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Proceedings to Impeach South Korean President Underway; U.S. Officials Unable to Corroborate Drone Reports; Outrage Growing against U.S. Health Care System; U.S. Polio Vaccine Controversy; U.S., E.U. and Middle East Diplomats Meet on Syria's Future; Russia Launches Massive Attack on Ukraine's Energy Sector; Duke Lacrosse Rape Accuser Admits She Lied. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired December 14, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Ben Hunte in London. It is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on CNN, a celebration in Seoul as South Korean lawmakers vote to impeach the president. We'll look at what this means for the close ally of the U.S.

Questions and concerns are only growing around mysterious drone sightings along the U.S. East Coast. And now president-elect Donald Trump is also weighing in.

And the case of the murdered health care CEO is igniting intense conversations about the state of health care in America.

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HUNTE: A monumental moment in South Korean history, celebrations erupt after the country's parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol in an extraordinary rebuke.

Yoon's own party had turned on him after he refused to resign over an attempt to impose martial law, a move that sparked a political crisis and widespread anger across the country. We're going to go straight to CNN's Ivan Watson, live in Hong Kong for us.

Hello, Ivan. So today was the day, exactly an hour on from history being made in South Korea.

Can you just catch me up?

What's happened?

And has anything changed since then?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. I mean, just about an hour ago, lawmakers from the national assembly, they voted to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol; 204 of the lawmakers voted in favor of impeachment. There were 300 present for the vote.

And as you pointed out, a celebration right outside the compound of the national assembly in Seoul, a freezing cold dance party is what it looks like or K-pop party as people who were gathering -- and we're still trying to get estimates from the police.

But our reporters there on the ground say it's just a massive crowd, just erupted into celebration. And it's such a dramatic difference from what I saw there a week ago, Ben, when there was a first attempt to impeach President Yoon.

And that failed because members of his party abstained from participating in the vote. So there weren't enough votes, that magic number of 200. This time around, the president's party participated. So the proceedings were very quick.

I think the voting, it took less than an hour. They counted the paper ballots and, boom, the results came out. So President Yoon, it's remarkable to consider how quickly all this has happened.

It's only been about 1.5 weeks since he made this late-night attempt to try to impose martial law on the country, sent police and soldiers to the national assembly to try to stop lawmakers from gathering there.

And his attempt at what many see as a power grab and unconstitutional one was quickly overrun, overturned and now we're starting to deal and face with the consequences of that.

There is a ban on President Yoon being able to fly out of the country. His offices have been raided by the police and his former defense minister is already behind bars. So watch this space. Ben.

HUNTE: You talked about some of the consequences there.

I mean, this isn't really a surprise to any of us, right?

We knew that the opposition party was going to be holding votes every single week, they said, until the president was impeached or removed or stood down.

So what is going to happen next?

WATSON: Yes, a really good question. First, let's listen to one of the lawmakers, who voted for impeachment.

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KIM JOON-HYUNG, REBUILDING KOREA PARTY LAWMAKER: It is. It is. It is a victory of Korean democracy and the world has been watching this. But we finally won, even if it's the beginning. But it's a good beginning. So we will go through this with people. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So what happens next?

Well, the prime minister, Han Duck-soo, he becomes the acting president because now President Yoon has been suspended from the position of the presidency.

[04:05:00]

And then the matter goes to the constitutional court, which will have 180 days, I believe, to rule on this move. The court is not completely in session. There are only six out of the nine judges in that body.

And we'll have to see how they will move forward with this, because it does look like they'd like to have more judges appointed before they rule. Six of the judges out of the nine-judge body would have to rule in favor.

And just as some context, the last time South Korea impeached a president was actually only eight years ago, President Park Geun-hye, amid corruption charges. She was impeached by the national assembly, as we have just witnessed here with President Yoon.

And then it took the constitutional court 90 days, three months, to rule in favor of impeachment. And she was stripped from office. So the following process could potentially take months.

If President Yoon is stripped of office by the constitutional court, then you'd go into another countdown of 60 days before an election to elect a new leader. So that's a bit of the timeline here. We're looking at months of this going forward from this historic moment, Ben.

HUNTE: Well, as you say, if it's going to take months for us to see what happens next, I'm sure we're going to be talking again very, very soon. So thank you for joining me in Hong Kong.

Residents are reporting more drone sightings near sensitive sites along the eastern coast of the U.S. Social media users have posted videos of their sightings from New Jersey, Maryland and New York and they want to hear more from the government about what is exactly going on.

The Secretary of Homeland Security said some reports are cases of mistaken identity, echoing a similar comment from the FBI.

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ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We believe that there are cases of mistaken identity, where drones are actually small aircraft and people are misidentifying them. There very well may be drones in the sky, of course. But those are commercially available. One can go into a convenience store and buy a small drone.

There are also commercial drones as well. But we know -- we know of no threat or nefarious activity. And I want to repeat, Wolf, that, if we learn of any cause for concern, we will be transparent in our communication of it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Despite assurances like that, many Americans suspect the government is not leveling with them. Omar Jimenez has more from New York.

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REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): There has to be some explanation to the public for all this increased activity and they must do so now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And yet there hasn't been. Even as the federal government says, there's no evidence of any national security or public safety threats. And there have been growing calls for answers as drone sightings continue in New Jersey and now, also the New York metropolitan area.

GOTTHEIMER: They must immediately disclose more information to the public. It's totally and completely unacceptable. New Jersey can't become the Wild West of drone activity. No state can become the Wild West of drone activity.

JIMENEZ: It's now been a month since some of the first drones were reported near a military installation in northern New Jersey. Since then, there have been dozens of reported sightings, as some federal officials throw cold water on some of those reports.

KIRBY: We have not been able to and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities to corroborate any of the reported visual sightings. It appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.

JIMENEZ: And in a joint statement, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said in part they're working to confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.

Despite attempts by officials to calm concerns, videos of reported drones in the skies are still popping up all over social media.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow, they just passed the truck.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have never seen that before.

JIMENEZ: Including these from New Jersey Senator Andy Kim as he went out with local police Thursday night. There was even a downed drone that was reported but it was later revealed to be a hobby or toy drone, all the while without a definitive explanation. Questions have filled the vacuum.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, writing to President Joe Biden expressing concern about the reported drone sightings and asking for more federal resources. Saying in part, existing laws limit the ability of state and local law

enforcement to counter UAS or unmanned aircraft systems. It has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what is behind this activity.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirming that drones have also been spotted in New York.

[04:10:02]

Posting on X, "At this time, there's no evidence that these drones pose a public safety or national security threat."

JIMENEZ: And that's really what we've heard from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security as well. But as we are now getting these reported sightings in more states and we've seen airspace restrictions over military installations in places like New Jersey, for example, obviously people are wondering what's going on now.

To give some perspective on the overall market, there are almost 800,000 drones registered with the FAA, about an even split between commercial and recreational.

But I bring up that number because, when it comes to any investigative efforts to try and find a throughline into all of these sightings, all of these reported sightings, it's going to be that much more difficult.

And as I've talked about, these reported sightings started about a month ago. And as we've gone on and as people continue to report, some more accurately than others, those calls have grown for an answer to that single question, why is this happening? -- Omar Jimenez, CNN, New York

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HUNTE: Well, as officials try to throw cold water on those mounting reports of drone activity, president-elect Trump and others are calling for the mysterious drones to be shot out of the sky.

But that's just further complicating the question of how to properly protect federal airspace. One national security expert says the U.S. can seize control of the aircraft without shooting them down.

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SETH JONES, PRESIDENT, DEFENSE AND SECURITY DEPARTMENT, CSIS: The U.S. government does have the capability.

I know because I've seen it overseas in my time in the government to actually use cyber means to take over a drone, literally take it over and fly it and land without using what would you call kinetic means, meaning striking it down. So it does have that capability. It's got the cyber capability to do that.

But the second is, is that, I think this gets to this broader challenge we have right now within the U.S. government, this strong disagreement between the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.

Which are pushing for more national security measures to be taken and the FAA and Department of Transportation that are trying to protect open skies. And we've got to find a way to fix this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: He went on to say that, in many of these cases, U.S. officials simply don't know who is flying the drones and what their purpose is.

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO, has hired a high-powered New York attorney. We're learning that Karen Friedman Agnifilo will represent him in New York as he faces a second degree murder charge.

She previously worked as the chief assistant district attorney in Manhattan. The current DA says Mangione may waive his extradition from Pennsylvania back to New York next week.

We're also learning new details about how Mangione actually fled to New York. "The New York Times" reports that he took the subway downtown to Pennsylvania Station before heading to Pennsylvania, according to police.

Meanwhile, the "San Francisco Chronicle" reports that San Francisco police recognized Mangione and contacted the FBI four days before he was arrested in Pennsylvania. The FBI's New York office says it received the tip and sent it to NYPD investigators among other leads.

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe says this raises a lot of questions about why it took so long to identify Mangione.

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ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It's something I've been thinking about for days, even outside the context of this tip.

You have to assume that there are probably -- if you -- if you diagramed out Mangione's entire network of friends, associates, relatives, people he shared hotel rooms with, people he traveled with, you're talking about hundreds of people who were familiar with what he looked like, probably recently familiar with what he looked like.

That photograph was everywhere. And as far as we know, none of those people recognized it or called in. And here you have one isolated police officer or detective in San Francisco, who has, you know, knows Mangione only through the report made by his mother. And he's able to pick him out from that imperfect photograph.

Now he's a professional. He looks at photographs all the time and trying to identify people from them. But it's still a remarkable contrast. I mean, it raises a lot of questions.

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HUNTE: I mean, I'm sure you've seen on social media and you've seen the memes. I certainly have. This case has sparked a national conversation about the U.S. health care system, potentially even a global conversation. And outrage is growing, with some people even defending Mangione. Well, CNN's Brian Todd has more details for us.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along a Seattle area highway, a digital sign says, one less CEO. Then, many more to go. In New York City, posters were put up, praising the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with a red X across his picture.

[04:15:03]

Other posters singled out another executive. In Florida, police say a woman who was on the phone talking with BlueCross BlueShield about recently denied medical claims said to the representative, quote, "delay, denied, depose. You people are next."

Those words were written on the shell casings found at the scene of Brian Thompson's murder. The woman has been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.

TAMI LUHBY, CNN SENIOR WRITER, HEALTH POLICY: What we're seeing has been unleashed on social media and elsewhere is just all of this pent- up anger and frustration. I mean, we're talking about people's health. This is a life and death situation.

TODD (voice-over): The head of the health care conglomerate Brian Thompson worked for, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty, tried to address some of the growing frustration with an essay in "The New York Times."

He praised Thompson as "a brilliant, kind man, who was working to make health care better for everyone," and wrote, "We know the health system does not work as well as it should and we understand people's frustrations with it. Our mission is to help make it work better."

Witty said his company is willing to partner with anyone to deliver better care at lower costs but acknowledged, quote, "Clearly, we are not there yet."

Witty did little to appease thousands of people who replied to his op- ed with comments.

One person writing, "To think that the healthcare providers do not also seek to maximize their profits is simply naive."

Another saying, "I don't know how he sleeps at night on his bed of blood and suffering."

KEVIN O'LEARY, "SHARK TANK" INVESTOR: At this point, social media is now the jury. And it doesn't like what it sees. So if you're an executive, you know, in interim management, United Health Corp or any other health company, you've got to read the room.

TODD (voice-over): UnitedHealth Group is a for profit company that reported over $100 billion in revenue in the third quarter of this year and is the largest provider of health insurance in the United States.

It has been facing a class action lawsuit since before the Thompson shooting, accusing one of its subsidiaries of using algorithms to deny care to seniors. United says that assertion is false but the horror stories seemingly never end.

Arete Tsoukalas tells CNN she needed a specific drug to treat the leukemia she was diagnosed with. She said her insurer, one of the nation's largest, refused to pay for the drug entirely at first, then said it would pay part of it.

But she'd have to pay a $13,000 a month copay. Tsoukalas says she went without the drug for three months, then got it with financial help from the drug manufacturer.

ARETE TSOUKALAS, LEUKEMIA PATIENT: No one should have to fight cancer and insurance at the same time. Some aspects of the cancer treatment felt a lot easier to deal with than insurance.

TODD: CNN's Tami Luhby says she spoke to several health policy experts, who told her the most effective way to bring about real change in the industry is if the current consumer outrage is sustained.

She says they told her, if that dies down, the insurers will have less incentive to make changes -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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HUNTE: Up next, the polio vaccine has saved lives for decades. And Donald Trump has said it's a great thing. But he may be on a collision course with Robert F. Kennedy and his adviser, who petitioned the government to have it revoked.

Vaccine skepticism is on the rise in the U.S. and now nearly- eliminated diseases are resurfacing. The details coming up.

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HUNTE: Welcome back.

The U.S. presidential transfer of power is still weeks away. But the incoming Donald Trump administration is busy discussing ways to put some of the plans outlined in the conservative Project 2025 into practice. Sources say they're exploring ways to streamline government agencies

that regulate the banking industry. The Trump transition team is looking at giving the Treasury Department control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It insures consumers' money in case of a bank failure.

But carrying out such a major change won't be easy, as it would require a bipartisan act of Congress.

Meantime, Trump's Defense Department transition team has begun talks with the Deputy Secretary of Defense. They met for the first time on Friday.

And speaking of defense, Trump's pick to lead that department, Pete Hegseth, seems to have a doomed nomination a week ago, amid allegations of sexual and financial misconduct.

But this week, everything changed. Hegseth's chances seem much better after he met with several senators who will eventually vote on his nomination. CNN senior political analyst Maggie Haberman had some insight into Trump's sticking with Hegseth and whether they had a plan B. Let's have a listen.

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MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, I don't think there's an operative plan B. There is, remains, you know, a lingering awareness that something could come up. There could be more. Hegseth himself is said to be aware that, you know, there are potentially going to be other stories.

He and people in Trump's world have said they don't anticipate that any revelations will come that would impact the hearing.

Who knows?

But they are feeling vastly better about it today than they did a week ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Donald Trump has praised the polio vaccine as the greatest thing. But concern is growing over his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, known vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

"The New York Times" reports that an adviser to Kennedy petitioned the Food and Drug Administration two years ago to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine because it was not tested against a placebo. Experts deny that's needed or even ethical and say the vaccine is proven effective.

Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, himself a polio survivor, is warning Kennedy that anyone seeking Senate approval should avoid associating with someone who is trying to undermine public confidence in the polio vaccine. According to the World Health Organization, polio killed or paralyzed

more than half a million people around the world yearly before a vaccine became available in the 1950s.

[04:25:04]

Doctors in the U.S. are fighting anti-vaccine disinformation, which is reaching parents on social media. The reports question the credibility of years of scientific studies proving that vaccines are safe. The issue is coming to a head in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's just had its worst measles outbreak in years. And CNN's Whitney Wild has the story for us.

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WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi.

DR. STACENE MAROUSHEK, HENNEPIN HEALTHCARE PEDIATRIC CLINIC: I'm Stacene.

WILD: Nice to meet you. I'm Whitney.

MAROUSHEK: Hi.

WILD: Thank you so much. So tell us all what's going on today.

MAROUSHEK: So this is not one of my patients. It's one of my colleagues' patients but they just refused their measles vaccine.

WILD (voice-over): Encouraging parents to stay up to date on vaccinations for their kids is routine for Dr. Stacene Maroushek at the Hennepin County Health Care's Pediatric Clinic in Minneapolis.

MAROUSHEK: We'll see you back in a year. All right. Take care of you guys.

People forget how diseases used to kill kids. We essentially had white measles out in the United States. But then because of the vaccine rates plummeting over the last several years, now once those people come back into a community that has a low vaccine rate, it just goes like crazy and, poof, there's your outbreak.

WILD (voice-over): Minnesota is now over its worst outbreak in seven years, health officials say, which infected 70 and sent many to the hospital.

WILD: Do you know immediately that's the measles?

JENN DRYER, EMERGENCY ROOM NURSE, HENNEPIN COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER: There's a pretty significant rash that partners with it. So it'll be fever, rash, runny nose, kind of the red eyes. Typically children are more at risk. It's that significant respiratory infection.

WILD: Have you seen pretty severe cases?

DRYER: Yes. WILD (voice-over): With the bulk of Minnesota's infections in Hennepin County, emergency room nurses and doctors find themselves on the outbreak front line again.

WILD: What does it feel like when you're like, oh my God, these numbers are ticking up. This could be really bad. What does it feel like for you?

DRYER: You certainly get very anxious. You worry about the supplies that you have on hand. You worry about the staff. Will you have the resources?

Is this the outbreak that's going to break you?

WILD (voice-over): Nationally, the CDC says there have been 16 outbreaks in 2024. There were just four in 2023 and more than half of the children under five who got sick had to be hospitalized. And the numbers for kindergartners starting school fully vaccinated are dropping nationwide.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One more. Last one, last one, last one.

KADEER ALI (PH), FATHER: One more.

She got five shots including the polio, including the flu, including the pox.

WILD (voice-over): Her father skipped the MMR vaccine, not because of her pain but because of his fear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've heard a lot of news going around that if someone takes the MMR, get autistic.

WILD: Where did you hear that?

ALI: I watched it from the YouTube.

WILD: From YouTube?

ALI: Yes. Also, I heard -- I've heard from the parents who have already, have autistic child.

WILD: Something you're seeing every day?

MAROUSHEK: Every day, multiple times a day. All perceived fear of autism. Some people you can talk into a vaccine. Some people, they're just like, no.

WILD (voice-over): There is no link between autism and the MMR vaccine or any other vaccine. And yet families believe the possibility exists and take the risk.

ALI: My first son, he suffered from measles.

WILD: Oh, you had a son with a measles?

ALI: Yes. He was in the hospital, in intensive unit.

WILD (voice-over): The skepticism could further be fueled by incoming President Trump's choice to name a known anti-vax crusader to the head of the nation's sprawling Department of Health and Human Services. WILD: What is the biggest risk of vaccine disinformation?

I mean, are you worried more people are going to die?

DRYER: Absolutely.

WILD (voice-over): Whitney Wild, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Syrians are celebrating the fall of the Assad regime. But there are still many questions about what the future holds for their country. That story just ahead.

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HUNTE: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Ben Hunte and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

We're turning to our top story now. There are celebrations in South Korea now that the embattled president, Yoon Suk-yeol has been impeached by the nation's parliament. His own party turned against him when he refused to resign over an attempt to impose martial law. It was a move that sparked tremendous backlash.

And joining us from Seoul is Kenneth Choi. He's a deputy managing editor of the "Chosun Ilbo."

Thank you so much for joining me, Kenneth.

KENNETH CHOI, DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, "CHOSUN ILBO": Well, thank you for having me.

HUNTE: You're so, so welcome. I imagine we're going to be speaking a lot over the next few weeks and months. I'm guessing this isn't a surprise at all to you, though, given that the opposition party said they'd hold votes every single week until Yoon was impeached or stepped down.

But this is still history, right?

It's a big moment. It's a massive moment for South Korea.

What's your reaction?

CHOI: Well, it's actually a sad day because we impeached three presidents over the past 25 years. So actually, there's nothing to celebrate about.

You know, just imagine, either we elected a wrong president or we didn't give enough breaks to the president. So clearly there's something wrong with the constitution or the political process. So I think now we have to look deeply into this, this flaw in our political system.

Because every time we run this impeachment process, there is like discontinuity of government process. And right now in the U.S., the new president is coming in. And we don't have the president at the moment who can actually react to setting up new foreign policy issues for the Trump administration.

You know, we don't have any -- we cannot have any relationship, established relationship with Japan. All these things will probably fall back on our laps. So some people are celebrating, yes. You know, they are joyful at the moment.

But if you go to sleep tonight from tomorrow on, we just we still have to worry about, what are you going to eat?

You know, put in food, what kind of food you're going to put on the table. So it's a (INAUDIBLE) go through a long deliberations of getting things ready, to get out all ourselves back on our feet again.

HUNTE: I have to say there's a bit of a contrast there in what you say, that it isn't a celebration. And next year, we had people chanting and cheering and like waving stuff.

So there are definitely some people celebrated in Seoul at the moment, right?

But this vote doesn't necessarily guarantee that Yoon will be permanently removed from office.

To those waking up now and seeing these headlines, they may be a bit confused by that statement. But the entire impeachment process itself could still take weeks and then a trial still needs to be held before the constitutional court. And the court has actually blocked an impeachment before.

So what could happen next?

Break it down for me.

[04:35:00]

CHOI: Actually, you're absolutely right.

You know, it could take a maximum of 180 days for the ruling. And right now, we only have six judges out of nine. So you know, according to the constitution, six judges cannot -- and it has to all agree in order to rule in favor of the impeachment.

But if one person does not agree with this process, then the whole -- the president will go right back on. And then, in the meantime, the opposition party wants to fill in three more judges of their choices.

And the acting president, who is the prime minister, he has to appoint the new judges into the court. So that will be a some tug of -- hustle among the political circles, whether to do it or not.

And if they do it, then they will have, like many, like nine judges to rule the impeachment. And if that is set in motion, then some -- the first president was impeached and the ruling came out about 60- something days.

The second president was impeached; it came out about 90 days. So you know, most people expect that the constitutional court will decide within 2-3 months. So if that happens, let's say the constitutional court decides in two months from today, then it will be February 14th.

And then in two months, we have to have a new presidential election. So that will be like April or something. And if the constitutional court prolongs it to six month period, then, in the middle of the summer, we'll have a new presidential election.

So it all remains to be seen. A lot of uncertainties out there. There will be a lot of political discussions going on now. So for 2-3 months, the whole country will be at a standstill.

HUNTE: Right.

Well, we're broadcasting to a lot of Americans that are up early this morning. So I want to get a question in about the U.S. and diplomacy.

South Korea has such an important role in the region within Asia in terms of countering China and also, obviously, its alliance with the U.S.

What will its allies and enemies be thinking now, seeing this news?

CHOI: Well, first of all, I don't think North Korea is going to be committing anything at the moment because, if they ever do that, right now Korea is divided over this impeachment issues. But if they ever do something, then the entire Korea will reunite into one.

And then they will deal with North Korea, which will be quite challenging for the North Koreans. So having said that, Korea happens to be hosting the largest American military base outside of the United States. So -- and then that military base is so close to China. So in essence, Korea is the sort of a forefront for American military, you know, alliance.

So Korea is a very important American military ally. So, except the president, the acting president's first mission is to actually solidify the relationship with the U.S., the relationship with Japan and so on. So I don't think there will be any sort of challenges going on.

But just rest assured that America still can rely on Korea. Korea will pitch in whatever the shares it needs to pitch in. And Korea will be still standing right there, you know, whatever happens. So you know, I think, Korea will play a very pivotal role.

Except the only thing that I am worried about is that when the new Trump administration comes in. We're sorry that we don't have somebody to actually deal with this new administration. So that's something that's -- that I'm worried about. But other than that, I think the rest of them will probably go right.

HUNTE: Well, thank you so much for sticking with us and speaking to me today, I appreciate it. I'm sure we're going to be speaking so much over the next few weeks and months. So thank you, Kenneth Choi there in Seoul, South Korea. See you soon.

Diplomats are gathering in Jordan right now ahead of a meeting to discuss Syria's future and Middle East stability. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken will join representatives from the European Union, Turkiye and Arab nations at the summit. It's scheduled to begin about 30 minutes from now.

A short time ago, he met with the United Nations special envoy.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: our determination to work together to support a Syrian-led transition, where the United Nations plays a critical role, particularly when it comes to the provision of assistance to the protection of minorities, to all the work that needs to happen going forward.

So I look forward to this opportunity to compare notes with the envoy and to again think through how we can support the Syrian people in this time of both opportunity but also a real challenge.

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[04:40:07]

HUNTE: There was at least one large explosion in Damascus on Friday night. The CNN team there says they heard the blast and the sound of jets flying overhead. Israel, Turkiye and the U.S. have all conducted recent airstrikes in Syria.

The Israeli military launched what's being called a catastrophic attack on a hospital in northern Gaza early on Friday. That's according to the hospital's director, who called it one of the most difficult nights. He says Israeli forces dropped bombs that blew out doors and windows, wounding at least three medical staff.

This video you're seeing now is actually from earlier this month at the same hospital. Meanwhile, a source telling CNN the death toll has risen to 40 after Israeli airstrikes on a residential block in central Gaza. People searching the rubble recovered seven more victims on Friday.

Health officials had previously reported at least nine children were among those killed. One resident there says Palestinians are losing hope that the war will ever end. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAA AL-BAYOUMI, NUSEIRAT RESIDENT (through translator): Every time they talk about a ceasefire and every time people hope, a new massacre happens. People relapse and are shocked again. One no longer hopes when they say there is a ceasefire, doesn't believe them. There's no more hope and no more safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

After the break, Ukraine is reeling from Russia's latest attack on its infrastructure.

And Jay-Z seizes on inconsistencies in his accuser's story after he's accused of raping a minor with Sean Diddy Combs. All the details on his latest denial ahead.

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HUNTE: On Friday, Ukrainian authorities say Russia has launched a widespread attack on their energy infrastructure overnight.

[04:45:02]

The extent of the damage is not yet clear but Ukraine's energy grid operator says power facilities in several regions were damaged. The operator claims Moscow has launched 12 massive attacks on Ukrainian power system so far this year. Melissa Bell has more.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another night of massive Russian attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure, attacks that have left some parts of Ukraine facing power outages on Friday.

The extent of the damage, such that the international nuclear atomic energy agency (sic) has renewed its calls on Moscow to stop such attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, given its fears over the country's nuclear safety.

President Zelenskyy has also described the attacks as some of the worst his country has seen on its energy infrastructure since the start of the war. The latest attacks, that involved drones and missiles, come even as the Pentagon is warning of its fears that Russia may once again resort to the use of its new intermediate range ballistic missile.

This as both sides really try to consolidate their positions on the front lines ahead of possible negotiations next year. The fears are specifically on the eastern front, for the town of Pokrovsk, once again under a great deal of pressure as Russian advances appear to be pressing home their advantage. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: France has a new prime minister. Outgoing PM Michel Barnier introduced his replacement, Francois Bayrou. He was just named as the nation's fourth PM this year by President Emmanuel Macron.

Bayrou's predecessor lost a vote of non-confidence after proposing a budget that would have increased taxes. Parties on the Left and Right united to force him to resign. Bayrou will try to rein in a deficit that's expected to mushroom to 6 percent of GDP by the close of the year.

Up next, the woman, who shocked the U.S. nearly 20 years ago by accusing three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her, shocked the country again by recanting.

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HUNTE: The rapper Jay-Z has doubled down on his denial that he raped a teenage girl alongside Sean Diddy Combs. Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Carter, has been named in an amended complaint filed by an anonymous Jane DOE, who alleges Carter raped her when she was 13 at an afterparty for the MTV Music Video Awards in 2000.

Carter says inconsistencies in his accuser's story prove the accusations are false. In an interview, the Jane Doe did acknowledge inconsistencies in her original story but she stands by her accusations of rape against Carter.

A woman who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her in 2006 has admitted that she lied. She talked about it on a podcast from prison, where she's serving time for the murder of her boyfriend. More from CNN's Randi Kaye.

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CRYSTAL MANGUM, LIAR: I made up a story that wasn't true.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A stunning admission from Crystal Mangum telling a podcaster that she lied when she accused three Duke men's lacrosse players of rape back in 2006.

MANGUM: I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn't and that was wrong.

KAYE (voice-over): In 2006, Mangum claimed the three players raped her at a team party where she'd been hired as a stripper. Her story captured the attention of the nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arrests have been made in what is already a notorious case.

KAYE (voice-over): The three Duke players were arrested. Their lives upended.

DAVIN EVANS, FORMER DUKE UNIVERSITY LACROSSE PLAYER: You have all been told some fantastic lies.

ALL: All rape has got to go. Hey, hey.

KAYE (voice-over): Protests erupted on campus, one of the largest outside the house where the party took place.

PROFESSOR KC JOHNSOIN, AUTHOR, "UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT": A complete abandonment of any pretense of objectivity of any interest in the truth.

KAYE (voice-over): The players were charged with first degree rape, first degree sexual offense and kidnapping, despite the fact that there was no DNA evidence connecting them to the woman.

MIKE NIFONG, DURHAM COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: It doesn't mean nothing happened; it just means nothing was left behind.

KAYE (voice-over): During a lineup, District Attorney Mike Nifong had only shown pictures of Duke lacrosse players instead of including what's considered dummy photos, virtually guaranteeing she'd pin it on one of the players.

EVANS: I am innocent. Reade Seligmann is innocent. Collin Finnerty is innocent. Every member of the Duke University lacrosse team is innocent.

KAYE (voice-over): The lacrosse team's entire season was canceled and Duke's head lacrosse coach was forced to resign. The questions and the chaos continued for more than a year until the woman's story fell apart.

Despite earlier claims, she told the DA she could no longer say for sure she'd been raped. The DA dropped the rape charge but pursued the other charges before recusing himself from the case, citing a conflict of interest.

The Attorney General's office took over.

ROY COOPER, NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL DURING CASE: We believe that these cases were the result of a tragic rush to accuse and a failure to verify serious allegations.

KAYE (voice-over): Thirteen months after it all began in April 2007, then North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper declared the players innocent.

COOPER: Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges.

KAYE (voice-over): Vindication gave way to elation.

EVANS: It's been 395 days since this nightmare began and finally today it's come to a closure.

COLLIN FINNERTY, FORMER DUKE UNIVERSITY LACROSSE PLAYER: Knowing I had the truth on my side was really the most comforting thing of all throughout the past year.

READE SELIGMANN, FORMER DUKE UNIVERSITY LACROSSE PLAYER: This entire experience has opened my eyes up to a tragic world of injustice I never knew existed.

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KAYE (voice-over): Citing misconduct, prosecutor Mike Nifong was later convicted of criminal contempt and disbarred. He was briefly jailed. As for the accuser in the case, she hopes to be forgiven.

MANGUM: I want them to know that I love them and they didn't deserve that. And I hope they can forgive me.

KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

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HUNTE: The controversial law banning TikTok in the United States will go to the Supreme Court. That's after a federal appeals court rejected TikTok's request to temporarily block the ban on the social media app while the legal challenges against the ban play out.

The law requires TikTok to be sold to a new, non-Chinese owner or face being banned across the United States in January. It passed with bipartisan support earlier this year amid concerns that TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, poses a national security risk

Well, King Charles was beaming at the annual Crafts at Christmas showcase in Tetbury, England. The British monarch greeted students, alumni and tutors from his King's Foundation Programs in specialist crafts.

From hats to wood and metalwork, crafters proudly presented the fruits of their work to King Charles to the sound of a local rock choir. The King's Foundation charity offers education for almost 15,000 students yearly. It aims to strengthen communities and revitalize historic buildings.

That's all I've got for you for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. But let's do it again. I'm Ben Hunte in London. I'll be back with more news after this quick break.