you're choosing to get connected to the most to xfinity mobile, reliable network nationwide, now with 5g included. discover how to save up to $400 a year with shared data starting at $15 a month, or get the lowest price

for one line of unlimited. come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. you can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with peace of mind at your local xfinity store.

hello, and welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom", and i'm rosemary church. leaving another in limbo and pardoning a slew of loyalists, all of this as the country suffers. more americans are in the hospital with covid-19 than ever before, and officials have bleak predictions for the holiday week. it's one of the most important international negotiations in a generation.

the post brexit trade talks might finally have a resolution. what you need to know about the deal the united kingdom and the european union are trying to strike. good to have you with us. we well, it is now christmas eve for much of the world, but the usual good cheer has been tempered by the worsingenning pandemic. here in the united states, the picture is especially grim. over 3,300 deaths were reported on wednesday. the third highest day so far. and medical professionals fear an overwhelming surge of new cases and deaths after the

holidays. well, there are currently 119,000 americans fighting for their lives in covid wards across the country. it is the highest number of hospit hospitalizations yet, none of which seems to be on donald trump's radar. instead, the u.s. president and first lady have gone to florida for the holiday, and it's not at all certain that he will sign the covid relief bill just passed by congress. before leaving washington, president trump spent much of wednesday issuing pardons to more than two dozen convicted felons, and not just any felons, these were among the president's most fierce and loyal defenders during the russia probe. cnn's pamela brown has those details. >> reporter: the president continues his revenge against the russia investigation

rewarding two former advisers, issuing pardons to paul manafort, convicted for a slew of financial crimes and roger stone. also on the list, jared kushner's father, charles kushner. you have paul manafort and roger stone, went to trial and convicted by juries of multiple crimes. investigators say manafort broke the cooperation agreement. roger stone never cooperated after lying to congress. both men are being rewarding for their loyalty. the president says he thinks his advisers were treated unfairly. the mueller report detailed in the obstruction of justice part how trump's team dangled pardons as a way to protect the president, how trump himself did that, and we're seeing the president's plan play out with these pardons. charles kushner, the father of the president's son-in-law, jared kushner, he was convicted of illegal campaign

contributions, and served a 24 month sentence. jared did not advocate for his father to get the pardon because it was the unspoken word between him and trump that this would happen. the story emerging from these pardons is that the president is using his pardon power to reward those close to him, some of whom would likely not meet the doj criteria for pardoning. the flurry of presidential pardons to loyalists goes hand in hand with president trump's obsession with staying in power after january 20th. the president sees congress as the next battle in that impossible quest. he even re-tweeted this message from a supporter calling on vice president mike pence to refuse to ratify the electoral college results when congress meets in early january. and we get the latest now from cnn's jeremy diamond. >> reporter: the lame duck president is trying to convince

america he is anything but vetoing a defense bill, threatening to upend coronavirus relief, and issuing a wave of controversial pardons. trump vetoing the annual defense bill after lawmakers refused to kill a provision renaming military bases named after confederate generals. but instead of a win, trump is likely to suffer the first veto override of his presidency. that move came after trump also appeared to threaten to veto the coronavirus relief bill just passed by congress. putting $900 billion in desperately needed financial stimulus, and vaccine distribution funds at risk. >> send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a covid relief package. >> trump coming as another 803,000 americans filed for first time unemployment just last week. attacking the bill as a disgrace, trump undermined his spokesperson who said he would sign the legislation, his treasury secretary who

negotiated on trump's behalf, and the majority of republicans who voted to pass the bill, including the republican senators running in georgia's special election. >> we voted on this next round of covid relief, and i'm so proud to be able to bring that relief back to georgia. >> reporter: the president objecting to a slew of funding provisions that are actually included in a separate government spending bill in which the president requested if his annual budget to congress, $1.3 billion of aid to egypt, $25 million to support democracy and gender programs in pakistan, and $40 million for the kennedy center. trump also calling on congress to triple the stimulus checks to americans. >> i'm asking congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple. >> reporter: democratic leaders pouncing on that idea which many republicans oppose. house speaker nancy pelosi tweeting democrats are ready to

bring this to the floor this week by unanimous consent. let's do it. trump's threat to upend the legislation even blind sided white house officials, who are scrambling to determine if trump was actually threatening a veto. the president dolling out a slew of pardons fit for the last gasps of a presidency even as he refuses to accept defeat. pardo pardons for al end van der zwaan, republican congressman duncan hunter who was convicted of misusing a quarter million dollars in campaign funds, and chris collins, the first to endorse trump who pleaded guilty to security fraud, and trump pardoning four blackwater security guards convicted of murder and manslaughter charges after killing 17 people at a baghdad traffic sicircle in 200

>> when you look at all of them, it's corruption. >> reporter: jeremy diamond, traveling with the president in west palm beach. u.s. lawmakers are expected to meet on monday to deal with that crucial defense bill. a vote there could lead to the first veto override of the trump presidency, as we heard there in jeremy's package. it's still not clear what happens to the covid relief that congress approved after president trump called for substantially greater cash payouts to struggling americans. two house members on opposite sides of the aisle spoke with cnn's chris cuomo about the possibility of raising direct payments to $2,000 per person. >> if that's what the president would like we'll surely put up more hours. part of our package as it is, director resources in addition to unemployment increase and support for small businesses and

food, and aid to our schools and getting out the vaccines, it's all part of the bipartisan package. if it's about more resources directly to people, of course we're there and i hope the other side will be there. tom and i actually got behind putting direct resources to americans and got on legislation early. that's something important to us. if that's what it takes, let's get it done. the idea that we would do nothing. we've got 14 million people who will go off unemployment on the day after christmas. people will be evicted from their homes. if it's more resources let's do it. >> and the government is going to shut down. tom, have you heard any word about trump pushing you guys to meet pelosi on the floor. >> we had a discussion. i think there's going to be a change tomorrow on the unanimous consent to try to raise the cash, the $2,000. josh is right, we talked about that, and i agree with him in direct payments. however, what we would see is the counter response. when we put this deal together, you talk about direct payments,

then you have to have a conversation about unemployment benefits going up. if they're getting $2,000 direct payments, people on our side will be then the unemployment benefit doesn't have to be as high. that's why this deal needs to stay together. this is months of negotiation, and we have found the sweet spot. >> the president's objections to the covid relief bill came as a surprise to just about everyone who worked on the legislation. cnn's phil mattingly has the latest. >> reporter: president trump has made clear he's unhappy with the coronavirus relief and spending package but what he's going to do next, well, it's been more than 24 hours and nobody seems to have any idea. the president not weighing in any further than that late video he put out on a tuesday night, castigating a measure that everybody was under the impression he would sign. his top officials were not only in the room negotiating the measure but also said the president was supportive of the measure. where does that leave things at

this point in time? first, let's look at the stakes. the stakes here are enormous, not only is this desperately needed economic relief, the $600 direct payment, $300 in extra unemployment benefits. the extension of two crucial federal unemployment programs that cover nearly 12 to 13 million people. all of that is in this bill, not to mention, more than $280 billion for small businesses that now hangs in limbo. house republican leader kevin mccarthy had a private conference call. i'm told that somebody on the call said mccarthy had spoken to the president. the president said he was not committed to vetoing the legislation but is obviously frustrated with it. so what happens next? well, that's up to the president. for now, nobody seems to know. house democrats will try and make a legislative move on thursday, try and basically get what president wants, $2,000 in direct payments, something the president said he wanted. republicans have made clear they will block effort, saying it's a

political move, leading us all back to one place, the president of the united states now at mar-a-lago, deciding whether or not to sign off on one of the largest emergency packages in the history of the country. phil mattingly, cnn, washington. >> after months of heated negotiations we are told the u.k. and the european union are now nearing a post brexit trade deal, and sources say an announcement is expected today. in a tweet overnight, the european commission spokesperson said work was continuing and hinted that the final details were being hammered out. all of this one week before an end of the year deadline. nic robertson is in front of 10 downing street. it's history in the making. what more are you learning about this post brexit trade deal, and when might we learn more in an announcement? >> i think what we're learning at the moment, rosemary is there is a sort of mood of excitement

late yesterday that the deal was about to be signed, that there was about to be a statement on both sides, the e.u. side and the u.k. side. boxes of pieces seen going into the negotiating room in brussels, and the work came out there's still detail being worked out. i think what we're learning is that, you know, for a deal of this magnitude, and it's not expected to be as big and as strong as some trade deals but for a deal of this magnitude that might take many years, five years as a figure that the e.u. negotiator, the period of negotiation which has been since the beginning of february this year until now is relatively condensed. again, it's the details that they're getting into overnight seem to be over one of the big sticking points, to the point of which particular fish the eu

fishermen will have access to in u.k. waters, will they only be able to get the fish that feed off the bottom or will they be able to get some of the fish that feed and naturally swim around in the water between. tuna, herring, which are very important to fishermen. so again, to come back to your question of what are we learning, we're learning that a lot is being done in a short space of time, that a lot of details are being gone into it. they're still in those details, but as you say, there is a historic. this will be a historic moment if and when it happens as expected and it does have that atmosphere here today. i have to say that after 4 1/2 years, standing here 4 1/2 years ago, as results were coming in from the referendum, 4 1/2 years ago from the day when the results were coming in, and that day felt like a momentous day for the country, this also does

have that historic feeling about it, rosemary. >> it has been a long, torturous road for sure. nic robertson, joining us live from 10 downing street. many thanks. thousands of truck drivers remain in england, desperate to cross into france. a live report from the port of dover where tempers are flaring that's next. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ save for being a new customer. save more for adding drivewise. save even more for driving safely. see how much you can save with allstate. visit allstate.com or contact your local agent today. they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps.com print discounted postage for any letter

any package any time right from your computer all the amazing services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again! robinwithout the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood.

covid hospitalizations in the u.s. smashed records again on wednesday reaching an all time high of more than 119,000 since the pandemic began. for nearly a month, more than 100,000 people have been hospitalized every day in the u.s. for the coronavirus. a new forecast from the centers for disease control and convention projects 419,000 covid deaths by the middle of january. almost 100,000 more than where the u.s. currently stands. that hasn't stopped many americans from traveling for the holidays. cnn's alexandra field has our report. >> reporter: a crisis now on the

verge of a horrific new milestone. by the end of the week, it is likely that 330,000 americans, roughly one in a thousand americans will have died from covid-19. for the 5th time in the u.s., deaths climbed higher than 3,000 on tuesday. it was the second deadliest day of the pandemic. the little relief that could be on the way to americans is now in jeopardy with president trump casting doubt on the future of a $900 billion stimulus bill. the chaos surrounding this deal as the government strikes another deal to purchase 100 million more doses of the pfizer vaccine. nine days after the first shots in arms, just over a million doses of pfizer vaccines have been administered according to the cdc's web site. there's no data on how many moderna shots the country has been given but likely to fall short of 20 million vaccines by the end of the year.

>> if we don't get to 20 million people vaccinated this month, i hope people will understand. this is a logistic challenge of enormous proportion. >> reporter: are they as effective against the variant of the virus identified in the u.k. >> we would expect that the vaccine should still be effective against that, so i want everybody to sort of take a breath here. one of the things we are worried about is it appears to be more transmissible. >> reporter: and possible more infectious for children, but more study is needed. research suggests the u.s. may already have hundreds of cases. >> we have been saying loud and clear to the entire american people, we need to be limiting our mobility, period. >> reporter: that warning coming just as the tsa reports record high pandemic era travel in time for the holidays. the number of people passing through america's airports around 1 million for each of the last five days, and likely to hit a new high tomorrow. >> this type of travel is risky,

particularly if people start congregating when they get to their destination in larger crowds in indoor settings. new york city taking no chances with anyone coming in. >> if you don't comply with the quarantine, that's a thousand dollar fine to begin day one. if you continue not to comply with the quarantine, it is a thousand dollars for each additional day. >> reporter: as far as these new restrictions in new york city, anyone who travels into the city will be getting an order to quarantine from the department of health. if you're coming from the united kingdom, enforcement of that order will be stepped up. sheriffs deputies could be knocking on the door of your hotel room or home to make sure you are in fact complying with that order. in new york, alexandra field, cnn. the chief scientific adviser for operation warp speed says the number of allergic reactions to the pfizer vaccine is greater than expected. dr. moncef slaoui says more drug trials could help researchers

understand what's causing the adverse reactions and with six reported cases so far, d dr. slaoui says more information is needed on the adverse reactions. >> it is superior to what one would expect with other vaccines. we would have expected in the range of maybe 1 person having an allergic reaction, with the pfizer vaccine. >> now to the united kingdom where officials are imposing travel restrictions with south africa after finding another coronavirus variant even more tra transmissible than the one recently discovered in england. the tense waiting game at the english port of dover is stretching into another day, and

frustrations are boiling over. thousands of truck drivers are scrambling to get covid tests so they can cross into france now that it's eased travel restrictions with the u.k. cnn's salma abdelaziz joins us from dover to explain the chaos. good to see you. so the travel restrictions may have eased but the test has been slow, hasn't it, what is the latest on this. >> reporter: after a very tense day yesterday, we finally saw testing start just at about dusk, really. but i know you have pictures there to show of just how the day unfolded. what really happened here is a demonstration, a protest by these truck driver who blocked the road, marched toward the police line, demanded they get coronavirus tests, demanded they get answers and we did see a mobile testing unit with health care workers showing up in the evening. we see a steady trickle, essential, of these truck drivers being tested, 30 every 30 minutes. this is going to take days to

unblock, and i know you're looking at those pictures from last night of these truck drivers facing off after spending days living on the streets. living with no food, no water, no access to sanitation most of them, and demanding answers. most come from eastern europe. english is not even their language and they are trying to navigate a complicated situation. now that it's calm and you're look at those images, i want to reflect on them for a moment. it's those pictures that probably jolted european leaders into action. we were looking at a no deal brexit, but what happened here illustrated what happens when britain is cut off from its neighbors, when the u.k. is isolated from the rest of europe, when there is no partnership between these two sides. it has to work. it has to be a union. otherwise you have people, you have goods, you have lives that are caught in the middle. so yes, we are looking at the port of dover being unblocked, but this is bigger than that, rosemary, this is about finally

making the breakthrough in negotiations after four years because what happened here gave them a taste of what's to come. rosemary. >> i think you are absolutely right. this was a wake up call. this was a preview. so they have moved into action. salma abdelaziz, many thanks for that live report. appreciate it. and coming up next, a post brexit trade agreement may be coming very soon. we will have an update on the negotiations after this short break. stay with us. i love audible because it's changed my life for the better. whatever question i have i feel like there's an avenue to seek the answer. hit that app and you start a story, you're on an adventure. download a new book within seconds and it's ready to go. there's something for everybody on audible. i like short stories. short stories are easy. they're quick.

i like long and like intricate stories, that's really what i love. audible originals. i like biographies. self-help. fantasy. true crime podcasts. i love it so much. i can literally listen to anything. i can do it any time. and any place. and you know, for as long as i like. getting really into a story can totally transform where you are and your mindset. it's really cool. every time i learn something new, it just fuels the curiosity to explore more, to learn more. there's anything and everything. to start your free 30-day trial, just text listen 25 to 500500. to start your free 30-day trial, we doevery night.ght. i live alone, but i still do it every night. right after dinner. definitely after meatloaf. like clockwork. do it! run your dishwasher with cascade platinum. and save water. did you know an energy star certified dishwasher... ...uses less than four gallons per cycle.

while a running sink uses that, every two minutes. that means even small loads can save water. so why not do it? run your dishwasher every night with cascade platinum. the surprising way to save water.

sources say the u.k. and european union are closing in on a post brexit trade deal with an announcement expected today.

this would come after months of tense negotiations and just one week before an end of the year deadline. in the past hour, the irish foreign minister said the two sides had agreed in principle on fisheries, a key point of contention in talks. he said he also expects big announcements later in the day. so joining me now to discuss these developments is cnn european affairs commentator, dominic thomas. great to see you. >> great to see you rosemary. >> you know what, it wasn't so long ago, we were told this trade deal was not going to happen. what suddenly changed? >> yeah, it's been quite a remarkable process. when this and post brexit period started out, people criticized the 11-month transition period saying that this would never be long enough, and it's clear that this situation is not over yet, and that if there is a deal and it has to be scrutinized before it goes for review in the u.k. parliament, the devil will be in the details, but the fact is

that the european union in conjunction with the negotiators from the u.k. seem to have arrived at some kind of agreement over this particular deal, and i think that events that took place over the last few weeks compounded by the frustration around covid and so on have pushed the government towards negotiating and compromising and arriving at some kind of deal that will help us move this to the next chapter. >> and dominic, how significant is all of this, and could the nightmare scenes of trucks stuck at the port of dover due to the travel ban associated with covid have given perhaps a nasty preview of life without a trade deal that perhaps spurred boris johnson into action. >> you know, rosemary, we have had so many conversations where we're looking at kind of the simulations as to what a no deal brexit would look like, and the british people in lock down because of covid, because of the government's mishandling of covid got to witness in the

front seat, the televised spectacle that was taking place and is taking place in dover, and to hear the prime minister and the transport secretary early in the week down playing the situation there in two ways, down playing the number of trucks that we see runs into the thousands, and also down playing the impact on the supply chain and the british people know for themselves by going to the shops, the shops they can go to at least with tier 4 lock down that there are issues there. so the nightmare scenario of brexit is playing out on their television screen, and this had to have pushed the government toward making the concessions. ironically this may help them get this through parliament, it's clear that the devil that lies in the details will be things the far right or brexiters might not agree with but the public pressure may get

the deal over the line. >> of course we don't know all of these details. they appear to have reached a deal in principle, which was a big sticking point. what will this mean for britain going forward, and how will it change life in the united kingdom? >> i mean, this is really, you know, an important question. i mean, at the end of the day, the entire brexit process has never really been about the future trading relationship. it has always been an emotional relationship dealing with sovereignty, independence, and autonomy, driven by these brexiteers and far right elements in british city that have wanted to extricate themselves from an incredible organization that since world war ii has essentially assured peace and prosperity, which is the mission of the eu and the british people are going to have to now try to reconcile whether or not that call for sovereignty and achieving that particular process has been worth it long-term when they start to realize what it means to be a third country, to be on the outside of their european union

partners that so many people have grown up with, so it's a new britain coming afloat, and one really doesn't know where this is going to go, but this question of the emotion is really the key aspect in all of this. >> incredible journey it has been for everybody. dominic thomas joining us. thank you very much for your analysis. appreciate it. >> thanks, rosemary. well, president trump is now at his resort in florida for the christmas holiday. before leaving washington, he issued 26 more presidential pardons to people convicted of federal crimes. among them, former trump associates paul manafort and roger stone, charles kushner, the father of the president's son-in-law jared kushner also was pardoned and the covid relief bill adopted by congress suddenly faces an uncertain future. the president said $600 cash payouts to individuals was ridiculously low and called for lawmakers to amend it to $2,000

per person. on wednesday, president trump vetoed the bill that both chambers of congress passed. it sets up what could be the first veto override of his presidency, pitting members of his own party against him. trump's former national security adviser is slamming the president's move. listen. >> for 59 straight years, our parties have compromised their differences to give clear policy direction on defense for the full year, and what trump's veto does here is potentially put that in jeopardy, at a time when we're suffering from one of the worst computer attacks in our history, when we see threats all around the world continuing to grow from china and elsewhere, to do this because he doesn't like this provision or that provision, nobody in congress would have written this bill exactly this way, but they legislated, which is actually what they're paid to do, and for the 60th year in a row, we've

got a bill. it's an act of gratuitous, purely gratuitous action by the president. >> joining me now is cnn political analyst patrick healy, also the "the new york times" politics editor. good to have you with us. >> good to be here. >> in the wake of a particularly chaotic day, one aide is calling president trump unhinged after he vetoed the spending bill, threatened to do the same with the relief bill, pardons more friends and felons and heads to mar-a-lago for christmas. is trump unhinged is there a plan to create havoc and burn down the house before he leaves office. >> rosemary, he has divided the republican party and with four weeks left in his presidency, it's an extraordinary way to go out. you went over all of the key points. what he is doing right now is he's drawing lines in the sand

at the 11th hour on covid relief before benefits run out on the defense spending bill, you know, on other fronts, ways that are putting republicans in very uncomfortable positions, just looking at the georgia senate race, for instance, the two republican senators who are running for reelection now voted for the covid relief bill that president trump is now calling a disgrace. so he's just, he's really dividing the party and confusing just a lot of republicans about what he's up to. >> and president trump issued another wave of pardons, include for roger stone, paul manafort, paul kushner, jared kushner's father, who might be next, do you think, and is this a build up to a pardon for himself? >> that's the great question. it's extraordinary, the president has given so many pardons to people who helped him politically, who may have stayed silent, as we know, or did stay

silent, you know, perhaps in the hopes of a pardon, so i think what we're looking at right now, ro rosemary is whether he starts actually pardoning members of his own family. you know, proactively. including himself. i mean, pardoning himself would be sort of the big one, so to speak. there's also of course rudy giuliani, but i think it's the family and giuliani in particular that we're watching right now. >> and steve bannon waiting in the wings as well. >> sure. >> is president trump testing the loyalty of his party, pushing everyone to the absolute limit to see who stands with him and who stands against him and mike pence is not doing enough for him, which is just an incredible statement. >> it is. this president wants to go out of office, rosemary, holding people to loyalty tests, ultimately. how loyal are you willing to be, and even threatening that senators and governors will

face, republican senators and governors will face primaries in 2022, basically at president trump's urging because if they don't support him now, you know, he will come back to haunt them, so to speak, in a year and a half, and two years by supporting republican primary opponents, so i don't know, it really is an extraordinary loyalty test, including to mike pence who is going to have to get up and run on january 6th, the electoral college certification process in the congress. you know, ultimately mike pence has a constitutional duty to do, you know, we will see if the do -- he does it. again, with this president, a lot of it is noise rather than actual action. >> indeed. patrick healy, many thanks, and merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you, rosemary. president trump's pardons are reigniting bitter memories for families such as these in

iraq. we will hear their stories and outrage as four blackwater militia men convicted of a massacre walk free. the time to do money. without the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog.. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood.

so you want to make the best that means selling everything. and eating nothing but cheese till you find the perfect slice... even if everyone asks you... another burger truck? don't listen to them! that means cooking day and night until you get... [ ding ] you got paid! that means adding people to the payroll. hi mom. that means... best burger ever. intuit quickbooks helps small businesses be more successful with payments, payroll, banking and live bookkeeping.

you're choosing to get connected to the most to xfinity mobile, reliable network nationwide, now with 5g included. discover how to save up to $400 a year with shared data starting at $15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. you can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with peace of mind at your local xfinity store.

perhaps the most controversial pardons president trump granted this week were given to four former blackwater security contractors convicted of helping carry out a massacre in iraq. 17 civilians, including two young boys were killed when black water staffers opened fire in a baghdad square in 2007. arwa damon is covering the story from istanbul. she joins us now live. what has been the reaction to this from those who suffered and lost loved ones. >> a lot of shock, rosemary. a lot of disappointment. a lot of refelt pain, especially because initially they did wait

so long for even a semblance of just, and really a lot will tell you that this just reawakens these fairly widespread emotions that many iraqis share that americans don't really value their lives. here's a look at what happened and how one of the victims felt. the horror filled memories of that day in september of 2007 still haunt those who survived, whose physical scars may have healed but who grapple with the psychological trauma nearly every day. >> translator: i remember seeing a woman and her son, their car was in front. it was on fire. she was crying out until she burnt to death with her son. hasan salman says there was so much gunfire. it wasn't normal. bodies just fell in the street. i wasn't wounded yet. i moved my car to get away, and i was shot multiple times. it was a sunny day in baghdad,

one where the population could almost pretend their country wasn't being ravaged by violence. but those illusions shatter quickly in iraq. in an instance, a busy baghdad round about on the source square turned eninto a street of blood. the youngest victim, just 9 years old. shot in the head in the backseat of his car as his father helplessly watched him die. my son was the heart of our family, his father mohammed told us years ago. the shooting rampage was carried out by what was then blackwater, a private security company notorious for its trigger happy behavior. blackwater claimed their personnel were under attack, though numerous eyewitness accounts said that was not true. from his hospital bed at the time, salman had described how blackwater operatives opened fire indiscriminately at

civilians. no one fired at blackwater, they were not attacked by gunmen, they were not targeted. salman traveled to the u.s. to testify. almost seven years after the massacre. in the end, one of the blackwater operatives was sentenced to life in prison, three others sentenced from 12 to 15 years. salman, a lawyer himself, felt as if there was a semblance of justice. it renewed his faith in american ideals, not anymore. president trump, the first recent u.s. president to pardon convicted killers let the murders, the men who destroyed his life walk free. >> translator: i say to him, your decision, you're going to have to face god on this, salman says. you did not fulfill justice. you pardoned the criminals and the killers, the blood of the dead and wounded is on your

hands. >> and rosemary, salman spoke about how dangerous this decision was in the sense that it sends a message that even a country like america is willing to let killers and criminals walk free. therefore, what's to stop any other countries. but suffice it to say that, you know, this news has been so unspeakably devastating for so many in iraq, already a war torn country. >> totally understood. many thanks to our arwa damon. with important and moving perspectives there. well, iran's foreign minister is dismissing president trump's allegations that teheran was behind sunday's rocket attack on the u.s. embassy in baghdad. in a tweet directed at trump, the foreign minister wrote, putting your own citizens at risk abroad won't divert attention from catastrophic failures at home. president trump is directly

blaming iran for the attack, and threatening it, even though says it wasn't iran but an iran backed rogue militia. still, the president warned iran that even if one person is killed, he will hold iran to account. next, perhaps not as merry a christmas, but one that will be deeply important to many, we're live in bethlehem where the celebrations are muted this year, due to the pandemic. e? a blast of immune support that's more than just vitamin c. it's a unique crafted blend of vitamins, zinc, other minerarals, and her. take on your day with airbornen. your daily dose of confidence.

they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps.com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the amazing services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again! stop your cough from interrupting, with dq cough and congestion. it's max strength formula coats your throat and provides powerful relief. new dayquil cough and congestion. the maxcoat daytime power through your cough medicine.

every minute. understanding how to talk to your doctor about treatment options is key. today, we are redefining how we do things. we find new ways of speaking, so you're never out of touch. it's seeing someone's face that comforts us,

no matter where. when those around us know us, they can show us just how much they care. the first steps of checking in, the smallest moments can end up being everything. there's resources that can inform us, and that spark can make a difference. when we use it to improve things, then that change can last within us. when we understand what's possible, we won't settle for less. the best thing we can be is striving to be at our best. managing heart failure starts now with understanding. call today or go online to understandheartfailure.com for a free heart failure handbook. call today or go online to understandheartfailure.com get their dishes as clean as possible.olks ask me how to i tell them, try cascade platinum plus the power of oxi. it breaks down food soils to clean up to 99% of visible and invisible food residue for a hygienic clean you can see and feel. cascade + the power of oxi.

it is christmas eve across the globe, and the focus is on what's believed to be the little town where jesus was born, celebrations are taking place there. but they are scaled back this year because of the pandemic. there's a scouts parade ahead of a nativity light show and christmas messages from political leaders, and elliot godkin is in bethlehem. he joins us live. good to see you, elliot. what's been happening, and how different is the atmosphere this year? >> rosemary, this morning, we've seen the streets here being sterilized ahead of the arrival of the latin patriarch.

we can see that shops are shuttered and although there are a few more people you can see in manger square behind me than there were earlier today, those that aren't journalists or security and medical personnel would be local palestinians because the west bank is under lock down, so palestinians can't travel to bethlehem across the west bank. there's not going to be any performances. usually people would also come here to soak up the festive cheer in the atmosphere to see carol concerts and attend midnight mass. all of that is scaled back. the performances are not going to happen, and the main event of the day will be the procession of the latin patriarch, and even the patriarch himself was a doubt for today. he's only just recovered from covid. he's due to be met by marching bands, scouts, marching bands, but again, far fewer bands than he would ordinarily be net with,

and go in for prayers as well. christmas hasn't been cancelled. it is much more somber and low key than it ordinarily would be. >> yeah, it is very different for everyone across the globe. we're looking at live pictures in bethlehem, and talking with journalist, elliot godkin, live in bethlehem. many thanks to you. . and thank you for your company. i'm rosemary church. "early start" is up next. you're watching cnn. have yourselves a wonderful day. dry, distressed skin that struggles?

new aveeno® restorative skin therapy. with our highest concentration of prebiotic oat intensely moisturizes over time to improve skin's resilience. aveeno® healthy. it's our nature™. robinwithout the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood. - [child] what is a wish? (submarine rings) - [man] captain, we're ready to dive. - [child] it's adventure in seeing the unknown. (dolphin chatters) it's imagination! - [man] we're ready to surface.

and coming up for air. but really, deep down, a wish is hope. and right now, we need hope more than ever. that's why we need your help. by giving $20 a month, 67 cents a day, or any amount to make a wish, you make wishes real. (hopeful music) wishes provide hope and give strength to children and their families. wishes change lives. - [narrator] call the number on your screen, or visit wish.org to grant wishes today. - [narrator] call the number on your screen, vicks vapopatch. easy to wear with soothing vicks vapors for her, for you, for the whole family. trusted soothing vapors, from vicks

welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world, this is a special holiday edition of "early start." and we're covering the world the way only cnn can. we have reports are washington, florida, the u.k., istanbul, new york, moscow, and bethlehem. i'm boris sanchez in for christine romans. >> and i'm laura jarrett. it's thursday, december 24th. 5:00 a.m. here in new york, and by any measure this christmas eve will be different. fewer big family dinners, fewer stores open for last minute shopping, what would typically be a joyous time marked this year with so much loss for so many