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Bomb Kills Chief of Russian Nuclear Protection Forces; Deadly School Shooting in Madison, Wisconsin; Conspiracy Theories Abound Over U.S. Drone Sightings; French Officials Send Aid to Mayotte, Macron Plans Visit; Assad Appears to issue First Statement Since Regime's Fall. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired December 17, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A second grade student called 911 to report a shooting at school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it can happen here it can literally happen anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CHILD: I was really scared and I was really sad.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECT: I think they would be better off saying what it is. Our military knows and our president knows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not just that this story is a lie and that it's not true. It's provably, demonstrably false. This never happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Max Foster. We'll get to those stories in just a moment.
But first, we begin with breaking this news this hour in Moscow, where Russian authorities say a senior Russian general has been killed by a bomb. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was the chief of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops. He was killed outside an apartment building just seven kilometers, that's four miles from the Kremlin.
This footage shows the site of the explosion with blast marks to the entrance of the building there. Russia's investigative committee says the was hidden in an electric scooter. Fred Pleitgen joins us from Moscow.
What more do you know, Fred? FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Max. We are actually at the scene of where this explosion took place. And the Russians are saying this happened in the early morning hours of today as the general and an aide to the general were leaving that building.
I'm going to get out of your way and you can see the actual scene of where all of this took place. And you already mentioned that the entrance to that building where all this happens, it's the second entrance down from here was badly damaged in that explosion. And the Russians are indeed saying that they believe that the explosive device was hidden in an electric scooter parked right outside that building and that there were about 300 grams of TNT inside that explosive device.
They have already said that they found remnants of that explosive device. And one of the other things that they've said as well is that they believe that it was detonated remotely. Now, we do know at this point in time, Max, that the Ukrainian security services have claimed responsibility for this, a source saying that to CNN that Ukrainian security services were behind this.
The explosion, despite the fact that 300 grams of TNT might not sound like very much, seems to have been substantial. We can see that there's a lot of workers here on the ground, investigative committee of the Russian Federation on the ground. Some others have cordoned off the area.
But one of the other things that we're seeing as well, Max, if we pan over to the other side, is that the explosion was so strong that it damaged the building on the other side of the road. You can see there that windows have been smashed by this explosion that took place. There was an eyewitness report that we have seen, some of them on Russian media, saying that they thought that maybe some sort of cement truck had unloaded a lot of cement or what something very heavy had fallen down on the ground.
So clearly, the people who live in this area very much heard this explosion as it took place. Of course, at the beginning, not exactly clear of what it might have been. The Russians have launched a criminal investigation into all this.
You can see the investigators, and we've seen the investigators on the ground here, not just civilian investigators or from the police authorities, but also military investigators as well.
Of course, Lieutenant General Igor Korolyov, very important for the Russian military, very high up in the Russian military. He was the head of Russia's nuclear, biological, and chemical defense forces, and the Ukrainians had actually indicted him in absentia just yesterday.
The Ukrainian security services accusing the Russians of using weaponized chemicals in the war in Ukraine. Igor Korolyov, for his part, in the past, had accused the Ukrainians of doing the exact same thing. So certainly, someone who was on the forefront as far as that conflict between Ukraine and Russia is concerned, and someone who the Russians, of course, for their military, was extremely important -- Max.
FOSTER: Fred Pleitgen, back with you when we get more. Thank you.
New details emerging about America's latest deadly school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin.
The suspected shooter, surprisingly, was a 15-year-old female student.
[04:05:00]
Police say 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. No word yet on a motive. Six people were wounded in the mass shooting, and two 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. I want to 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)
FOSTER: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you hear gunshots?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE STUDENT: Yes, I heard them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE STUDENT: We heard them and then some people started fighting, and then we just waited until the police came, and then they exported us out. I was scared. Why did they do that? Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE STUDENT: 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)
FOSTER: This is at least the 83rd school shooting in the U.S. this year alone, which is the most in any single year since 2008, when CNN started keeping those records. CNN's Whitney Wild has more details on this tragedy.
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BARNES: Today is a sad, sad day, not only for Madison, but for our entire country. WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Madison, Wisconsin, two people are dead, a teenage student and a teacher.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Abundant Life Christian Church, 49-01 for Engine 5 and Medic 5 for a shooter.
BARNES: Six other people were injured. Two students are now in critical condition in the hospital, and these injuries are considered life-threatening.
WILD (voice-over): Two other victims are being treated for non-life- threatening injuries. The Madison chief says multiple shots were fired, calls coming in at 10:57 a.m. at the K-12 Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, just hours after the school day began.
BARNES: When officers arrived, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ambulance, ambulance, squad car, fire engine.
WILD (voice-over): Madison police officers were on scene within minutes.
BARNES: Officers located a juvenile who they believe was responsible for this decease in the building.
WILD (voice-over): The suspect, according to a law enforcement source, was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound using a 9mm pistol.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The PD is saying everybody can come in. All EMS can come in. Shooter is down.
BARNES: Many of you have asked me about the why of this. Why did this happen? What do we know? What was the motivation? I do not know, but I will tell you this. Our detectives are working hard in the investigative process to find out as many answers as we can so that we can further prevent these things from happening.
WILD (voice-over): Some medics responding directly from their training to reports of shots fired at the school.
BARNES: The protocols are simple. Stop the killing, stop the dying, find out who's doing this. The officers did that.
WILD (voice-over): The officers did not fire any shots, according to the police chief. Instead, they assisted injured staff and students. The shooting in Madison is the third at a small private Christian school in recent years. The second took place in Oroville, California, less than two weeks ago.
BARNES: I think we can all agree that enough is enough and we have to come together to do everything we can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we need to do better in our country and our community to prevent gun violence. WILD (voice-over): The Madison school on its website asking for prayers today while frantic parents waited to hear if their kids were safe.
BETHANY HIGHMAN, PARENT OF STUDENTS AT ABUNDANT LIFE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL: I pray with my kids every morning that this won't happen and it's the world like that we live in.
WILD (voice-over): Whitney Wild, CNN, Madison, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The FBI is working to prevent these many dozens of school shootings. CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, spoke about the level of planning that goes into these attacks and the red flags to look out for.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: We have this narrative that a child or a person was having problems at school or at work and they just snapped and they came in and shot everybody that day. Not how it works. Not how it works.
People don't snap. These things build and they plan, they prepare, they arm, they go through many steps and they also have many tells, if you will.
[04:10:00]
And one of the things the FBI has been working on is literally a campaign to get out and they say some of the indicators that you'll see in people, and this will be detectable by friends, classmates, a guidance counselor, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a brother, a sister, parents, significantly reduced ability to cope with stress or setbacks.
Expressions of hopelessness, helplessness. Lack of nonviolent options for solving problems. Persistent fantasies about violence.
Now, that's a core group, but there's 15 categories that they say, and you may not see all of them. You may see a cluster of them. And what they're saying is, this is the time when you go to someone you trust.
And all of this is available, by the way, on www.fbi.gov/prevent. And there's tools and brochures and lists. But this is going to be how we're going to prevent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The Biden administration is seeking to reassure Americans as conspiracy theories continue to swirl over the mysterious drone sightings across several states. The FBI is now urging the public not to fire at aircraft, fearing some might try to take down a drone themselves. But whilst the White House insists these sightings don't pose a threat, it's done little to ease the growing concerns and confusion, as CNN's Pete Muntean reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Drone hysteria is soaring as federal authorities are scrambling to tamp down false alarms breeding conspiracy theories online. Fanning the latest fears, reports of unmanned aerial systems over secure Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All aircraft use extreme caution. Patterson class delta is now closed for heave UAS activity.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Pentagon officials now say the Ohio case is not connected to possible drone sightings in a half-dozen states.
Even still, President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago doubled down on conspiracy theories after Alex Jones and Joe Rogan amplified claims that drones over New Jersey are looking for a stolen dirty bomb.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECT: Something strange is going on. For some reason, they don't want to tell the people.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Federal aviation rules allow drones to fly legally so long as they stay below 400 feet and away from airports, airplanes and stadiums. Biden administration officials tell CNN that of the almost one million drones registered in the U.S., 8,000 might be flying at any one given time. And, quote, we haven't seen evidence of anything non-compliant.
But that has not stopped lawmakers from demanding new technology to help detect hostile drones. Defense officials now confirmed to CNN that the government is sending drone tracking systems to a pair of military installations in New Jersey.
SEN CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: If the technology exists for a drone to make it up into the sky, there certainly is the technology that can track the craft with precision and determine what the heck is going on.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy says he's been briefed by the FBI now that it and the Department of Homeland Security say most cases of possible drones are, in fact, manned aircraft. Science writer Mick West is debunking purported drone videos online. New Jersey airspace is some of the busiest in the country, with videos surfacing from under Newark, Teterboro and New York flight paths.
MICK WEST, WRITER AND UAP ANALYST: If you get the details, the date, the time and the location, you can actually look up what was in the sky at that point and look what direction they were looking in. And you can see, you know, that it was actually just a plane.
MUNTEAN: The FBI says it's taken in about 5,000 tips of purported drone sightings since this frenzy began, but has deemed only about 100 of those legitimate enough for any follow up. This fixation on drones is also causing a concern for commercial flights. There's video surfacing online of flights being hit by laser pointers from the ground.
It could temporarily blind pilots and can lead to a massive fine from the FAA. The FAA says it's investigating such incidents in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: 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 wasn't 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 the judge's latest decision.
Trump promising once again to push for a deal to end the war in Ukraine. In his first news conference since his election, Trump wouldn't say if he expects Ukraine to give up territory in exchange for peace. He did say parts of Ukraine have been reduced to rubble and there are no space people to return to.
[04:15:00]
Trump also repeated a warning that all hostages held in Gaza must be released before his inauguration on January 20th.
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TRUMP: As you know, I gave warning that if these hostages aren't back home by that date, all hell's going to break out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, the president-elect met with the TikTok CEO on Monday after suggesting earlier he might reverse course on banning the social media app. And he threatened defamation lawsuits against several media outlets, which he accused of election interference.
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TRUMP: We have to straighten out the press. Our press is very corrupt, almost as corrupt as our elections.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, Trump also talked about vaccines in 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. CNN's Tom Foreman has more on that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: I think you're going to find that Bobby is a very rational guy. I found him to be very rational. You're not going to lose the polio vaccine.
TOM FORMAN, 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., TRUMP PICK FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: I'm not going to take away anybody's vaccines. I've never been an 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: It would be against mandates at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For any vaccines?
KENNEDY: 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: 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 R.K. right about a lot of the challenges? Yes, I've heard him say a lot of things that are absolutely right.
FOREMAN: 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: We're 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 cancelled.
No word yet on any casualties. There are reports of damaged structures, though, 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 unfolding in Mayotte, just days after the first cyclone to hit the region in at least 90 years. Hundreds, if not thousands, are feared dead in the French territory off the coast of Mozambique after powerful winds ripped through the islands on Saturday.
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 figure 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'll visit the island in the coming days and officials have already pledged resources to assist there.
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BRUNO RETAILLEAU, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER: 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)
FOSTER: These images show some of the neighborhoods both before and after the storm.
[04:20:00]
The cyclone knocked out the electrical grid and disrupted internet services, making it difficult for families to check on their loved ones.
Now a woman who stowed away on an international flight last month has been arrested yet again. Svetlana Dali was caught on Monday trying to sneak into Canada from the U.S. by bus. Law enforcement sources tell CNN that she had cut off her ankle monitor which she had been ordered to wear after her arrest last month. Dali had stowed away on a Delta flight from New York to Paris in November.
Her lawyers at the time urged the judge to release her without bail, saying she wasn't a flight risk. Dali now in FBI custody.
Still ahead this hour, the details on what may be ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's first public statement since the fall of his regime.
And it's a British institution dating back half a millennium and soon the Royal Mail could have a new forwarding address. That story just ahead.
Plus, tis the season for holiday greetings. This year's card from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictures a rare glimpse of their children. Details ahead on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:25:03]
FOSTER: Syria's ousted leader Bashar al-Assad apparently releasing a statement on Telegram for the first time since seeking asylum in Russia after the fall of his government. CNN unable to verify if Assad still controls the Syrian presidency Telegram account and if the statement is authentic. But Matthew Chance has details now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the stunning collapse of a brutal regime. Now the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is apparently speaking out for the first time about his sudden fall from power. Social media channels belonging to the Syrian presidency are quoting what purports to be a lengthy Assad statement in which he claims he never planned to flee a lightning rebel advance.
The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught the Assad statement reads.
As that onslaught gathered pace the Assad statement's datelined Moscow claims he relocated to a Russian military base, quote, to oversee combat operations. It became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen -- the Assad statement says. Adding it was Moscow that requested an immediate evacuation to Russia.
That's Assad apparently rejecting reports his aides and relatives were kept unaware of a secret escape plan.
In the aftermath of Assad's departure to Russia Syrians have been rifling through his vast presidential enclosures including this Damascus garage housing a pricey collection of luxury cars. In his statement Assad also sought to dismiss these kinds of reports of his family's corruption now being exposed in close detail.
The person who refused to barter the salvation of his nation for personal gain is the same person who stood alongside the officers and soldiers of the army on the front lines -- the Assad statement reads. From exile it sounds like a desperate bid for exoneration. The country Assad once brutalized celebrates his dramatic fall.
Matthew Chance, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Russia a long time ally of the Assad regime is looking to find its footing as Syria begins this new era. Global affairs analyst and founder of Eurasia Group in Bremer says Putin is keen to recoup the political losses after Assad's fall from power.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT, EURASIA GROUP: I'm sure there's no love right now for Assad in the Kremlin. This guy is embarrassing Putin mightily but Putin plays the long game of course and that's what he's doing here. This is an important ally that's been with Russia for decades and decades.
Two military bases that they had to flee from. This is -- there's a reason why Putin is not talking about this domestically. It's a major embarrassment for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well still to come, a British court reveals the identity of an alleged Chinese spy who was said to have an unusual degree of trust with Prince Andrew.
And the U.S. school getting ready for festive Christmas activities is instead reeling from a mass shooting. We'll have the latest on that investigation.
