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>> alexey navalny found, the jailed russian opposition leader who had been missing for two weeks suddenly turns up. we'll show you where he is, and what his legal team is saying without the siberian penal colony where he'sing with kept. and migrants are making their way to the uv index and antony blinken with his comments. >> and many are skipping their drugs to indulge in their holiday favorites. we'll talk to an expert if

that's a good idea. and we're following these developing stories all coming in here to "cnn news central. " vladimir putin's most favorite critic is found alive in a siberian critic after the questions of his whereabouts. he missed two court appearances but nalvany's lawyers saw him in a remote penal colony and he's doing quote, quite well. known as the polar wolf, the prison is some 2,000 miles from where nalvany had been held before. his year long's protest of putin was a film and hbo documentary that won an oscar. and we have the latest now from london. >> reporter: well, news of alexey navalny's whereabouts has come as a huge relief after his legal team lost contact with the

jailed kremlin critic more than two weeks ago with deep concern over the situation he now faces after he was located on monday at a penal colony in northwestern siberia described as the polar wolf colony. in a statement monday, the director of nalvany's anti-corruption foundation said that nalvany's lawyer had been able to visit him at the penal colony adding that this one is the most remote with conditions to be harsh and restricted contact with detainees. he was charged with 19 years in prison serving sentences of 11 and a half years in a maximum security facility on fraud and other charges and believed to be held in a penal colony 150 miles east of moscow and they believe this is a politically motivated

event to stifle his criticism of russian president vladimir putin. he is known for organizing anti-government street protests and using his blog and social media to expose alleged corruption in the kremlin. his incarceration has drawn widespread international condemnation. the white house earlier this month reiterating its call for nalvany's immediate release. reporting live for cnn, london. thanks so much. and joining us is cnn political and national security analyst and a correspondent for the new york times. thank you for being with us on this christmas day. let's talk first about why you think nalvany was moved to this siberian prison to begin with? >> well, jessica, first merry christmas and thank you for having me. it's a little bit of a mystery

why nalvany and it's typical of the russians they wouldn't tell the defense team where he had been moved. they had to call around to hundreds of different prisons and detention centers before they found him, and when they did find him, it's near the arctic, 1400 miles from moscow, his previous incarceration was an hour and a half so the lawyers could see him. this time, the lawyers first had to find him and travel for a few days by train just to get to him, so clearly, putin does not want him around as elections approach, and nalvany has a way of attracting protest that certainly putin does not want to see happen. >> right. does this suggest at all that

putin essentially see himself as unassailable making this move with nalvany? >> pretty remarkable when you think about it, jessica, it was only june when we saw putin's other great antagonist, prigozhin marching with his forces towards moscow and no one understanding who was going to stop him. he did ultimately stop in a deal that was made and of course, prigozhin ended up dying in a mysterious plane crash that now doesn't appear to be very mysterious at all. it seems since then, that putin has reconsolidated his power. we thought that he might be damaged in some significant way, looks like he's emerged with everything in complete control, but speaking of nalvany speaks

almost of a nervousness even having him an hour or two in moscow in a maximum security prison wasn't enough. >> that's very interesting. and what now for nalvany, we know that he has spoken with his legal team. they're saying he's doing well under the circumstances, but he's so remote, so very far away, and really, it seems at the mercy of putin and the russian government? >> and he's got a 19-/kwraoer -year term, so clearly putin doesn't want him anywhere near to campaign again. you mentioned that great documentary that cnn and hbo max had about him. a reminder that the russians tried to kill him, tried to poison him, that when he recovered after being in a hospital here in germany where i

am now, he then voluntarily flew back to russia against the advice of many of his advisors knowing he would be arrested right away, and he has been, and it does raise the interesting question, would his voice be more powerful free but outside of russia or incarcerated but inside russia? >> his team does try to keep him in the spotlight as best they can. i want to ask you before we go about the war in ukraine because mill officials in kyiv requested an additional 5,000 troops. here we are at the end of 2023, any aid for ukraine is currently hung up in congress, and we're not clear how that will shake out. where do you see the war proceeding as we head into this new year there in ukraine? >> well, it's hard to predict of course, jessica, but it's pretty

evident that we are in a much bleaker place this christmas very than last christmas a year ago. the russians were routed from ukrainian cities. there was talk in the west that there could be a rapid victory for ukraine, that the russian forces would collapse, and of course, they were getting ready for the spring offensive. that offensive isn't in retrospect gave the russian russians time to move in and they poured more argumentments on this and ukranians are running low with arms, that is why there was the urgency of trying to get the congressional aid through. and clearly in 2024, while it is hard to say how this will all play out, the ukranians are going to have to learn how to fight on a budget.

it seems unlikely to me that they're going to get the kind of money and aid that they've had in the past two years even if congress passes something, and that's not a certainty as this point. >> right. david sangor, thank you for your expertise, it's great to see you and merry christmas. >> great to see you. merry christmas. and happening right now, thousands of migrants in mexico are marching towards the u.s. southern border. it's the largest caravan the u.s. has seen in over a year, and they only add to the crisis that's facing border officials and the caravan officials calling at this time exodus of poverty and rafael romo is watching this unfold in eagle pass, texas and police is a alvarez in washington with the texas response. rafael, what are you learning about this situation and the caravan where you are? >> well, jessica, it's a group in the thousands, and they

departed on christmas eve from a city on the mexican border with guatamala and they spent most of the christmas day advancing on foot towards their ultimate goal here in the united states, and the distance they must cover is nearly 1400 miles, so it's probably going to take weeks considering that they can only go so fast, but make no mistake about it, this means that this new migrant surge that we're seeing here in eagle pass will go on for much longer. the problem is thats that community of less than 30,000 people that is beingto the limit of resources needed to deal with this challenge in terms of the basic needs of the immigrants and security, as well. this is what maverick county sheriff had to say about this great challenge. >> we're suffering, because we don't have the manpower to take care of what we call the local business, the criminal elements and the immigration problem.

so it's cause costing us a lot of manpower and of course, the federal government and the state troopers are not here in the river like they're supposed to be. they're processing. >> reporter: and jessica, just behind me, you see the migrants being processed by border patrol. on friday, they released new numbers that the officials say during the month of november, more than 242,000 were detained by border patrol compared to 235,000 for the same month last year, jessica, back to you. >> okay, rafael romo in texas. and now priscilla alvarez in the white house, we know senior officials and the the secretary of state is heading to mexico in the coming days and that president biden has spoken with mexico's president. what are you hearing from the white house about what's happening today and what's going to come in the next few days? >> well, jessica, this has been a top concern for the white

house and an issue that officials have had to grapple with under the biden administration amid this record migration across the western hemisphere, and as you mentioned, the situation has become to dire that president biden called the mexican president last week to place pressure on mexico to do more to stem the flow of migration, and during the calls, both leaders agreed that additional enforcement is urgently needed, but this is the situation the white house was hoping to avoid, because border security is not a political issue but a major low just cal challenge as the number of people apprehended a at the u.s./mexico border strains and they are including secretary of state antony blinken and human

right secretary a mayorkas and keeping people moving from mexico to get to the u.s. southern border, for example, this caravan. as you should know, as they get to the border, they splinter off, so not all will reach the u.s.-southern border but those that do create a strain on an already buckling system. jessica alvarez in washington d.c., thank you so much for the reporting. growing fears of wider conflict in the mideast after another iranian attack on a commercial ship, this time a chemical ship in the indian ocean. the latest from the pentagon, plus airports across the country dealing with millions of passengers every day, and we're already seeing delays at major humps. what we're hearing from passengers out there, and speaking of travel chaos, it was

a holiday hicks mix-x-mix-up. how a sesection-yearar-old

there are mounting fears of escalating conflict in the mideast after an iranian drone

struggle and a commercial ship on saturday. the u.s. defense official said the fire broke out on the chemical tanker with nearly two dozen crewmembers, but no one was hurt in that. the attack coming as newly declassified u.s. intelligence suggests that iran has been deeply involved in the houthi rebel attacks and we are joined from the pentagon and there is the first time the pentagon has pointed the finger directly at iran for this strike on the ship. >> reporter: iran and the central command pointing the finger saying it was an iranian drone launched from iran itself. they said it was a one way attack drone also known as a suicide drone that attacked the chemical tanker operating in the indian ocean. the defense official said the drone started a fire on board the tanker but nobody was injured on the crew. this is worth pointing out this

is a liberian flag japanese owned ship operated which the fertilize netherlands. there have been many of these attacks in the past months have been attributed to the houthis from yemen and this was over a thousand miles away in the indian associate some 200 miles southwest of the coast of india. that, too, why it's interesting to watch iran here. there hasn't been a claims responsibility yet as we've seen with the houthi in the past claims responsibility, but this is something the u.s. has been very careful of. u.s. officials say iran has been involved in many of the houthi attacks in the red sea, and there is a maritime, task force with other countries to address this in the red sea. many shipping companies have

avoided the red sea altogether and go other routes, perhaps africa, but this is the place to watch if there are more attacks from iran. the u.s. has tried very hard not to let this conflict spread, but when you see attacks like this, you see it's an ongoing concern and major risk as the war in gaza comes to three months. thank you for the update. moments ago, 218 humanitarian aid trucks expected in gaza today. and pope francis used his christmas day message to call for a cease-fire between the war and depending the release of hostages still being held in gaza. in the west bank, christmas day carried on without the large crowd of world championshipers that usually gather at the birthplace of yes. will ripley has more. >> reporter: christmass is

canceled in bethlehem, church bells ring, but no one is there and missing is the main err and christmas tree and dangling decorations and only sadness fills the air. >> translator: my son asked why there was no christmas tree this near? i don't know how to explain it. >> reporter: are you sad? >> yes, very sad. >> the root of the tree, and we carve it. >> reporter: bombs may not be falling here but everyone feels the fallout. >> since the thee months, we don't have one sale. i don't keep my father at home not to give up hope. >> reporter: hope is in short supply with businesses banking on a busy christmas, no comfort or joy but silent nights. the usual crowds gone, shops and restaurants shuttered, and this is empty. >> most of the festivals were

canceled during that because of the war in gaza. >> reporter: across bethlehem, red and white warning signs instead of red and green. barbed wire instead of misteltoe, barricades and walls and checkpoints part of life for palestinians. this is a new extreme. israel blames the blockade on security threats. palestinians, the u.n. and human rights groups call it collective punishment cutting people people off from their loved ones and likelihoods. >> have you ever seen it like this? >> no. never. >> reporter: the restaurants, the hotels, the shops, the square, emptiness surrounds you here in bethlehem and perhaps do you feel it more than here in the church of the nativity. >> reporter: this father has

been in bethlehem since 1970, 54 years. he's never seen a christmas season like this. >> christmas is joy, love and peace. we have no peace, we have to joy. >> reporter: long lines usually wrap around the basilica, the grotto, always standing-room only. now, you can practically hear a pin drop. priests are still praying, praying for all this madness to end, but these days, only god is listening. will ripley, cnn, bethlehem. will. thank you. airports across the country are dealing with record traffic for the holiday and as you can imagine some headaches as winter weather, fog and rain wreak havoc, the details for you, and the chances of this happening are one in two billion, an alabama woman with two uteruses

just gave birth to twins. you'll meet them ahead.

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>> conditions in chicago caused delayed flights and now travel in the central part of the country is threatened by blizzard warnings and the wintery weather also adding to the chaos there. one passenger shared her story being stranded four three days. >> the luggage down stairs was lined up at least four blocks full of people trying to get their luggage and nobody got their luggage. is terrible -- it's terrible. i'm just trying to keep a smile, keep a positive outlook to keep from crying. me being disabled, i have to pay the wheelchair back and forth for three days. >> reporter: what medication is

in the bag? >> all of my medication that i take. two different kind of blood pressure pills. they lost my luggage upstairs. >> and i'd like to bring in sara nelson, the president of association of flight attendants. merry christmas and good afternoon. we heard that woman explaining her situation. the airlines, i thought, worked out plans so this sort of thing wouldn't happen. >> well, that story is a little bit heartbreaking to hear, although her spirit was pretty incredible with all that she's been facing. you know, this is a product of cutting costs over the last couple decades and where staffing has been cut and you're right, airlines did a lot to address the operations. we don't have wide reports of disruptions across the system, although, of course, as the weather moves in, that always

creates some challenges, but certainly that story should not be happening, what this woman has been dealing with and unacceptable, and we need to step up and also get the contracts done, the flight attendants, ticket agents are skipping holidays with their loved ones to do this and without contracts scraping to get by. >> i'm thinking back to this time last year where we had the absolute meltdown with southwest airlines and people were stranded for days and this year so far, knock on wood, we haven't seen the nationwide delays or cancelations at a high pace like that yet, and hopefully it stays that way. do you think that you think the measures that the major airlines have taken to fix delay issues and how they death penalty to problems are working, or are we just getting lucky with weather,

i mean, how do we explain it's okay so far? >> look, there's better planning because the airlines are 80% union and hiring people inside and the building of the infrastructure, those were demanded by unions, so there have been improvements over the years and in addition to hiring more people in the frontlines, and i have to say, tsa has been doing a marvelous job, the pay has been increased and it's easier to attract people in the security lines so it all making a difference. the flight attendants still haven't got a raise and the southwest pilots got a 50% raise and the major contracts were in the high 30s and 40s for pay increases, and flight attendants are still waiting for that, so we're pushing he'd trying to get the increases and also trying to get paid for the time at work where we're working longer hours, but if we're not in the air not getting paid, so this is an antiquated system, a result

from the 1938 fair labor act we were exempted from and contracts designed to run the pilot contracts but the flight attendants are working during the boarding and customer interfacing work and a lot more flights during the day where we need to get paid, and these are the high demands in the contract devotions that needs to get resolved. everything the airlines have done won't last if we don't get these contracts done. >> that is what i didn't know, when they're at the gate, the flight attendants are not paid until you're physically in the air, which is interesting. you tweeted moving through the airports and seeing people with smiles on their faces and kind overcommend ing commending them for working in the holidays. do you see alleviation for that?

>> we had people sleeping in their cars when uaw was striking and certainly a story from the flight attendants with plenty of stories of flight attendants not making ends meet, have to work in the expensive cities sleeping in their cars, as well. we've got to get these things fixed and increase the conditions for everyone. what i saw in the airport it feels like is what we saw in and support for the strikes this year for the auto workers, the riders and is almost strike at ups. across the country, people are supporting unions, because there's a common experience across the working class. i saw people who were traveling workers themselves saying thank you to other workers in the airport, and this is a reflection of the solidarity of what is happening in the country supporting working people to fight back and make sure that corporation and billionaires are not taking all the money and

inequality is not growing and there is a cap on executive somization and the staff getting relief money during covid, that ended a year ago, but we have been pushing the airlines for that, so far, so good, and we have to make sure the contracts are done and fully operational for the traveling public. >> well, please pass our gratitude for those flight attendants working on the holidays. i flew yesterday and thank you to the pilot and the flight attendants that got us there safely. thank you. >> merry christmas and happy holidays. now to other headlines we're watching this our, a six-year-old flying unaccompanied on spirit airlines was put on the wrong flight. he was travelling to visit his grandmother in florida but put on a flight to orlando. spirit airlines tells cnn they apologized to the family, and

the grandmother just wants to know how that mix-up happened and also the chances are one in two billion. an alabama woman with the rare condition of having a double uterus has given birth to twin girls. each baby grew in their own separate womb and and after a combined labor, roxy was born december 19th and -- >> everyone was superemotional when roxy was born, because we did it. lots of tears and clapping, it was fun, but then the reality hit, okay, well, we have another one we have to take care of too. >> oh, sweet. congratulations to that family. if you're wondering even if the girls were born on different days and grew in two different wombs, they are still considered fraternal twins and double

uteruses is rare, occurring in 0.3% of women. >> the royal family attending christmas with king charles iii delivered his christmas message and used the second christmas broadcast in a call for compassion in the face of to world conflicts. >> on this christmas day, my heart and my thanks go to all who are serving one another, all who are caring for our common home and all who see and seek the good of others, not least the friend we yet do not know. in this way, we bring out the best in ourselves. i wish you a christmas of peace on earth and good will to all. >> still ahead, if you're one of the many americans on weigight

loss d drugs like e ozempic, ist safe to o skip out on n it for hoholiday treaeats?

. >> in the first six months of 2023, nearly six million prescriptions were written for the classic drugs of ogobe and ozempic which signal the brain's to reduce the appetite, but with many people wanting to indulge on christmas cookies and the other holiday treats, some weight loss users are considering skipping their doses, is this a good idea? well, dr. lina wynn is here to share her expertise. thank you for joining us on this christmas. there are so many people using this drug and seeing positive effects from it, but we're curious if it is dangerous to pause it for a holiday or an event or a vacation, something like that? >> look, i understand why some people may want to pause this drug, because for many people, it does cause significant side

effects. people often have gastrointestinal like enausea, vomitting, diarrhea, stomach pain, things that don't go well with vacations or christmas or other holidays, but the issue is, we have to understand obesity as a chronic condition, and these medications like ogobe or ozempic, we need to understand these the same way we would medications for high blood pressure or diabetes or heart disease, and you wouldn't stop those other medications without getting your doctor's advice and recommendation, and i would advise people to please do that for semiglutide and weight loss drugs. for some patients, it may be fine to skip a few doses and maybe it's a good idea to sort weaning off and reduce the doses but for others, they can /kphraoerpbs blood pressure spikes have reoccurrence or worsening of their diabetes they were trying to control, so this

needs to be individualized and done in consultation with someone's individual position. >> yeah, so i did want to ask you, you got at it a little bit, if there would be side effects associated with stopping and restarting a treatment like ozempic? >> well, i think there's another related question, as well, that is if somebody is trying to reduce the side effects that they have, the question is that going to work if they just miss one dose of this medication? this is supposed to be a weekly dosing, and so you take this injection once a week, but if you end up missing one dose, the drug is still going to be in your body and still having an effect, so how to time this so that you get the reduced side effects that you want, again, that is something that you really want to work out with your physician, because if you're skipping a dose, you may have negative health effects from that without getting the benefit that you think you might be more reasons to consult our

physician rather than on your i don't know. >> lastly, with people setting new goals for the year, do you expect doctors getting a lot of questions with this drug, and what is your advice for people and they should look into this? >> in the u.s., more than one of 10 americans suffers from obesity, which is a chronic condition with adverse health effects itself and predisposes individuals to a whole variety of other health negative outcomes including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and et cetera, so it's good we have these medications as an extra tool, but remember these are medications that also need to be used together with lifestyle changes, so people still need to be eating a healthy diet, still need to be getting exercise, because ultimately better health is the goal. >> dr. wynn, thank you for joining us and merry christmas

and happy new year. >> merry christmas. extreme weather left its mark all around the world in 2023, and bill weir takes a look at the top 10 climate stories of the year coming up.

climate news this year. unprecedented global heat fuelled deadly weather events science. we're still able to control our fate despite 2023 officiallily becoming the hottest year on record. we still have the ability to seize control of our destiny. here's the good news, if we stop adding to the overburden of these greenhouse gas pollutants in the sky and reach true net zero and stop adding to the heat trapping capacity up there. temperatures will stop going up right away and if we stay at true net zero, half of the greenhouse pollution

will fall out of the atmosphere in as little as 35 to 40 years. >> top 10 climate stories of 2023. starting our list at number 10, the water whiplash that became a signature of 2023 in the american west. >> what you're seeing here is an attempt to try to get ahead of the storm that continues to pound california. after years of mega drought, rivers in the sky unloaded on california. turning dust bowls into raging floods that took at least 20 lives and filled the mountains with record snow. but not enough to end the drought. and number nine is comp 28 in dubai. >> allow me to be clear that the meeting is adjourned. >> where the world came together and for the first time in three decades of climate

talks agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. more than 130 countries are hoping for a phase out of oil, gas, and cole. scientists warn to meet the ambition of the paris accord, climate pollution needs to be cut at 40% by 2040. >> at number eight, the mediterranean storm had way of drowning thousands of people in libya. >> everywhere you turn it's apocalyptic scenes here. >> entire neighborhoods were washed into the sea, a tragedy that scientists say was 50 times more likely on an unheated plant. >> number 7, the state of montana was sued for ignoring their constitutional right for a

clean and healthy environment by developing fossil fuels. companies and states taking big companies to court for climate change, it was a key win. number six is the summer of smoke brought by a record shattering scale of canadian wildfires. an area the size of missouri burned north of the border. >> if you get any glimpse of the sun these days it's a glow in the sky. >> american air quality in the cities was the worst in generations, closing schools and filling emergency rooms. number 5 is the ocean water around florida reaching hot tub temperatures of nearly 100 degrees in july. bringing devastating new levels of coral bleaching to the cradles of caribbean sea life. that warmer water is also jet fuel for hurricanes. and at number four, rapid intensification become a

watch word in 2023. >> we're getting sprayed every minute or so. >> the storms like idalia in florida as big bend and hillary in southern california shows us how modern storms are getting stronger and faster. number three, phoenix, arizona gave us a new definition of heat wave at 31 straight days at other over 110 degrees. temperatures hot enough to kill a cactus took the lives of 100 people. a grim new record. at number two, first record temperature, the highest at in 120,000 years. a few days in 2023 we were a full two degrees celsius warmer than preindustrial levels and if that becomes the new normal, scientists warn of cascading collapse. and at number one, the maui wildfires.

>> we're getting the first glimpse at this town after hearing the nightmare stories and it is worst than you can imagine. >> generations of water and invasive grasses and recent drought created the fuel, downed power lines are suspected of providing the spark. and hurricane winds fan the flames until most of beloved lahaina was turned to ash. with over 100 souls lost, it is the deadliest fire in modern u.s. history and the battle of how best to rebuild has just gun. >> bill weir, cnn new york. bill, thank you. a true miracle, a pennsylvania animal shelter did something that had not been done in nearly a half of a century. the heart-warming details are next.

as families gather for christmas today, some are being joined by new furry family members. two weeks ago, an adams county pennsylvania animal shelter was nearly at capacity. it's kennels filled with dogs looking for forever homes. for the first time in 50 years there are no dogs at the shelter every one was adopted and spending christmas with their new family. they classed 509 animals in new homes and reunited strays with their owners. sweet. a very merry christmas to you, thanks for spending time with us. anthony bourdain: parts unknown starts right now. [rousing music] [upbeat music]