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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump Hold First News Briefing; E.U. Envoy to Meet with Syrian New Government; Saudi Arabia and Qatar Condemns Israel Plans; U.S. House Intelligence Committee to Receive a Classified Briefing on Mysterious Drone Sightings. Three Dead in a Shooting at a Private Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Loses Confidence Vote; Hundreds Feared Dead After a Cyclone Struck Mayotte. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired December 16, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello and welcome everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, our top story and breaking news to bring you this hour.
Police in the state of Wisconsin are investigating a fatal school shooting. Authorities in Madison say four people were killed, and that the suspect in
the shooting is dead.
The suspect is believed, as we understand at this hour, to be a student, and it happened at the Abundant Life Christian School. The White House says
U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed. The Madison police chief said this just a short time ago. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHON BARNES, POLICE DEPARTMENT CHIEF, MADISON, WISCONSIN: To be honest with you, I'm feeling a little dismayed now so close to Christmas. Every
child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. And these types of trauma don't just go away. And we need to
figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened.
And right now, my heart is heavy for my community. My heart is heavy for Madison, and we have to come together as a community and figure out what
happened here and make sure that it doesn't happen in any other place that should be a refuge for students in our community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get the very latest. I mean, there's just -- it's so horrible hearing, heartbreaking hearing these stories and the frequency, of
course, in which this happens. Let's bring in Darrin Porcher, who is a criminal justice expert and former NYPD lieutenant, and Juliette Kayyem, of
course, a well-known face here on the show.
Now, let me just start with you and just get your reaction to what you're seeing and what stands out to you as this breaking news Darren comes in.
DARRIN PORCHER, CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXPERT: I mean, this is a travesty, to say the least. It seems as if this is an ongoing problem in American
culture, and we've yet to effectively neutralize the aspect of gun violence in our schools. One of the things that we look to in a situation like this,
is what are the teachable moments for law enforcement to assist in interdicting instances of this magnitude?
We go back to the '90s. We had the Columbine shooting, whereas responding officers were not responsible for going in and interdicting the shooter.
There was a reliance upon special operations officers such as SWAT officers to come in and engage the shooter. We've since moved away from that.
However, when we look to the Uvalde, Texas, shooting that happened last year, we clearly saw a manifestation of problems as it related to the
officers not going in and interceding and interdicting the shooter. So, we look at this particular instance, I believe we have five dead and five
wounded.
The five dead consist of one of those people as the shooter. So, it appears as if this was a self-inflicted wound, and therefore we're going to have to
start a backwards investigation. And that backwards investigation is going to start from the moment of the shooting, and we're going to take it back
as far as possible, whereas we're going to look to the actual social media.
We're even going to use one of our greatest resources, which is unfortunately, the children that attend that school. Because bear in mind,
here in the United States, kids often times go through these lockdown drills, but the shooter as well goes through the same lockdown drills as
well as the other students.
So, the shooter would have a fundamental understanding in how these lockdown drills are conducted. And so, we're going to look to what could
have possibly done to interdict this at an earlier stage?
SOARES: And Darrin, do stay with us. And Juliette, police are currently not saying if the victims are students or staff, but we have heard from the
police saying that they're no threat to the larger community. What will police be doing at this stage as they come out with these comments and try
to make sure that everyone, of course, in this community is safe?
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, so, I mean, the first, of course, is family unification stage, which is -- oh, sorry --
SOARES: For Juliette, yes, can you hear me? No, that's for you, Juliette, that one is for you --
KAYYEM: Yes, I can hear you. OK --
PORCHER: I apologize --
KAYYEM: Sorry, so, I mean, the first -- the first part will be -- no problem. The first part will be just family unification. The -- parents
obviously rush to the schools when these things happen. They want to make sure that their children are OK. So, a large -- it's a school K through 12.
So, you're talking about, you know, four and five-year-olds and 18-year- olds.
So, that needs to happen first, and then the harder part of family unification is of course, family notification. If any of the other deceased
are children, the parents will need to be notified, and of course, the teacher and his or her family. So, that's just primary right now, and
that's probably why they're going to push the press conference until all of that can be done.
Because this is likely a confined incident in terms of the crime -- we believe the shooter went to the school, clearly, targeted the school, the
rest of the community is going to feel safer, not safe certainly. This is jarring, but there is going to be, you know, ripple effects throughout the
community. This is a -- this is also a Christian school.
So, the impact, you know, the week of Christmas or the week before Christmas, the religious impact, all have to be accounted for as well in
this community. And then, finally, then you get to motive. And all of these cases, I can't think of one where we never had a -- had a warning before.
Whether it's other students growing concerned with the killer, other teachers or the family. We'll learn a narrative in the next 24 to 48 hours.
In the United States, there is a growing cause of action against parents who might have known or even worse, facilitated it by giving them access to
guns or not securing guns that will be part of this investigation.
Should the parents had a reasonable belief that the child was a danger to others? And that will all come out in the -- in the days ahead.
SOARES: And as we join this show, Juliette and Darrin, we of course, we said the police said at least, four people had been killed. They now
revised the death toll downwards, two dead, plus, this shooter. For those of you just joining in, two dead, we have been told by police, plus the
shooter. Do we still have Darrin with us? Is he still with us?
PORCHER: I'm still on --
SOARES: And Darrin, just -- so, yes. I don't know if it was confusion on the part of the police, of course, they've given us the new -- the new
numbers from them. But the fact that -- and this is something that Juliette touched on. The fact that this is a Christian school, there's -- should we
lean too much into this, and does it tell us some sort of idea in terms of motive here?
PORCHER: Well, my understanding is, this is an -- although it's a Christian school, it's non-denominational. They have just under --
SOARES: Right --
PORCHER: Three hundred students that are in that school. In addition to that, they have a child-care facility which is enclosed within that same
complex. So, if religion is an underlying concern, it's very difficult for us to discern that at this point. But the one thing that we do know is we
had a student that went in and embarked upon a horrific campaign of violence that resulted in people dying.
And he -- I believe this was a self-inflicted gun wound -- gunshot wound, because if law enforcement did not engage him with gunfire -- so, now we
want to figure out when this actually happened? I believe this was like just before 11:00 a.m. when the shooting started. However, I don't have
concrete information as to when the police arrived on the scene. So, I don't know, like how far prior to the police response did he actually
commit --
SOARES: Yes --
PORCHER: Suicide? But it begs the question as to what is the motive? And it goes back to that backwards investigation, which is going to scrub his
social media, is going to engage the other students in that school as to what potential conflicts existed? And as my counterpart mentioned, what did
the family know in terms of -- was there a propensity for danger with these children?
Because we've now moved forth an agenda to possibly prosecute parents who had an understanding of these types of incidents that would have possibly
manifested later on down the line.
SOARES: And, Juliette, you and I have had this discussion unfortunately, way too many times. This propensity for danger -- this conversation with
parents, that is -- when is that conversation had with parents? How much further down the line in terms of the investigation here?
KAYYEM: Well, it's going to get -- it's going to go to the gun. So --
SOARES: Yes --
KAYYEM: Who owned the gun? How did the child get possession of the gun? You know, and most of these cases, the gun was the parents'. We've had a
case where the parents bought the dangerous kid a gun, and then, the sort of -- you know, the possession angles of this. If the parents had a
reasonable belief that the child was not just a danger to himself, but to others, and kept the gun in a way in which the child -- which the -- we
don't know the age, but you know, which the student had access to it.
There could be liability in that instance. In the cases we've seen in the United States to date, it's a relatively new phenomenon here in the United
States. You really see parents sort of in some ways, assisting in these kinds of incidents by giving the kid a gun or giving them a sort of direct
access.
[14:10:00]
So, it's all going to come down to sort of the weapon. What was it and how did -- how did -- how did the student have access to that gun in --
specifically and for this incident? But there's a lot still to be learned on this --
SOARES: Yes --
KAYYEM: Three or five dead. You know, I was watching the press conference before the very effective police chief who was just laying out the facts in
a way that the community deserves, you know, hears in his ear that it's five, he wasn't able to verify, so he just announces it. So, that happens
in real time.
And it's not good that it's only three. But certainly, if that includes the assailant and one teacher, they were -- the losses were minimized either
because of the suicide or because the police were approaching and the killer decided to perform suicide.
SOARES: Yes, community must be incredibly shaken, of course, the entire community --
KAYYEM: Yes --
SOARES: And the school and the parents, of course, we're just days before the holidays. Darrin and Juliette, stay with us, I want to go to our Juliet
-- our Veronica Miracle to give us more information. Veronica, are you with us?
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN REPORTER: I am, I'm here. Yes --
SOARES: Give us --
MIRACLE: Isa --
SOARES: A sense of what you're learning, Veronica. What's the very latest?
MIRACLE: Yes, well, as you were just discussing, there has been a fluctuation in the number of dead and injured, and some of that we
understand is because of what's happening at the hospitals. There's just a lot of confusion happening. So, what we have -- the latest -- the very
latest is the two killed. One suspect is dead.
So, that's three people are dead and six people are injured. Those injuries range from anywhere from minor to life-threatening injuries. So, of course,
as this day develops, certainly the number of dead could rise. We understand that the shooter is a student under 18, so a juvenile.
But beyond that, they're not releasing anything about whether these are -- whether the dead are students, staff. We just through a quick check of
their website, it's a very small Christian school. A few hundred students, about 55 staff members. This is a massive campus, about a 28-acre campus.
But when police arrived, they said they did not fire their weapons.
No guns were shot because the shooter they discovered, had already died from a self-inflicted gunshot injury, and then police were able to go
immediately to those victims who were suffering from injuries, give them life-saving help and then get them into ambulances and to local hospitals.
We also understand that 3 miles away from this school was a training center where people were actively training for school shootings. So, those people
who were training rushed over to help, and they were doing what they just learned in real time, which is just a sad tragedy and kind of the state of
the United States.
This is the second school shooting at a small Christian school in just weeks. There was one in northern California a few weeks ago where a five
and a six-year-old student were shot. Those students are also alive, but they are recovering from very serious injuries. So, two school shootings at
small Christian schools in weeks is just really telling about the state of our society right now. So, that is the latest that we have at --
SOARES: Yes --
MIRACLE: This moment. There is supposed to be another briefing in just a couple of hours. We'll bring the very latest to you.
SOARES: And as you were talking, we're seeing the police believe that the suspect, who like you said, was found dead inside the building was student,
Veronica, at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. And the officer said today, officers located a juvenile who they believe was
responsible for this deceased in the building.
We believe the shooter was a student in the school. So, that was the police department -- the police chief, I should say, speaking just moments ago.
But like you said, six injured, three people dead, including the shooter at this hour. And like you said, medics with the Madison, Wisconsin Police
Department were actually training nearby before they responded to the police shooting.
We know that six of those injured were taken to hospital after first responders gave them what we've been told is life-saving measures. We're of
course, thinking about all of them, absolutely horrific. We will stay across this breaking news story as soon as there are any more developments.
We, of course, will bring it to you, I want to thank Darrin also, thank -- I want to thank Juliette Kayyem, thank you very much. This is a developing
story, we'll stay across it, thank you to you all. Thank you. I'm going to leave the breaking news and turn to Europe because there's political
turmoil in Europe's largest economy.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a confidence vote, paving the way for snap elections in February. It was a three-hour debate with sharp words
exchanged and barbs traded, and this was a heated scene at the Bundestag.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLAF SCHOLZ, CHANCELLOR, GERMANY: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:15:00]
SOARES: It's a political maneuver that Scholz himself wanted to see play out no doubt. His party, which led a fractious three-way coalition has
struggled to push through key legislation. While addressing parliament, Scholz framed the early election opportunity for a new beginning for
Germany. Though, the path may not be entirely smooth, Scholz's social democratic party is trailing heavily in opinion polls.
Let's get the very latest, our Sebastian Shukla is in Berlin. So, Seb, very much as expected, no confidence vote for the chancellor, but talk us
through what happens next and who is in charge of Germany in that time frame?
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Isa, the chancellor lost this confidence vote by a considerable amount. The totals were 394 votes against
him, so, not expressing confidence in him versus the 207 who were in favor. So, that leaves Scholz in a -- if his position was not already viewed as
precarious, incredibly more precarious, he will now lead this minority government up until the election, which we now know will be on the 23rd of
February.
But as you were alluding to the process for Scholz to become or remain as the chancellor, looks one that is fraught with difficulty, those opinion
polls are massively divergent in what he thinks he can achieve and what the likely outcome is. Friedrich Merz, who is the head of the CDU Party, the
Christian Democratic Union, which is Angela Merkel's former party, are way out in front, and at the moment show no signs of being able to really lose
that ground in a major way.
And Merz today, took to the floor of the Bundestag during that debate, which you mentioned, to really gun for the chancellor and push home the
case, and will start to show us a little bit more about what the rhetoric of this campaign might be. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, CDU OPPOSITION LEADER & CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE (through translator): 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: So, Scholz has failed the test, and that will be the way that all parties, not just the CDU, will look to frame the election and their
campaigning going forward, Isa. It's going to be a very important election for Germany. But one thing that is almost certain to say, and we should
never be -- you know, get too far ahead of ourselves. But I think lots of people here are very confident that we will not see Olaf Scholz as
chancellor again. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, makes you think why he played this hand or whether he thought that this could, you know, revive his political fortunes, right? Seb,
appreciate it, thank you very much, Sebastian Shukla there. Let's get the latest -- more on this story that we're covering here. Jan Philipp Burgard
is the editor-in-chief for the German news channel "WELT TV", he joins me now live from Berlin.
Jan, great to have you on the show. Let me pick up then where my colleague just left off, Sebastian Shukla, and put that same question to you. Do you
think that triggering this early election can enable Scholz to revive his political fortunes?
JAN PHILIPP BURGARD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, WELT TV: No, I don't think so. If you look at the polls -- and he's one of the most unpopular chancellors in
the history of Germany. I would say today marks the beginning of the end of one of the worst chancellors in the history of the federal Republic of
Germany.
During Olaf Scholz's chancellorship, the German economy has slipped into recession. German industry is moving abroad, and the migration crisis had
not been resolved. So, Scholz has not succeeded in creating political stability. He was neither a leader nor a mediator, and the traffic light
coalition was characterized by never-ending disputes. So, I think his chances are very slim to win the chancellery again.
SOARES: So, Jan, just then explain why would he do this political maneuvering if he looks at the numbers and he sees the numbers don't add
up? I mean, he shot himself in the foot here politically?
BURGARD: Yes, I think he still believes that he's the smartest in the room, and that he has a chance to win again, because we have to keep in
mind, four years ago or three years ago, at the last election, he was the surprise winner. And I think he can -- he told me in an interview that he
believes he can surprise everybody once again. But if you look at his track, I don't think --
SOARES: Yes --
BURGARD: His chances are very good.
SOARES: So, who has the best chance of becoming the next chancellor? My colleague Sebastian Shukla was talking about Merz, Merz be a candidate that
we should be looking out for here?
BURGARD: Absolutely. Friedrich Merz; he's the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union, he is leading in every poll, followed by the way, by
Alice Weidel. He's the -- she's the candidate of the right-wing populist party alternative for Germany, and she's taking advantage of the not-yet
resolved migration crisis since 2015, Germany has taken in over 3 million refugees, and we still don't deal with it orderly.
[14:20:00]
And this AFD Party is taking advantage of that. But if Friedrich Merz would win the election, he already ruled out of forming a coalition with the
second-ranking AFD. Instead, two likely scenarios remain, one would be a coalition of the CDU with the Green Party, but you have to keep in mind the
desolate -- the conditions of the German economy, the fact that the German economy is in decline.
The Greens are partially responsible for that, because they pulled out of nuclear energy, for example --
SOARES: Yes --
BURGARD: So, that would be a tough choice for Friedrich Merz to make. The other option is the SPD, most likely then with a chancellor Merz without
Olaf Scholz. But Olaf Scholz would face two problems as well. The SPD doesn't want to pay more for defense, and secondly, they don't want to cut
back the social welfare state.
SOARES: And economy, I know has been front and center in terms of the political bickering. Something that we've seen, of course, also in France.
But you mentioned Friedrich Merz. If we are looking at Friedrich Merz as the next chancellor, we have to wait, of course, into those elections. What
kind of relationship could we expect with President-elect Trump, of course, who comes into office in January the 20th?
BURGARD: So, I believe Friedrich Merz would be the ideal chancellor to negotiate with President Trump, because Merz himself was a businessman for
many years, and I think both met in New York City when they were still businessmen, and I think Trump could respect Merz for that.
Also, Friedrich Merz was the chairman of the German-American organization called Atlantic Bridge. So, he has deep ties into America, he is well
connected. And also, both men are very tall, so, I think they would also meet physically at eye level.
SOARES: Well, it's going to be certainly interesting few months. Jan, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Jan Philipp Burgard,
thank you, Jan.
BURGARD: Thank you for having me, Isa.
SOARES: You're very welcome. Well, as we heard there, Europe's biggest economy is on shaky ground as European leaders deal with a series of major
international challenges. The EU is debating today how to engage with Syria's new leadership after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The EU's Foreign Policy chief says Russia and Iran should have no place in Syria's future. Kaja Kallas says she has directed a top EU diplomat to go
to Damascus and begin contacts with the new government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAJA KALLAS, FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, EUROPEAN UNION: First, we have to discuss on what level we are engaging with the -- with the Syrian new
leadership, and then what kind of steps are we willing to take in order to have relations with them. So, for us, it's not only the words, but we want
to see the deeds going to the right direction.
So, not only -- you know, what they are saying, but also what they're doing. I think the coming weeks and months will show whether it goes to the
right direction. And I think then we are also open to discuss next steps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Meantime, Bashar al-Assad is apparently speaking out for the first time since his ouster. Social media posts made in his name says "abrupt
departure to Russia was unplanned, and at no point did he consider stepping down or seeking refuge." We are going to take a short break, be back after
this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Hundreds of people are feared dead after a cyclone ripped through Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. The worst cyclone to hit the French territory
in nearly a 100 years flattened homes, as you can see there, knocked out power and crushed hospitals as well as schools. The high winds, even
damaged, you can see there, cemeteries, toppling gravestones, and people are saying their island looks like it was hit by an atomic bomb.
France's help is underway. Our Larry Madowo has the very latest for you.
(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.
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)
SOARES: And of course, we'll stay across that story for you. I want to turn to the United States because Donald Trump says the Biden
administration made a big mistake, his words, by allowing Ukraine to use American-made weapons inside Russia. In his first news conference since
winning the election, the President-elect touched on pretty much everything from vaccine safety to the Middle East.
And he called the media corrupt, and said, quote, "we have to straighten out the press". Trump also said he's a big believer -- also, his words, as
you can imagine in the polio vaccine, when he was asked about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his pick for Health Secretary and a fervent vaccine critic.
And on the subject of Ukraine, the President-elect said the brutal war Russia's got to stop, but he refused to give a direct answer when asked
whether Ukraine should cede territory to Russia. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the Middle East is -- will be in a good place -- I think actually more difficult is
going to be the Russia-Ukraine situation. I see that as more difficult.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you say --
TRUMP: I don't think they should have allowed missiles to be shot 200 miles into Russia, I think that was a bad thing, and that brought the
Koreans in, North Korea -- another man I get along with very well. I'm the only one that does. But that did a lot of bad things. I don't think that
should have been allowed. Not when there's a possibility -- and certainly not just weeks before I take over, why would they do that without asking me
what I thought?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Let's get more then from that press conference. Alayna Treene is in West Palm Beach with more. And, Alayna,
good to see you. He covered -- certainly covered a lot of ground as we just outlined there. Talk to us though what we said regarding vaccines. Because
he says he's a big believer in polo vaccines but not a fan of mandates here. Just elaborate on that.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right. And I think when he was talking about mandates, he was specifically referring to the vaccine mandates that
they saw following the Corona virus pandemics. And he wasn't a big fan of that. But then he did talk about the polio vaccines. That wasn't the
specific question that was brought to him, but he said that he knew people in the past who particularly had polio and that once they had those
vaccines that they -- you know, the problem was not -- no longer that widespread in this country.
But I think the reason that the vaccine answer is so critical is because it comes really as RFK Jr. is kicking off meetings starting today with key
senators on Capitol Hill. And one of the big questions and a lot of the skepticism I know around RFK Jr. and his nomination is around his views on
vaccines and whether or not he believes that, you know, vaccines are as effective as past medical experts and others have said that they were. So,
that was a key thing.
I think one also very interesting moment that Donald Trump brought up is that he said, and he reiterated this earlier -- or actually last month in
an interview with Time Magazine, that he believes that RFK Jr. should be able to look into and study whether there is a correlation between rising
cases of autism in the United States and vaccines.
And I do want to be clear. Every study that has been done has been debunked repeatedly on the idea that vaccines are leading to a spike in autism.
However, Donald Trump said that he believes that that needs to be studied.
I think overall, though, just to take a step back, you know, what Donald Trump will allow RFK Jr. to do in the role as HHS secretary, the leader of
the Health and Human Services Department, and what he will do with vaccines is a big question for many people, and again, one -- going to be one of the
biggest questions that senators face as they weigh whether to confirm him.
Donald Trump has said that he has an openness to allow RFK Jr, again, to look into these things. But he also argued today during that press
conference, that he believes RFK Jr. is going to be far less radical in those beliefs than he has been before. So, that's definitely something to
keep an eye on.
And I do want to address as well, Isa, what you touched on, which is as, you know, Donald Trump's comments as it relates to the war between Russia
and Ukraine. A big moment when he said -- was when he said that he actually thinks that war, not the war in the Middle East, is going to be the one
that is more difficult to end.
We know that Donald Trump in the past has vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine on his first day in office. He has yet to offer any sort
of specifics or details for how he would do that. But his stance, particularly the one, you know, his anger toward allowing U.S.-made
missiles to be launched deeper into Russia is something to be keeping an eye on. He's has said repeatedly that he wants to meet directly with Putin,
whether that's via in a phone call or in person is very much unclear, but he believes that he will be able to usher in a quicker end to that war than
the Biden administration has been so far. Isa.
SOARES: Yes. And he also said allowing those U.S.-made weapons to be used inside Russian territory was a bad idea. So, we know where he stands on
that. Alayna, really appreciate you going through all of that with that beeping behind you. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Alayna Treene there
for us.
And still to come tonight, in the wake of a new era for Syria, its rulers are on a mission to gain international legitimacy. Details ahead on who is
speaking with a new government and what it means next.
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[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back everyone. Syria's new rulers are pushing for international legitimacy and they've been seen -- they've seen some
success. A top E.U. diplomat has been tasked to go to the capital Damascus to contact the new interim government. This comes after the U.S. and the
U.K. established contact with the rebel coalition, even though they both consider the Islamic HDS group a terrorist organization.
Let's get more on this story. Our diplomat -- international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, joins me now from London. Nic, just talk us through
then, because we've had -- we've seen so much change just in the past few weeks out of Syria, but now, we're starting to see governments, western
governments, the U.S., Europe of the U.N. even engaging with HTS. What will they be looking for? Because Kaja Kallas, the E.U. foreign chief was saying
earlier, you know, it's not just words, it's deeds we want to see.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, in a transition to an inclusive government. You know, HTS would point to their experience
in their enclave in the north of the country, in Idlib, where they sort of were treated all different groups within the community, you know, religious
background, ethnic background, treated them -- treated minorities fairly. And this, in essence, is what the International Community is looking for.
But it's a two-way balance here because obviously HTS is in dire need to rebuild their country, the physical destruction. But also, they -- they're
now running it with the interim government. People are going to look to them to make sure there's enough food in the markets. They are looking to
the U.N. and others to provide that support. So, there's a balance here.
So, the messaging from these lower level diplomats, and perhaps it's unfair to call the U.N.'s representative Syria lower level diplomat, but the E.U.
you'll notice have sent a senior diplomat, but not a foreign minister.
SOARES: Yes.
ROBERTSON: Because there still is a prescribed organization, but they are signposting for this new interim leadership in Syria What you're going to
have to do to get the support that you want and that is transition, interim, inclusive government.
SOARES: Let's hear from one of those foreign ministers, David Lammy, U.K. foreign minister. Have a listen to what he said. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LAMMY, BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: HTS remains a prescribed organization, but we can have diplomatic contact. And so, we do have
diplomatic contact, as you would expect. We want to see a representative government, an inclusive government. We want to see chemical weapons
stockpiles secured and not used. And we want to ensure that there is not continuing violence.
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And so, for all of those reasons, using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic, and of course intelligence led
channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And I'm guessing sanctions then won't be lifted, any sort of sanctions, until those assurances have been met.
ROBERTSON: And there have -- yes. And I think there's another one there that you would hear more strongly from U.S. officials, and that is the
issue of ISIS, which are in the northeast of Syria, in an area that the U.S. is backing one of the factions there, or one of the groups there. A
large area of the country, and it's not insignificant grouping that the U.S. is backing.
You know, just today, they struck and killed through airstrikes 12 ISIS members. United States is very concerned, and David Lammy will be as well,
about the possibility that ISIS uses this moment. And so, it's a message for HTS.
So, in this inclusive government, you've not got to fight amongst yourselves. And we've seen elements of that in the northeast of Syria,
where the SDF, who are the guards and running the prison camps where ISIS - - many ISIS members are being held, have come under attack from other groups. So, you -- I think part of the message is that as well, do not
breakdown into internal fighting because that's -- that will be against our interests and therefore, against your own.
SOARES: I mean, you're just talking about really some of the pressures, of course, within Syrians and within some groups of Russian military, Turkey-
backed forces, Syrian rebels, but we have seen as well regionally some regional players getting involved in terms of helping, in the Qatari
opening -- is opening, I think, an embassy in Syria. What role did they play in trying to strengthen or assure the rest of the world over what's
happening with HTS here?
ROBERTSON: And I think we heard from the -- you know, from the Saudis were obviously big player in the region as well during last week that they look
upon what HTS has done so far, not in a negative light. Obviously, they have real concerns about their terrorist background. But how will they play
a role? Because I think most people, particularly Europeans, will look to - - and the United States will look to those closer neighbors to provide some of that more immediate humanitarian support that Syrians are going to need.
Because if Syrians leave, some of them will flow perhaps into Jordan. They will perhaps flow -- try to flow towards Turkey. That's not happening at
the moment, but that would be the concern if there's a breakdown again. So, I think those Gulf countries, they're going to be the ones that have will
be seen as having the deeper, more immediate pockets to support.
SOARES: Nic, as always, appreciate it. Thank you very much. And two key regional powers are condemning Israel's plan to expand settlements in the
occupied Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to double the Israeli population of the territory captured from Syria in 1967 and
later annexed. Qatar calls the plan a blatant violation of international law, and Saudi Arabia says it would derail Syria's chances of restoring
security and stability after rebels ousted the Assad regime.
But Mr. Netanyahu is undeterred. He says he had a very warm and very important phone call with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump over the
weekend, discussing Israel's position on Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): A year ago, I said a simple thing, we will change the Middle East, and indeed, we
are changing it. Syria is not the same Syria. Lebanon is not the same Lebanon. Gaza is not the same Gaza. And the head of the axis, Iran, is not
the same Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, the U.S. drone mystery continues with six states now involved. We'll bring you the very latest after this.
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SOARES: A source tells CNN the U.S. House Intelligence Committee is expecting to receive a classified briefing on Tuesday on those mysterious
drone sightings. Pressure is growing on federal officials to provide answers about who's behind them all. Have a look at your screen. There were
more drones spotted over the weekend with reports now emerging in Ohio on top of that five other states.
A few hours ago, President-Elect Donald Trump addressed the issue. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: The government knows what is happening. Look, our military knows where they took off from. If it's a
garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went. And for some reason, they don't want to comment. And I
think they'd be better off saying what it is. Our military knows and our president knows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: The U.S. Homeland Security chief said there is no evidence of foreign involvement and that some of the drones may be manned aircraft that
are commonly mistaken for drones. Our Polo Sandoval joins me with more.
Polo, I mean, some of these sightings that we've been seeing are now happening in military bases, in airports, but look, we're still very short
of answers, right? What more are you being told at this hour?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it is incredible, really, when you think about it, the first original sightings that were reported, he said,
those were four weeks ago today. So, here we are a month later, and still very few answers, according to so many critics on the ground, especially in
New Jersey, where this all started.
Now, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, insist that they do not pose any sort of threat. But we're also, what's interesting, hearing some
of that criticism coming from both sides of the political aisle, specifically today, we heard from Senator Richard Blumenthal, who
represents Connecticut, one of the states where some of these drones have been sighted, and he is deeply concerned that the federal government has
not offered a full brief to the American public in terms of what they believe may be responsible.
And it was his conclusion that, at this point, there's still those lingering questions that remain. Is it that the government does not know
where these are coming from, or they do and they just simply do not want to share? And so, that's certainly concerning here.
Now, in terms of what we do know, is that, again, they assure the public that they believe that a majority of these are actually simply airplanes
conducting regular travel. But we also heard this past weekend from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, one of the agencies
that's leading the way in this investigation here, and say that they -- he did unequivocally say, that some of these sightings are, in fact, drones,
but he stopped short of saying where they may actually be coming from.
So, here we are, Isa, a month later today, and still that unanswered question hovers over residents of New Jersey and at least five other states
in the U.S.
SOARES: And, you know, we played, Polo, that little clip there from President-Elect Trump, said that for some reason government officials
aren't sharing details about these drones. I mean, what has been the response to that comment? What is the FBI, Department of Homeland Security,
what are they saying about those comments from president-elect?
SANDOVAL: Yes, it was so important to actually hear from the president- elect today, as it was really the first time that he addressed this drone mystery. What's interesting, though, is he did not -- he was asked if he
has been previously briefed by federal authorities about this ongoing probe, and he said he did not want to comment when it comes to that. He
did, however, say that he was confident that it was not sort of -- a sort of foreign actor.
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You'll recall it was just last week, we had an elected member of Congress here offer a theory without proof that it may have been some sort of
Iranian mothership off the eastern coast. That was a claim that was quickly denied by the Pentagon. So, I think that was also important to hear from
the president-elect say that it is likely not anything of foreign involvement. And he believes, though he didn't elaborate why, that the
current administration is aware exactly who or what may be responsible.
SOARES: Paolo Sandoval, I know you'll stay across this mystery. Thank you very much, Paolo. Appreciate it.
SANDOVAL: Thank you.
SOARES: An alleged Chinese spy who is banned from the U.K. and has links to Prince Andrew has been named by a British judge. The man, Yang Tengbo,
was publicly identified after a judge ruled his anonymity should be removed. Yang was authorized to act on Prince Andrew's behalf during
business meetings with potential Chinese investors in the U.K. He was also invited to Andrew's 60th birthday party in 2020. Yang said in a statement
he had done nothing wrong or unlawful and that the widespread description of him as a spy is entirely untrue.
Possible poisoning sent at least seven people to the hospital on Saturday after they drank cocktails at a high-end resort in Fiji. The Pacific Island
Nations Health Ministry says the tourists range in age from 18 to 56 and suffered from nausea, vomiting, and neurological symptoms. This incident
comes weeks after six tourists in Laos died from methanol poisoning after drinking at a bar. Officials in Fiji say it's too soon to know if methanol
was to blame for the illnesses there.
And still to come right here on the show, we'll bring you the details on the winner of year's Cass Prize advocating for more accessible art. That
story just ahead.
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SOARES: One of India's most accomplished classical musicians has died at the age of 73.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
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SOARES: Zakir Hussain defied genres and introduced tabla to global audiences. As you can see, the tabla is a pair of hand drums that are the
main percussion instrument in Indian classical music. In 2024, Hussain became the first musician from India to win three Grammy Awards in the same
year. His career spanned six decades.
[14:55:00]
Blind artist Ruqaiya Asim is the winner of this year's Cass Art Prize. Haseem won the People's Choice Award for this installation, you can see
there in London, honoring her guide dog, Bertie. She uses her craft to raise awareness for disabilities and advocate for more accessible art.
Her winning piece uses prints of Bertie's paws and traces the shape of his harness. Asim encouraged sighted people who can't read braille to touch the
black braille square at the center of her design to experience the inaccessibility of art that she and others in the disabled community face
often feel.
And finally, a newly approved skyscraper here in London will soon reach new heights, or rather share the crown as the city's tallest building. It will
have exactly the same height as The Shard, currently the tallest tower, not only in London, but in Western Europe. You can see it there in the
background. The new tower in the middle, called 1Undershaft, will join The Shard standing at almost 310 meters. That's more than 1,000 feet tall.
And that does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. Newsroom with Jim Sciutto is up next. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful day. Bye-
bye.
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