transport you to a place that can't be seen in real life. this is cnn breaking news. >> hello, everyone. i'm natalie allen at cnn center in atlanta. we have breaking news out of the state of new york. an orthodox jewish community north of new york city is in shock after five people were stabbed late saturday, while celebrating hanukkah. authorities say the suspected attacker was apprehended a short time later. at least two of the five victims are reported in critical condition. precise details about what happened are still being verified. we know the attack took place inside the home of an orthodox

jewish rabbi, where about 100 people were gathered to mark the seventh night of hanukkah. we want you to hear, now, from a man who confronted the attacker. he said the rabbi had just lit a candle when a stranger burst in. >> he was walking in by the door. i asked, who is coming in, in the middle of the night, with an umbrella. while i was saying that, he pulled it out from the thing and he started to run into the big run, which was on the left side. and i had thrown tables and chairs, that he should get out of here. and the guy was the arrest guy. he was bleeding here, bleeding in his hand, all over. i run into the other room. i ran out. i don't know the time now. and they're hysterical right now.

>> so fortunate, they have apprehended a suspect. paolo sandoval is heading to the scene right now. what are you learning about this attack? >> reporter: as we head to the scene, we're continuing to gather information. what we know about the victims, the injured here, they were in the dozens gathering at the rabbi's home, taking part of this hanukkah celebration on saturday night. authorities confirming that five people were stabbed, were injured, trying to get information on who they are. and the latest on their condition here. and the main headline right now. and of course, the biggest concern at this point, was a suspect. and according to a police chief in a nearby town, the suspect was apprehended, is in custody. authorities are trying to speak to the individual right now. we don't know much more. this investigation is still in the preliminary stages.

already, we have heard a massive response and reaction from authorities in and around the new york area. new york's governor, andrew cuomo, tweeting after this stabbing happened, that he was horrified by the events in rockland county, which is a short drive from new york city. reiterating a message, what we have heard, a string of anti-semitic incidents taking place. today, we counted eight of them that happened this week alone. and so, we have seen, not just in rockland county, but here in new york city, we have seen a massive response, deployment of new york city police officers, at area synagogues because there have been many members of the jewish community that have been approached and assaulted by various individuals. so, of course, the question now becomes, what was the main motive here? our understanding is this is going to be -- this being

investigated as a hate crime, would be something that we could potentially see here in the coming hours, as authorities piece this investigation together. but the main takeaways right now, this hanukkah celebration, that took a terrible and terrorizing turn, only a few hours ago, just outside of new york city, leaving at least five people dead, when a knife-wielding individual made his way to that party. natalie, back to you. >> yeah. i can imagine the fear that was going on. you know, as we have learned, the rabbi was lighting a candle, dozens of people are there and then, somebody with a knife. if we can put up a list of the issues that have been dealt with in new york, it seems like every day, there's been something going on. the mayor is saying, we must do

something. and people are adamant that the jewish communities need to have extra protection. what more are they talking about? >> that's important context you bring up here, natalie. before tonight's terrifying events here, we had been following this uptick in anti-semitic incidents that have been taking place or reported, in around the new york city area. just this morning, we see the video from the nypd showing us an attack on the jewish gentleman who is wearing religious attire, when a hooded individual walks up to him and punches him. it resembled an accident on christmas eve, as well, where individuals, many of the cases are happening in brooklyn, new york. members of the jewish community were approached and assaulted. the question becomes why have we seen at least eight reported incidents in the last seven days here in new york city? as especially as the members of

the jewish community turn together for hanukkah. we turn to officials from the anti-defamation league or anti-hate group, that does monitor these incidents. i asked why we're seeing this. and they believe there's multiple factors here. one of them is rising tensions in some of the neighborhoods where jewish families have resided, historically. and some of the tensions are due to rising housing prices or housing opportunities, for example. and also, an issue of mental illness, according to the adl. some of the individuals app h s apprehended and responsible for assaulting the members of the jewish community, that has been a factor. there really is a lot of nuance here and some important framing that we do have to take into account, as the investigation into this latest incident begins. we need to be clear, this investigation is only a few hours in. we still -- police have not

clearly established a motive. however, when you take a step back and you look at what's happened, in new york city, for the last seven, eight days, and then, consider what happened, just outside of new york city tonight, at this hanukkah celebration, it certainly does lead to many questions. >> absolutely. and 2 1/2 weeks ago, an attack in jersey city, as well. the question is, are these isolated incidents or something else going on? we know you and your photographer are almost to the scene. we'll talk with you again as you get there and get more information for us. right now, we want to talk with evan bernstein. he's the regional director of the anti-defamation league. you're in muncie, evan. this has been a horrible attack on day seven of hanukkah, in the middle of a celebration. can you set the scene for us, about what's happening there now and what the people -- how the

people are responding to this terrible incident. >> i've been on the scene since about 11:15, when we received word about the stabbings that took place. i got here before the crime scene was being established. i had an opportunity to talk to first responders and law enforcement, and talk to the rabbi who was leading the celebration in his home. and i went across the street to his synagogue, where he continued to celebrate the hanukkah holiday, with his congregation. despite there was a horrific act that took place in his home before. it is a horrific time for this community. talking with so many of the community members, they're around the crime scene.

the fbi that came and other law enforcement started to make the crime scene less accessible, clearly. you know, more and more personal conversations about just the immense about of fear right now that people are feeling in a are openly orthodox. as so many family members that live here. they have family in brooklyn and what's taken place. it's so unprecedented of the series with anti-semitic assault. and just a short time ago, having the act of anti-semitic domestic terror that took place in jersey city, where openly orthodox jews were murdered in cold blood. right now, orthodox jews in the greater new york city area are feeling fear and want this to stop. this has been an unrelenting amount of hate experiencing over the last two years, especially, in brooklyn and muncie had it.

there's been an underreporting of anti-semitic incidents in muncie. things are ramping up and we want law enforcement to do the best job they can. thank god they've been able to make an arrest. to have it happen during hanukkah, all these acts taking place over the holiday of hanukkah, has been devastating from the jewish community. >> i read a report in "the washington post," chronicling all these incidents across the country. as you say, they've been underreported, they're happening so often. the big question is why? >> one of the issues we have in the openly orthodox community, the hasidic community, the way people report to our at the adl, that is doing anti-semitism

since 1979, they call us directly or go online. we get most of our reports that way. a lot of the members of the hasidic community don't have the technology available to them. always, they are fearful of dealing with law enforcement or agencies with ours that have been around for over 100 years. there's a disconnect. we're trying very, very hard to work with leadership in the orthodox communities. they feel comfortable enough to report. one thing we're trying to explain to them, is when you report to an organization like ours, it works so directly with law enforcement. law enforcement, that has a better picture of what's taking place in a given community. this underreporting, people take it and don't do anything with it. they talk to their family and don't report it. they don't report it to the police or anybody. it really, like a tree falling in the if communithe community. the more they report, the more resources we get, the more they we work with law enforcement to

make sure they get the resources and elected officials to make sure there's funding to keep the communities secure. that's something we are trying very, very hard to do. i can't tell you how many people in the community over the last few years, i've spoken to, that have said, things have happened to them. horrific things happen to them. and yet, they don't feel compelled to report it out of fear, out of fear of retaliation or really feeling like no one is going to do anything and nobody cares. we're trying so hard to be on the ground, to work with leadership and turn that around, and make it that reporting can be accessible and open. >> and to mirror what you just said, the mayor of new york city, mr. de blasio said, after this, we will not allow this to become the new normal. we'll use every tool we have to stop these attacks, once and for all. we mentioned the jersey city attack 2 1/2 weeks ago.

more orthodox jews were moving into that area, and people were killed in a market there. it'sght, the good news is, the person is in custody and we'll learn more about them. has anybody described this victim? >> the perpetrator, we don't know much about the perpetrator. he was arrested in new york city. that's been confirmed by law enforcement. what i've heard from law enforcement, also, there was five people that were stabbed. one is in critical condition. clearly, we hope that everybody impacted by the stabbing physically, is going to be able to come out of this, you know, as healthy as possible. the ripple effects of the community is clear. we want to get the information on the perpetrator. we want to find out what the mindset was and why that happened. and the community is committed to make sure that law enforcement has that space to operate, to be able to do its due diligence and make sure this

investigation is done at the highest level possible. >> all right. evan bernstein, with the anti-defamation league. we really appreciate you talking with us, evan. we'll talk with you again, as this story develops, perhaps. to our viewers, stay with cnn as we continue to cover this breaking story. i'll be right back. all our whis, blended and aged again. it's the reason our whisky is so extraordinarily smooth. dewar's. double aged for extra smoothness. we don't see who you're against, through or for,rs, whether tomorrow will be light or dark, all we see in you, is a spark we see your spark in each nod, each smile, we see sparks in every aisle.

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more now, on our breaking

news out of new york state. five orthodox jews have been stabbed while celebrating the seventh night of hanukkah at a rabbi's home. a witness said there were 100 people there when a man entered and pulled out a knife. it happened in the town of muncie in rockland county north of new york city. police say they have a suspect inwe'll bring you information o this story as we get it. we turn to a tragedy surrounding a college football playoff match. a small plane bound for the lsu/oklahoma game crashed. five of the six people onboard were killed. among the victims, a sports reporter who is also the daughter-in-law of one of lsu's coaches. the sports director of our affiliate, wvla attended the game and describes how the deaths impacted it.

>> it's been tough. work started matriculating through the tailgates. and word around the press box. she's friends with so many that cover this team and down there in new orleans. certainly was an in-game host for the new orleans saints and the pelicans. also covered the lsu tigers. and the family connection to lsu's offensive coordinator. so, when they walked out on the field, i mean, just to be honest, you could see it on a lot of the staff's faces, coming o out, on to the field. it was visible. it was plain. it's tough to focus on what you have to focus on. that's work. after such an unfortunate loss, his daughter-in-law, we caught him coming out of the locker room, tears in his eyes. he was emotional on the field,

during the warm-ups. it has affected him. he's not one who likes to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but he certainly has today. >> understandable there. the lone survivor from the plane is in critical condition. and three people on the ground were also injured. u.s. president donald trump may be getting a little r&r in florida. but there's no hiding the fact he is obsessing about being impeached. his twitter account is boiling over with angry tweets and retweets, including some he reposted from bogus accounts. at least one retweet had the alleged name of the whistleblower whose complaint triggered his impeachment, even though that person's identity is protected by law. much of the president's rap has been at nancy pelosi.

he's behitled her as crazy in the last week. he uses name-calling when he's angry. twitter says a glitch in its service is keeping some of mr. trump's followers from seeing all of the messages. but the president's latest tweets have not been deleted. besides playing golf, president trump is with guests at his florida resort and soliciting their advice about his upcoming impeachment trial. cnn's kristen holmes, has more for us from west palm beach. >> reporter: president trump may be physically here in florida. but his mind is clearly back home in washington, and on impeachment. wheel he's been mixing and ming the mingling with guests at mar-a-lago, we've been told, he's been picking their brains. asking people who should be part of the defense team? what should the defense strategy be? we've seen president trump on the grsolf course, we've seen h on twitter more. attacking impeachment democrats

and house speaker nancy pelosi. clearly, the president is perturbed by the fact that the speaker has not transmitted the articles of impeachment to the senate. to break down where we stand, at an impasse between democrats and republicans on what a fair trial would look like. the speaker would like some sort of commitment from republicans, which she has yet to receive. democrats believe a fair trial would include witnesses and documents. and again, republicans have not conceded to that. it will be interesting to see how this plays out, given the fact that both parties appear to have dug in. several republicans told me they hoped it would play itself out. that speaker pelosi, once the house was back in session in early january, would feel the political pressure to transmit the articles over to the senate. however, take a listen to a top democratic congressman, dan kildee, who spoke to cnn. >> we have to wait that the trial is not going to be a sham or a joke. >> i'm talking extremes here,

like into february? >> well, i mean, that's possible. but i'm not going to get ahead of the speaker. >> reporter: and february is a long ways away. we have learned from sources that senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, is open to the idea of bringing the impeachment trial procedures and rules to the senate floor would any democratic support. he needs a simple majority. one thing to keep your eye on is the moderate republicans. are they going to be onboard with these senate trials that have no democratic backing? in west palm beach, florida, kristen holmes, cnn. the latest on australia's bush fires, now that continue to rage around that country. volunteer firefighters will now be compensated for battling the fires in new south waillewales, australia. they will get $200 a day to replace lost income. they faced mounting criticism

for side stepping questions about paying them. here in the u.s., nearly 20 million people are under some form of winter warning or advisory, as a winter storm dumps rain, wind, snow and ice, as it moves across the central u.s. our meteorologist derek van dam is here to tell us more about it. seems we have not gotten a break this holiday travel season at all. >> no. it will be very difficult for people across the plains and in the upper midwest today. i want to show you just how tricky it is on the roadways. let me take you to a suburb of minneapolis. this happened on friday. incredible to see what actually took place here. you are watching freezing ice and the dangers of that particular weather phenomenon. look at this bus sliding directly through the middle of the intersection. that's a four-way intersection, people, with traffic lights. and that pus is not stopping. can you imagine the momentum it takes to carry that thing through the intersection and the amount of the ice on the roads? very specific set of weather

conditions need to take place in order for freezing rain to form. so, the precipitation falls through a warm layer of air. it falls as rain. but there's a cool, shallow layer of air right at the surface. that allows for objects like concrete and the roadways to be freezing. any situation that touches the concrete, freezes over and it can be dangerous on the roadways. look at minneapolis. the heavy snowfalls, just to the north and west, where the coldest part of the storm is. you can imagine the delays across the region, even where they experience the rainfall. we have over 20 million americans with some sort of winter weather advisory. snowfall totals through the dakotas in minnesota and michigan, could total a foot of snow by the time the storm is all said and done. a lot of wind associated with

it, as well. not quite reaching in the blizzard criteria we're fearing at this time. here's the evolution of the storm over the next 36 hours. d.c., new york, you're going to stay all-rain as the front lifts north. look at boston, into connecticut, new hampshire and vermont, and upstate new york. we have potential for a full-on ice storm. we could see imagery replay itself as we head into the monday morning commute. luckily, this is the holiday time. not that many schools open. not many people going to work, per se. but we have winter weather watches in anticipation of sleet and freezing rain. some of the commuter models for upstate new york, connecticut, new hampshire and vermont, could see half an inch of ice accumulate on the ground. you can imagine on trees and power lines, won't take long to take out the electricity there, as well. >> much to watch. >> that's heading into new year's eve. >> thanks, derek. we will have much more on

the knife attack on people identified as hasidic jews during a hanukkah celebration in new york in a moment. we'll also have reaction from the israeli government. a live report from jerusalem is just ahead.

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are following breaking news. police in muncie, new york, are on the scene of a mass stabbing at a hanukkah celebration. at least five people were wounded. two of them critically. the suspect is in custody. according to witnesses, about 100 people were inside the home, you see here, of an orthodox jewish rabbi, to celebrate the seventh night of hanukkah. the rabbi had just lit a candle when the attacker entered the home. a witness describes the chaos that followed. >> saw him walking in by the door. i asked who was coming in, the middle of the night. i asked, who is coming in, in the middle of the night, with an umbrella. while i was saying that, he

pulled it out from the thing and he started to run into the big run, which was on the left side. and i had thrown tables and chairs, that he should get out of here. and the guy was the arrest guy. he was bleeding here, bleeding in his hand, all over. i run into the other room. i ran out. two came with me, historical. i don't know the time now. and they're hysterical right now. they catched him. last time, they never caught the guy. he will drink coffees and danishes. and i'm -- thank you for everybody who came down to help us. >> did he say anything -- >> he said something. but i couldn't hear what he said. >> what did you see him pull out? >> the knife from the holder, in the case. >> it was in a case? how big was it? >> almost like a broomstick.

>> that's big ones. >> how many people were inside? >> one. >> how many people were at the party inside? >> i would say about -- it was about at least 100 people. >> was this a hanukkah party? >> yeah. i mean, it was a rabbi had the lighting the candle. >> okay. >> did you see him stabbing people? >> yeah. >> what did you see? >> yeah. i saw him stabbing people. and i start throwing folding chairs and tables. he must have had a potato, not a hat.no, no. >> did he act like he knew the people there? >> no. i don't think so. there was a guy -- first, the first men he came to pick up the handicap guy. but the handicap guy wasn't there. and if somebody is supposed to marry his son, his first son,

monday. his hand is almost cut off. >> my goodness. oren liebermann joins us live from jerusalem. that witness saying the knife was the size of a broomstick. he said earlier, that the rabbi, went to the synagogue and continued the service, after this happened. that is remarkable. want to talk with you, though, whether there's been a statement released by the israeli government, about what has happened in new york in the past few hours. >> there have. we began to get the responses and the reactions of israeli leaders. to the rabbi's point, there was one politician that said, nothing will stop the jewish community of muncie, new york, or any jewish community, from celebrating the final night of hanukkah, celebrating this holiday during this winter. the message came from jerusalem's president. he said, we are praying for the

rapid recovery of those injured. the rise of anti-semitism is not just a jewish problem and not just the state of israel's problem. we must work together to confront this evil that is raising its head again and is a genuine threat around the world. we have gotten statements from israeli leaders and politicians, to act against the suspect, who we understand is in custody. they say anyone who would raise their hand against the jewish community anywhere. that's the sort of response we see here. we have yet to get a response from benjamin netanyahu. we'll bring you his response when it becomes available. this is something that is becoming all too common. the pittsburgh synagogue attack, the san diego synagogue attack, that happened on the sabbath. this is on sabbath and hanukkah. in the u.s., it's sunday morning here. but the idea is the same. jewish people attacked in their places of worship, where they should feel safe. and yet, we're seeing the horrific attacks too often.

>> 2 1/2 weeks ago in jersey city, where a jewish community is developing there. and we remember, a terrific shoot-out that happened at a market. two people were killed th on. the mayor of new york promises this will not be the new normal. we shall see. netanyahu is close with president trump. mr. trump has not issued a statement about what happened as of yet. but has netanyahu appealed to him personally, about safety for the jewish community in the past? do you know? >> reporter: well, prime minister netanyahu has been careful not to criticize president donald trump in any way with the rise of anti-semitic attacks in the u.s. that's for the relationship between him and trump and the u.s. and israel. in terms of the big picture, i don't think it's a surprise or coincidence that israel will

have a gathering on anti-semitism, with many of the world's leaders, including vladimir putin and many others. it is on a special occasion. next month is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of auschwi auschwitz, the nazi camp in poland. this is an idea to bring world leaders together and not only anti-semitic attacks in one country, but around the world. seeing if they can learn to combine efforts and to put an end to them. >> that will be an important meeting. we know that you and others will be covering it. thank you so much. oren liebermann, live for us in jerusalem. more on our breaking news, in just a moment. we'll be right back. when we were looking for a roommate,

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again, our breaking news. new york's governor has activated the state's hate crime task force in response to a stabbing near a synagogue. five people identified at an orthodox group as hasidic jews were stabbed. it happened in muncie, in rockland county, north of new york city. police have a suspect in custody. far from new york, somalia is grappling with another attack that's become all-too familiar there. at least 79 people were killed in the capital saturday,

mogadishu, when a vehicle laden with explosives was set off. the country's prime minister says the nation is at a state of war with terrorists. we have following developments from nairobi. >> reporter: once again, another truck suicide bombing in somalia's capital, mogadishu. 79 have been killed and over 100 were injured. what happened on saturday, is a very busy junction, from the south of the country, into somalia's mogadishu was attacked by this truck bomb. at the same time, we understand that the president of somalia has swetweeted, this dark day h robbed our nation of dozen os lives. this will never dim the spirits of the people of somalia.

no one has claimed responsibility for another truck bomb attack in mogadishu. but it has all of the hallmarks of al shabaab, the al qaeda terror group that's operating consistently in somalia. at the same time, we know africa as a whole in 2020, will face these kinds of terror attacks. mali is suffering under the same thing. i'll be back with more news right after this. when we see you enter through our doors, we don't see who you're against, or for, whether tomorrow will be light or dark, all we see in you, is a spark we see your spark in each nod, each smile, we see sparks in every aisle. we see you find a hidden gem, and buying diapers at 3am.

we see your kindness and humanity. the strength of each community. we've seen more sparks than we can say. about 20 million just yesterday. the more we look the more we find, the sparks that make america shine. if your glasses aren't so will we. no we won't. don't forget to use your vision benefits before they're gone. now in-network with vsp. visionworks. see the difference.

us. it's what this country is made of. but right now, our bond is fraying. how do we get back to "us"? the y fills the gaps. and bridges our divides. donate to your local y today. because where there's a y, there's an us. up here at the dewar's distillery, all our whiskies are aged, blended and aged again. it's the reason our whisky is so extraordinarily smooth. dewar's. double aged for extra smoothness.

to say there's been big political news in 2019, that may sound like the biggest understatement of the year, doesn't it? so many headlines, it's hard to remember them all. but cnn's chief political correspondent, dana bash, has the top nine political stories of the year. ♪ >> reporter: it has been quite the year in politics. here are the top nine political stories of 2019. it didn't get as many headlines as other big political stories. but make no mistake about it --

>> conservative judges. >> reporter: the president's success of getting his judges on the bench will have implications for years to come. thanks to senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, who is focused like a laser on this, the senate confirmed a record 50 circuit court judges. mcconnell took to twitter boasting, that is any president first time since 1980. >> constitution of the united states. >> reporter: president trump announced his re-election campaign the day he was inaugurated. historically early start that has team took advantage of. raising more than $165 million, nearly $100 million in this year alone. >> it's much more efficient two years out to try to find a possible voter or donor. it's just a considerable advantage that the other side won't have because you just can't replace time. >> reporter: control of the big coffers, not only his re-election campaign, but the republican party's, contributed to the firm grip on the gop,

which became more clearly the party of donald trump in 2019. >> to take back our democracy. >> reporter: the democrats' 2020 presidential field took shape early in the year, as the most diverse ever. more women and candidates of color, running for a single party than ever before. the first openly gay candidate, a top contender. >> the candidates are at their positions -- >> reporter: it was also the biggest. c cnn's october debate was the most crowded stage in the history of presidential primaries. >> i want to give a reality check to elizabeth. no one on this stage wants to protect billionaires. not even the billionaire wants to protect billionaires. we have different approaches. your idea is not the only idea. >> i think as democrats, we are going to succeed when we dream big and fight hard. not when we dream small and quit before

primary fight more than this. do voters want an ideological revolution or a candidate focussed on relief from donald trump. revolutionaries, while joe biden, buttigieg and klobuchar say incremental change is more realistic. nowhere was this more on display than on health care. >> 71% of democrats support medicare for all. >> stay tuned for the answer in 2020. 2019 started with a historic new class of house democrats. a record number of women sworn in and many more firsts. the first muslim-american women,

the first native-american women. and the first female house speaker in history reclaimed the gavel. >> i'm particularly proud to be the woman speaker of the house of this congress which marks the 100th year of women having the right to vote. [ applause ] >> speaking of nancy pelosi, going head to head with president trump is one of the 2019 story lines. starting with the longest government shutdown in u.s. history. >> federal workers will not be receiving their paychecks. the president seems to be insensitive to that. he thinks maybe they can just ask their father for more money, but they can't. >> the state of the union speech has been canceled by nancy pelosi, because she doesn't want to hear the truth. >> in objectober, a clash over president deciding to pull troops of syria, and a pelosi

walkout. he twrooeeted a photo claiming was a nancy pelosi meltdown. she claimed it as her page photo. trump is only the third president in history to be impeached. >> i pray for the president all the time. >> after nearly two year, robert mueller concluded his russia investigation with a 448-page report. on the key question of collusion, mueller's probe did not establish that members of the trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the russian government in the election interference activities. it noted ten instances where the president may have obstructed justice, writing, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. much to the outrage of democrats, attorney general william barr tried to play it as exoneration. >> the evidence developed by the

special counsel is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense. >> democrats were hoping mueller would clear it up. but his nearly seven-hour testimony, slow-moving and drama free did not. then, a whistle-blower complaint that trump urged the koreanen president to investigate joe biden and his son hunter in exchange for nearly $400 million in u.s. military aid. >> that call was perfect. >> moderate, vulnerable house democrats who had resisted impeachment before changed their minds and called for an inquiry. an equally-reluctant house speaker announced the house would do just that. >> the actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the constitution. >> a day later, the white house released a rough transcript of that july conversation. in it was what democrats would focus their impeachment inquiry on, an apparent can quid pro

quo. the impeachment inquiry would make its which through the house committee, followed by several days of notable public testimony. >> was there a quid pro quo? as i testified previously, with regard to the requested white house call and the white house meeting, the answer is yes. >> former trump/russia adviser fiona hill called out a domestic political airnd a rand and sent warning. >> we're running out of time to stop them. >> republicans attacked the process, generally side-stepping the facts. >> you can't make your case against the president because nothing happened. >> democrats drafted two articles of impeachment. abuse of power and obstruction of congress, which passed the committee and later the full house on party line votes. the year ending with donald trump the third president in history to be impeached.

so how does it all end? you're going to have to wait till 2020. dana bash, cnn, washington. an update on our breaking news. a suspect is in custody after a brutal knife attack against orthodox orthodox jews celebrating hanukkah. about 100 people were inside the home that you're seeing right there of an orthodox jewish rabbi in monsey, new york. new york's governor has ordered the state's hate crime task force to investigate the incident. there have been several in the past few days against jews in and around new york. i'm natalie allen.

george howard will have another hour of news updates and we'll continue to bring you updates on this story.

this is cnn breaking news. >> we are following the breaking news this hour just outside of new york city. several people in rockland county stabbed in a knife attack at a rabbi's home during a

hanukkah celebration. welcome to viewers in the u.s. and around world. i'm george howell at the cnn center. a suspect is in custody after stabbing five people in the community of monsey, new york. at least two of the victims are reported to be in critical condition. this attack again took place inside the home of an orthodox jewish rabbi where about 100 people came together to mark the seventh night of hanukkah. the rabbi had just lit a stranger when a stranger then burst in. listen. >> i saw him walking by the door. i asked who is coming in. middle of the night. with an umbrella, while i kwai w was saying that he pulled it out of the thing and started running to the big room on the left side, and i'm throwing tables and chairs that he should get out of here, and he injured the guy, he was bleeding here, bleeding in his hand, all over.

i ran into the other room cause i tried to save my life. i saw him running down this way, so i ran out, and two ladies came along with me, they're still hysterical. what time is it now, i don't know the time now, and they're still hysterical right now. >> and now live to our cnn correspondent in monsey, new york. polo sandoval on the scene. what is the latest about what you're hearing inside that home and how the community there is reacting to it. >> reporter: george, it is certainly a question heavy on the minds of the people here, a very short drive from new york city where a lot of people are asking exactly why their jewish community was targeted, as you mentioned, on the seventh night of hanukkah as these members of the community were gathering in peace celebrating hanukkah when according to witnesses we've already heard from, this individual came in with a knife and began slashing away at individuals, we now know five people were injured, at least

two critical, we're trying to learn more. here at the scene, it is still extremely active. law enforcement from around the region have arrived here as they begin this investigation. but this certainly comes during a very difficult time for the jewish community in new york city where they've seen a string of anti-semitic incidents reported into the nypd. and so now this of course being the latest, governor andrew cuomo releasing a statement not long after this incident late saturday night saying he was horrified by this and also reiterating that there will be zero tolerance for any kind of anti-semitic actions here. so, and also here, pledging that anybody responsible will certainly be eventually prosecuted. now who that individual is we do not know. only that that person was taken into custody or not long after the actual stabbing incident. investigators certainly are going to try to get more information out of him. in the meantime, here, george, the community is reeling with

this very latest incident that just took place even what was supposed to be, obviously, a gathering of many members of the community, taking a terrible turn when this knife-wielding suspect made his way into this hasiddic rabbi's home. >> you touched on this, and i would ask if we can bring that graphic up to view. it's important context. there have been several incidents, several attacks. this, the latest attack, polo, and it has raised a great deal of concern in the community about the attacks happening and about what's being done to stop. >> reporter: absolutely. there has been this growing call coming from many of these jewish communities especially in brooklyn after at least at least one of these incidents happening per day during the last week. of course the latest taking place just yesterday, which would have been incident number eight. so that, those numbers are certainly deeply disturbing. but then those other previous

incidents, some of which took place on christmas eve and christmas day where jewish individuals that were wearing traditionally religious attire were essentially confronted and attacked and authorities, obviously, are taking a close look at that footage, at surveillance video. they've released it in and around new york city hoping someone can identify them. but it leads to the question, why we're seeing these kinds of incidents, especially right now. there is quite a bit of speculation, a lot of theories right now. the anti-defamation league who i had an opportunity to speak to yesterday believes that maybe there could be various old terr stereotypes resurfacing, a mental illness component among some of the suspects arrested in the latest string of incidents in new york city. but the question is, how do authorities deal with that? how do they ensure the protection of these members of the jewish community in and around new york city who are

ba basically going about their daily lives when in many cases they have been approached, threatened and assaulted. >> polo sandoval there live, 3:05:00 a.m. on the east coast. give us a sense of what's happening there behind you. the scene as investigators look into this. >> reporter: it is certainly still a very active crime scene behind me of course. police cars still staged around the perimeter. we're aabobout a 45-minute driv from the heart of new york city. some have relatives affected by this incident. you can bet many are making their way here trying to find out exactly what hanppened, trying to see if loved ones were affected or among the injured here. the building you see behind me is the home, the rabbi's home will be actually right next to

it. you're not able to see it from our vantage point. this is as close as we can take you as the scene is still very much guarded by authorities as they try to piece this investigation together. the main question here is exactly why this happened new york state authorities promising that they will get to the bottom of it. andrew cuomo already sending his hate crime task force to the scene to try to get that answer for this community that badly needs it, especially as it was coming together, celebrating hanukkah. >> our u.s. national correspondent, polo sandoval on the scene for us in monsey, new york. we'll continue to stay in touch with you as you reach out to authorities there. a short time ago my colleague, natalie allen asked how the jewish community is responding to what happened in monsey, new york. >> reporter: i got here before the crime scene was being established and had the opportunity to talk with first

responders, talk to law enforcement and have an opportunity to meet the rabbi who's leading a celebration in his home and actually went across the street to his synagogue where he continued to celebrate the hanukkah holiday with his congregation. even, despite there was horrific act that took place in his home, you know, just, really moments before. and it has been a horrific time right now for this community, you know, talking with, really, so many of the community members that are here on the street, around the crime scene. being sequestered off a few hundred yards away as the fbi came and other law enforcement started making the crime scene, you know, less, less accessible, clearly, you know, more and more personal conversations about just the immense amount of fear right now the people are feeling that are openly orthodox. they know so many family members that live here in monsey have family in brooklyn and what has

taken place there over the past week is somewhat unprecedented with the series of anti-semitic assaults and just a short time ago having the act of anti-semitic domestic terror that took place in jersey city where orthodox jews were murdered in cold blood. right now they are feeling just tremendous amounts of fear and want this to stop. this has been unrelenting amount of hate they've been experiencing over the last two years, especially in brooklyn. monsey's certainly had it. we feel there's been an underreporting of incidents in monsey and now things are ramping up here, and we really want law enforcement to do the best job they can. thank god they've already been able to make an arrest, but to have this happen during hanukkah, to have it happen at a hanukkah celebration, having all these acts of hate that have taken place over the holiday of hanukkah has been absolutely devastating for the jewish

community here. >> again, we're following this situation that happened in monsey, new york. we understand again several people in rockland county, they were stabbed in this knife attack, this happening inside a rabbi's home during a hanukkah celebration. at least two of the victims are reportedly in critical condition. this attack, again, taking place inside of a home. the attacker burst inside where about 100 people had come together to mark the seventh night of hanukkah. again, we've also heard from a witness, a witness who described what it was like inside, the fear that people certainly felt when this happened and then people inside that room doing their best to attack, to push back against this particular suspect. we understand the suspect was arrested in new york city. at this point, we don't have any new information on who is behind this. but we are speaking with authorities and will pass it on to you as we learn more. let's go back live to the scene

now to get more context about what happened. let's bring in yosi, the co-founder of the orthodox jewish public affairs council. thank you for take being time to be with us. i know there's a lot going on here. your group, the mission there is to counter the defamation of the orthodox jewish community. and on this day there are some questions to be answered about who is behind this attack during a hanukkah celebration and why it happened. >> correct, absolutely. first of all, thanks for having me, and i think it pretty much covers the details of the event, which is a couple hours ago at about 9:50 this evening. someone stormed into the home of a hasiddic rabbi. was in the middle of a hanukkah celebration with 50 or 60 of his followers. started stabbing people, five in

toe at tha total, two critical. one of the stabbing victims is actually an adult child of the rabbi. what is comforting for me to see is first of all, the swift and strong response from everyone and everywhere. law enforcement, the local town police, the county. the police chief was there. the sheriff was there. state senator was on the ground. i was contacted by other officials who are more on a regional level, weren't able to be here earlier this evening. we had members of other jewish organizations, orthodox or otherwise. so this is very important. anytime an attack takes place, that at the scene, at the moment, there's a strong response from media to shine the light on this event. that's the most important thing. secondly, what i hope is whether it's here or in brooklyn, especially in brooklyn, that the talk about stepping up security

should be more than a 15-hour spiel. i saw a photo of an empty bus in front of a congregation, taking up two parking spots, i'm not sure what that bus accomplishes. thirdly, i think it would be very helpful throughout the region but especially in brooklyn. that law enforcement and officials and authorities should release a list of the incidents, side by side with the consequences to those perpetrators, that those things shouldn't be just another story. people need to understand that what they do has consequences. and finally, after the attack, after the scene was cleared from victims, you know what the rabbi did? he went into his congregation next door and continued with the celebration. and that's spirit that i'm, you know, proud to see and proud to point out. the orthodox community, people in the orthodox community will

not be deterred by any type of attack, whether it's bigoted, anti-semitic, targeted or otherwise. and i think a consistent response from law enforcement and government officials as i just laid out is very helpful. and obviously, there are people in the community, especially administrators of schools who are thinking how they can make schools safer for the students, especially after jersey city. >> i do want to touch on a point that you raised here. you say that one of the victims, an adult child of the rabbi, but do want to point out that per our reporting, we have not received confirmation of that. at the same time, we do understand that those victims are reported in critical condition. look, i want to get a sense from you as well. we have a graphic that i want to share with our viewers, because it's important to point this context out. there have been several other incidents, right? december 23rd, december 24th,

december 25th, christmas day, december 26th, 27th and 28th. do you get a sense that enough is being done by authorities to handle these situations? because again you point out the consequences should be put forward. people need to understand what happened in these cases so as to prevent others from happening again. >> correct. so to an extent, i think authorities, law enforcement, government officials are trying to do the best that they can. but i think it's not enough. as we just discussed, i have no idea. i don't think anyone has any clue what exactly are the consequences for the dozens of people who have committed attacks in brooklyn. i don't know, and my guess is that if more people would know, especially youngsters who are behind some of these attacks, they will understand that these things have consequences. so why isn't this list out yet from the city, from the brooklyn d.a. i don't know who has the list and who can give us this list

and publicize this list and give it to the media. that would be important. another thing is, i undersctand that it's impossible for the nypd -- and they're doing a good job -- but i understand it's impossible for them to have a police officer at every congregation, but putting a bus taking up a couple parking spots is not helpful either. i'm not attacking anyone in law enforcement. again, i think people generally try to do the best they can. but at some level, these things need to move into overdrive, and that's sadly, another case of this point. >> and within the community itself, what do you do? your group's mission, again, it is to counter defamation of the orthodox jewish community. how do you help people to understand the concerns, educate, make sure people understand what to do to protect themselves, to be aware at the same time. how do you spread that message to others outside the community?

>> correct. so, so correct, so year round we try to focus a lot on information, that when people, the media, the press will have a story about an orthodox jewish community? the past, anyone is familiar with new york media, when you run a story, you don't have anyone to talk to. you don't have a fuller understanding of stuff. i think potentially led to unfair reporting. not maliciously, but a byproduct. we try to assist with that. on social media, there are a lot of groups and agitators. we call them the hasiddic obsessed groups. they're focussed and obsessed on orthod orthodox jews. so we try to counter that with information. we do a lot of research on our website, so when people want to read and know about the orthodox

jewish community, there's information out there. and sadly, in situations like these, there was a lot of, i think, panic. the moments after the attack, three attackers, 50 stabbed. i live seven minutes from this place. so i decided to come out first to ascertain the facts. let's get the facts out there. it helps the public. it helps people in the community, and it helps the media to get things out there accurately. and again, appreciate the swift reaction from law enforcement and government officials and especially media in this specific case. >> yossi gestetner joining us. thank you for your time and again you're watching coverage of people who were stabbed inside a rabbi's home during a hanukkah celebration. more news on this as we continue

to follow it after the break. stand by.

more now on the breaking news this hour. a stabbing at a rabbi's home in a community north of new york city. police say that they do have a suspect in custody. again, this happening in monsey, new york. five people were stabbed as they came together to celebrate the seventh night of hanukkah. an orthodox jewish organization says all the victims are

hasiddic jews. let's get some perspective. cedric alexander joins us by phone. the former dekalb county public safety director in georgia was also a member of president obama's task force on 21st century policing. it's good to have you on the phone with us. >> caller: thank you. >> as you understand the facts, what happened in this case and a suspect in custody, how do you see law enforcement moving forward on this? >> caller: this is a horrific case, one certainly that should not have happened and one in which i believe all of us as americans in this country, regardless who we are, we just find totally appalling and totally stand with the hasidic community there in new york and across the country. this is absolutely horrible.

as far as law enforcement is concerned, you have one of the best agencies in the country, nypd and others, who are taking an active involvement in working with local law enforcement there in monsey in order to identify those persons that may be involved, even though there's one person in custody, it is without a doubt their investigation is going to be broad. they're going to use all their intelligence and support agencies around them and gather all the evidence and make sure that anyone, if there are other individuals that may be involved in this, they're certainly going to seek them out. and they will be found. but law enforcements have a tremendous job ahead of them. they continue to collect evidence and talk to witnesses, talk to victims and be able to share information with each other to make sure that whoever

may have, whoever else may have been behind this attack certainly is brought to justice. >> cedric, the questions are being raised whether this would raise, rise to the level of a hate crime. help us understand if you would, the definition of what it means to be a hate crime, and in your view, whether this would fit within that category. >> caller: well, certainly those in the legal community are going to take a very strong look at the law in terms of what it states, and if this crime meets the elements of that law, where an attack against a person or individual or group of people as it results of their race, their background, their culture, or whatever the case may have to be, appears to be the target, it is still early in this investigation. should they choose to file hate charge, charges against this individual, it certainly will be based on the statute there in

new york in terms of what, how it's outlined. but you're going to see some very strong and swift and expert action take place in making sure and determining if this is indeed a hate crime, adequate charges will be filed. if it turns out it is not a hate crime or something else, it will certainly meet those elements of some type of crime, and justice will be sought after. >> cedric, i do want to bring in this context if i could ask our director, again, to put forward those incidents. the several incidents that have happened in the month of december where we understand attacks, you know, that have happened, and there has been some scrutiny, people questioning criminal justice reform there in new york. some people saying that, you know, not enough is being done to people who were involved, who perpetrated those attacks.

your views on that conversation, as that is bound to ensue here in the days to come. >> caller: well, i mean, certainly, as we look at criminal justice reform in that state and across this country, some concern is certainly being brought up by local law enforcement in these communities who have to seek justice for those who may be committing these crimes. it is, can be a double-edged sword. certainly, we want to see reform take place in this country, but at the same time, we have to be absolutely certain and sure those who may be a real danger or threat to this community are not released back into the community. and that's what you're going to hear a lot from law enforcement. in that state there and across the country. and it's also a concern for the entire judicial system.

you've also had some judges who have some very strong concerns as it relates to criminal justice reform. i cannot say we can apply this to this particular case. we don't know enough about the person who has been charged tonight, but if you, but in a general context, as it relates to criminal justice reform, all of us want to be sure, and we have to be certain that if anyone is released back in the community they're certainly not going to do harm to anyone else, and this is a primary concern for law enforcement, and those who are ot theut there doing thb every day. they certainly do understand the frustration of seeing people who are being arrested and who may be released too early. so there's still a lot of conversation and discussion that is going on around this issue. and we got to find some resolve to it so that communities across

this country, as they are in the state of new york or anywhere else, people feel safe in their communities. as we, as the country continues to move towards reform. as it relates to criminal justice. >> a lot of questions, certainly being raised, and cedric, to your point, very early in this particular incident, but no one knows the inner workings of law enforcement better than cedric alexander. we appreciate your time today, thank you. >> caller: thank you, george. >>. a oounl win in a football playoff is being overshadowed by a tragedy shortly before that game. a small plane headed for the game crashed shortly after takeoff in louisiana. five of the since people x peop killed. among the victims a sports reporter, the daughter-in-law of one of lsu's coaches. our natasha chin reports from

near the scene of that crash. >> reporter: one of the victims of this flight was carley mccord, a 30-year-old sports journalist from wdsu, a station that also suffered a tragedy. they lost another one of their anchors in a different plane crash a few months ago. along with mccord there were four others killed in had this incident. the fire chief says one person from the plane did survive. that person is being treated right now for injuries. another three people are hospitalized right now, being treated for serious burns, considered life threatening, and separately, another two people were inside that post office. they were treated for smoke inhalation but are expect the to be okay. so a lot of people affected here, a heartbreaking moment especially as you mentioned that it seemed they were on their way to atlanta with mccord trying to go see this game. and when this happened, it created a lot of chaos here, knocked out power for about 200

customers, including the walmart here. we also see some of these utilities still trying to repair some cable lines, phone, tv cable lines and such. and so we are waiting for more information, of course, and to see how those surviving people are doing as they're being treated in the hospital, and of course waiting for investigators to arrive. >> again, following the breaking news this hour, the knife attack in new york state and reaction coming in from around the world. some israeli lawmakers say think are devastated by the anti-semitic stabbings that happened in monsey, new york and are asking how u.s. authorities plan to get the grips on what looks to be a disturbing trend. we have a live report from jerusalem as "cnn newsroom" continues. the breaking news after this break. ♪

some things are too important to do yourself. get customized security with 24/7 monitoring from xfinity home. awarded the best professionally installed system by cnet. simple. easy. awesome. call, click or visit a store today. this is cnn, breaking news. >> welcome back to viewers in the u.s. and around the world. we continue following the breaking news out of new york state. police in monsey, new york are on the scene of a mass stabbing that happened during a hanukkah celebration. we understand at least five people were wounded in that attack, two people critically. the suspect is in custody. according to witnesses, about s 100 people were inside the home of an orthodox jewish rabbi, the rabbi had just lit a candle when the attacker burst into the

home. new york's governor has ordered the state's hate crime task force to investigate the incident. the attack saturday is the latest in a string of anti-semitic attacks, most of them happening in new york city. take a look here. you get a sense here. so many dates in december, nine in total, all in less than a week. some of them relatively minor altercations, but taken all together, the anti-semitic slurs. the attempts at intimidation, physical violence, they present the emergence of a disturbing trend, and this all comes after a deadly shooting earlier this month in jersey city in the neighboring state of new jersey. where three people were killed inside a kosher super market when two suspects opened fire there. many attacks that we're talking about here, and it has struck a chord with jewish communities around the world, and we are going live to jerusalem where oren lieberman is joining us. what are you hearing?

>> reporter: george, we expect a response from benjamin netanyahu any minute now. he has his weekly cabinet meeting, and i suspect this will be one of the first things he addresses if not the absolute first thing he addresses. we're hearing from reuben rivlin who says shocked and outraged by the terrible attack in new york. we are praying for the rapid recovery of those injured. the rise of anti-semitism is not just a jewish problem or the state of israel's problem. this issing something i've see reactions to, other attacks on jewish holidays. one in pittsburgh. this came shortly after the sabbath ended on the seventh night of hanukkah. this attack has turned hanukkah, the festival of lights into the festival of darkness. others have expressed strength or belief in the strength of the

jewish community, saying nothing will stop the jews of monsey, new york from lighting the eighth candle of hanukkah. other israeli politicians have weighed in saying they wish speedy recovery to those injured and urging american authorities to act not only against the suspect in had this attack but to anyone else who would raise their hands at jews. >> let's not forget pittsburgh and san diego. it does seem that these attacks are happening all too often. >> reporter: it certainly does. and i've sat here watching the reactions all too often for that matter. especially in pittsburgh and san diego. that was right as the sabbath ended here. news of this report in monsey new york, it is a shock to hear in a place where jews are

considered safe, in the united states. it's not any strain of judaism, it's a conservative, san diego was another synagogue. monsey, new york is a hasidic town. these are all across the spectrum being targeted. jersey city is another one of the incidents we've been speaking about, and that is why the u.s. and israel are talking about the need for acting against anti-semitism broadly, not targeting any particular attacker or the perpetrator but getting to the root of the problem as one of the israeli leaders here put it, to root this out and deal with it in terms of a pig picture response and a big picture education about anti-semitism. >> again, oren lieberman reporting. it is likely we will hear from benjamin netanyahu who may give a statement on this. we'll stay in touch with oren of course and bring you that statement as we hear it. other news we're following around the world this day, in somalia, another form of an attack that is becoming all too

familiar. at least 79 people who were killed in the capital city on saturday. this when a vehicle that was laced with explosives was set off. now the country's prime minister says the nation is in a state of war with terrorists. let's go now live to neighboring kenya, where our farye cevennessa is covering it. the place where this happened is important because it is an entryway into the city of mogadishu. >> reporter: absolutely. compliments of the season to you. it's a story we've been reporting on since yesterday. keeps on rambling, because no one has claimed responsibility. but we know that it bears all the hallmarks of the al qaeda affiliated group, al shabab. it is an important check point,

as usual, these attacks come at checkpoints, hotels where politicians and government people gather. they come indiscriminately, wherever they may. remember january 15, 2019, al shabab attacked a hotel in kenya, thousands of miles away from mogadishu. the key thing is it's the somalis suffering from these atax. we know that this checkpoint was very near a university. so without doubt, young students were hoping to be the brightest and the best of somali society will be among the dead. 79 dead. we know over 100 injured. this is their modus on op randi.

>> giving us insight into who was who was injured, into who was killed. 79 people killed and more than is 100 injured. thank you for the reporting. we'll stay in touch with you. we'll be right back after the break.

cevennes we continue following the breaking news this hour out of new york state. that's where fivebbed wheel the

came together to celebrate the seventh night of hanukkah inside a rabbi's home. a witness says there were at least 100 people inside when a man burst into the home and pulled out a knife. this happening in the town of monsey, new york in rockland county, north of new york city as you see there on the map. police do say that they have a suspect in custody. my colleague, natalie allen, spoke with evan bernstein last hour. you are heard just a bit of that interview earlier. she also asked him about the underreporting of anti-semitic attacks. listen. >> caller: so i think one of the issues we have in the openly orthodox community, the hasidic community is traditionally the way people report to our audit, the way we get our information at the adl since 1979, people either call us directly or in the aim of tge of the computer,o

online and report online. we get most of our reports that way. a lot of members of the hasidic community just don't have that technology readily available to them. also they are sometimes fearful of dealing with traditional law enforcement or agencies like hou ours that have been around for over a hundred years. there's a disconnect. we try very hard to work with leadership in the hasidic communities sao th communities so they feel comfortable to report. law enforcement has a better picture of really what's taking place in their given community. so this underreporting, people take it, don't do anything with it, they talk to their family. they don't report it to the police or to anybody. it really is like a tree falling in the woods and doesn't help the community. the more they report, the more resources they're going to get. the more we're able to work with law enforcement to make sure they get those resources and elected officials to make sure there's funding to help keep

these communities secure. that is something we're trying very, very hard to do. i can't tell you how many people in the community over the last few years i've spoken to that have said things have happened to them, horrific things have happened to them, and yet they just don't feel compelled to report it out of either fear, out of fear of retaliation or really feeling like nobody cares or nobody's going to do anything. so we are working hard to turn that around and make reporting more successful and open. >> we'll be right back after this. (janine) i used to be a little cranky.

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. just a few days until the close of one year and the start of 2020. and as we look back at a year in review, the u.s. financial markets had a strong run. here's a look now at how we got here. >> very first trading day of 2019. just over 1% on the dow. it's not looking very good. >> on the cnn business fear and greed index is at extreme fear. >> i think it's too soon to say whether or not the feds should raise rates two times, three times, maybe pause for the rest of the year.

>> about 10:30, look how the s&p suddenly roars up even more. that is on the back of jerome powell's comments. >> j powell at this round table saying it was almost like music to traders' ears. we're going to go ahead and be patient when it comes to raising rates >> there is no preset path for policy. we will be patient as we watch to see how the economy evolves. >> homestretch suggests a u.s.-china trade pact may be nearing completion. with a signing ceremony possible later this month. >> the president sees the stock market falling. it's clearly affected him, and he's told his guys, go get me a deal. >> all it took was two tweets from president trump to send markets into a tailspin. >> markets tumbled after the u.s. president made a new promise to hike tariffs on china. >> that was the opening bell at the new york stock exchange, and of course the nasdaq market with

ride sharing app lyft making its stock market debut. >> lyft falling 12% on the second day of trading. >> uber has just started trading on the new york stock exchange, and the share prices have fallen. >> clearly the timing was not great for uber to be going public while the market is falling on china fears. lyft is plunging. >> tgif, or should i say tg high f. yes, i'm talking about record highs. >> stocks are surging, with hopes of a rate cut. the fed cuts rates for the first time in a decade and insists it's not simply caving in to pressure from president trump. >> we never take into account political considerations. there's no place in our discussions for that. >> president trump has been tweeting this morning. let me show you what he said. the federal reserve should get other interest rates down to zero or less, a once in a lifetime opportunity that we are

missing because of quote, bone heads. >> j powell had just lowered u.s. interest rates for the second time in two months. >> in the last hour the central bank announcing its third interest rate cut this year. >> china just announcing a phase one trade deal with the united states. >> china calling this achieving major progress. >> that's going to be one of the great deals ever and ultimately lead to the opening of china. >> tonight a wave of optimism sweeps across global markets. the trade break through between the u.s. and china boosting the dow, the nasdaq and s&p, all to record in today highs. and continuing with the breaking news that we're following. a suspect is in custody after a brutal knife attack against worshippers celebrating hanukkah. at least five people were wounded. two of those people critically. it was the seventh night of

hanukkah. about 100 people came together inside the home of an orthodox jewish rabbi in monsey, new york when the attack took place. that is in rockland county, north of new york city. new york's governor has ordered the state's hate crime task force to investigate the incident. let's reset at we continue to follow the breaking news out of new york state. our correspondent on the ground there gathering more details and more on how that community is react. i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. "cnn newsroom" live continues after the break. he

breaking news out of new york state. several people there stabbed during a hanukkah celebration near new york city. welcome to the viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. here's what we know at this point. the attack took place late saturday in muncy new york, 50 miles to the north of new york city. the jewish community celebrating the 7th night of hanukkah.

witnesses say a man bust into the home and started attacking people with a blade, a knife of some sort. the suspect is in custody. five people wound, two critically. the attacker apprehended a short time after that. new york's governor tweeted he was horrified by the mass stabbings and ordered the state's hate crime task force to investigate it. cnn's correspondent is live near the scene. polo sandoval on the scene. what more are you hearing about what happened inside the home and how the community is reacting? >> reporter: well, george, just the last few moments