speaking in foreign language.)

KARADSHEH: Abdul was in Idlib, but he's been there since the start of the war and this is first time back to a city.

(ABDUL speaking in foreign language.)

KARADSHEH: He says, they trust the rebels who are now returning them to their cities. And he says he's not afraid. Syrians have gone through so much and they're resilient.

Just in the last few days, people have painted over this with the colors of the Free Syria flag and this is something you see around the city, where people are trying to remove any signs of the Assad regime.

This is the Bassel, a roundabout named after the deceased brother of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and one of the first things that people did when rebel forces took over the city of Aleppo was topple the statue of Bassel, a symbol of the Assad regime.

This is an area where there were fierce battles with regime forces, and since then, in the past few days there's been an airstrike that killed many people. You can still see the aftermath of that, the blood on the floor here and speaking to people in the city this is what they fear. They fear that there will be more Russian and Syrian regime airstrikes that they will be back for the city of Aleppo.

Mohammed, this is your first time back to Aleppo in ten years?

MOHAMMED ALI JOUDEH, DISPLACED ALEPPO RESIDENT: Ten years, yes.

KARADSHEH: Did you ever imagine this moment possible?

JOUDEH: No, actually, no. We have in our imagination that we are going to come back. Actually, we had a lot of dreams about getting back to Aleppo, but we didn't actually believe that this moment is going to be true.

KARADSHEH: But are you worried about what might be coming?

JOUDEH: Of course, we are, here, all the people here are worried about what's going to happen because the airstrikes always attack us.

KARADSHEH: But you can imagine living here again.

JOUDEH: Of course, I love my country. I love my -- actually, all of the Syrian place, the Syrian country, our country, we hope it's going to be clear from the Assad regime. All the Syria, not just Aleppo.

KARADSHEH: Speaking to people here, you get this sense of joy and relief to see the regime of Bashar al-Assad gone. But also there's this apprehension, anxiety -- fear of what might be coming. People don't really know what to expect from these rebel forces who've taken over Aleppo. But most people that we've spoken to say that their biggest fear is what the regime and its allies are going to do.

A real fear of going back to the bloody days of the civil war in Syria. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Aleppo, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Jomana for getting that story inside Aleppo.

So, scientists are sounding the alarm after a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake in California. Why they say even stronger quakes and tsunamis are now inevitable.

And the makers of an amusement park ride now owe more than $300 million to the family of a teenager who died after falling off one of their rides.

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