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CNN NEWSROOM

Woman Runs Her Car into Crowd in Las Vegas; Convicted Rpaist Released in India; Beijing Faces Another Pollution Red Alert; Democrat Candidate Debate in New Hampshire. Aired Midnight-1a ET

Aired December 21, 2015 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:00:30] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm Isha Sesay; you're watching CNN's Breaking News.

Breaking news out of the United States, out of the state of Nevada: police say a driver has run down at least 37 pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip; at least one person has been killed. Tourists and workers in the area described a chaotic scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were standing over, and we heard people say that they heard gunshots and so everyone was running and so as I was running to take shelter, of course, I saw the car up on the sidewalk coming towards us, and there was a lady in it, an African American lady, and it looked like she wasn't trying to stop the car. She had both of her hands on the wheel and was looking straight forward. There were men running after her, trying to stop the vehicle and they couldn't get to her. They were yelling, "Stop! Stop!" and she just wasn't trying, I guess.

REPORTER: Do you know, she went upon the sidewalk, was it outside a hotel or where, specifically, was it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was along the sidewalk, further in toward the buildings, rather than toward the road, and, like, then she was already on the sidewalk by the time I saw her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The car rolled right in front of me. By the time I looked to the right, all you could see was driving away and people were bouncing off the front of the car. You could hear it. The windshield was smashed at this point. When she rode the sidewalk, she came to a stop at the Paris intersection, and then people were punching the window trying to get the - apparently child out of the backseat. She accelerated again and just kept mowing everyone down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: It's really frightening. Well right now parts of the Strip, famous for its casinos and resorts, remains closed. One witness, Sophie Kitteroed, joins us now on the line. Sophie, thank you so much for joining us. Let me start by asking, where were you when this car hit? What did you see? What did you hear?

SOPHIE KITTEROED, EYEWITNESS, VEGAS STRIP, via telephone: We were at the other side of the road, at Belagio, and we just heard people screaming. We didn't actually see the accident because of the traffic, but we heard people screaming and we saw people running. Then we walked up to see what happened and then we saw a lot of people laying on the street, injured.

SESAY: People were screaming. People were running. Were they saying anything? What? Were they shouting? Set the scene for us on what you saw.

KITTEROED: We heard people screaming that someone was hit, that people were injured; that they screamed, like, stop. We didn't know at this time what they were trying to stop, but apparently they were trying to, like, someone stop this lady, or driver from running everyone down.

SESAY: And with that, that chaotic scene, how long did it take before emergency officials were on the scene? Before police, before paramedics were there? Do you have a sense of that?

KITTEROED: Um, I think the police got there pretty quick, but the ambulance took some time because of all the traffic and people were -- the cars were all blocking the way and everything. I think it was 20 minutes until the paramedics with the cars got there. There was a lot of people running there and helping, other paramedics that wasn't on call and stuff like that, running in to help people that was injured.

SESAY: And were you able to say any of the injured? Were people seriously hurt?

KITTEROED: Yes; we saw a couple of people lying in the street, and paramedics doing CPR. They looked really bad, injured.

SESAY: And what about the car and the woman behind the wheel? Once everyone stopped running, did you get a chance to see the car? Did you get a chance to see anything of the driver?

KITTEROED: No, we did not see the car at all. We were running, like, to where the accident happened to see if there was something we could do or what was going on. So we did not see the car or the driver.

SESAY: I mean, what was going through your mind as all of this played out?

KITTEROED: The first thing that gone through my mind was is this an attack? Is something happening right now? I felt really scared, and I wasn't sure what to do; but then everyone was screaming that it was probably a drunk driver.

[00:05:00] SESAY: At this stage we don't know anything of the driver. We understand she's in custody, that's about as much as we know. I mean, you describe a scene of chaos, people running, people screaming, people being on the ground. I mean, how long did it take before the situation was effectively under control? You say the police got there pretty quickly? KITTEROED: Yeah. I would say, like, 45 minutes until an hour until people, like, started to know what happened, and then the news started reporting what was going on and then, well, of course, people were running around, saying rumors that there was shooting in one of the hotels so it got even more chaotic, but I think that was just a rumor someone said to fire everyone up.

SESAY: What's it like now? Obviously you're still in the -- I mean, are you still in the area? Let me ask you that, first of all? What's the atmosphere like there now, Sophie?

KITTEROED: We just left. We went back to the hotel because a lot of people were still talking about they thought it was a shooting over there so we didn't feel safe staying there. There were still a lot of police cars, I would say 20 or 30 police cars just standing and blocking every road that got to and from the scene of the crime. And people were starting to calm down, but there was really chaotic there for a while.

SESAY: Yes, I can understand that. I can't begin to imagine the fear after everything that's happened in recent days. Sophie, we appreciate you calling in, you speaking to us. We're glad you're safe. Thank you so much for sharing what you saw there on the Vegas Strip this evening. Thank you.

Well, a short time ago, the Clark County Emergency Management held a news conference. We want to play some of that for you. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER BOFELLI, CAPTAIN, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE: We had an individual that drove up onto the sidewalk, unknown whether this is an intentional act or impairment. We have not been able to determine that, but as that individual drove, she continued driving northbound on the sidewalk and striking several pedestrians.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you tell us how many pedestrians?

BOFELLI: Currently, right now, we have one fatality that has already been declared. We also have an additional seven that are in critical condition. We also have 26 more that are injured. We also had four released, currently, that have been treated and released. So we have a total of 37; correct, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is correct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And did the woman drive off after hitting those people?

BOFELLI: From what we understand, yes, she did drive off. We were able to get her detained at Flamingo and Covalt, and she's being interviewed, as well as tested for impairment there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Captain Bofelli, can you talk to this does not appear to be an act of terrorism or anything of that nature? BOFELLI: Currently, right now, we have not been able to ascertain exactly what has occurred. We definitely know this accident was -- we cannot determine whether it was an act of terrorism. We don't know whether it was intentional. So currently, right now, all the information and all the testing abilities that we're doing on this individual is to ensure that we're doing the proper investigation, whether it was an impairment or anything to that matter; but currently, right now, this has not been determined to be any act of terrorism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she being tested for dui and/or drugs?

BOFELLI: She is being tested for both. She's also being tested for alcohol as well as controlled substances.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was she driving?

BOFELLI: I don't know what the make and model of the vehicle is, I'm sorry. I don't have that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it a car, an SUV, a truck?

BOFELLI: I don't know what type of vehicle it was. I know it was a vehicle, but I don't know the make and model.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did the person die on scene?

BOFELLI: From what I'm understanding. I don't know that right now, but it has been determined they have been deceased. Chief, do you have that information?

BRETT ZIMMERMAN, CHIEF, CLARK COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Well, from Clark County Fire Department's perspective we received this call at 6:38 this evening. At 18:59, so just before 7:00, we transported the first patient off this scene. We responded with over 70 individuals and to get through 70 people - for 70 people to triage that many patients in that amount of time and get patients off the scene, is a pretty good indicator that we did a good job there.

As far as, there was CPR in progress on scene. That patient was transported to the hospital, and, from what we've been told, that is the patient that's deceased; for a total of 37 patients, as Capitan Bofelli said, seven of which are critical, one of those is deceased and four were treated and released.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What hospitals?

ZIMMERMAN: I'm not sure. The Valley Trauma Centers, for this area, would be Sunrise and UMC. I'm not sure how many patients went to each hospital, but I know they did not all go to one hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to confirm if there was a youth involved and possibly hit?

ZIMMERMAN: I have heard nothing about a child.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the driver local in?

BOFELLI: We do not know that answer.

ZIMMERMAN: I'm not sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was the driver alone in the vehicle?

BOFELLI: I know that there's possibly someone else in the vehicle, but I can't confirm who the person is. I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has that person been found or identified?

BOFELLI: I do not have that information, sir; I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talk about, as someone who lives here, seeing this happen.

BOFELLI: This is a huge tragedy that's occurred on our strip, and that's one of the things that we have brought all our [00:10:00] investigative components out. We have our fatal detail here. We have our homicide detail. We also have our counterterrorism here to ensure that we have covered all aspects of this investigation, to rule out any type of thing, whether it was intentional homicides here. If it is terrorism, we have the counterterrorism unit here. To ensure, we are not stating that it is terrorism. We're not stating that it's intentional, but we have all of our investigative components here to ensure we have this investigate locked and stocked by the end of the night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you recount for us what happened going north, the car is driving north; is that correct?

BOFELLI: From what I understand, the vehicle was on the northbound lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard going north. As it approached the intersection of Belagio Way and the Boulevard, it went up onto the sidewalk. It proceeded northbound. It came off the sidewalk and then veered into the entrance of the Paris.

That's all the information I have right now. Our fatal has walked the scene and they are currently doing their investigation on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: All right; well, Clark County Officials speaking there at a news conference just a short time ago. If you are just joining us here on CNN to remind you of the breaking news, that a vehicle has struck some three dozen people in Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. A woman was at the wheel. We know that one person has died as a result of the injuries. Seven are in serious condition. According to officials, a short time ago, they have not determined whether this was an act of terrorism or just an act of deliberate violence, as of yet. They have not been able to determine what was at play here but the driver, the female driver, who was behind the wheel, she is now in custody. She is being tested for alcohol and drugs, and they are now working to get a clearer picture of why this happened. Just, again, to reiterate, number of injuries, seven people in serious condition; one has already lost their life. Clark County officials saying they're working this from all angles and will bring us an update as and when they have more information to share. So stay with CNN; of course, we will continue to follow this story for you.

Until then, moving on. India's top court will hear a plea Monday against the release of one of the men convicted of a gang rape that shocked the world. The man was released Sunday. He was 17 at the time of the crime. The victim died of her injured. The rape happened on a moving bus in Delhi, in 2012. It let to international outrage and renewed focus on how India treats women. Tougher laws against sex crimes were quickly passed. Now the debate is centering on how juvenile offenders are punished.

Malika Kapur is following this and joins us now from New Delhi with the very latest. Malika, I've got to ask you what is the public reaction to the release of this individual?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There has been a lot of puzzlement over here, you know. He is being released. He has been released after three years in a reform home, and many people in India here are saying, you know, that's simply not long enough, and that the level of his punishment, the duration of his punishment, simply does not match up to the heinousness of his

crime; and that's why news that he is free is being met with a lot of dismay by most of the Indian public, and by a huge sense of disappointment and hurt by the victim's parents.

It's back. The savage gang rape and murder of a young woman in 2012 is all over the news, again.

One of the rapists, then 17, a minor, is now free; but Badrinath Singh he can't bare to watch, but he can't tear himself away, the victim, Dabna Nirbhaya, "the fearless one", was his daughter.

BADRINATH SINGH, FATHER: Singh tells me he feels like he's losing. Crime is winning.

KAPUR: Convicted of rape and murder, the minor was sentenced to three years in a reform facility. That's the maximum term possible for a juvenile in India. Now that the three years are up, the law says he must be released.

Nirbhaya's mother, visibly distraught, says it's a severe miscarriage of justice.

ASHA SINGH, MOTHER: Now you decide, she asks me -- it's almost like she's asking society -- should Nirbhaya get justice or should the culprit walk free?

KAPUR: Many here believe the limited time the juvenile spent in a home was hugely disproportionate to the heinous nature of the crime he committed.

SINGH: What kind of incident will it take? What kind of murder will it take? What kind of rape will it take, asked Asha Singh, for India, to open its eyes?

[00:15:00] KAPUR: All this time later, Asha Singh still can't forget the words of her dying daughter.

SINGH: She wanted them burned alive I asked.

KAPUR: I asked, she said this?

SINGH: Yes, she says. She told a visiting magistrate that the culprits should be burned alive.

KAPUR: Three years ago, people rallied behind Nirbhaya in solidarity. I remember covering the protests from here, and it was so crowded I could barely move. Today there are just a handful of protesters over here, and it seems like the only two people who are still pressing on with her fight are her parents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAPUR: The interesting thing here is that no law has been broken. You know, the court says that three years is the maximum punishment for a juvenile. When that time period is up, the juvenile is free to go; and that's exactly what's happened but there is no denying this overwhelming feeling here in India is that even though the law has been followed, that justice hasn't been delivered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Malika Kapur joining us there from New Delhi with this very, very troubling story. Malika, thank you.

(HEADLINES)

And, in northern China, Beijing is facing its second red alert for pollution this month alone. This means the smog over the capitol is extremely hazardous to breathe. When the city issues a red alert, it limits the number of cars on the roads and closes schools and construction sites. Conditions are expected to remain dangerous through Tuesday.

Well Meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, joins us now with more. Pedram, let me ask you the basic question: what's behind these elevated levels of smog?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, it comes down to one element, and it's a sulfate dioxide and the sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere. This is all being released because of the coal consumption. We know two-thirds of their energy used from China comes out of coal consumption; that's increased in the winter months.

The terrain around this part certainly doesn't help. It traps a lot of the pollutants. We're, once again, in the very unhealthy category. You take a look at the perspective, this is a NASA modus image. You've got to look at the scale here. We're talking about areas around Beijing. We know mountains to the west of it trap the pollutants. You look at areas, around Pakistan, into India, one of the more polluted places on our planet. Once again, mountains trap the pollutants. So you put a high density of people, you put coal consumption or a lot of industry, this chemical is released into the atmosphere, and that's the main reason why these pollutants are so high.

You can see they're literally binded here, to the West, by the mountain ranges. So when you have a stagnant weather pattern, the pollutants certainly, they're not any more or any less on any given day. They've been like this for many years. It's the weather pattern that traps the pollutants. That becomes much more expansive over a several day period, and that's precisely what we're seeing over this region.

Take a look at this because it's fascinating, and having followed this for several years, you typically look at this and know by the early afternoon hours, you typically see the pollutants increase. That's not the case anymore. Now we're seeing them stay quite high in certain periods, into the 200, which would be considered the very unhealthy, in the overnight hours recently they were on the increase. When they drop, they come back down to very unhealthy. So that's a concern over this region when you take a look at this because the air quality, when it improves, it's not much.

This was so far, the first 20 days of the month of December, and notice one green there -- the number 42 -- that is the only day in the first 20 days in the month of December that was considered fit to breathe across the city of Beijing. Then you go back since January 1, 2008, there's been about 3,000 calendar days since the 1st of January, back in '08. Isha, we're sitting at less than 60 days in the last 3,000 that were considered fit to breathe. Only one so far in the month December. So this pattern doesn't look like it's going to improve unless a lot of people do something about this very quickly.

SESAY: Yeah, they really must. Pedram Javaheri joining us there from CNN Weather Center; appreciate it. Thank you, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Thank you.

SESAY: Well the U.S. Democratic Presidential Candidates sparred in New Hampshire during a debate over the weekend but their biggest target wasn't even in the room; that story is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS HEADLINES) (HEADLINES)

SESAY: Turning now to U.S. politics, the democratic candidates for the presidency squared off for their final debate of 2015. They met in New Hampshire, where the campaigns first primary vote will take place early next year. Our own Athena Jones as the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Democratic Presidential Candidates, in their final debate this year, arguing over who has the best plan to take on the terrorists, lead the nation, and defeat Republicans this fall.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, D-NH, DEMOCRACTIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But on our worst day, I think we have a lot more to offer the American people than the right wing extremists.

JONES: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders face-to-face for the first time since a dispute over a breach of private voter files exploded in public.

SANDERS: As soon as we learned that they looked at that information, we fired that person.

DAVID MUIR, NEWS ANCHOR, ABC NEWS: Does Secretary Clinton deserve an apology tonight?

[00:25:00] SANDERS: Yes; I apologize.

JONES: The debate comes as the focus of the 2016 race increasingly shifts toward national security and terrorism.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, D-NY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to be united against the threats that we face. We need to have everybody in our country focused on watching what happens and reporting it if it's suspicious, reporting what you hear.

JONES: Sanders standing firm on his view that the U.S. should not send troops overseas to fight ISIS.

SANDERS: Tell Saudi Arabia that instead of going to war in Yemen, they, one of the wealthiest countries on Earth, are going to have to go to war against ISIS. To tell Qatar that instead of spending $200 billion on the World Cup, maybe they should maybe attention to ISIS, which is at their doorstep.

JONES: And Martin O'Malley taking on his fellow Democrats on terrorists and gun control.

GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY, D-MD, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ISIL training videos are telling lone-wolf's the easiest way to buy a combat assault weapon in America is at a gun show and it's because of the flip-flopping political approach of Washington that both of my two colleagues have represented there.

JONES: But all three candidates zeroing in on a presidential hopeful who wasn't on stage: Donald Trump.

CLINTON: I worry greatly that the rhetoric coming from the Republicans, particularly Donald Trump --

O'MALLEY: Fascist? Please, billionaires with big mouths.

SANDERS: Somebody like a Trump come along and says I know the answers. The answer is all the Mexicans, they're criminals and rapists --

JONES: And when it comes to America's involvement in conflicts overseas, including defeating ISIS, an interesting divide emerged on stage last night, with Sanders arguing that Clinton is more of a proponent of regime change while he says the U.S. doesn't have to be the "policeman of the world." This is similar to the divide on the GOP side on this issue, among candidates like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump. Trump has even used much the same language as Sanders, saying in interviews the U.S. doesn't have to police the world.

Athena Jones, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: And to discuss the latest in the U.S. presidential race, I'm joined by Dave Jacobson, Democratic Campaign Consultant, Schulman (ps) Communications. Dave, thanks so much for joining us.

DAVE JACOBSON, DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT, SCHULMAN COMMUNICATIONS: Sure. Thanks for having me.

SESAY: There are some assessments out there that Hillary Clinton ran circles around the other candidates in this Debate. What did you make of it? Did it reveal anything new?

JACOBSON: I don't think there was any sort of game changer that shaked up the dynamic of the race. I think generally, if you were in the spin room after the debate, I think every candidate easily could have claimed victory. You know, Bernie Sanders went into this debate and he was dealing with this controversy other the data breach and it was something obviously that got him clearly off message. So I think initially he tackled it head on, apologized and sort of moved to the policy discussion. I think that was a win for him.

Similarly, with Martin O'Malley, I think he had his most aggressive performance to date and probably got the most air time than he's ever gotten before.

So that was a win for him. Obviously, any frontrunner going into a nationally televised debate, they want to come out looking unscathed. I think she did that. She came out looking like a leader and cool, calm and collected as well.

SESAY: Did she come out of it, or did you get the sense that she's really already pivoted to the national race?

JACOBSON: I think I got a little sense of that, for sure. Obviously Donald Trump's name came up, I think, nine times during the debate. I think, obviously, she sort of presented the strongest contrast between the Democrats in general, their philosophy sort of continuing the Obama legacy versus Donald Trump, who sort of embodies the Republicans, the extremists who are running on the other side.

SESAY: The challenge with the continuation of the Obama Administration, the safe pair of hands, and keeping that legacy going comes --it's really brought in to focus when you talk the whole issue of terrorism. Of course, you know, don't want to condemn this Administration, but, at the same time, you kind of want to suggest that you'd be tougher, but you don't want to go as far as the Republicans. It's kind of the bind that Democratic Candidates find themselves in.

JACOBSON: Right. I sort of feel like this was the toughest talk to date that we've seen in a Democratic debate, at least on foreign policy, and specifically when it comes to terrorism. You know, Clinton in particular, obviously, I don't think she's going to sway too much away from the Obama Administration, particularly, probably because she wants his endorse. He hasn't ruled that. He may engage. He may endorse, and obviously that would be a big get for her campaign.

SESAY: You mentioned Trump being called out by name several times. His republican rivals, shall we say, --

JACOBSON: Right.

SESAY: -- I'm thinking Jeb Bush, he also is invoking the name of Trump. I want you to take a listen to what he said on the weekend. We'll play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH, R-FL, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just one other thing. I have to get this off my chest. Donald Trump is a jerk.

[LAUGHTER]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: It's come to that.

JACOBSON: Right.

SESAY: You know, he's a jerk. I think Trump called Jeb dumb as a rock on Twitter on Friday.

JACOBSON: Right.

SESAY: I mean, is this what this is about now? I mean, talk about the insults. This must be the dream of every Democrat?

JACOBSON: I sort of feel like it was almost hypocritical, you know, the other day, during the GOP debate earlier this week, you know, Jeb said to Donald Trump you can't insult your way to the Presidency, right? So he sort of took this right out of the Trump

playbook because that was a complete flip-flop from what he said days earlier. So I think it's an act of desperation. He's doing anything, at this point, just to score political points.

SESAY: But for democrat consultants, like yourself, this must feel like Christmas every day?

JACOBSON: Absolutely.

[LAUGHTER]

SESAY: Dave, we appreciate it. I know you'll be with us next hour to keep the conversation going.

JACOBSON: Sure.

SESAY: So, thank you.

JACOBSON: Thank you.

SESAY: Now, a U.S. Army Sergeant who disappeared from his base in Afghanistan and spent several years in Taliban captivity could now face prison time. We'll look at what's next in the Bowe Bergdahl case, ahead, on "Newsroom," L.A.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: You're watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles; I'm Isha Sesay. Our top story this hour, in the U.S. state of Nevada, at least one person is dead and dozens injured after a vehicle ran down pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip. Authorities are not saying if the driver, who is now in custody, deliberately ran off the road.

A U.S. Army Sergeant, who was held captive by the Taliban and later released, will face a military court in North Carolina Tuesday. Bowe Bergdahl faces charges of desertion and endangering fellow soldiers. CNN's Nick Valencia has more on the controversial case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: By now you've probably seen this video: a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter lands in the middle of Taliban- controlled Afghanistan. With each passing second, U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl takes a step closer to freedom. After five years in Taliban captivity, and torture, he is finally going home.

[00:35:00] BOWE BERGDAHL, SERGEANT, U.S. ARMY: It's like you're standing there screaming in your mind. In this room you're standing, like, in this blackened room and it's tiny and just on the other side of that flimsy little wooden door that you could probably easily rip off the hinges is the entire world out there.

VALENCIA: That's Bergdahl describing his captivity in an interview, with the popular podcast "Serial".

SARAH KOENIG: From this American Life in WBEZ Chicago, it's Serial. One story, told week by week. I'm Sara Koenig.

VALENCIA: Host Sara Koenig chose Bergdahl as the subject for the show's second season. In it we get a chance to hear from Bergdahl for ourselves, a man discharged from the Coast Guard for psychological reasons, only to land in the U.S. Army under what he calls inept leadership. Bergdahl says as a 23-year-old private, he didn't feel like his concerns would be taken seriously. BERGDAHL: All's i was seeing was, basically, leadership failure to the point that the lives of the guys standing next to me were literally, from what i could see, in danger of something seriously going wrong and somebody being killed.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Good afternoon, everybody.

VALENCIA: Shortly after Bergdahl's release, President Obama hosted Bergdahl's parents in the Rose Garden. He defended his decision to exchange five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to bring Bergdahl back home.

OBAMA: We also made an ironclad commitment to bring our prisoners of war home. That's who we are as Americans. It's a profound obligation within our military, and today, at least in this instance, it's a promise we've been able to keep.

VALENCIA: But it seemed it was this moment from Bergdahl's father that also caused concern and piled onto the controversy.

Bergdahl's father grew out his beard and learned to speak Pashtu, in hopes of connecting with his son's capturer. The gesture only added to the critics' skepticism of Bergdahl's swap to freedom. But what awaited back home was anything but a homecoming. The celebration in his hometown of Haley, Idaho cancelled amid controversy of Bergdahl's release and questions surrounding his disappearance.

NEWT GINGRICH, former SPEAKER, U.S. HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES: President Obama wants to justify his hasty Bergdahl terrorist swap by claiming the soldier was too sick to wait. Then he needs to share his evidence with the rest of the country.

JOHN BOEHNER, former SPEAKER, U.S. HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES: We don't negotiate with terrorists and the fact is that we have violated that policy.

VALENCIA: The frustration was especially expressed by some of Bergdahl's platoon, who were part of the initial rescue mission.

DARRYL HANSON, U.S. ARMY: If we would have found him, I think a lot of us would have shot him if that tells you anything. I truly say that with sincerity that we had that much hate towards him.

VALENCIA: Despite a military investigator's recommendations that Bergdahl not face jail time, the Army announced this month it will court martial Bergdahl on charges of desertion and endangering fellow soldiers.

BERGDAHL: You know i made it through the last five years. It just kind of seems kind of stupid to lose whatever it is that has been keeping me going.

VALENCIA: If convicted he could face life in prison, but the court's decision may not matter much to those who see him as either a hero or a deserter.

Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Still to come on "Newsroom L.A.," the new "Star Wars" movie sets its sights on some big time box office records. We will break down the numbers for you; do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Hello everyone. Well, beauty queens from around the world descend on the Las Vegas Sunday to compete in the 2015 Miss Universe Pageant; and it was Miss Colombia was given the coveted title, at first.

STEVE HARVEY, HOST, MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT: Miss Universe 2015, is Colombia.

SESAY: Um, but there was just one problem: Host, Steve Harvey, had apparently misread the card with the official results.

HARVEY: Okay, folks, um, there's -- i have to apologize. The first runner up is Colombia. Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines.

SESAY: Talk about awkward. Harvey was visibly embarrassed by the bizarre ending, calling it a horrible mistake and that may be an understatement.

The new "Star Wars" movie is rewriting the record books. "The Force Awakens" has brought fans are out in droves to see the latest chapter. Our Pamela Brown goes over the huge opening weekend.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Star Wars awakens to the biggest box office opening in history; the newest installment bringing in an estimated $238 million this weekend in the U.S. and Canada alone. The sci-fi franchise continues its legacy of being an opening weekend hit. The first "Star Wars" film also had the highest weekend debut back in 1977. "The Force Awakens" flew past current record holder "Jurassic World", but it's no surprise. Fans were anticipating the movie well before its arrival, standing in line for hours, even days for tickets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I started on December 5th.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I put in about 26 hours on Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: its three days now and i got here at 5:00 a.m. this morning.

BROWN: One couple even marked it as their own special day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now pronounce you husband and wife. May your love last longer than a (inaudible) digestion.

BROWN: The White House even got in on the action, sharing the stage with a Storm Trooper at Friday's press briefing, and President Obama ended his last press conference of the year with this:

OBAMA: Okay, everybody, I've got to get to "Star Wars."

BROWN: And it's not just the box office. "The Force Awakens" was also a hit with critics, scoring near perfect on rottentomatoes.com. So what will the director, J. J. Abrams, think about all this?

J. J. ABRAMS, DIRECTOR, "STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS": The success, for me, is just going to be if people go and like the film, and if kids go and see themselves in the movie and people feel better when they leave the theater than when they got there. The numbers are the numbers.

Pamela Brown, CNN, New York.

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SESAY: Well it helps that the numbers are awesome. You're watching CNN Newsroom, live from Los Angeles; I'm Isha Sesay. We'll have much more after a quick break.

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[00:47:25] SESAY: Hello, everyone. We want to update you on your breaking news out of Las Vegas. Police say a woman is in custody, accused of running down 37 people with her car on the Vegas Strip; at least one of those people has died. Police say the woman went up on the sidewalk and drove into the entrance of the Paris Hotel. She's undergoing several tests, including one for alcohol. Police say they don't know yet whether this was done intentionally. We are standing by for a news conference with the Vegas officials from Clark County to get the latest on the investigation as they try to determine what on earth caused this woman to drive this car into crowds of people there on the Vegas Strip.

As you just heard, several tests underway to find out if she was impaired in any way, whether this was intentional. In the press conference a short time ago, Clarke County Officials refusing to say, or rule out whether this was an act of terrorism or done intentionally or whether the woman was impaired. In other words, everything is on the table right now; all theories are on the table and they're carrying out the investigations to determine why this happened.

So stay with us here at CNN. As soon as those Clark County Officials, the Vegas officials appear in front of the microphone, we'll bring you those images. So stay with CNN for that. Until then, let's bring you some other news.

Indonesian authorities are battling high seas to find dozens of missing ferry passengers. Their boat went adrift Saturday near the island of Sulawesi, with more than 100 people on board. So far only 42 survivors have been pulled from the water. Amra Walker has more.

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AMRA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nearby fisherman and rescuers pulled dozens of people from Indonesia's Gulf of Bone Sunday, after rough seas caused the ferry they were riding to capsize. The ferry left from Kolaka, on the southeastern side of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was headed across the Gulf of Bone to Siwa. The ferry crew reported a distress call about 21 kilometers off Siwa's shore.

One survivor rescued by fisherman describes the accident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, via translator: All the passengers were running towards the higher floor. So when the boat started to tilt sideways, all the passengers jumped into the water. The lifeboats were lowered but they overturned and sank.

WALKER: Up to 122 people were believed to be onboard the ship, the National Rescue and Search Agency said Sunday. Rescue efforts also hampered by bad weather are ongoing.

ROKI AZIKIN HEAD OF SEARCH AND RESCUE AGENCY, SOUTH SILAWESI PROVINCE, via translator: We brought in a catamaran ship from The Search and Rescue Agency to search the sea and the Air Force will conduct an aerial search in the area. If they see survivors, they'll drop the equipment and pick them up.

WALKER: As the search continues, family members in Kolaka wait, hoping for the best.

AMRA WALKER, CNN, Atlanta.

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SESAY: Well we are standing by for a press conference out of Las Vegas. We're waiting to hear from Clarke County Officials, to bring us the latest on their investigations into why a female driver used her vehicle to mow down 37 people on the Las Vegas Strip. That happened Sunday evening here, on the U.S. West Coast. We're awaiting more details. We're going to take a very quick break and we'll be right back.

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SESAY: Hello everyone; to tensions between Israel and Lebanon, now, following the death of a notorious Lebanese militant. The Israeli military says it fired artillery into Southern Lebanon on Sunday in retaliation for three rockets launched into Israel from Lebanon. No casualties have been reported on either side. Hezbollah accuses Israel of carrying out an airstrike in Syria, which killed Lebanese militant, Samir Kuntar. The Israeli military would not comment on the accusation. Earlier CNN spoke with the Lebanese journalist about Kuntar's death.

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UNIDENTIFIED JOURNALIST: The killing of him was a targeted killing, and it was not a surprise to many of us who have been watching for many years. Samir Kuntar may occupy a special place in Hezbollah's pantheon of heroes and "martyrs" but he was the most notorious prisoner in Israel. He spent nearly three decades in Israel because of the way he murdered a civilian father and the way he smashed the head of his daughter. For Hezbollah he's a hero; for many Lebanese, including myself, he's a baby killer.

SESAY: Well Kuntar was released in a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah in 2008.

Four people have been detained in connection to a bomb scare on a flight from Mauritius to Paris. That scare prompted an emergency landing in Kenya. CNN's Robyn Kriel has the details.

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: the suspicious device according to Air France officials turned out to be nothing but cardboard, paper, and an egg timer but the airline and France are still taking this threat very seriously. A French team has been dispatched from Kenya's capital, Nairobi, to investigate the incident. Kenyan security officials called in local explosives experts from the Kenyan Navy and police to examine the device.

According to Air France the incident happened Saturday night in midflight. A passenger discovered the device in the plane bathroom and alerted the crew. The decision was made to land in Mombasa, Kenya, the closest airport that could receive a 777 airplane. The flight had 459 passengers and 14 crewmembers on board. They were evacuated out of the emergency chutes and the airport was closed down for several hours. The device had no trace of explosives on it, so it's unlikely, Air France says, that it would have been picked up by any preflight security checks.

Air France says they've had three bomb scares on U.S. soil since the Paris attacks in November, and this brings that number to four.

FREDERIC GAGEY, CEO, AIR FRANCE, via translator: Every time that we can get information, intelligence about the authors of these extremely unpleasant jokes, we complain and find this behavior both stupid and completely one which causes damage and absolutely unacceptable.

KRIEL: The question now is how was this device brought on board and who put it there. All the items that made up the device are relatively innocuous on their own, but when fixed together could look suspicious and potentially dangerous.

Kenyan officials say they're questioning four people from the flight. One terror analyst told CNN that for someone whose agenda it is to terrorize, a hoax like this could have almost the same effect as the real thing, but without much of the risk.

Robyn Kriel, CNN, London.

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SESAY: Results from Spain's general election are showing signs of a political shift in the country. The Conservative Ruling Party won the [00:55:30] most parliamentary seats, but failed to win a majority; three leftist opposition parties may block an attempt at a conservative coalition. VERA CATANO, JOURNALIST: These failures are used to the party's

system, and now we have two parties that will have an influence in the parliament. We were hearing Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy talking about the People's Party victory, but he was also very cautious because he knows that now he has to form government and he will need some consensus with other parties, others parties that has criticized this party a lot because of corruption, cases and also because of a hard problem of cuts.

SESAY: While it's technically possible for conservatives to form a minority government, it is unlikely given the new opposition's strength.

Well there's more "CNN Newsroom", live from Los Angeles just ahead. We're still waiting for a press conference from authorities in Las Vegas, where a driver mowed into a crowd on the Las Vegas Strip, wounding at least 37 people. Stay with us; you're watching CNN. I'm Isha Sesay.

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This is "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, (HEADLINES)