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Shooter Kills Teacher And Student At Christian School; Bashar al-Assad Appears To Issue First Statement Since Regime's Fall; Syria's New Government Pushing For International Legitimacy; French Officials Send Aid To Mayotte On Cyclone Chido's Aftermath; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Disparaged Donald Trump's Handling Of COVID Pandemic. Scholz Loses Confidence Vote, Germany Headed to Elections; Canadian Finance Minister Quits After Clashes With Trudeau Over Trump Tariffs; North Korean Forces Suffering Casualties in Kursk Region Says Ukraine; Russia and Ukraine Need to Make a Deal Says Trump; Igor Kirillov, Chief of Russia's Nuclear Protection Forces, Killed by Bomb in Moscow; World's Largest Iceberg Adrift After Months Stuck at Sea. Aired 2- 2:45a ET

Aired December 17, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:30]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max, I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, a uniquely American tragedy leaves another community in mourning after a student opened fire at a Wisconsin school, killing at least two people and wounding several more. Widespread devastation on the island of Mayotte with hundreds, even thousands, feared dead as authorities struggle to get aid to the French territory, following a once in a century cyclone.

And another of Donald Trump's controversial Cabinet picks makes the rounds on Capitol Hill.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. New details are emerging about America's latest deadly school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin. We are learning the suspected shooter, surprisingly, was a 15-year-old female student. Police say evidence indicates Natalie Rupnow shot herself and then died en route to the hospital. She's accused of fatally shooting two people, a teacher and a student at the Abundant Life Christian School. There's no word yet on a motive.

Six people were wounded in the mass shooting, and two of them remain in critical condition with life threatening injuries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF SHON BARNES, MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT: At 10:57 a.m., a second grade student called 911, to report a shooting had occurred at school. Don't let that soak in for a minute. A second grade student called 911, at 10:57 a.m. to report a shooting at school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: After getting the all clear, terrified parents ran to retrieve their children, young students who heard the gunfire shared what happened during those scary moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you hear gunshots?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard them. And then some people started crying, and then we just waited. So, the police came, and then they escorted us out. We were scared, why did they do that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was getting ready for lunch, so it was basically lunch time, and then I just heard shouting, and there was a teacher, and she was screaming, like, ah, my leg. Help. Help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Veronica Miracle has further details on how the tragedy unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN DIAZ DE LEON, LIVES NEARBY: I would have never thought it would have happened in Madison, let alone at our school here ALCS, so it's shocking. It's a strange world we live in.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At a small Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, just before Christmas break, a horrific tragedy.

BETHANY HIGHMAN, PARENT OF STUDENT AT ABUNDANT LIFE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL: Something that you pray. I mean, I pray with my kids every morning that this won't happen.

MIRACLE (voice over): It was just before lunchtime when a female student opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School. It's a K-12 program with just a few hundred children and about 50 staff, police, fire and medics were dispatched to the school at 10:57 a.m. local time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Got a call coming in at Abundant Life Christian Church. 4901 for engine five and Medic five for a shooter, just advising someone was shot.

MIRACLE (voice over): Police say that call came from someone inside the school, and officers entered the school three minutes later, at 11:00 a.m.

BARNES: The shooter was dead upon our arrival, police department arrival, and no officers fired their weapons.

MIRACLE (voice over): Less than 10 minutes from when police responded to the scene, radio traffic from the Madison Fire Department said the shooter was down and called for medics to enter the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: P.D. is saying everybody can come in, all EMS can come in. Shooter's down.

MIRACLE (voice over): Medics were at a facility just three miles from the school at the time of the shooting, when officials say a training day turned into a real life scenario.

CHIEF CHRIS CARBON, MADISON FIRE DEPARTMENT: Within the course of 15 minutes from the first transport to the last transport, all the patients were on their way to the hospital.

MIRACLE (voice over): The injuries were contained to one area of the school. That's according to the Madison police chief. Sources tell CNN, the shooter used a nine millimeter pistol.

BARNES: When officers arrive on the on the scene, they immediately go in, which we did, in this case, stop the threat, stop the killing, find the killer. That's how we train, that's exactly what we did today.

[02:05:08]

MIRACLE (voice over): Police have been in contact with the shooter's family, and they are cooperating.

BARNES: As difficult as today is, that's still someone's child that's gone, that's still someone that has to deal with what happened today. And so, we want to make sure that we can ensure as much cooperation as we can.

MIRACLE (voice over): The shooting at Abundant Life Christian School marks the 83rd school shooting of 2024, the most of any year since CNN began tracking school shootings. It's the third recent shooting at a Christian school.

BARNES: I think we can all agree that enough is enough. We have to come together to do everything we can to support our students, to prevent press conferences like these from happening again and again and again.

MIRACLE (voice over): Veronica Miracle, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Syria's ousted leader Bashar al-Assad apparently released a statement on Telegram for the first time since seeking asylum in Russia after the fall of his government. CNN is unable to verify if Assad still controls the Syrian presidency Telegram account, and if the statement is authentic. Our Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As Syrians celebrate the demise of the Assad regime, the deposed dictator, seemingly delusional, apparently speaking out for the first time since fleeing to Russia.

His statement on the social media page of the former Syrian presidency, appearing to be from Assad himself, datelined, Moscow. I have never sought positions for personal gain, but have always considered myself as a custodian of a national project, the statement says.

This after Syrians ransacking Assad's palace discovered the luxury the dictator and his family were living in, including a garage with dozens of luxury cars, including Ferraris and a Lamborghini.

Assad's wife Asma, also known for her lavish outfits, once called, quote, a rose in the desert by "Vogue" magazine.

But Assad, also admitting, as rebels were closing in on his palace, it was Russian leader Vladimir Putin who bailed him out. Assad fleeing to Russia's air base in Syria as he claims to oversee combat operations but then, quote, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from the battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen, his statement reads. With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the bases command arrange for an immediate evacuation to Russia, on the evening of Sunday, December 8th.

That was not only the end of Assad's rule in Syria, but possibly also the beginning of the end of Russia's military footprint in Syria, as Russian forces have been seen apparently flying some of their equipment out of their Air Force Base. And Israel is now busy bombing Syrian military installations like this naval base in Latakia. Russian Middle East experts warning about the huge loss to Russia in the wake of Assad's fall.

When I saw these ships with our weapons burning, I simply felt like crying. This expert says, these are our weapons, our gear, after all, and our help to the Syrians to protect their statehood but those now in charge in Syria are working on a new statehood without Assad, the former dictator, seemingly grappling with his loss of power.

When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, the statement says, any position becomes void of purpose, rendering its occupation meaningless.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Syria's new government, led by a group with former ties to Al-Qaeda, is seeing some success in its push to gain international legitimacy. I spoke with a regional expert on the biggest threat facing the country's stability and how sectarian violence could impact it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAHAR RAZAVI, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES CENTER, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO: I think the biggest threat is the economic situation prior to asset fleeing 90 percent of the country was food insecure. We're talking about a society that has been ravaged by war for 13 years, and the economic situation needs to be stabilized immediately before we can really expect Syria to grow economically, politically or otherwise.

In terms of sectarian violence. Certainly we know that with the track record of HTS and with the associations that they have had in the past, as well as their predecessors, the predecessor groups that led to their formation, certainly sectarian violence is a legitimate concern.

[02:10:11]

At this point, observers are cautious but hopeful because the pronouncements that they have made thus far have been pretty pragmatic and politically savvy. They know that it is very -- a very vulnerable time for Syria and for Syrians, and they know that their legitimacy as a new government is going to be shaky if they're not able to consolidate power in a coalition that brings Syrians together.

CHURCH: And Russia's Vladimir Putin has begun a large scale withdrawal from Syria, that's according to U.S. officials. What's the significance of this Russian withdrawal from its bases there?

RAZAVI: It's huge. HTS has said that one of their top goals, their primary goals, now that Assad has fallen is to expel Iranian militias and also to shed Syria of foreign influences, interventions like Russians for Russia to withdraw from Syria signals that it is not planning to continue to intervene, at least covertly.

And as you know, it was one of the top supporters and primary backers of the Assad regime prior to the -- to the fall of the regime.

So, for them to withdraw essentially signals that for them, this is their involvement in Syria, at least covertly or overtly, excuse me, is over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And you can watch my full interview with Sahara Razavi next hour.

We are following developments in Vanuatu after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit just a few hours ago. The U.S. Geological Survey says it struck off the coast of the capital Port Vila. Tsunami warnings were issued but later canceled. No word yet on any casualties.

There are reports of damaged structures, including the U.S. Embassy, which just opened there in July. We're told it suffered considerable damage and is closed until further notice. New Zealand's Foreign Minister says its high commission building,

which is co-located with the U.S., France and the U.K., has also sustained significant damage.

Now to the devastation in Mayotte, hundreds, if not thousands are feared dead in the French territory off the coast of Mozambique, after the worst cyclone to hit the region in at least 90 years.

The damage is so widespread, some are comparing it to the aftermath of a nuclear war. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened or completely wiped out. Officials report at least 11 deaths so far, but say the future, or the figure, I should say, isn't plausible, given the extent of the damage, especially in the slums, home to about 100,000 undocumented migrants many feared dead.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he will visit the island in the coming days, and officials have already pledged resources to assist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNO RETAILLEAU, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): It is clear that the island is totally devastated. We are thinking of all these families who are severely affected, but also to show all the people of Mayotte that the government is by their side with a helping hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: These images show some of the neighborhoods both before and after the storm. The cyclone knocked out the electrical grid and disrupted internet servers, making it difficult for families to check on their loved ones.

CNN's Larry Madowo has more now on the destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Catastrophic. That's how residents of Mayotte are describing the damage from Cyclone Chido, the worst to hit the French archipelago in nearly a century. The Category 4 storm killed at least 14 people as it tore through the Indian Ocean over the weekend.

But government officials fear hundreds or even thousands could be dead according to the "Associated Press". Torrential rain and winds of more than 220 kilometers per hour wiped out entire neighborhoods, knocked out electrical grids and the water supply, leaving Mayotte almost entirely offline for over 36 hours, according to the website NetBlocks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It smashed right into us here, and to be honest, it was complicated. It was a complete disaster. Lots of houses and even towns are wiped out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It really is a war landscape. Around me, I don't recognize anything anymore. MADOWO: Mayotte's prefect says the most devastating damage was to the island's shacks, where roughly 100,000 undocumented migrants live in a population of just over 300,000. That is making search and rescue efforts even more difficult and nearly impossible to account for all the victims.

[02:15:08]

French relief efforts are underway, and the country's Interior Minister was briefed on the hurricane's impact as they began an official visit to the territory on Monday.

BRUNO RETAILLEAU, INTERIOR MINISTER, FRANCE: If we want things to go smoothly, we're going to pull out all the stops, we're going to mobilize everything we can in terms of civil and military resources.

MADOWO: With 75 percent of the population living below the national poverty line, Mayotte is heavily dependent on financial assistance from France. Speaking from Brussels, the Foreign Minister pledged to help rebuild the archipelago. The island nation of Comoros, north of Mayotte, was also battered by the cyclone, which then went on to make landfall in Mozambique, where it continued to cause damage.

The storm has now weakened, but for the residents of Mayotte, the nightmare is only just beginning.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Donald Trump's controversial pick for health secretary visits Capitol Hill. What senators are saying about their meetings and RFK Junior's stance on the polio vaccine, back with that and more in a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Donald Trump's transition team is blasting a ruling that his hush money case should not be dismissed because of presidential immunity. New York Judge Juan Merchan says evidence that led to Trump's conviction was not related to his official conduct as president.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in July that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for official acts. A jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts back in May, for falsifying business records to cover up payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump has still not been sentenced in that case, his legal team is expected to appeal Merchan's latest decision.

Donald Trump came to the defense of his Cabinet picks in his first news conference since the election. He says his choice to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth is making tremendous strides in his meetings with Republicans on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Army veteran and former Fox News host is facing allegations

related to his workplace behavior and treatment of women, including a sexual assault claim from 2017. Hegseth denies the allegation and no charges were brought. Trump also says Republican senators who oppose his cabinet picks could face the prospect of being replaced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: If they're unreasonable, if they're opposing somebody for political reasons or stupid reasons, I would say has nothing to do with me. I would say they probably would be primaried.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Trump also talked about vaccines and his controversial pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now says he's all for the polio vaccine.

[02:20:11]

CNN's Tom Foreman has more on that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: I think you're going to find that Bobby is much is a very rational guy. I found him to be very rational. You're not going to lose the polio vaccine.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The president-elect is playing defense amid new reports that a lawyer tied to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. petitioned the government to revoke approval of the polio vaccine, a move Kennedy himself could approve if confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NOMINEE: I'm not going to take away anybody's vaccines. I've never been anti-vaccine.

FOREMAN (voice over): Kennedy is trying to calm fears about his views and goals, but his statements over the years have raised alarms.

KENNEDY JR.: It would be against mandates at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For any vaccines?

KENNEDY JR.: For any vaccine.

FOREMAN (voice over): He's pushed unproven claims that vaccines cause autism. He's compared U.S. vaccine policies to those in a totalitarian state like Nazi Germany, for which he later apologized. And he's disparaged then President Donald Trump's handling of the COVID pandemic.

KENNEDY JR.: We have the worst record of any country in the world. FOREMAN (voice over): That's not true, say top medical researchers, but vaccines aren't the only issue he faces with Republican senators he must win over. Kennedy has insisted on inauguration day, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water, which Trump said sounds OK, despite decades of evidence showing fluoride radically lowers tooth decay.

Kennedy has made false claims about the ingredients in Fruit Loops and calls a lot of American foods poisonous. And many abortion rights opponents simply don't trust him, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who says Kennedy's nomination is an abrupt departure from the pro-life record of our administration and should be deeply concerning.

But the Kennedy pedigree still has power, and even with all the concerns about the nominee, some of his complaints about the quality of food and the policies behind food safety standards are resonating with Democrats.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): Is RFK right about a lot of the challenges? Yes, I've heard him say a lot of things that are absolutely right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (on camera): During the campaign, Trump said he would let Kennedy go wild on health care policy if he won the election. Now that may not be helping Kennedy very much, as he faces a lot of senators who are afraid he could do just that.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Dr. Omer Awan is a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a senior public health contributor for Forbes. He joins me now from Baltimore. Good to have you with us, Doctor.

DR. OMER AWAN, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So, president-elect Donald Trump's pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr. was on Capitol Hill Monday to garner support from key senators, amid strong resistance from public health groups and Nobel laureates due to his views on vaccines.

But as he arrived, Kennedy said he supports the polio vaccine, saying he is all for it, despite a lawyer affiliated with Kennedy recently petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revoke the approval of the polio vaccine.

So, what do you make of these mixed messages?

AWAN: Well, it's concerning and it's disheartening and it's problematic from a public health perspective, when you consider what he has said about vaccines in the past.

I mean, he has literally said that childhood vaccines are linked to autism, and we know that there is no scientific proof for that, and this type of rhetoric is somewhat dangerous when you consider that vaccine hesitancy is already on the rise, and there's so much vaccine misinformation, and this can absolutely cause a lot of harm, particularly with marginalized communities.

CHURCH: And while on Capitol Hill, Kennedy also ignored other questions about school vaccine mandates. He's passed full statements linking vaccines to autism and his views on abortion. But we do know that Trump has suggested that he will give Kennedy latitude to explore the already debunked and false notion of a link between vaccines and autism.

What are your main concerns when it comes to Kennedy's views on those school vaccine mandates and how dangerous could this be?

AWAN: Well, there's no harm in questioning science. I mean, science is based off of questioning. That's the whole process of scientific reasoning and a scientific method.

But what is very problematic is that when you base decisions and policies against the evidence, and that's precisely what may happen. And this is what a lot of physicians and public health officials fear, that more harm will be done than good, because we are going against the evidence.

[02:25:02]

I mean, if you look at polio, for example, it's been proven to -- the vaccine has saved thousands, hundreds of thousands of lives. You know, vaccines have saved millions of lives through the course of time. And to question, to put that into question is a bit ridiculous when we consider how many kids are safe because of vaccines, with respect to measles, polio, whooping cough.

And this is a problem, because then this casts doubt on vaccines, which have been proven to be a very important public health breakthrough in America and around the world for the last 50, 60, 70, years or so.

So, very problematic for science, very problematic for the safeguarding of health for Americans.

CHURCH: And in your latest piece in Forbes magazine, you discussed how RFK's policies on vaccinations and fluoride in public water could have devastating consequences for marginalized communities, like people of color, those in rural areas and those living under the poverty line without health insurance.

You did touch on this, but what will be the likely consequences of Kennedy's vaccine and fluoride policies for these specific communities?

AWAN: People will suffer. People will suffer, Rosemary. And this is the reality. You know, when you consider you know what these policies may do. We're talking about these marginalized populations getting sick, maybe going to the hospital, maybe even dying. Because they don't have a vaccine, or they may have to pay enormous bills for dental procedures because they're getting more and more cavities, and worse, they don't have access to any of these things, so they can't even do that.

So, this is a problem, particularly in these marginalized populations, particularly in those that don't have health insurance, like poor individuals, particularly those who live in rural areas where they may not have access to vaccines, they may not have access to dental offices. This will absolutely have rippling effects for those populations. And I'm worried, and I'm very concerned about that population.

When we public health is all about ensuring and safeguarding the health of all Americans, not just the elite. And this is a major problem and a major issue that we have to tackle and deal with.

CHURCH: And Doctor, while some Americans are appalled by Kennedy's views on vaccines and fluoride, others are thrilled about what he plans to do when it comes to the quality of food in this country with his push for less processed foods. What do you say to that?

AWAN: Well, there's separate policies. Honestly, I'm a bit concerned about his stance on vaccines, on fluoride, but I think it's healthy to go and look at food, and we should question what's in foods, particularly with the rise of obesity, the rise of diabetes and all these chronic illnesses.

So, I applaud his efforts, quite frankly, and looking at foods and to see if there are any harmful products in that.

But with that said, everything should be done based on evidence, and if he sticks to the evidence, and he's able to look at the scientific method and to make sure and safeguard that we're doing the right things that are based on years of clinical trials, then I would applaud his efforts, and we hope for the best.

You know, this is America, and we want to make sure that everyone is safe and healthy.

CHURCH: He seems to have changed his view on polio vaccine, so we will watch to see what happens in the days and weeks ahead.

Dr. Omer Awan, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

AWAN: My pleasure. Thanks so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Donald Trump is hinting that he may reverse the impending ban on TikTok in the United States. A source tells CNN that president- elect met with the head of the social media giant at his Mar-a-Lago country club on Monday. Earlier in the day, Trump praised the app for helping him win the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We'll take a look at TikTok. You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, because I won youth by 34 points. And there are those that say that TikTok had something to do with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: TikTok wants the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved in the fight over the app. Starting January 19th, U.S. internet services and app stores could face hefty fines for hosting TikTok if it's not sold.

Political uncertainty in the heart of Europe. Olaf Scholz has lost a vote of confidence just three years after he became chancellor.

Ahead, we will look at who's in the driving seat as snap elections loom next year, back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:15]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Four major political parties have already announced their candidates for chancellor when Germany goes to early elections next year. Interim Chancellor Olaf Scholz will stand again, but his political career may never recover after he lost Monday's confidence vote. CNN's Sebastian Shukla has the story from Berlin.

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence that he called in himself on Monday. He lost that vote by 394 votes against him versus the 207 votes in favor of him. What that means is that Germany is now almost certainly headed towards a federal election, the date most likely to be the 23rd of February.

Now, the vote today came about because Olaf Scholz's bickering government collapsed back in November when he fired his Finance Minister Christian Lindner. The two had been bickering for some time over a financial mechanism and Germany's economy. But, what resulted in this was Scholz leading a minority government. That meant he had very few other options left to him, apart from calling this confidence vote.

What the opposition party saw though in Scholz's weakness, was the ability to force him to make the call on having the confidence vote and the election earlier than he had originally wished. That animosity was very clear to see on the floor of the Bundestag today, with all parties leveling accusations at one another.

Scholz took another opportunity to remind the German people that the reason this government collapsed in his mind was because the liberal partners in his coalition were not prepared to agree with his policies and timetables. The CDU, the former party of Angela Merkel, now led by Friedrich Merz and one of the front runners to be the next chancellor, also took his opportunity to blame Olaf Scholz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, CDU OPPOSITION LEADER AND CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE: You are asking about confidence today. Mr. Chancellor, you had your chance. You did not take this opportunity, and it applies to today as well as to February 23rd, 2025, the expected date of the Bundestag elections. You, Mr. Scholz, have not earned any trust. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUKLA: But forming coalitions is a key part of any German government and is often the way governments are formed. Whilst the outcome of the election is difficult to predict right now, all signs are pointing towards f Friedrich Merz and the CDU becoming Germany's largest party and therefore, keys to the chancellery. And as one person said to me today, it will almost certainly spell the end of Olaf Scholz's political career.

Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.

CHURCH: A shocking political blow for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after his finance minister suddenly quit on Monday. Chrystia Freeland's resignation came after weeks of disagreement with the PM over the best way to prepare for Donald Trump's promised tariff hike.

[02:35:00]

The U.S. President-elect has threatened to implement 25 percent tariffs on all products imported into the U.S. from both Canada and Mexico, unless the two nations stop the flow of illegal migrants and drugs across the border. In her resignation letter, Freeland said Canada must push back as the Trump Administration pursues what she describes as a policy of America-first aggressive economic nationalism.

Prime Minister Trudeau moved quickly to name a member of his inner circle, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc to replace Freeland.

Thousands of North Korean troops are fighting in Russia's Kursk region to help Moscow's army reclaim land taken during Ukraine's offensive in August. And on Monday, Ukraine's military said North Korean forces there suffered heavy losses. A warning, the video you are about to see is graphic. Drone video released by Ukraine's military appears to show the bodies of dead North Korean and Russian forces in the Kursk region.

CNN cannot independently verify the nationality of the dead soldiers. The Pentagon says North Korean troops began actively fighting in an infantry role little more than a week ago. Ukraine says some 30 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded over the weekend. Ukraine's President says those deaths are completely unnecessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Unfortunately, we also have to defend ourselves against them, although there is no reason why Koreans should also die in this war. The only reason is Putin's madness, which has gripped Russia and is fueling this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says the war in Ukraine needs to end. He spoke about it in his first post-election news conference. Trump did not say what sort of deal would be on the table or if he would expect Ukraine to give up territory to the Kremlin, but he said, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy should agree to a deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He should be prepared to make a deal, that's all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have anything?

TRUMP: Got to be a deal. No, got to be a deal. Too many people being killed, that is a war that's hard. Too many people -- he got to make a deal and Putin has to make a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukraine's Former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke to CNN's Christiane Amanpour about the potential for negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMYTRO KULEBA, FORMER UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I believe that the deal is not a question -- it is not a question. The question is fair deal, a deal that will not only introduce a ceasefire that is highly likely to be broken within the first 24 hours after being introduced, but a deal that will actually end the war and prevent new war from happening. This is the real task for state men.

But what we see around is a word game, like politicians and leaders, they play with words and constructive messages, indicate their readiness to engage, but the moment they go down to the very substance of the conversation, this will be a very tough moment for all stakeholders. When leaders are saying we want peace, that's easy. When you get to defining the terms of this peace and the specific solutions that have to be implemented, it gets really difficult.

Like take the NATO issue, we hear different opposite views on that. Take the land issue. No leader of Ukraine can legally concede territory of Ukraine enshrined in its constitution. So we cannot speak about any transfer. And most importantly, you can ask hundreds of questions of what Ukraine should do. But, the key to peace is in Moscow. And as long as Putin is not part of negotiations in good faith, everything else, the importance of anything, everything else diminishes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A senior Russian general has been killed by a bomb in Moscow. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov the Chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops. He was killed outside an apartment building just seven kilometers from the Kremlin. This footage shows the site of the explosion with blast marks to the entrance of the building.

Russia's investigative committee says the bomb was hidden in an electric scooter. Igor Kirillov's death came a day after Ukrainian prosecutors charged him in absentia with the use of banned chemical weapons in the war on Ukraine. And we'll be right back.

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[02:41:50]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The world's largest iceberg is on the move again after being stuck, spinning on the same spot for months, known as A23a. The iceberg, which is more than double the size of London, split from an ice shelf back in 1986. It then spent more than three decades grounded to the sea floor before shrinking enough to lose its grip. It was carried away by ocean currents, but then became stuck again in a spinning vortex of water.

The British Antarctic Survey says it has now broken free. It's expected to drift toward warmer water before eventually breaking up and melting near the remote island of South Georgia.

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then I'll be back in 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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