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Federal Agencies Under Pressure To Offer Help And Answers Over Drone Sightings; Several Key Cabinet Picks Expected To Capitol Hill This Week; The Future Of Republican Party After Trump; Several Hurt When SUV Slams Into Houston Strip Mall; Vladimir Putin Gifts Zoo Animals To Thank North Korea For Troops; Questions Swirl About LeBron James' Future In The NBA; Saudi Arabia To Host FIFA's 2034 World Cup; Controversial Tour Of Jonestown Massacre Site In Guyana; Artificial Intelligence Making Weather Forecasts More Accurate; Children Suffer As Toxic Smog Blankets Delhi. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 15, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:22]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, and I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

After four weeks of unidentified drones flying over the East Coast, New York Governor Kathy Hochul today said the federal government is sending a new state-of-the-art drone detection system to her state but she says Congress and the White House can do more.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is in Washington with the latest on the federal government's response to these mysterious sightings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Following the uptick in reported drone sightings in the northeast. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is looking to assure the public that there is no known public safety threat and that his team is closely monitoring any developments. He also says the agency is in close coordination with state and local authorities.

During his most recent comments about the drone sightings during an interview with ABC that aired earlier today, he said that the federal government has deployed additional personnel, resources and technology to help New Jersey state police address the drone sightings.

Now, while Mayorkas has said that there's no question people are seeing drones, he has also said that the technology has confirmed that at least some of those drone sightings are actually small manned aircraft. He is calling on Congress to act to help them address future situations, asking them to extend and expand the government's authority when it comes to drones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities, and it is critical, as we all have said for a number of years, that we need from Congress additional authorities to address the drone situation.

We want state and local authorities to also have the ability to counter drone activity under federal supervision. That is one important element that we have requested, and we've heard it echoed by the state and local officials themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Mayorkas was asked about President-elect Donald Trump's social media post suggesting that the government could shoot down the drones. In response to that, Mayorkas said that there are some agencies within the Department of Homeland Security and outside the department that could do that, but that they need those authorities expanded as well.

Now, throughout these investigations and during these drone sightings, Mayorkas has continued to say that his team is not aware of any direct national security concerns tied to the reported drone sightings. But he has pledged to provide an update if his team sees any cause for concern.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook at the White House. Thank you.

Several key picks for President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet are trying to build support ahead of possible uphill confirmation battles. A source telling CNN Trump's choice for secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is expected back on the hill this week. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, also expected to be meeting with senators.

CNN reporter Steve Contorno joining us now from West Palm Beach, Florida.

Steve, look, there -- we're going to have to see how this process plays out. But of course, Senate Republicans in the spotlight here to see if they will go along with Trump's picks or if any of them will buck Trump here.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jessica, we started to see last week this sort of pressure campaign building around some of Trump's picks, trying to get these Republican senators on board. Certainly Joni Ernst, the senator from Iowa, was one of the targets of that campaign. And today, we're seeing Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina suggesting that these allies of Trump should back off and let some of these nominees, even though they're controversial, pass on the merits.

Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Pete Hegseth had a good week this week on Capitol Hill. I'm working with Kash Patel. The members are not really swayed by these. If anything, they could create a structural problem for future nominees if they overreach. But I don't believe that it's coming directly out of Mar-a-Lago. I think it's coming out of groups. Sometimes they have good behavior. Other times they're out there to make some change and get their name out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now it's going to be another critical week for these nominees because we are heading into the holiday just after this week. So we'll see how another week of Pete Hegseth on the hill, how he fares, he's obviously in a much better spot than he was just a week ago in that the former president, now President-elect Donald Trump giving him a really good show of support this weekend by inviting him to join him at that Army-Navy football game just outside Washington yesterday.

[18:05:10]

DEAN: And, Steve, Senator Lindsey Graham says Pete Hegseth told him that he's willing to release a woman who accused him of sexual assault from a nondisclosure agreement. What more have you learned about that possibility?

CONTORNO: Yes, that's something we've been hearing for a little bit now. In fact, I think on Kaitlan's show, Kaitlan Collins' show, a little bit ago, his lawyer also asserted that that was possibly in the mix. And today, speaking on the Sunday shows, we heard that from Senator Lindsey Graham as well, and said that he was told as much behind closed doors in one of their meetings. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Yes, he told me he would release her from that agreement. Yes, I mean, just think about what we're talking about. I'd want to know if anybody nominated for a high level job in Washington legitimately assaulted somebody. I've known Pete for years. I met him in Afghanistan. I've heard nothing but good things about his service over there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, it's not just the sexual assault accusation that has been dogging Hegseth's nomination. It's also his vocal opposition to women in combat, as well as his stated opposition to gay men and women serving in the military. And also these rumors that he has a drinking problem. It is something that has certainly resurfaced and has become a question, that some of these Republican senators have questioned him and asked him to actually abstain from drinking if he were to become the nominee.

So, you know, it's just -- it's been a cascading number of issues. But like I said, he seems to have momentum at this point. And we'll see what happens in another week of hearings on the hill.

DEAN: Yes. CNN senior reporter Steve Contorno, thank you so much. We appreciate that.

And joining us now, former Republican governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson. He's also a resident fellow at the Harvard Institute for Politics.

Governor, good to see you. Thanks for being here.

ASA HUTCHINSON, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS: Thank you, Jess. Good to be with you.

DEAN: Yes. I want to talk first about what Senator Mitt Romney told my colleague Jake Tapper earlier today about the Republican Party. I'm going to play a quick clip of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UNITED STATES): MAGA is the Republican Party, and Donald Trump is the Republican Party today. And if you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028, I think it will be J.D. Vance. The Republican Party has become the party of the working class, middle- class voter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Governor Hutchinson, when you were running your presidential campaign, I know you were really trying to contrast yourself with Donald Trump and others. Do you agree with what Senator Romney just said there, MAGA is the Republican Party?

HUTCHINSON: Well, to a large extent, yes, but I would disagree with him about 2028 that it's a foregone conclusion as to who's going to be our nominee, and the president of the party. So President Trump defines the Republican Party because he's the leader of it. And so his positions, his policies, what he says defines our party.

But what's going to be a test is 2028. There will be a new referendum on the future of the party at that time. And it's still very early, but one of the key tests is, will Donald Trump and his agenda be able to fulfill the high-level of expectations that he's given the American people? Mass deportations, solving the problem of inflation, pulling back on the United States' leadership role.

These are things that he has said he's going to do, including high tariffs. And will these work? Will he be successful in that? And that will help determine the future in 2028.

DEAN: Yes, it will be really interesting to see how all of that plays out. If he can make good on those promises, that probably is one future. If not, that's probably another. I am curious, though, if you think that without President Trump as the head of the party, because he will be term limited at that point, you know, does he -- does MAGA continue to exist? Has he remade the party in a way that will go -- it will go on with him -- without him, even if he's not actively in office?

HUTCHINSON: Well, certainly with him setting up J.D. Vance, as Senator Romney has indicated, that is a continuation of the MAGA that Donald Trump has defined for the party. Again, it's a question of success. It's a question of new voices and how the competition flows between now and 2028. There is a lot of time to transpire. He's going to have a honeymoon of some kind. We've never seen a honeymoon in a second term in my lifetime. We'll see how that goes. But that will determine the success of the MAGA movement and the change of direction of the party.

[18:10:03]

It should not be under -- it can't be overstated as to how much he has changed the party from no tariffs to high tariffs, from America's leadership to America's withdrawal. These are significant, significant changes that we have to say there's going to be another debate about that in 2028.

DEAN: They are significant changes. And yet he was able to win this election. What do you think that says about where Americans are right now?

HUTCHINSON: Well, first of all, he's identified the pulse of Americans. And so that's why he has momentum, and that's why he should have some deference. Both Republicans and Democrats on Trump's nominee should be substantive in their review of it. They should be deferential because the American people elected him. And he's, as Mitt Romney said, just simply carrying out what he promised.

So we want him to be successful. But he's promised a lot, and there's going to be a test as to the level of that success, and there's going to be new challenges that you can't even anticipate now. And so we want him to be successful. I want him to be successful, even though I disagree with many of his policies.

DEAN: One of the things he promised, and he's repeatedly said since winning in November, is that he will issue pardons for some of those who took part on the January 6th insurrection he's saying on day one of his presidency within minutes. What do you think of that?

HUTCHINSON: Well, I'm a former federal prosecutor. I believe in the rule of law, and I believe in pardon power as well. I exercised that as governor. But you don't do it in mass for an attack on our Capitol. And that's exactly what it was. It was an attack on our police and our law enforcement. People were hurt, people died. And so this is a serious matter. And there's one school of thought that he's going to weigh them individually and that's fair.

But if he does a mass, all of the above, everybody that was involved in that, I really think that does a disservice to our jury system, to respect for it and for the rule of law and for the support of law enforcement. So we'll see which path he takes.

DEAN: And another thing, speaking about mass -- doing things in mass, mass deportations, of course, he's promised run on, was elected on. He started to kind of go through that, saying that they want to start first with criminals who are here illegally and they want to deport them first. But, you know, Governor, there are a lot of questions about

logistically how would you implement mass deportations. How -- you know, will he be using the National Guard as he said he might? Will he be using local sheriffs, things like that? What do you think as a governor? You were a governor of Arkansas. Of course you had a National Guard. What do you think about that potential option?

HUTCHINSON: Well, Jessica, first of all, I had that responsibility of border security during the Bush administration.

DEAN: Right.

HUTCHINSON: And so I know the challenge that is faced, and you don't need the National Guard unless you are, in fact, going to do a mass deportation that is far above the criminal element that every administration has targeted. And so the National Guard would have a difficult responsibility, one, if they are nationalized, take it away from the governors of the states. And then secondly, going out there, assigning to arrest citizens, because either they have intelligence.

Now, if they're supporting ICE, that needs more support for people who have already gone through the process and has an order of deportation, then that would make some sense. But it's fraught with challenges. And we all want to have better enforcement. We all want to recognize that you have people who have overstayed their visas, that came here legally and overstayed their visas, that are part of the illegal population that's here now.

And so all of that has to be addressed, but it has to be addressed, one, humanely. But secondly, consistent with our law, and this is where Donald Trump is going to have some challenges. Going after the criminal element there's nothing new about that. But going after those that are working in our factories, working in our restaurants, then you've got challenges there from a legal standpoint and a humanitarian standpoint.

DEAN: All right. Governor Asa Hutchinson, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

HUTCHINSON: Thank you. Good to be with you today, Jessica.

DEAN: You too. Thanks.

Straight ahead, chaos, confusion, destruction after an SUV drove through a Texas strip mall, injuring several people. We'll tell you more about this when we come back.

[18:15:02]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: New tonight, new video capturing that terrifying moment when an SUV crashed through several businesses at a Texas strip mall, injuring at least three people. Surveillance video from inside a barber shop shows the moment of impact and some of the aftermath.

CNN's Ivan Rodriguez is joining us now with more on this.

Just very scary to watch that play out, Ivan.

[18:20:00]

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Jessica, yes, first of all, it truly is a miracle that nobody was killed yesterday afternoon. Surveillance footage, as we saw there for a little bit from inside the barber shop, shows a black SUV crashing through the business as people try to get out of the way.

Right now, you're looking inside that barber shop moments before the crash. Houston Police say the 61-year-old driver told them that as he was backing out he accidentally hit the gas pedal and kept it down. In doing so, he initially hit a car in the parking lot and then continued on into the building, damaging some of the suites inside.

The strip mall owner told our affiliate KTRK that he spoke to the SUV driver, who said he had just come from treatment at a nearby dialysis center before the crash. The owner of the barber shop tells us that they're aiming to reopen by Thursday, and that his employees are OK, except for one who has a gash on his leg.

Now, in addition to the 11-year-old boy, police say two other women were also injured. Police told CNN that the SUV driver, who was uninjured, will be cited for being at fault and that he did not show any signs of impairment -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Ivan Rodriguez, thanks so much for that update.

Still ahead, horses, lions, bears. Why Russia's president is sending dozens of animals to North Korean zoos to help cement their country's friendship.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:48]

DEAN: New evidence of Russia's growing friendship with North Korea, while North Korea recently sent troops and ammunition to aid Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian President Putin has an interesting way of saying thank you. He's sending zoo animals to North Korea.

Our Will Ripley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the belly of a hulking Russian cargo plane, crate after crate of exotic animals from the Moscow Zoo, a gift from Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, arriving in his capital Pyongyang.

The flight from Moscow nearly nine hours. Russian state media says the animals include an African lion, two brown bears, two domestic yaks, five white cockatoos, 25 assorted pheasants and 40 mandarin ducks. Their new home, Pyongyang's Central Zoo.

You think he wants to be petted?

(Voice-over): I took this video at the zoo in 2016, when Putin gave Kim a pair of Siberian tigers. They've been exchanging a lot of animals lately, symbols of their alliance against the U.S.-led world order. In June, Kim sent Putin a pair of North Korean hunting dogs. In August, Putin reciprocated with nearly 450 goats and 24 Orlov Trotters, Kim's favorite horse breed. Both strongmen famously use horses in state propaganda, projecting alpha male energy in turbulent times.

In the years since Kim took his armored train to Russia, he's gotten plenty of other gifts from Putin, from a set of drones and a bulletproof vest to this Russian-made armored limousine. The two leaders drove it around town during Putin's rare visit to Pyongyang. And then there's Russian oil, believed to be more than a million barrels since March. In exchange, North Korea is reportedly expanding its weapons production for Russia's war in Ukraine.

Around 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia's Kursk region, and this may be just the beginning, says Anton Sokolin with NK News.

ANTON SOKOLIN, DATA CORRESPONDENT, NK NEWS: North Korea hasn't participated in any wars for many decades now. It's a valuable opportunity.

RIPLEY: Could North Korean troops be replacing or bolstering the Wagner group?

SOKOLIN: It is highly possible.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The Wagner Group is Russia's private military force, crucial in Ukraine and other global conflicts. Now, North Korean weapons and troops are in the mix. Experts suggest Pyongyang may seek even more significant exchanges like advanced nuclear technology as part of Kim and Putin's deepening military partnership.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Still to come, he's been the face of the NBA for close to two decades now. But even LeBron James can't seem to outjump or outrun the one opponent who seems to be -- seems to best us all the time. What the superstar's decision to step away from his team tells us about his dwindling time in the pros.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:33:40]

DEAN: Tonight the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Memphis Grizzlies. But fans are wondering if LeBron James will play after missing the last two games amid injury concerns. James has been the indisputable king of the court for the last 20 years, but he is just 15 days out now from his 40th birthday, an almost unthinkable age to be playing in the NBA.

Let's talk more about this with Rachel Nichols, host of Showtime's "Headliners with Rachel Nichols."

Rachel, great to have you here with us. One of the more famous sayings in sports is Father Time is undefeated. And it seems that perhaps time is catching up to LeBron James, kind of like all of us.

RACHEL NICHOLS, HOST, SHOWTIME'S "HEADLINERS WITH RACHEL NICHOLS": Well, I mean, it's so jarring because LeBron ran so deeply against that trend. He actually did a Nike campaign a couple of years ago, which was him versus a character dressed as Father Time, who he kept beating. And it seemed totally reasonable for Nike to do this advertising campaign because that's what he was doing.

Even the beginning of this season, he was scoring triple doubles at this outrageous clip. He looked incredible out there, but he has hit a skid, as have the Lakers. And it's brought up a lot of questions about how much longer he wants to keep doing this, how much longer can he keep doing this, and does he want to hang on on a team that doesn't seem to really have a chance of winning anything?

DEAN: Yes, and you've covered him for a long time. I mean, what is your insight into kind of how he thinks about these sorts of things?

[18:35:00]

NICHOLS: Well, look, he said a couple of times he doesn't want to be a shadow of himself out there. He doesn't want to play just to extend the string. He certainly doesn't want to ever come off the bench or anything like that. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played past 40, so we've seen it before, but we haven't seen anyone at the level that LeBron has been playing, and it's just really a matter of his internal battle over whether he wants to be out there.

Not quite himself that he envisions, not quite the super, super, superstar or whether he's ready to walk away. I have covered LeBron since he was a senior in high school, and I got to tell you, he has been a global international superstar since then, and someone who has identified himself as a basketball player, that's who he is, to walk away from that. I've seen athlete after athlete wrestle with this. Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana. It's hard to walk away into this abyss that you frankly never experienced before, not being the you that you know. And I think LeBron is wrestling with all of that right now.

DEAN: That is so true to just -- to go into something so different than what you've known your entire adult life is a very big deal. Do you think the Lakers would trade him or what do you think happens in the immediate?

NICHOLS: Its' all the scuttlebutt right now around the NBA. Would Lebron asked for a trade. He's got a no trade clause so the lakers can't deal him on their own. He's got to come ask. The only team we think he'd even really consider is the Golden State Warriors. He and Steph Curry played so well together for Team USA in the Olympics this summer. They really have become fast friends after being bitter rivals earlier in their career, and they've hinted that it would be fun to pair up in the NBA.

But LeBron has moved teams quite a bit for a guy of his caliber. His life is in Los Angeles. He certainly influenced the Lakers drafting his son, who is now there. It would be a pretty big deal for him in terms of his reputation and his legacy to decide. I want to ask for a trade and go to yet another team. I'm not saying that would hurt him in some way. That's not my opinion. I think he's earned the right to do whatever he wants to do.

But I do know there is that sort of public pressure on him to stay put, that he went to these lakers. He's been a huge part of building who this team is, down to his son being on the roster. And I think there's a feeling among a lot of basketball fans that he should stick it out there until the end of his career.

DEAN: Yes. And you mentioned his son Bronny being on the team as well. I mean, that's a milestone in and of itself to be playing with your son in the NBA. Talk about longevity.

NICHOLS: I mean it -- yes, and it's never happened. I mean, it's such an incredible, amazing thing. You know, I joke, I remember when Bronny was born, I actually got to pick him up. And it's, you know, the first NBA player who I've ever held as a baby is now on the court in front of me, which, you know, may speak more to me and how old I am or just, I'm going to say, Bronny is very young. Come on, Bronny is very young. It's not about me.

DEAN: Yes, he's a guy. Young guy. That's right.

NICHOLS: He's a young guy. But yes, it is incredible. And he was playing so well, LeBron, the last couple years that there has even been talk and including from his wife Savannah, that not only was he going to wait until Bronny could play with him, but their younger son Bryce, who is still two years from playing in the NBA, that LeBron might be able to wait and play with him as well.

That now looks like a little bit more of a far off possibility because LeBron is starting to slow down, as you said.

DEAN: Yes. Yes, and you start to think, too, about legacy. You know, the idea is, is he the GOAT?

NICHOLS: Well, you know, obviously that depends on who you ask. Everybody likes to think the GOAT played in their era, that they like watching basketball the best.

DEAN: Yes.

NICHOLS: Someone who was very close, you know, covered Michael Jordan, covered LeBron James for a long time. To me, it's sort of about the greatest of all time at what. LeBron certainly is the greatest of all time at mental toughness. There is no way you can stay in the game as long as he has. Michael Jordan left three times, right? LeBron has been able to stick it out, and he has obviously scored the most points. He has so many other things that he is the best at.

Is he the best athlete to ever play basketball? I might give that to Michael Jordan. And I would also say, is he the best single game that the greatest of all time single game? I might give that to Allen Iverson or Steph Curry. So I think it gets a little deep. What does the greatest mean to you? But he's certainly up there. And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, by the way, has a place in that conversation as well.

DEAN: Yes.

NICHOLS: I'm just going to throw that in there.

DEAN: Yes. Well, it's not over yet, but an incredible, incredible career, no doubt about it.

Rachel Nichols, thanks so much for your kind of thoughtfulness there. Really great to walk through that with you. We appreciate it.

NICHOLS: Thanks so much. See you guys soon.

DEAN: Yes.

Soccer's governing body is laying out the roadmap for the future of its biggest tournament, selecting host countries for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. In 2030 Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host the tournament. Four years later the tournament will be in Saudi Arabia, marking FIFA's first time back in the Middle East since the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

"WORLD SPORT's" Amanda Davies has more on this announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voice-over): Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman have made no secret of their desire to become the world`s sporting destination of choice. Now, it's set to host the biggest prize of them all, the FIFA World Cup.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Qatar.

DAVIES: It's the most controversial awarding of the tournament since that infamous day in December 2010 that saw Russia and Qatar given the nod for 2018 and 2022 amidst corruption scandals and human rights concerns.

[18:40:02]

Do you think FIFA learned any lessons, Steve, good or bad, from the Qatar experience?

STEVE COCKBURN, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S HEAD OF LABOUR RIGHTS AND SPORT: My fear is that the lesson they`ve learned from Qatar is that they can ride out the criticism.

LINA AL-HATHLOUL, SAUDI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I think no organization -- human rights organization has been consulted. DAVIES (voice-over): Lina al-Hathloul is a Saudi human rights

activist. Hers is one of 11 organizations that recently raised concerns about FIFA's approach to Saudi's World Cup bid. Amnesty International called it an astonishing whitewash, while Human Rights Watch dubbed it an abysmal failure to implement mandatory human rights risk assessments.

Their latest report, published just last week, revealed that in the first six months of this year alone, 887 Bangladeshi workers died in Saudi Arabia. Citing unpublished Bangladesh government data, the report said the majority were recorded as dying of, quote, "natural causes." There have been questions about how many were caused by working conditions.

FIFA has told CNN it has implemented, quote, "a thorough bidding process for the 2034 World Cup," and its bid report says Saudi Arabia submitted commitments to respecting, protecting and fulfilling internationally recognized human rights.

Saudi authorities haven't responded to our request for comment, but the head of the Saudi bid says that while progress has been made, there's still room to improve.

HAMMAD ALBALAWI, HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA'S WORLD CUP BID UNIT: That is a commitment that we have in the areas of human rights across all areas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: That was Amanda Davies for us. Thanks so much for that reporting.

Still ahead, how a tourist group plans to tour the site of an infamous mass suicide and how they plan to turn that into a spot for tourists.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:40]

DEAN: Now to a story out of Guyana, the South American nation where the notorious Jonestown massacre happened in 1978. More than 900 people dying there. For a lot of people, a place like that would necessarily be the kind of spot you'd want to visit on vacation. But a tour group is now offering trips to the site.

Roselyn Sewcharran is the owner and founder of Wanderlust Adventures Guyana, the company behind the outings.

Roselyn, thanks so much for being here with us. Walk us through why you think this is a popular thing for tourists to do.

ROSELYN SEWCHARRAN, OWNER AND FOUNDER, WANDERLUST ADVENTURES GUYANA: Hi, Jessica. Thanks for having me. Well, the thing is, over the time, over time, questions about Jonestown and its accessibility frequently arose from our American and international guests. This curiosity sparked a conversation. We began asking our guests about their interest in visiting the area, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

People expressed a genuine desire to learn more about this significant chapter of our past. The Jonestown story is not only part of Guyana's and the U.S. history, but it's also a story of global significance. It is a reminder of the dangers of unchecked power, the importance of critical thinking, and the strength of communities in the face of tragedy.

DEAN: And so what kind of person wants to go -- what kind of people do you see the most on these tours?

I think we might have lost Roselyn. We're going to try to get her back. We'll keep checking on that. I think she's back now.

Roselyn, can you hear me?

SEWCHARRAN: Yes, I can hear you.

DEAN: OK, great. Go ahead.

SEWCHARRAN: I lost you there.

DEAN: That's all right. What kind of people normally take these tours? Are they American? What kind of person?

SEWCHARRAN: Well, we've actually just started the tour, so the tour is fairly new, and it's evolving, but we're committed to finding ways to honor and enrich the narrative while being mindful and compassionate towards those affected by these events. Also adding that Guyanese perspective.

DEAN: And so what are you hoping people take away from this?

SEWCHARRAN: Well, the thing is, I hope visitors can walk away with a deeper understanding of the human cost of manipulation, power and unchecked authority. The tour isn't just about learning the facts, it's about reflecting on the lessons that can be learned from this tragedy and understanding the importance of critical thinking, individual freedom, and the dangers of cult-like control.

DEAN: All right. A lot of lessons there. All right, Roselyn Sewcharran, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

California is cleaning up tonight after a rare tornado hit a town about an hour south of San Francisco. Rare weather occurrences like that can catch people and officials off guard. But new AI weather models are making weather forecasts faster and more accurate than ever. But they might struggle when it comes to predicting extreme weather events.

Meteorologist Chad Myers explains this.

[18:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we've all seen weather maps that look just like this, but how do we know it's going to be clear in Texas? Well, the weather models tell us this. We look at them.

And this is one that I made a long time ago. I was an intern with the National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Maryland, 39 years ago, and this is what the weather model looked like. Now we use some human intelligence and sorted that Celsius to Fahrenheit and kind of figured some things out and knew it was going to be a 55-degree low. But then supercomputers took over and everything changed.

It wasn't just digits, it wasn't just numbers. Now we could make graphics, now we could take all of this data and push it forward five, seven days, make it so much better. But this was still human intelligence. Now we have artificial intelligence. This is what our model looks like right now. This is how good we've come from just numbers to this.

But can artificial intelligence make this even better, make it more accurate? And the answer so far is yes. The Google GenCast looks like out to 15 days it will help our old models do even better. In fact, out-forecast them in many locations. Now the problem here with this artificial intelligence model is that we're only looking back 40 years and saying, OK, if this happened today, what's going to happen tomorrow?

But is the last 40 years really going to be indicative of what the next 40 years really is going to look like? Maybe not, but at least we have some hope, some at least increased accuracy hope that we could see things get better with artificial intelligence and the human element here obviously, with the National Weather Service working in tandem, keeping everything together, making it better for us and keeping us even safer with the weather.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right, Chad, thank you.

Last night in New York, the Heisman Trophy awarded to the best player in college football. And this honor going to Travis Hunter, Colorado's two-way superstar and the player who could potentially be the number one pick in next year's NFL draft. He's arguably had one, if not the most impressive season ever, playing wide receiver and cornerback both at all-American levels. Maybe he's really a three-way star. He thanked his coach and his quarterback then he sang.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRAVIS HUNTER, 2024 HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER: Coach Prime and Shedeur, you all changed my life forever. Not one simple phone call, Shedeur, look where I'm at. Man, that's crazy, bro. It's crazy. I'm trying not to get emotional because I know our last game coming up soon. You changed my life forever. I told you that multiple times. I'm really appreciative of it.

Wayne, you don't know how you came into our life, man. My fiancee love you. I didn't know none of your songs until she -- when I get in that TRX and I blast that music, I'm listening to Wayne. It's crazy. Six- foot, seven-foot, eight-foot, hut. That's my song.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Travis received over 501st place votes for the award. He'll play his last college game later this month versus Brigham Young in the Alamo Bowl. Congratulations to him.

There isn't much that brings the left and the right together in Washington these days. But tonight, they are united over what they see as the inadequate federal response to the unexplained drone sightings in several states.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[18:57:57]

DEAN: It is the world's most polluted city. Every day in Delhi, India, more than 30 million people wake up to toxic smog.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more.

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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 3-year-old Chahap (PH) and his baby sister, clean air is a luxury that their parents can barely afford.

MUSKAN, MOTHER (through translator): I feel scared that my children might die. I'm filled with regret when I think about what might happen to them.

MONTGOMERY: Delhi's air is so toxic that Muskan says her kids have needed a nebulizer since birth. She spent months saving up for this machine, rag-picking the very trash that's also poisoning her children, earning just a dollar a day.

MUSKAN (through translator): During the winter months, their ribs start to hurt. Mucus freezes in their chest, they vomit, too. We're so worried. I have three children. They keep falling sick in this dust.

MONTGOMERY: But her children are the lucky ones.

DEEPAK KUMAR, FATHER (through translator): The doctor asked us to buy a nebulizer, but we don't have that kind of money.

MONTGOMERY: When Deepak's daughter struggles to breathe, they rush to a nearby clinic where he says each breath costs more than his daily wage. Nights are his worst fear. No doctors, just balms and thoughts of mounting medical costs.

KUMAR (through translator): I want to leave Delhi, but I can't because I need to pay off a debt for my daughter's health. MONTGOMERY: Every winter, toxic smog blankets Delhi, a deadly mix of

smoke from crop fires, coal plants and traffic. Officials block cars and close schools as air pollution can hit 60 times the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines. But like winter, the smog returns every year, and its biggest victims are the tiniest lives.

MANJINDER SINGH RANDHAWA, PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT CONSULTANT: The human lung also develops until about eight to 10 years of age. It's not in its mature form until that time, and a developing lung, if it's exposed to all these pollutants, that is when it causes long term trouble.

MONTGOMERY: While India's poor are bound to these slums, the wealthy rushed to hospitals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): Mama, I want to go home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I don't think so that this kind of severity he has.