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New Orleans Attack Scene Cleared, Investigation Ongoing; U.S. Officials Warning of "Lone Wolf" Attacks; Palestinian Babies Freezing to Death in Gaza; Alleged Las Vegas Vehicle Bomber is Active Duty U.S. Soldier; New Orleans Hosting Sugar Bowl Today; Notre Dame Coach Reactions to Terror Attack; Mike Johnson Battles to Keep Speakership; Justin Baldoni Sues "The New York Times" over Blake Lively Reporting. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired January 02, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Well, the time is 7:00 in the evening. Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson here in

Abu Dhabi.

A terror attack leaves New Orleans reeling. What we are learning from the FBI investigation into the attack and its victims.

And in Las Vegas, a Tesla Cybertruck explosion raises questions about possible links to the New Orleans attack.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the fight for the Speaker of the House heats up just a day away from the election.

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ANDERSON: Well, federal investigators have cleared the scene of what was the horrific attack in New Orleans that left at least 15 people dead. They

have allowed sanitation crews to start cleaning up the area so they can be reopened to the public.

But the investigation very much ongoing. The FBI identified the attacker as a Texas man and army veteran. They do not believe he was, quote, "solely

responsible." Shamsud-din Jabbar, who was killed in a firefight with officers, had an ISIS flag and potential explosive devices in his truck

when he plowed into a crowd celebrating the new year.

Well, CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, joins us now with more on the investigation.

And, John, if you will, just walk us through what investigators will be looking at right now.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, Becky, today they're concentrating on a couple of important questions,

which is, in New Orleans, was he acting alone or were there accomplices?

If so, can they identify those accomplices?

Can they get them into custody?

If so, are those accomplices perhaps working on another operation or trying to flee?

So that is a key focus. That focus could be helped by the search warrants they executed yesterday and continue to go through today, where they've

looked at an Airbnb, where they believe the New Orleans attacker may have stayed and where those explosive devices might have been prepared.

So very much kind of focused on: he's dead; they've got a good background on him.

But who else might have been involved?

ANDERSON: And the FBI, of course, appealing to the general public for information about the attacker and any indications or any interactions that

they may have had with him.

How effective is that in an investigation like this?

MILLER: You know, Becky, it can be really effective in that we have learned -- and we saw this again in the recent assassination that was

carried out against the head of United Health Care in New York City, where you have ways to investigate this stuff and you can take all the time you

need.

But oftentimes crowdsourcing it, going out to the public and saying, "Here's the haystack, this is the needle were looking for, who has seen

it?" has been really effective.

ANDERSON: Yes. No, you make a very good point.

So, how does the FBI, how quickly does the FBI want to nail whether or not there were clues missed at this point?

MILLER: They're going to want to get to that very quickly. But this is not appearing right now to be an individual. And this is a very common thing,

Becky, where they look at their radar and they're like, this person has been a blip on the radar three times.

This does not appear to be one of those cases at this point. Now they'll keep digging.

But the idea that here's an individual with no real criminal record; he's got a drunk driving arrest that was actually apparently on an Army base

while he was in the service back in 2015, an individual who is suffering from financial setbacks with his businesses, a bitter divorce and

estrangement from his family.

Mounting debts, whose life was kind of coming apart, he is not really far from almost the ideal profile for what ISIS looks for when they push

propaganda to people.

[10:05:04]

Saying, you know, this is the way to rewrite your life story and become, you know, a hero, by our measure, by killing people for, you know, a larger

cause.

ANDERSON: It's just after 10:00 on the East Coast. Good to have you, John, out in New York with us today. Thank you.

U.S. President Joe Biden is promising the federal government's full support to the people of New Orleans. He says he is mourning with the city and will

do everything possible to support the investigation. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I directed my team to make sure every resource -- every resource -- is made available to federal,

state and local law enforcement to complete the investigation in New Orleans quickly and to make sure there is no remaining threat to the

American people.

The law enforcement and intelligence community are continuing to look for any connections, associations or co-conspirators. We have nothing

additional to report at this time. The investigation is continuing to be active and no one should jump to conclusions.

The FBI also reported to me that, mere hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media, indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing

a desire to kill, a desire to kill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, that's the U.S. president-elect -- sorry, no, it's not. It's the U.S. President, of course.

The U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump, released a statement.

It read in part, quote, "Our hearts are with all the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police

Department. The Trump administration will fully support the city of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil."

And this, of course, will be the U.S. president less than three weeks from now.

A key question in the New Orleans investigation involves the attackers' possible ties then to ISIS. An ISIS flag was found in his truck. And

authorities say he claimed to have joined the terror group.

The FBI also doubts he was solely responsible for the attack. Top American intelligence officials have warned for months about possible lone wolf

attacks in the U.S. and they've expressed specific concerns about the branch of ISIS based in Afghanistan known as ISIS-K.

Let's do a little, deeper dive into this on the role that ISIS may have played in all of this. CNN's Nic Robertson has been looking into that.

What have you found, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, there's no ISIS claim so far. And it's not uncommon for people to try to flag an attack and claim it

for ISIS, even though they may not have actually made connection with anyone significant in ISIS. They may simply be motivated by the ISIS

ideology, turn to it in a time of personal crisis.

So there's a lot about this that we're learning that fits a sort of a previous pattern. You know, I think a lot of people thought that, when the

U.S. and coalition partners defeated, apparently, ISIS' caliphate in Syria -- and it had been in Iraq; they defeated it from there.

And then in Syria about five years ago, that that might be it. But take the situation in Afghanistan, when U.S. forces were pulling out; 13 Marines

there killed by ISIS-K.

And what we're hearing, not just from U.S. counterterrorism officials but from Europeans as well, the head of Britain's MI-5 intelligence agency, Ken

McCallum, back in October said that his intelligence service was directing about a third of its resources to international terrorism.

And he said back then very clearly that he thought ISIS was trying to resurge and push its terrorist brand and push its attacks. And that's what

we've witnessed by people inspired by them.

Whether it's been on European streets or in Africa or in Afghanistan -- on the continent of Africa, that is -- or in Afghanistan or in many other

places, that uptick in activity by ISIS is really there.

Now the question is, in spite, was he -- was this attacker in New Orleans inspired, motivated, pushed, driven?

That's a very important question. But the ideology and the pervasiveness of ISIS' message that, because they're having more attacks, that is bigger out

there and that's that huge concern for intelligence officials.

ANDERSON: And talking about intelligence officials, we've said that they've been talking about their concerns about lone wolf attacks and ISIS

in Afghanistan.

Very specifically and briefly, what's the connection there, though?

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ROBERTSON: They talk about lone wolf attacks because everyone remembers the Al Qaeda attacks, September the 11th, 2001 -- carefully plotted,

coordinated, lots of communication that was overlooked.

It's become much harder for terrorist organizations over the past 15 years to try to perpetrate that kind of attack. So they do lone wolf type

attacks, which are easier to do because no one sees you coming.

Attacking with a vehicle is something that both ISIS and Al Qaeda have been pushing their supporters to do for 1.5 decades now. Go fast in a pedestrian

area. And we've seen that, time after time. We've seen it on the streets of Barcelona, on the streets of Berlin, you know, on French streets in Paris,

for example; in Nice, in many other locations.

So the lone wolf is that individual who, rather than group together with co-conspirators, will go out and do something that is much harder to stop.

And the vehicle is a much easier weapon to turn to than explosives.

However, it does appear that the attacker in New Orleans was building some kind of crude homemade devices, IEDs, pipe bombs of some description. We're

yet to learn more about those. That would also fit the ISIS sort of M.O. and propaganda, if you will.

But the idea that that someone can work alone, from an ISIS perspective, it's they're less likely to be caught. But interestingly, we're hearing

from U.S. officials that he wasn't working alone. This wasn't perpetrated by him alone, which, of course, raises the question of what communications,

therefore, might have been missed.

ANDERSON: Nic Robertson is on the story for us. Nic, thank you. Keep digging.

To Vegas now where the FBI is working to determine whether the Tesla Cybertruck explosion earlier today is possibly connected to the New Orleans

attack.

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ANDERSON: Here's the moment police say fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel were detonated in the bed of this vehicle. The FBI also trying to

figure out whether it was an act of terrorism. Local police spoke to the glaring possibility of a connection between Trump Tower and the car

produced by Elon Musk's company.

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SHERIFF KEVIN MCMAHILL, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, I mean, it's a Tesla truck. And we know that Elon Musk is working with

president-elect Trump and it's the Trump Tower. So there's obviously things to be concerned about there. And that's something we continue to look at.

The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet, because it had most of the blast go up through the

truck and out. In fact, if you look on that video, you'll see that the front glass doors at the Trump Hotel were not even broken by that blast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: CNN's Veronica Miracle has more details on the investigation for you.

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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Our John Miller is telling us he has spoken to multiple law enforcement officials who say that the driver of the

Cybertruck has a military background.

Now law enforcement officials say they know the name of this driver who died in the explosion but they are not going to be releasing the identity

of that driver until they have notified the next of kin.

We understand that this driver was in Las Vegas for about an hour driving around the Strip before pulling up to Trump Tower before that explosion

happened. And authorities say the driver rented the Cybertruck in Colorado via the Turo app before driving down to Las Vegas.

Video released by law enforcement shows explosives that were contained inside the truck, which included fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel. And

all of that was connected to a detonation system that was controlled by the driver.

And the sheriff pointed out, which is really incredible, how the Cybertruck actually contained the explosion. The way that it was built forced the

explosion to go upwards instead of outwards, which meant that the glass from Trump Tower was not broken.

And seven people nearby were injured but with minor injuries. All of them are OK. They've all been released from the hospital. The driver did die.

And Las Vegas police believe that this was an isolated incident. They are not yet willing to say if this was, in fact, connected to what happened in

New Orleans. But it is quite unusual that both the drivers in this -- in these incidents rented their cars from Turo.

And we do have a statement from Turo and they said they are cooperating with these investigations. But they also said that neither of the drivers

had criminal backgrounds, which would have flagged them as security threats.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, still ahead, from airstrikes to heavy rainfall.

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Palestinians endure multiple threats from above. A look at what is the harrowing winter that they face.

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ANDERSON: Well, in Gaza, several Palestinians have died in recent days due to cold temperatures. These temperatures are as low as 10 degrees Celsius.

Among the dead are at least five kids.

Now the winter cold is adding to the misery in Gaza, where Israeli strikes have reportedly killed more than 30 Palestinians since the new year began.

Earlier in Khan Yunis, officials say an Israeli strike on a tent encampment killed at least 11 people, including members of the Gaza police. Now CNN

has reached out to the Israeli military for comment and nothing yet. CNN's Paula Hancocks following developments from Jerusalem and joins us now.

And what do we know about this strike on Khan Yunis today?

Have we heard from the IDF on any further detail?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, the Israeli military says that they did target the head of what they called Hamas' internal security

forces in Al-Mawasi, the so-called humanitarian zone near Khan Yunis, saying that he had been -- he had been planning attacks and intelligence

against IDF forces.

We heard from the Palestinian side that it was the Gaza head of -- head of police and Hamas saying that that makes law and order even more tricky when

it comes to aid distribution, something we have heard from humanitarian groups as well.

Now when it comes to the situation inside Gaza, at this point, it is particularly dire. Obviously, going into a second winter in Gaza for this

during this war. But, of course, the situation far worse for many people 12 months on.

We did have some dreadful weather, some storms, torrential rain earlier in the week. And the cold itself is proving deadly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): "I did everything I could, my son, I swear I did."

A father seeks forgiveness from his 20-day-old baby. Juma froze to death in a tent in Gaza. His twin, Ali, is fighting for his life in intensive care.

His father says, "I came from the north, from Beit Lahiya, because of the Israeli bombing, only to come here and watch them die from cold and

hunger."

Juma is one of at least five babies to have died from hypothermia in Gaza in recent days. As funeral prayers are recited above two tiny bodies,

children look on, trauma buried in eyes that have seen almost 15 months of horror.

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Ali is fighting sepsis. His doctor says he is in critical condition.

"They live in a tent," the doctor says. "In this freezing winter weather, even adults suffer from the cold. So imagine the severe threat to young

children."

Juma's mother folds up clothes he will never again wear. She shows a heating device given by a U.N. agency the day before he died. She never had

the chance to wrap him in it. Since Juma's death, conditions in Gaza have only worsened. Storms and torrential rain making surviving in makeshift

tents almost impossible.

This man from Jabalya camp stands outside his flooded tent. He says it collapsed under the weight of the rain. His family's bedding is soaked. As

children walk by, he says, more water comes in. This barefooted boy tries to dig a mud defense for his family's tent.

But the sheer volume of water makes most barricades worthless. Despite the heavy rains transforming streets into rivers, drinking water remains

scarce, causing chaos at the stations when the water trucks arrive. Some try to see the fun side of the rain, shoeless children running between the

water-logged tents.

But the misery is acute. This newborn baby, Sala Mahmud Al Fazi (ph), froze to death on Christmas Day. The cruel irony: she died in a tent in Al-

Mawasi, an area Israel has designated a humanitarian zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: So we hear that at least five babies have died from hypothermia at this point. A 2-year old has also lost their life. Children obviously

more at risk from the cold. But the health ministry says that they have also found a nurse who died inside a tent because of the cold.

Now the United Nations has called on Israel to allow more winter supplies in. They say that they have blankets and mattresses and winter clothing

that is waiting to be approved and allowed into Gaza.

Now Israel, for its part, says that almost 1,300 humanitarian aid trucks were allowed in last week. But compare that to almost 500 a day on average

that were coming in before this war started.

So the United Nations, humanitarian aid groups are calling for more of these winter supplies to be allowed in. The U.N. saying itself that that

there will likely be more loss of life when it comes to babies and children in the coming days -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

All right. Let's take a very short break. Vehicles have become more common as a choice of weapon in terror attacks. We're going to take a look at the

reasons why after this.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're with me, Becky Anderson, watching CONNECT THE WORLD at 7:25 in the UAE here in Abu Dhabi.

Well, let's get you back to the New Orleans attack with a truck used as a deadly weapon. CNN's Brian Todd reports using vehicles in terror attacks

has become more common in recent years. A warning: some of the video that you are about to see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One witness to the New Orleans attack says she can't unhear the screams of the victims.

STRICKLIN: I remember the screeching and him gunning the car and the impact and the screams, like I said, the screams of those girls. I mean, I

don't know that I'll be able to forget that.

TODD (voice-over): The kind of horror that many cities have experienced in recent years when attackers turned vehicles into weapons.

Just a few days before this Christmas, a car slams into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing at least five people, injuring more than

200. The suspect, a doctor originally from Saudi Arabia, who had expressed anti-Muslim far right views.

Like Magdeburg and New Orleans, other cities have experienced horrific vehicle attacks during holidays.

November 2021, a suspect with a long criminal history drives an SUV through the annual Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six, injuring

more than 60.

Berlin, December 2016, a tractor trailer rams into a crowd at a bustling Christmas market, killing at least 12 people, injuring dozens of others.

The suspect, a rejected asylum seeker, was later killed in a shootout with police in Italy.

And the deadliest vehicle attack ever, July 14th, 2016, Bastille Day in Nice, France. A Tunisian-born French resident drives a 20-ton truck nearly

a mile through a crowded seaside promenade; 86 people killed, more than 200 others wounded. ISIS claimed responsibility.

Why do these vehicle attacks often seem more deadly than other tactics?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: A vehicle attack doesn't require any special training. You just rent a vehicle, buy a vehicle and

use it as a weapon.

Secondly, just like school shooters look at Columbine or other famous school shootings and kind of obsess about them, terrorists examine other

terrorists and they say, well, what worked?

Clearly, vehicle rammings work.

TODD (voice-over): October 2017, an Islamic extremist from Uzbekistan jumps a curb in a rental truck in Manhattan, drives down a bicycle path

along the West Side Highway and kills eight people. Authorities found a note near the truck, claiming the attack was in the name of ISIS.

A couple of months earlier, a domestic extremist, a white nationalist, slammed his vehicle into a crowd of counter protesters at the Unite the

Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one woman and injuring almost 20 others.

Analyst Peter Bergen says, vehicle attacks, with their blood-curdling optics, have a distinct psychological impact.

BERGEN: Certainly, there is a short-term effect, where it terrorizes people. People are worried about going out in places where there are a lot

of people gathered.

TODD: Security analysts say one somewhat common characteristic of these vehicle attacks is that many of them have taken place in cities, where

tourism is a key part of the local economy.

One official with the New Orleans Tourism Association says it's too early to tell what effect this attack will have on tourism in that city, which

was still trying to recover from tourism declines stemming from the COVID pandemic and even from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 -- Brian Todd, CNN,

Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, of course, in Vegas, a Tesla Cybertruck at the center of an attack, an explosion there. Obviously, the investigation going in as to

how that happened, who was involved.

Natasha Chen is in Las Vegas. She joins us now.

And as I understand it, CNN learning more information about who at least was behind the rental of that Cybertruck -- Natasha.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, the man connected to the rental of that Tesla Cybertruck is was a U.S. Special Forces soldier,

assigned to 10th Special Forces Group, according to four U.S. officials, who told our colleague, Haley Britzky.

The man is a Special Forces Operation sergeant, holding the rank of master sergeant, a senior enlisted rank.

[10:30:00]

Three officials said he was active duty and serving in Germany and on leave when this explosion happened on New Year's Day. He still has not been

identified publicly and authorities are still working to determine whether this was a terrorist act.

Now he -- the person inside the Cybertruck died at the explosion yesterday just behind us here at the Trump International Hotel. And this truck was

rented from Colorado. And authorities could see that it was driven here to Las Vegas, that the driver had gone up and down the Las Vegas Strip, which

we are just off of right now here.

And about an hour before the explosion, the driver had passed the Trump hotel as well. But the actual explosion, the damage was very limited,

police say, because of the construction of the Cybertruck body.

They say that, because of that, the explosion was pretty limited and that the front glass of the hotel was not even damaged. Right now, the hotel

operations, guest operations are all normal. People can pull into this valet area and check in if they want to, though we do still see police

presence here behind us -- Becky.

ANDERSON: So just to confirm, we are talking about a man connected to the rental of the vehicle that exploded in Vegas is an active duty U.S.

soldier. What we don't know is whether that same man was in that Tesla Cybertruck when it exploded.

Correct?

CHEN: I believe that is what our colleague at the Pentagon is reporting, just, you know, based on records of the rental at the moment. They're still

working on identifying the driver publicly.

And, of course, the driver was killed when the explosion happened. The vehicle was here for most of the day yesterday, only removed from the scene

very late last night.

ANDERSON: Yes. Got it. It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Look, that's the very latest that we have then, both on the attack in New Orleans New Year's Day morning early. And indeed this in Vegas. CNN senior

security analyst Juliette Kayyem joining us now live.

Before we spoke to Natasha, we heard from Brian about how tourist destinations are often targeted by the sort of attack, certainly, that we

saw in New Orleans, the use of a vehicle as a weapon, if not what we've seen in Vegas.

And, of course, that these attacks have a unique psychological impact. And just talk to us further about that and what sort of response society might

have in the aftermath of an attack like that in New Orleans.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. So I mean, part of it is just the narrative of the city. Remember, New Orleans, over 20 years

ago, was dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

And over the last couple of decades has really tried quite successfully by being a host city to major events like New Year's Eve, like Jazzfest and,

of course, several Super Bowls and other major sporting events, to come back as a city that's alive, right?

The city that was not -- is no longer drowning. And it's been very successful. That breeds economic but as well as sort of, you know, sort of

spiritual meaning for the city. Bourbon Street is the center of that.

And this is true for many cities. When you think about Paris or Nice or Berlin or where -- or New York, where we've seen these incidents happen.

Vehicular traffic is also part of the city experience. You cannot separate, in most instances, sort of transportation.

The city is why people love being in cities. And so that combination of those two things becomes a powerful means by which terrorists reflect not,

you know, not just kill but reflect on the city.

ANDERSON: So Juliette, this suspect in New Orleans was a U.S. citizen, is thought to have been either inspired or directed by ISIS and this person

may have been radicalized, of course, online.

Just how big a priority these days is the effort to work on, you know, the effort to find those who might be being radicalized?

I mean, given that we are so far on now from 9/11, should there be -- should there be more effort at this point?

[10:35:00]

KAYYEM: I believe so. I think what you see is that these terror threats for any nation are never changing, right?

So you had this sort of post 9/11 U.S. focus on foreign terrorism. By, you know, 2016, 2017, we then see the rise of right wing extremism and

violence, which had been the focus of the FBI here, even though there have been continuing hints and concerns about continuing sort of foreign

influence.

But the point you make in the question is which is the difference between ISIS planned or directed. Say, Paris with the concerts and over 100 dead

versus ISIS inspired, in which someone is -- has lots of issues going on.

I'm not defending them but just, you know, we're understanding there was a divorce, financial issues, a radicalization that was focused in many

different areas. And then comes upon ISIS to give meaning to his violence.

And that's essentially what happened. Very hard to stop. It's a very short radicalization process. This is not the terrorism, what were used to, in

which there's training and people, you know, go to Syria or go to Afghanistan to get trained. This is happening in the United States, in the

military, as we've seen.

ANDERSON: Yes, yes. And what authorities will be concerned about, of course, is that that is very hard to identify, if this is just sort of

inspired by a guy who clearly had a military background, a significant military background, and what sort of copycat there might be on that going

forward. That must be very hard to identify.

KAYYEM: I think it is. And so that's why you're seeing this focus on defensive measures in all these cities. And you're seeing different

approaches. And that is why New Orleans is going to have to have an honest accounting of what happened on Bourbon Street.

In 2016, after the Nice and Berlin attacks using cars, they put up a very protective system for Bourbon Street. We are now -- our understanding is

from our reporting is that that was being upgraded in anticipation, of course, of the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks.

That upgrade wasn't done. The police determined there would be alternative measures. Those clearly were not successful. And we have to determine why

they weren't successful.

The other issue is, of course, any build up to an event like New Year's Eve is going to have to have a drawdown. Right?

And so this attack happened at 3 am. It did not happen at midnight.

Were safety procedures lessened over the hours?

That would be natural that then someone determined to kill a lot of people took advantage of other cities, keep up their security apparatus on New

Year's Eve until 6 or 7 in the morning, until crowds really do dissipate.

And New Orleans has to be very transparent on this, because it's clear that the security that they used since -- you know, it didn't work.

And since you cannot stop all of these people who might be radicalized online, who might find meaning right through mass killing, that, that we

have to get very strong in our defenses for these high-profile, high- density events.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Well, the attack led officials to postpone the college football quarterfinal playoff game between Notre Dame and Georgia, now set for later

today. That's called the Sugar Bowl.

The attack happening in the popular French Quarter not far, not far away. In fact, less than a mile from the Superdome, the sports arena where the

two teams were set to face off.

The CEO of the annual Sugar Bowl game said it was postponed 24 hours for public safety reasons. The head coach for Notre Dame football expressed his

condolences to the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCUS FREEMAN, HEAD COACH, NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL: First off, I'd like to say we're hurting for all those affected by this tragedy. The City of New

Orleans has welcomed us with open arms and we joined them in prayers for all those victims and families that are affected by this tragedy.

We got together this morning as a team. And, you know, before I got downstairs, I had gotten a phone call that there was an incident, obviously

some type of tragedy that happened in the middle of the night. And I didn't really have the details. And so we were preparing this morning to play a

game this evening.

And then after our break, when we got the news and we learned of the severity of the, the tragedies that happened, you know, we had to get back

together as a team. I think a lot of people would start to hear that the game would be postponed. But we had to get back together and discuss what

had happened.

[10:40:02]

And so, you know, what I told the team is, you know, in the toughest moments, the culture of any program, of a nation, is revealed. And I have a

lot of faith this country will rally around New Orleans and support all the victims and families that were affected today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, some Notre Dame supporters and alumni gathered by a nearby hotel to pray for those killed in the attack. CNN's Andy Scholes has more

now on the plans for the rescheduled event.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, officials in New Orleans say they have moved the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame to Thursday out of

an abundance of caution due to the terrorist attack early Wednesday morning.

The superintendent of New Orleans police says they will have heightened security in the area and bomb dogs will continue to sweep the Superdome and

the exterior through the game. Now officials insist it will be safe to play the game.

And here was Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley on the decision to postpone.

JEFF HUNDLEY, CEO, SUGAR BOWL: We have been in consultation with ESPN, with the College Football Playoff, with the Southeastern Conference, with

the University of Georgia, with Notre Dame, all parties -- and all agree that it's in the best interest of everybody in public safety that we

postpone the game.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): I think the mayor and the governor are very wise to postpone this ballgame. There's just too much stuff we don't know and

it's just not worth it.

SCHOLES: Now the Super Bowl is set to be played in New Orleans on February 9. The NFL -- they released a statement on Wednesday saying that they were

deeply saddened by what happened.

And added, "The NFL and the local host committee have been working collaboratively with local, state and federal agencies the past two years

and have developed comprehensive security plans.

"These planning sessions will continue as they do with all major NFL events and we are confident attendees will have a safe and enjoyable Super Bowl

experience."

Now it will be interesting to see what Super Bowl week in New Orleans is like because just hours ago the air in New Orleans -- it was filled with

joy and anticipation for the Sugar Bowl and now it's tragedy, uncertainty and the overriding issue of safety hovering over the city.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Yes.

Well, meanwhile, the head coach of the city's NFL team says New Orleans Saints will be there for the community in the aftermath of the attack.

Darren Rizzi says the people of New Orleans are resilient and have been through difficult times before.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARREN RIZZI, HEAD COACH, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: This entire community has our entire organization behind them, 100 percent. Our players, our coaches,

our staff and everybody with this organization is 100 percent here for this community.

It's something that, when I pulled in this morning to the parking lot and I got the alert on my phone that it happened, the first thing I was doing was

checking where my children were.

And there's some people that woke up this morning and unfortunately lost loved ones that were victims of these attacks; lost sons, lost daughters,

lost brothers, lost sisters. And so certainly not a way to start the new year.

But it certainly puts things in perspective. And once again, my thoughts and prayers are with all those victims and their families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Yes, well, the Saints are set to play their final game of the NFL season on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florida.

Well, the U.S. House Speaker election just a day away. And Mike Johnson is in a tough battle to keep his gavel. We'll take a look at what to expect as

Congress gets back in session.

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[10:45:00]

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ANDERSON: Well, we are tracking developments from an apparent driveby shooting in Queens in New York for you. At least 10 people there were hurt.

It happened outside the Amazura music venue in the neighborhood of Jamaica late on New Year's Day.

CNN affiliate WABC-TV reports there was a private event being held to celebrate the birthday of a 16-year old who was fatally shot in October.

Local media quote police as saying about 90 people were inside and about 15 people were waiting outside.

Three to four men reportedly approached and fired about 30 rounds and then ran off, got into a vehicle with an out of state license plate and drove

off. The victims, all young, are expected to survive. We will continue to update you on the very latest as we get it from there.

Well, U.S. Congressman Mike Johnson is facing a tough fight to remain as House Speaker even after an endorsement from the president-elect, Donald

Trump. The House is expected to vote on the position on Friday as Congress gets back in session for the new year.

If every member votes, Johnson can only afford a single Republican defection. Some GOP hardliners, though, are furious at him for reaching

across the aisle to Democrats on government spending and foreign aid.

They are asking for what they call, quote, "meaningful spending cuts" before voting to reelect him. CNN's Alayna Treene joining me now with more

on what is Johnson's battle for this gavel.

And what is it very specifically that these Republican hardliners are wanting to see from Johnson to secure their vote?

Who are they?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a number of people who are very skeptical of Mike Johnson, many of them asking for what they're

calling, quote-unquote, "process reforms" and really wanting to ensure that he will move forward with what Republicans priorities are.

Now many of these detractors are part of the House Freedom Caucus. And we did hear Mike Johnson on FOX News this morning, saying that he has spoken

with every single one of them, trying to convince them that he is the person who will carry out the agenda that they want.

He's also reminded them, we're told, that essentially that Washington soon is going to be, in the House specifically, is going to be under single

party control.

You're going to have, you know, both the House and the Senate being controlled by Republicans, making it far easier for Mike Johnson to kind of

move forward with the different priorities that these different members have, particularly the more conservative members of the House.

But then also, of course, you have president Trump or incoming president Trump, who will be president also as a Republican. So his argument is

really that it's going to be much easier to get some of these things through.

Now one thing that we've heard in our reporting -- and this is from my colleague, Sarah Ferris, and me -- is that a lot of Johnson's allies are

trying to communicate that, you know, if they do not elect Johnson as speaker.

If this ends up taking a couple days or multiple rounds to get someone on the ballot or Johnson himself on, you know, as speaker and winning this

election, that it could compromise the certification process for the election results.

And on January 6th, Donald Trump's certification. And so that's one argument that we're being -- heard being made. Now I want to bring in just

some of the Trump side of this, because this is, of course, a huge factor.

We know that earlier this week, Donald Trump came out and publicly endorsed Mike Johnson, saying essentially that he recognizes that he's likely the

only person who could get the votes. I want you to take a listen to what he told me and other reporters on Tuesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: I think they'll support speaker Johnson. I think we're going to have a great time in Washington and I think

we're going to get great support.

He's the one that can win right now. People like him, almost everybody likes him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now Becky, we also asked Trump if he would be lobbying members on behalf of Johnson. He said he would do so if necessary. It's still unclear

if anyone from Trump's team has been doing that.

But look, when I talked to Donald Trump's advisers and those on the transition team, they argued to me essentially that Donald Trump likes

Johnson.

[10:50:00]

Not just because he thinks that he'll be able to get the votes but also because Trump really wants something, the leader in the House, to be

someone who is loyal to him, someone who he believes will carry out his agenda and the priorities that he is coming to Washington with.

When I talked to one Trump adviser, this is how they described it.

They said, quote, "Johnson has showed Trump over the last year that he will back him up from the House."

So again, that is a major factor in this. And I do think Donald Trump's endorsement should help Johnson with some of those skeptical members.

Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, interesting.

Good to have you. That vote, of course, is tomorrow. Thank you.

Still to come, why actor Justin Baldoni is now suing "The New York Times" for $250 million in connection with the ongoing dispute with former costar

Blake Lively. That is just ahead.

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ANDERSON: Well, "The New York Times" is now facing a lawsuit for its reporting on the dispute between actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively as

they made the film, "It Ends with Us." CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has the very latest for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Actor Justin Baldoni, who also directed the hit movie "It Ends with Us," is now

suing "The New York Times" for $250 million, launching a counter attack in an escalating controversy with his co-star, Blake Lively.

Baldoni and his team saying the newspaper was party to a, quote, "vicious smear campaign" by Lively, who filed an earlier complaint accusing Baldoni

of sexual harassment on set and retaliation during the promotion of the film.

It's just the latest salvo in an ongoing dispute between the two actors that erupted during production of the movie, in which Baldoni plays

Lively's on-screen abusive husband.

The complaint filed by Baldoni and a total of 10 plaintiffs, including his producing partners and publicist, states, "'The Times' relied almost

entirely on Lively's unverified and self-serving narrative, lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence."

Lively's original complaint was filed with the California Civil Rights Department almost two weeks ago and was first obtained by "The New York

Times." It alleges Baldoni and his team tried to destroy Lively's reputation after she raised concerns about repeated sexual harassment and

other disturbing behavior by Mr. Baldoni.

"The Times" published their article December 21, highlighting excerpts from the civil rights complaint, including text messages from a crisis PR

manager for Baldoni that say, quote, "We can bury anyone."

"The New York Times" telling CNN they will, quote, "vigorously" defend against the lawsuit, saying, "Our story was meticulously and responsibly

reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails."

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: And vetting the allegations and reviewing the material, that's where they ended up. But I think it's going to take a

little while to determine and see exactly where all this falls, because there's a lot of conflicting claims.

[10:55:00]

But that's what litigation is for.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Baldoni's complaint alleges the paper omitted text messages to serve Lively's narrative, saying the article's central

thesis, encapsulated in a defamatory headline, designed to immediately mislead the reader.

The complaint says it was Lively, not plaintiffs who engaged in a calculated smear campaign, further saying Lively used sexual harassment

allegations to assert unilateral control over every aspect of the production and that Lively's public image suffered as a result of a series

of high-profile blunders --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Grab your friends, wear your florals.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): -- which she tried to deflect with her complaint.

Attorneys for Lively sent CNN a statement on Tuesday, saying nothing in this lawsuit changes anything regarding her claims -- Elizabeth Wagmeister,

CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Well, that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. It is just before 8:00 in the evening here. From the team working with me in Abu Dhabi and those working

with us around the world, it is a very good evening. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next.

END