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CNN NEWSROOM

The Partial Government Shutdown Dragging Into Week Number Two; DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Making A Visit To The Border This Weekend On Friday And Saturday; "Time" Magazine Exposing A New Tie Between A Top Trump Campaign Figure And Russia; Jermaine Massey Says He Was Racially Profiled And Discriminated Against For Taking A Phone Call There Last Saturday; Trump Vents On Twitter About Shutdown, Mueller; Trump Blames Democrats For Children's Death At The Border; Man Suspected Of Killing Police Officer Captured; 2018's Top Eight Crime Stories; Anak Krakatau Volcano Still Erupting. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired December 29, 2018 - 20:00   ET

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


[20:00:19] RYAN NOBLES, CNN ANCHOR: And you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ryan Nobles in today for Ana Cabrera.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans this weekend, federal employees, either working with no paycheck or told to stay home from their jobs for the eighth straight day. The countdown clock is ticking. The partial government shutdown dragging into week number two. The reason, President Trump and Democrats in Congress stubbornly refusing to make a deal on how much money to spend on a Mexico border wall. So nine cabinet level departments remain shut with no end to this stalemate in sight.

And then today, the President goes on a twitter attack from deep inside the White House, with a shocking and baseless accusation. These words from the President.

Any deaths of children or others at the border are strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally. They can't. If we had a wall, they wouldn't even try.

CNN's Sarah Westwood is at the White House.

Sarah, we are used to the President lashing out of those he sees as political enemies, but to blame Democrats for the deaths of migrant children, that is a place we haven't seen this President go until today.

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Ryan. This is certainly new territory for President Trump who is alone here at the White House and has been fuming about Democrats' refusal to provide any money for his border wall. And he has been trying to blame them for everything, from the deaths of those two migrant children to the partial government shutdown that he once said he would be proud to own.

Now, the President has been faulting congressional Democrats for the stalemate that has prolonged the shutdown into an eighth day. He has been saying that they haven't been willing to deal on funding for the wall of border security. And he has been pointing the fingers specifically at House minority leader Nancy Pelosi. He and other administration officials have claim that Pelosi is unwilling to accept any kind of compromise with this administration before her speakership election on January 3rd because that could put her gavel at risk.

But despite that, Democratic congressional leaders haven't actually been invited to the White House to present any kind of counter offer. That's according to incoming acting chief of staff/budget director Mick Mulvaney who is at the White House at this point, is just waiting to hear what the Democrats' next move will be.

Mulvaney suggested that President Trump might be willing to come down off that $5 billion demand he originally had for wall money but he didn't specify by how much, although that's in line with CNN's reporting that last weekend vice president Mike Pence went to the Hill with the offer of a bill for $2.5 billion. That's an offer that Democrats reportedly rejected.

There's not a lot of clarity about what kind of deal the President would support at this point. What kind of deal would get the government reopened, but it is clear that the President is frustrated, increasingly, with his inability to get any money for his signature campaign promise. It's also clear that the shutdown could last well into next week and beyond as Democrats prepare to retake the house and therefore shake up the dynamics of negotiating power in just five days -- Ryan.

NOBLES: All right. Sarah Westwood, thank you for that update from the north lawn at the White House.

Let's take you now to the southern U.S. border, the epicenter of the reason for this now eight-day government shutdown.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in El Paso, Texas, where senior U.S. officials are seeing for themselves what migrants are enduring.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen making a visit to the border this weekend on Friday and Saturday, releasing a statement saying that this is her 16th trip in the last year to the southern border. And what she saw firsthand were border patrol station conditions in the El Paso area. As we understand it, she has moved on to Yuma, Arizona, where she is doing the same thing there.

Another thing that she is checking on are the secondary screenings. It was part of measures that she ordered after the death of 8-year-old Felipe Gomez-Alonso, who is the second child migrant to die in less than a month in U.S. custody.

And she released a statement saying in part, this system, speaking about the immigration system, is clearly overwhelmed and we must work together to address this humanitarian crisis and protect vulnerable populations. We know that if Congress were to act or the courts were to force this law as written, we could address this crisis tomorrow. Instead, we continue to do more with less. And as I have said before, I ask Congress to please put politics aside and recognize this for the growing security and humanitarian crisis it is.

And when you talk to people on the ground that's one of the first things they mention to you, Ryan. It is a growing crisis, one that seems to have no end in sight. And it's deeply frustrating to the charities that are helping out these migrants who have been dropped off here this week in some cases with no resources at all.

We have been here for the majority of a week and what we have seen with our own eyes is catch and release is still very alive. Migrants being dropped off in groups, sometimes as much as 15 to 20 at a time, which includes children, some of them just babies. And when you talk to them and you asked them, why are you told that you were released? They weren't given an explanation. They were simply in some cases on Christmas day dropped off here with no plans, no tickets, no money, nowhere to go.

These local charities caught off guard. They say they are strained by the influx of migrants. And that's exactly what you hear from the customs and border patrol officials that I spoke to. They feel that the system is overwhelmed right now. And they are operating with fewer resources because of this partial government shutdown.

[20:05:42] NOBLES: All right. Nick Valencia, thank you for that report from El Paso.

And joining us now to talk about this, CNN national security analyst and former national security council advisor Sam Vinograd.

Sam, so this is the claim the President has made. He said that if he doesn't get what he wants, he doesn't get the funding to build this border wall, he is just going to just shut down the border. I believe there's 48 points of entry along that southern border. He is going to shut them all down. How realistic is that?

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Ryan, shutting down the U.S. border would actually hurt Americans. He is throwing this around to insinuate that this would in some way penalize the illegal immigrants that are trying to cross the border.

But let's be very clear. This would actually hurt Americans who are living on the Mexican side of the border, American citizens. Thousands cross the border every day to do things like go to work, go to school, get medical care, and see their families. So we would be punishing them and directly impacting their safety and security while also shutting off millions of dollars in revenues that cross that border every day.

We are obviously aware of the cost to U.S. soybean farmers because of the U.S./China trade war. Well, our second largest destination for U.S. soybean exports is actually Mexico. So we would be hurting Americans by restricting their ability to cross the border as well as hurting the actual commerce as well. NOBLES: But even from a logistical standpoint, how difficult would it

be? Can you just close the gates and say nobody can come in? I mean, it would seem like that would be (INAUDIBLE).

VINOGRAD: There aren't even gates. There's 1,200 miles of border between the United States and Mexico. And look. This wasn't even possible in a handmade stale and fiction. In real life, what are we going to do, put centuries along every point of the border? And that we would have to ask the department of defense, the department of homeland security, to allocate resources, planning resources and actual assets to look at doing that, versus allocating those resources toward actual threats.

It would be a major drain on resourcing. Not to mention the legal restrictions associated with closing the border to American citizens, people with legal visas and those seeking asylum.

NOBLES: It sounds like you would be using a sledgehammer to kill a fly, a massive response to a problem that is not as big as the President is making it out to be.

Now, the President's tweet where he blamed Democrats for the deaths of migrant children at the border, he said that it's because our current policies allow people to think they can enter the country illegally. And then he goes on to say, if we had a wall they wouldn't even try.

So unpack that for me a little bit. I mean, is there any shred of truth in that, that there is a perception from these migrants that are making their way through Central America to the United States, that there is an easy way to get into this country? Is there any truth to that?

And then secondly, if we built a wall, would that be enough to keep from coming here?

VINOGRAD: Desperation drives them from Central American countries, not Democrats or the absence of a wall. In countries like Honduras, where there's a 30 percent poverty rate. El Salvador is the most violent country on earth not at war in 2015. People are fleeing not because they think it's a walk in the park to quote the President a few weeks ago but because they are so desperate to improve their lives and save their children that they make a difficult journey.

I work with the U.S. fund for UNICEF and they estimate that thousands of children are at risk of trafficking and sexual violence when they make that trip from Central America up to the southern border of the United States.

So no, I don't think that there's any security analysis that shows that the wall would significantly deter those immigration flows. There is analysis by the state department and Secretary Pompeo and vice president Pence that shows that investing U.S. foreign assistance dollars, which the President has threatened to cut off, creates conditions in these countries such that people don't want to flee anymore. NOBLES: Right. So now, Republicans and Democrats are still fighting

over the cost of the wall. There's been some mixed messaging exactly from the President on what his mission for border security is. Take a listen to his changing view of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to build a great border wall. We will build a great, great wall. We are going to build a wall, don't worry about it. We will build it.

There is a debate over funding border security and the wall. Also called, so that I give them a little bit of an out, steel slats. We don't use the word "wall" necessarily.

I can't tell you when the government is going to be open. I can tell you it's not going to be open until we have a wall, a fence, whatever they would like to call it. I'll call it whatever they want. But it's all the same thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:10:10] NOBLES: And this doesn't even get into his claim that Mexico is going to pay for this wall, steel slats, whatever the case may be. Nancy Pelosi made the joke that it might be a beaded curtain if they continue these negotiations go on.

I mean, it doesn't matter what you call it. I mean, some sort of barrier the President would like to build along the southern border. From your experience in the national security realm, is there any evidence that that would achieve the goal the President is looking for?

VINOGRAD: We don't know what the goal is that the President is looking for. Democrats, Republicans, any American that cares about security and cares about curbing illegal immigration wants appropriate measures at the border to prevent criminal activity and illegal immigration flows. But the best thing the President could do right now is sit down with security professionals and ask what kind of barrier could achieve that goal. So far we have seen a tweet with spikes at the top. We have seen steel slats.

This isn't just a question of semantics. There are professionals that could actually help the President develop a model that meets the need if he would actually listen. This is a political junket. This is not an actual in-depth look at applying resources to meet a threat.

NOBLES: OK. All right, Sam Vinograd, thank you for being here. And thanks as always for your expertise.

VINOGRAD: Thank you.

NOBLES: The number of furloughed employees, federal employees, I should say, either furloughed or working without pay, is actually going up. Some agencies that kept running when the government was shut down a week ago ran out of money last night. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NOBLES (voice-over): With President Trump unable to secure funding for this border wall --

TRUMP: I can tell you, it's not going to be open until we have a wall, a fence, whatever they would like to call it. If you don't have that, then we are just not opening.

NOBLES: -- the government shutdown will likely continue into the New Year, affecting an estimated 25 percent of the federal workforce. Three hundred eighty thousands employees are furloughed and another 420,000 are still working without pay, including the TSA. The Smithsonian museums and national zoo will begin closing its doors beginning January 2nd. And even the panda live stream cameras are going dark.

TRUMP: These federal workers want the wall.

NOBLES: The President said on Christmas that federal workers support the shutdown. But the shutdown is causing families we spoke to, many who live paycheck to paycheck, to worry about when they may see their next one, and they are fed up.

LOREN TARGOS, AFGE 704 UNION MEMBER/STEWARD: I have two mortgages to pay. And so I haven't even looked at how my checking account is going to balance out. I don't even have children. For people who have kids in school, you know, extracurricular activities, putting food on a plate for their kids, those are all things that, you know, make it even more disgusting, what's happening with the federal government right now.

Loren Targos is a local steward in a public sector union and a physical scientist with the EPA which shut down Friday at midnight. She like other EPA employees received this email referring employees to the office of personnel management for additional guidance.

The OPM Thursday tweeting suggestions for workers to send to creditors, landlords, and banks if they can't make their payments on time, like trading maintenance work like painting and carpentry for rent payments.

TARGOS: That's absolutely unrealistic. Federal workers are going to be penalized for not paying their bills on time when we just want to go back to work and do the jobs we were hired to do.

NOBLES: Thursday, the President tweeting without evidence that most federal employees are Democrats. But workers say their politics shouldn't even matter.

TARGOS: We are civil servants. We are hired to do our work at the EPA, workers are hired to protect human health and the environment. If he wants to imagine that we are Democrats instead of us being human beings and civil servants, that's his problem, and I hope Congress steps up and is able to be the adult in the room.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBLES: And one thing to add, that tweet I just mentioned, that the OPM is suggesting federal workers offer to trade manual labor for extra time paying their bills, well, the office of personnel management has now removed that suggestion.

Things are about to get a lot tougher for the President. That's because Democrats take control of the House on Thursday. We will explore what it could mean for the Russia investigation, next.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:17:19] NOBLES: New tonight, "Time" magazine exposing a new tie between a top Trump campaign figure and Russia. It involves former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and an alleged Russian ex-spy named Victor Boyarkin and Boyarkin's boss, powerful Russian billionaire named Oleg Deripaska. Boyarkin tells "Time" that during the heat the 2016 presidential campaign, Manafort was deeply in debt to Deripaska. According to Boyarkin, Manafort began offering ways to pay that money back.

Here's how Seth Hettena, the author of "Trump/Russia" explain this complex reporting to me our last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH HETTENA, AUTHOR, TRUMP/RUSSIA: Oleg Deripaska is one of a few oligarchs who are extremely close to Putin and the Kremlin. He has said on a couple of occasions he doesn't separate himself from the state and he would basically do anything when asked by Putin to do. So, you know, you have a campaign manager in debt to a Russian oligarch who is connected to Putin, who is being pressured for money in the middle of a campaign he is running on behalf of the Republican nominee for President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: A spokesman for Paul Manafort declined to comment to CNN about the new report from "Time."

With us to discuss this, federal and constitutional attorney Page Pate and national security correspondent for "The New York Times," Matthew Rosenberg. Thank you, gentlemen, for being here. Lot to unpack here.

Matthew, from your perspective, how significant is this new reporting?

MATTHEW ROSENBERG, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I mean, it's a pretty big deal. You know, we don't ask a lot of people who are helping run major political party campaigns or serving in our government or want to help get people elected. We do ask though that they be basically loyal to America and they not secretly be trying to help foreign governments, people close to foreign governments. We now have the campaign chairman at one point was offering help to people tied to the Kremlin. And let's not forget that Mike Flynn, who went on to be national

security adviser, was secretly working for Turkey, lobbying for Turkey while advising the Trump campaign. I mean, how much of this are we going to see?

NOBLES: And you know, it's important to point out there are pictures of Deripaska and Russian president Vladimir Putin together. I mean, doesn't this make it plausible that Putin would have been aware of the fact that Deripaska would have had this kind of leverage over President Trump's campaign manager?

ROSENBERG: Definitely possible. Look, I don't like the term collusion. It's such as fuzzy, what exactly does it mean. But this certainly seems pretty close to collusion, you know. A guy becomes campaign chairman, he has got a lot of money in debt to a Russian oligarch that is tight with Vladimir Putin, and he starts going to the oligarch saying, hey, let me give you briefings. Let me help you out to try and make good on my debt. I mean, I'm not quite sure where (INAUDIBLE).

[20:20:00] NOBLES: Now Page, to play devil's advocate on this, could this possibly actually open an alibi for President Trump to a certain extent to say, this was all Paul Manafort's thing. He was involved in something that was inappropriate but I didn't have any knowledge of it and therefore this isn't something that I should have to deal with.

PAGE PATE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Ryan, that would certainly be consistent with what President Trump has said so far about Michael Cohen, some of the other individuals who are charged and approximated by both the special counsel's office and the department of justice.

But what we have yet to see is the full extent of the Mueller investigation. We have only seen what was necessary for the criminal charges that were brought in court. I am certain that Mueller has a lot of information about ties between the Trump organization, Trump himself, and Russians during the time of the campaign and the transition.

Now, that's not going to be revealed until his report is prepared and submitted to the department of justice. The real question is what happens after that point. Will there be further proceedings in court or in Congress against the President?

NOBLES: You know, Matt, it seems like we are almost inundated with these little tidbits of information about Russia, how they are connected to President Trump. I mean, put this into perspective for us. On a scale of one to ten, how significant do you believe this new development could be?

ROSENBERG: I'm going to say a solid six or seven, which is sort of the coward's answer, I guess, here. I mean, look. You are right, information seems to flow out. I find myself -- I cover this, and I lose track of who is who and what's what here. But you have this basic thing where you have person after person who seems to have connections to either Russians or some other foreign government or some kind of dirty dealing. And look, Trump may well be ignorant of this. But the President

doesn't seem particularly outraged about it. He is not tweeting tonight, oh, God, this is bad. He is tweeting about Mueller's investigation, Democrats, old text messages.

NOBLES: You know, Page, I wonder, though, you talk about how much Robert Mueller knows about the role that these Russian actors have played, but how much are they going to be able to cooperate with the investigation and how much Mueller can do to compel them to get involved in this. We know that Mueller's team tried to talk to Boyarkin and he told them to quote "go dig a ditch." I mean, if Boyarkin won't talk, is there anything that Mueller can do? I mean, can he compel him through subpoena? I mean, he lives in a different country, he is not necessarily bound by Robert Mueller's subpoena power.

PATE: No, he is not at all. And you raise a great point, Ryan. There's only so much that Mueller or any official in the department of justice can do to go after a foreign national. I mean, we have seen Robert Mueller indict a number of Russian individuals who simply just said, I'm not showing up, you know, come get me if you can. And there's no extradition treaty with Russia right now. And clearly the Russian government's not cooperating in this investigation. So he is not going to be able to get the cooperation of those individuals.

But there will be plenty of documents and plenty of people in the United States who have been interviewed by the special counsel's office, who will be able to corroborate some of these connections. We will see where that leads.

NOBLES: Yes. And among them, Paul Manafort has talked to the special counsel. We know Michael Cohen has talked to the special counsel. Michael Flynn has talked to the special counsel. So you are right, there are possibilities that those dots may be connected somewhere else.

All right, Matthew Rosenberg and Page Pate, thank you both for being here.

PATE: Thank you.

ROSENBERG: Thank you.

NOBLES: Two hotels workers have now been fired over an alleged racist incident. Ahead, you will hear from the man who says those workers kicked him out of the hotel because he was talking on his phone.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:26:49] NOBLES: A Doubletree Hotel in Portland, Oregon is apologizing for an alleged racist incident in its lobby. Jermaine Massey says he was racially profiled and discriminated against for taking a phone call there last Saturday. The Doubletree says it has fired the employees seen in this viral video after they asked Massey to leave.

CNN'S Miguel Marquez has more on this incident - Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Ryan, this seems to be another case of basically breathing while black, white people calling the police on black people for either small or no offense at all.

In this case it was a gentleman by the name of Jermaine Massey. He on December 22nd checked into a Doubletree hotel in Portland, is part of the Hilton chain of hotels. He had just gone to a concert. His mother had texted somewhat urgent text. He went to the lobby. It was rather crowded. He went to a secluded part of the lobby and started making a phone call. That's when he was confronted. He put the phone down with his mom and started recording. He posted it to Instagram. And we put together a little highlights list for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JERMAINE MASSEY, GUEST KICKED OUT OF DOUBLETREE PORTLAND: He's calling the cops on me because I'm taking a phone call at the Doubletree Hotel. Say hi, Earl.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Portland police will be here in a minute.

MASSEY: Thank you. Call them. I'm waiting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

MASSEY: They are coming why? Why are they coming?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To escort you off the property?

MASSEY: Because why? And I'm staying here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not anymore.

MASSEY: How am I loitering in an area that's public?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are setting here.

MASSEY: So this area is off limits after a certain time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only if you are a guest.

MASSEY: I am a guest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You didn't tell me that.

MASSEY: I said that I'm a guest. I told you that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Now, Mr. Massey was on the Don Lemon show and Don asked him, why do you think this sort of stuff happens?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASSEY: It's hurtful. It's humiliating, and I don't understand why it continues to be an issue. I'm a person at the end of the day just like everyone else. And I deserve respect and fair treatment, and I did not receive that on Saturday. I think that there's a lot of perceptions about black males in particular that we are threats and we are harmful and we are just fearful individuals and, you know, that bias, it impacts these situations. And it's harmful to us as a people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: As far as the Doubletree and the entire Hilton hotel chain, they have issued a lengthy statement saying they don't condone discrimination. They have apologized. And clearly they have fired the two individuals.

CNN has reached out to those two individuals. One we could not get ahold of. The other didn't return our messages. Even the mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler, is tweeting that all of this is part of the systemic nature of discrimination. While Mr. Massey and his lawyer are pleased for the apology and for the firing from Hilton hotels, they do want more. They would like to hear from them on paper about the policy that led that security guard to confront Mr. Massey in that way at their property -- Ryan.

NOBLES: All right. Miguel Marquez, thank you very much.

And Miguel mentioned that statement from Doubletree. It goes on to say quote "our hotel is committed to engaging outside advisers and experts in diversity and inclusion, to evaluate our processes, protocols, and trainings, to ensure something like this does not happen again. We reiterate our sincere apology to Mr. Massey for his treatment this past weekend and deeply regret the experience he endured.

[20:30:00]

President Trump is spending the holidays at the White House and he's tweeting. We'll break down what seems to be on his mind, next. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBLES: Well, the president is heading into the New Year mostly alone. The first lady is at Mar-a-Lago with their son Barron where they'll ring in the New Year. Capitol Hill, empty. And the president, tweeting.

So far today he's accused Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team of deleting text messages from FBI agent's phones, a claim that CNN has already debunked. He's wondered why the Democrats aren't coming to the White House to negotiate on the border wall even though he hasn't invited them.

He announced that he had a very good call with the Chinese president on trade. Then he went back to the wall and blamed Democrats for the recent deaths of two children at the border.

I want to go now to Trump biographer Michael D'Antonio. Make sure to check out his new book Trump or "The Truth About Trump." Michael, thank you for joining me.

Do you see the president becoming increasingly isolated here or is this chaos, is this fighting, is this what he thrives on? Does he like it this way?

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, DONALD TRUMP BIOGRAPHER: Well, it's really his default setting. So I'm not sure that there's ever anything thoughtful about the president's approach to life in general. Where the kids on the border are concerned, he's really heartless. I think where Syria and Robert Mueller and so many other issues are concerned. He's essentially clueless.

So we've got this person in the White House, kind of wandering around with his telephone in hand and he's going to tweet out whatever occurs to him. It's not a matter of him having a strategy. It's really just what he does all the time. And I think the country is really aware of that now.

[20:35:16] NOBLES: You mentioned heartless as it relates to those children along the border. I'm sure you saw the tweet today. He blamed the deaths of those two children who are dealing in that migrant situation. He said that it was the Democrats' fault. Then he blamed -- then he threatened to shut down the southern border completely.

I mean, do you see this as a tactic, a strategic effort by the president here? Or is this just a tantrum?

D'ANTONIO: Well, he's a person who's really at a loss when it comes to understanding the experience of someone outside of his own head, really. He divides the world into people who he imagines are for him, and then everyone else is against him.

So you would think, when he considers or reflects, if he can, on the experience of these children and their families and everyone around them, that he would express sadness and maybe even a heartfelt sentiment for the lives that have been lost.

And there's no doubt that this was something that happened on his watch, that's his responsibility. There actually hasn't been a death on the border in 10 years. So that goes back to the beginning of the Obama administration. And yet this president wants to get into blaming others.

So I think the cruelty here is a new low. The president has yet to express this kind of heartlessness, this kind of cruelty for -- in a situation where people have died.

We saw a similar thing in Puerto Rico. I don't think he was quite fully aware of the ramifications there and of the number of dead. But here, you know, two innocent children, and he's playing politics with their deaths. NOBLES: Let's talk now about the shutdown and how the president's role in all of this. I mean, one of the pitches he made to the American people when he ran was that he was a deal maker, he wrote "The Art of the Deal," and that he'd be able to break through some of these big problems. And here he is in a situation where a deal is necessary to try and bring to an end this shutdown.

Why isn't he the one who is front and center with Nancy Pelosi, with Chuck Schumer, with Mitch McConnell, attempting to find some sort of an agreement to end this government shutdown and get everything that he is looking for? Instead, he's kind of passing the buck to Mick Mulvaney and to Mike Pence and to his son-in-law Jared Kushner to negotiate.

D'ANTONIO: Well, that's a good observation that he's passing the buck. It's what he did, has done in every case where someone's been fired from his administration. He never picks up the phone and actually engages with the other party.

And in this case, with negotiating with Congress, I think he is angry at Nancy Pelosi but he also sees that she's kind of the identified enemy for the Republican Party and especially his base. So this is a game of demonizing her and then trying to appear strong.

There was a time, a conversation I had with the president when he was a businessman, where I said, "When you negotiate, do you imagine that the other party needs to get something? Do you ever give on your side the understanding that, you know, something has to be mutually beneficial?" And he said to me, "No."

He said that his goal is to take as much as possible from the other guy and ruin him if possible. There's never to be anything left on the table and any compromise made on his part. And if that's the art of the deal in his private life, maybe he's using this deal-making strategy with Congress.

NOBLES: Well, that may be possible to pull off when you're kind of a heavy-handed businessman. But in the world of politics and co-equal branches of government, I think President Trump is learning that that is a much more difficult prospect. Compromise is not only necessary, it's the only way to get it done.

All right. Michael D'Antonio, as always, thank you for your perspective, we appreciate it.

More arrests in the death of a California police officer and a tearful thank you from his brother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REGGIE SINGH, BROTHER OF RONIL SINGH: There's a lot of people out there that missed him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: We'll have the latest on this investigation next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:40:33] NOBLES: In California, the community of Newman mourning fallen officer Ronil Singh at an emotional vigil Friday night. The police officer was shot and killed early Wednesday morning during a traffic stop. Singh's widow and infant son along with Singh's brother attended the memorial.

Police say the suspect in the shooting, identified as Gustavo Perez Arriaga, was in the country illegally and was trying to escape to Mexico. Officials have arrested an additional seven people for helping the suspect stay on the run during or after the shooting.

CNN's Sara Sidner has more on the investigation. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ryan, the sheriff says the suspect was on his way to Mexico but was captured about three hours from where the shooting happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Less than 48 hours after losing his brother, his hero, his friend, Reggie Singh stepped to the mikes. He had just learned his brother's suspected killer had been caught.

SINGH: He's not coming back. But there's a lot of people out there that misses him. And a lot of law enforcement people that I don't know who work days and nights to make this happen.

SIDNER: Ronil Singh came to this country as an immigrant from Fiji. He was living his version of the American dream. He wanted to become a police officer and he did just that. He dreamt of a family. Five months ago, he and his wife welcomed their son into the world. But at 1:00 in the morning, the day after Christmas, Singh's dream abruptly ended.

[20:45:13] CHIEF RANDY RICHARDSON, NEWMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: I did not know Christmas morning, at 4:00 in the morning, when I said goodbye to him and sent him off to his family, that it would be the last time that I saw him.

SIDNER: Police say Singh was killed by Gustavo Perez Arriaga, who unlike Singh, had come into the country illegally. Deputies caught up with Arriaga at a home near Bakersfield, California, after a massive manhunt.

SHERIFF ADAM CHRISTIANSON, STANISLAUS COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: This criminal, Mr. Arriaga, crossed our border illegally into Arizona some time ago. He is a criminal. He has two prior arrests for DUI.

SIDNER: Several people were arrested, including Arriaga's brother and a co-worker who were accused of lying to authorities and impeding their ability to find him faster.

While Singh's family wept around him, the Stanislaus County sheriff could not contain his outrage over California's so-called sanctuary law.

CHRISTIANSON: And under SB-54 in California, based on two arrests for DUI and some other active warrants that this criminal has out there, law enforcement would have been prevented, prohibited from sharing any information with ICE about this criminal gang member.

SIDNER: Some law enforcement officials completely disagree, saying the law actually encourages people to come forward who would otherwise avoid helping law enforcement because of their citizenship status.

But the sheriff's sentiment has been embraced by others including the man with the largest megaphone. President Trump tweeted about the case, using it in his pitched battle to build a border wall to keep illegal immigrants out.

No matter who wins the political battle, there is little that can ease the pain of the Singh family. Their one small solace, Singh's K9 partner Sam will simply become the family pet. The police department is retiring the dog because, as the chief put it, the Singh family shouldn't have to lose another family member.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBLES: Sara Sidner, thank you.

Decades after a series of murders, police say they've captured a serial killer. It's one of 2018's top eight crime stories. We're going to run down the list for you ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:50:10] NOBLES: Indonesia is keeping an eye on the Anak Krakatau volcano, that's because it is still erupting. Almost a week after it triggered the tsunami that killed more than 400 people.

In the past few days, officials have evacuated thousands of people from nearby islands. Satellite images show how busy the volcano has been. Here, the volcano at the top center of each image. It's erupted so much over the past week it's dramatically decreased in size.

Experts say it's lost more than 200 meters of height and up to 180 meters in volume.

2018 was filled with its share of crime. Multiple massacres, rampant sexual abuse allegations, plus politically hinged pipe bombs. CNN's Jean Casarez counts down the top eight crime and misconduct stories of 2018.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Decades old murders, Hollywood crimes, sex abuse and gun violence. All are part of the top crime and misconduct stories of 2018. Number eight, a decade's old suspected serial murder finally caught. Captured, finally authorities early today arrested a California man they believe is the notorious Golden State killer.

Investigators say James Joseph DeAngelo, a former police officer, killed 13 people and raped more than 50 women between the years 1975 and 1986. All across the state of California. Police finally caught up with him in April after they matched DNA evidence through a public genealogy database.

DeAngelo, now 73 years old, is in jail awaiting his trial.

Number seven, a pregnant mother murdered at the hands of her husband. After pleading for his missing family to come back --

CHRIS WATTS, MURDER SUSPECT: If somebody has her, please bring her back.

CASAREZ: 33-year-old Christopher Watts pleaded guilty in the killings of his pregnant wife Shanann and his two young daughters, Bella 4 years of age, and Celeste, just 3.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: The victim's family agreed to a plea bargain trading the death penalty for multiple life sentences without parole.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to live with this vision every day of your life and I hope you see that every time you close your eyes at night.

CASAREZ: Number six, pipe bombs caused chaos just weeks before the midterm elections.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: The packages have been described as, quote, "Potential explosive devices."

CASAREZ: While anchors Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto were discussing pipe bombs --

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: To have projectiles, I mean that's a -- excuse me?

CASAREZ: That were sent to the homes of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and others around the country.

HARLOW: We're going to jump in. There's a fire alarm here.

SCIUTTO: There's a fire alarm here. You might have heard at the background. We're going to find out what the latest is here at CNN.

HARLOW: We'll be right back.

CASAREZ: They were evacuated from CNN's New York headquarters after security discovered a pipe bomb in the building. Sixteen pipe bombs in all allegedly sent by this man, Cesar Sayoc, a Trump supporter. Sayoc was arrested in South Florida living in his white van which was covered with images of Donald Trump and targets on prominent liberals.

Sayoc, who has pleaded not guilty, faces up to 48 years in prison. Number five, disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein charged. He was considered Hollywood royalty. But in the wake of the Me Too movement, dozens of women came forward accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.

[20:55:07] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's so much power and money and prestige in Hollywood in handcuffs right there.

CASAREZ: Weinstein was charged with six counts of criminal sexual acts, including two counts of rape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has vehemently denied any of the allegations.

CASAREZ: In October one charge was dropped because of inconsistencies with an accuser's story. Five charges remain.

Number four. Predator priest back in the spotlight.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: We have breaking news in our national lead, explosive coverage of catholic priest sex abuses dating back decades.

CASAREZ: The report issued by a grand jury in Pennsylvania found evidence that more than 300 predator priests have been accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 child victims.

Here's just one example, a priest sexually assaulted a little girl as he was visiting her in the hospital after she had her tonsils out.

Days later, Pope Francis responded saying we showed no care for the little ones. We abandoned them.

Number three, more sexual abuse of our youth, this time at the trusted hands of an athletic doctor for some of the nation's greatest gymnasts, Dr. Larry Nassar.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Larry Nassar is a monster. I will never forgive you what you've done to me.

CASAREZ: More than 150 victims spoke out at a sentencing hearing after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct.

ALY RAISMAN, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST/NASSAR VICTIM: You do realize now that we, this group of women, you so heartlessly abused over such a long period of time, are now a force, and you are nothing.

CASAREZ: His sentence, 40 to 175 years in prison. He will serve that after he completes a 60-year sentence on federal child pornography charges.

Number two, America's dad, convicted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guilty, guilty, guilty.

CASAREZ: After a lifetime creating laughter, Bill Cosby's downfall shocked the nation. The actor and comedian found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault after prosecutors successfully argued that Crosby drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand in 2004.

Accusers of Bill Cosby, those who say they are victims of Bill Cosby were in the courtroom and they let out audible cries at that moment.

His previous trial ended in a hung jury in 2017. But his second trial came after the Me Too movement took off. Armed with a new defense team, Cosby, this time, faced testimony from five women.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can say that although justice was delayed, it was not denied.

CASAREZ: Cosby's PR team called the guilty verdict racist. He is appealing the conviction from prison.

And the number one crime story of 2018, mass shootings. Four of the deadliest single day mass shootings in the past 70 years took place in 2018. From a high school in Santa Fe, Texas --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten people are dead after a gunman opens fire.

CASAREZ: To a popular college bar in Thousand Oaks, California.

TAPPER: Twelve dead in yet another mass shooting.

CASAREZ: To a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eleven people were killed and six were wounded.

CASAREZ: And to a high school in Parkland, Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventeen people are now confirmed dead.

CASAREZ: The deadliest shooting of the year rests at the hands of a former student, Nikolas Cruz walked into his school on Valentine's Day and killed his classmates. Gun deaths in the U.S. have reached their highest level in 40 years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you.

CASAREZ: But amid those statistics, a spark has ignited turning young people into gun control activists. Will the numbers rise? Or will this most recent activism bring about change in 2019?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBLES: In New York, workers are putting finishing touches on the giant ball that will descend in Times Square, marking the start of 2019. More than a million people are expected in Times Square.

And, of course, you can count down to 2019 with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. They are co-hosting CNN's New Year's Eve coverage live from Times Square with Brooke Baldwin and Don Lemon. It all starts Monday night at 8:00 Eastern.

And that wraps up this edition of the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ryan Nobles. I'll be back with you tomorrow afternoon. Stay here, though, because a special CNN marathon of "The Nineties" is next. Have a great night.