monster, i think we lose the sense of humanity. >> maybe, we can't rehabilitate judas. but at least, we can have some empathy for him. hello and welcome to our viewers here, in the united states, and all around the world. i'm michael holmes and this is cnn "newsroom." our top story, this hour. right now, one of nashville, tennessee's main entertainment and tourism districts is one giant crime scene. experts, from multiple agencies, trying to determine who blew up a motor home, early on christmas morning, and why.

the blast has been called a deliberate act. so far, suspects and motives, though, are missing. but there is no shortage of destruction. now, authorities say more than 40 buildings were damaged, in all. they believe what they say could be human tissue might have been found near the blast site. but, there have been no other reports of any serious injuries. >> you can see and hear some of the confusion, fear, and see the destruction there, early christmas morning. only three people suffered minor injuries. one reason this was not a human catastrophe. the motor home was blaring a

warning that it was going to explode. another reason police believe that warning got people to safety. >> once they arrived in the area, they heard an rv giving out a message. basically, saying that it was going to detonate, within a certain timeframe. and a countdown would go on, and -- and then, it would play music. and then, countdown would start again. officers, immediately, began knocking on doors and evacuating residents here, not knowing if the -- the bomb was going to detonate immediately, or if it was going to go off in the time that was stated. we have found tissue that we believe could be remains, and we'll just have that, you know, examined. and then, we'll be able to let you know, from that point. >> more, now, from cnn's natasha chen in nashville. she talked with the mayor about how the city is dealing with the aftermath. >> reporter: much of downtown nashville is under a curfew that began the afternoon of christmas

day, and goes into sunday afternoon. and that's to really keep people away from the investigation scene that now stretches several blocks. debris scattered, everywhere. again, this happened early, christmas morning. when people first heard gunshots, call -- called 911. and then, there was the odd sound of a recorded message coming from an rv, giving a countdown. 15 minutes until an explosion. the mayor of this -- of nashville said that at least 41 businesses were destroyed. three people, three civilians, hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. the mayor said this was intended to create chaos, but that the city will be resilient and rebuild. >> my message is expect a knock on your door. you know? it's going to, i think, be a puzzle, a mystery, for some period of time. but i expect them to solve it. and they're bringing the resources to bear to be able to solve it. this should not be an america, where you have bombings on the street. >> and while we don't know who may be responsible for this,

right now, police did say they believe it's an intentional act. the mayor said the city will be resilient. back to you. >> our thanks to natasha chen there. now, cnn was able to talk to witnesses, like betsy williams. she says she was asleep when, what sounded like gunfire from an automatic weapon woke her up. here is what else she told cnn's anderson cooper. >> it was sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. i'm not exactly sure the first time we heard the gunshot. it was -- it sounded like an automatic weapon. it -- it -- and it was very loud, and it woke me up. it woke us up. and, you know, we didn't do anything, to start with, because just wake up. after you've heard that. well, then, we waited a few minutes and it happened again. and so, we called 911. >> did the first time -- sorry. sorry. just to be clear, the first time you heard it, how many shots did you hear in a row? >> i think it was -- it -- it --

you know, i didn't really count them but it was about, probably, eight to twelve. >> okay. >> you know, it was bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. like that. and it was very loud. >> and then, do you have a sense of how much time -- how much time elapsed between the first burst and the second time you heard it? >> you know, i'm -- it seemed like it was probably longer than it actually was. you know? and -- and so, maybe, it was five minutes. >> okay. >> maybe -- maybe ten. >> okay. >> and then -- and then, it happened again. and then, we called 911. well then, then it happened the third time and we called 911 back, again, just to make sure. and -- and -- and there were responders who had already come down there, after we called the first time. and we noticed -- we looked out the window and there was this white rv that was parked just across the street. >> uh-huh. >> and -- and so, it started

playing this message. evacuate now. this vehicle contains a bomb, and it will explode. and i think they may have been playing some other things. it was a mechanized, woman's voice. it was computerized. >> uh-huh. so, it didn't sound like a woman had recorded it, herself? it sounded somehow computerized. >> no, it sounded like it was a computerized thing. you know, how you have those automated calls and you have automated stuff. that's what it sounded like. and that went on for a good, long while because, by that time, we were -- we called 911, again. wanting to know what should we do? >> and joining me now from orange county in new york is cnn law enforcement analyst and retired fbi supervisory special agent, james gagliano. appreciate you and your expertise. what is your read on what we know, so far?

it's fairly bizarre, in many ways. >> michael, i think bizarre is -- is -- is the right way to kind of capture what we are seeing here. a lot of this doesn't make sense, yet. but, in 25 years in the fbi, and much of that time having worked post-blast analysis, a lot of times, we just don't have all the facts, right off the bat. and one of the most difficult things about these-type investigations is the evidence tends to get destroyed in the blast. now, this wasn't a tiny, pipe bomb. it was obviously something much bigger than that. i couldn't tell whether or not it was a sophisticated device, or not. i'm sure the fbi and atf and the local police working the scene probably have a lot more answers right now than -- than -- than we, in the media, do. >> what's the difference between what police have called an intentional act and -- and terrorism? >> well, i mean, a lot of it is nuance. we describe or we define

terrorism as violence or the threat of violence, in order to pursue some type of political or some type of social-justice mission or aim. now, what was interesting about this, and i think you pointed it out at the top, is that there was a warning played prior to the detonation going off. and the fact that this was done at 5:30 in the morning, central standard time, if you were seeking to do something that was going to cause massive casualties, this would not have been the way to do it. where you gave a preemptory warning, and you did it at a time when the streets and the buildings weren't filled with people. >> yeah, exactly. yeah. the -- the -- the phone calls coming in about shots fired may have been to lure in law enforcement. we don't know that, at the moment. so, what are investigators going to be looking for? i mean, this is a pretty touristy area, so there's likely to be security cameras. >> it is. it's a relatively

small-to-medium-size american city and, look, we're in the 21st century. you can't walk across the street without emitting some type of, what we call, digital exhaust. and whether it's cell-phone data that's hitting off of a cell tower nearby. or an ez-pass or some type of, you know, device that when you cross a bridge, takes a picture of your license plate. somebody knows something. and, look. all the years that i spent in law enforcement. whether it was on the criminal side or the counterterrorism side, there are no such things as perfect crimes. i -- i don't know how soon we'll get some answers on this. but i imagine it'll be in short order. this does not look like it was a well-crafted, well-put-together conspiracy. now, i could eat my words. but in just looking at this and what i've seen, thus far, i believe police will have some answers here, in a day or two. >> yeah. it was interesting. and -- and -- and -- and you know -- you know this stuff well. i hear a lot of people talking about sophistication and so on

earlier. but isn't it true, car bombs can be reasonably low tech? you don't need access to c4 and so on. i mean, fertilizer is readily available. you -- you can get instructions online, pretty much. how much expertise is needed to do something like this? >> not much. and -- and you just pointed it out. whether you are going back to the early '70s and the "anarchist cookbook." or what you find online. and bombs can be very simple devices. i mean, if you go back to 1995 and the oklahoma city bombing, i mean, you were basically dealing with fertilizer and diesel fuel. and yes, you need a power source and initiator, and you need a switch. but those are relatively easy things to put together. now, one of the -- one of the things i think that investigators are, obviously, going to be looking at here is every bomb maker has their own fingerprints. and i don't mean literal fingerprints, although those can

be recovered from crime scenes. but the way they put their bombs together. if this is someone that did it for the first time, maybe we don't have them in our rogues gallery. but if this is someone who's done this in approximathe past, have a particular type of style, a particular signature, if you will, and i'm pretty sure that all the bomb technicians right now, from the atf, the fbi, and the local police, are probably going through the debris. and trying to determine what type of bomb this was, how sophisticated it was, to your point, and most importantly here, is this a precursor to something else happening? is there a conspiracy or a plot for more of these? that's the number one thing that they want to get to the bottom of, right now, and attempt to interdict. >> does your gut tell you this was some sort of, you know, message attack? and you make the point. they seem to go out of their way to avoid civilian casualties or a high-body count. perhaps, trying to entice law enforcement in. but the -- the whole message thing.

that was very deliberate. we don't know, yet, about, you know, the location, the significance. outside an at&t building and so on. does it feel like a message to you, rather than something intent on causing mass casualty or mass damage? >> so, to your point, i mean, this was parked outside of an at&t building. and obviously, at&t is part of a communications network. is this the type of critical-infrastructure targeting that you would expect if this was an act of international terrorism and somebody wanted to, a, cause mass casualties and, b, cause massive damage to -- to infrastructure? it doesn't appear that way. now, look. if somebody really wanted to have people be hurt, there's three things in a bomb that -- that -- that -- that -- that cause fatalities. number one is the overpressure. number two is the shrapnel that's in it. and in this case, it was the actual vehicle, itself. and then, number three is the

incendiary effect, you know, caused by fires and things like that. where it was parked, the time it was parked, and the fact that there was a preemptory warning. it's almost like somebody wanted to send a message. and this could be something as simple as a disgruntled, former employee. and again, i'm -- i'm not speculating that's what it is. but it could be those things. police have got to follow the evidence. they're going to do that. and, michael, i'm going to guess, in the next day or so, i think we're going to have some answers and some leads that -- that end up panning out. >> hope -- hopefully, so. great to have your expertise, james. james gagliano, thanks so much. >> thanks for having me, michael. all right. we are going to take a quick break on the program. when we come back. coronavirus cases and deaths mount in the u.s. how tough weeks are ahead, despite vaccination efforts. also, the more contagious virus variant, first detected in the uk, spreads to more

countries. we'll talk it over with an emergency-medicine physician. itchy? scratchy? family not getting clean?

get new charmin ultra strong. it just cleans better, so your family can use less. hello clean bottom! enjoy the go with charmin.

♪ may your holidays glow bright and all your dreams take flight. visit your local mercedes-benz dealer today for exceptional lease and financing offers at the mercedes-benz winter event. after a night like this, crest has you covered. crest, the official toothpaste of santa. follow us @crest to celebrate the 12 days of crest smiles. welcome back. a holiday season, like no other, is upon the united states, as the country hardest hit by

coronavirus still grapples with the pandemic. it topped 330,000 total deaths on christmas. that's according to johns hopkins university. and more than 18.7 million infections have been recorded. california's numbers are spiraling out of control. it just reported more than 300 new deaths, for the third-straight day. things are expected to get much worse, across the nation, in large part, due to the behavior over the holidays. alexander field with that. >> reporter: this christmas, the one we never imagined. >> it was january 1st of this year, when -- when most of us heard about the covid-19 pandemic starting out of hubei province in china. i just never believed that we would get to 330,000 american lives lost, by christmas day. and still, accelerating at 3,000 deaths, a day. >> reporter: almost one in every 1,000 americans killed by covid this year. in la county, a person dies from

covid every ten minutes. there are no icu beds left in southern california or the san joaqu joaquin valley. >> when our icus get overwhelmed, we saw this back in march and april, in italy. so, this is happening now all across the country. we're -- we're reproducing that manhattan and new york city epidemic, from march and april, now times dozens of times. >> reporter: despite a warning from the cdc that travel can increase your chance of getting and spreading covid-19, more than 7 million people passed through america's airports in the last week. >> i think, people don't think coronavirus will happen to them. they think coronavirus will happen to another family. but there is no safety, other than those public-health measures that we have been preaching from the mountaintops. >> reporter: new travel restrictions go into effect monday. passengers coming from the uk will need a negative covid test within 72 hours of boarding a flight and documentation of the

results. a variant of the virus discovered there could be more transmissible. >> to see if this new strain is equally sensitive to our vaccine. and also, will be neutralized by our vaccine. >> reporter: pfizer's ceo says he is cautiously optimistic the vaccine will prove as effective against the variant. dr. anthony fauci now estimates 75 to 80% of the country will need to get the vaccine to get to herd immunity. >> it will take a year to get t immunity in this country. and in the meantime, we still have to do physical distancing, avoiding gatherings. >> reporter: unprecedented. for most americans, even the dose of the first vaccine is still months away but another surge may be just days out. >> we are just seeing daily cases just amplify and amplify and amplify. so, christmas, today, is going

to do a similar thing. >> reporter: given the concerns about, yet another, surge after christmas and given the fact that we have seen the numbers rise so sharply after so many major holidays this year. it should come as absoluteliy n surprise at this point that the cdc is recommending you stay home, celebrate with members of your household. or if you are going to celebrate with your friends, to do it online. in new york, i'm alexandra field, cnn. >> joining me now, emergency physician and assistant professor at the university of arizona college of medicine in phoenix. good to see you again, doctor. i mean, we've got the vaccinations underway. that's -- that's a good thing. but 3,000 americans, still, dying every day. we've got people traveling for christmas. what do you see, in the weeks to come? >> michael, i think we're going to see, just like we did after thanksgiving we saw a surge of cases, i think if people are gathering for christmas like we know they are, we are going to

see another surge. >> i mean, the numbers follow a very predictable pattern. it's unfortunate because when i am working in the er, i see the marked differences week to week and how many cases there are and how few beds we have available, for whether you're a covid patient or not. it's very difficult to get a bed, in particular, an icu bed. i think the same thing is going to happen, a month from now. and we are already in a bad state because of what happened over thanksgiving. so, we've got -- we have got a rough couple months ahead of us. >> i can't imagine how frustrating that is for you and others in your position. as you say, hospitalizations are through the roof. and yet, there -- there -- there does still seem to be, among some, an almost ambivalence. like, the bigger the numbers get, the less impact on some people. what -- what do you want them to know about what you see? >> yeah, that's exactly right, michael. i think some people are maybe living by the adage you know a death is a tragedy but a million

deaths is a statistic. and hear so much about it that, maybe, they've given up. and, you know, it's probably particularly unfortunate for the ones who have done a good job distancing and wearing masks. because they are looking around, everybody's living their life. i have been doing everything right and i can't join my family for thanksgiving or christmas. and it probably seems unfair. a lot of people are fatiguing out. even healthcare providers, as you can imagine, are fatiguing out and getting demoralized because it just doesn't seem to be ending. and that's a problem when you don't have distinct policy, from the top, for every state. everyone does what they want. the virus will take every opportunity to attack. it has. and if people don't adhere to guidelines, it will just never go away. so, it's really concerning. >> i can't imagine the frustration for people like you, who see it up close, every day. but i want to ask you about this

variant that first sort of surfaced in the uk. i mean, it -- it -- it -- it's disturbing in a way that so many other countries sequence so much more than the u.s., and so they know how widespread the variant can be. the u.s. ranks way low on sequencing. is that an issue? we don't know how far it is around the country. >> yeah. i think part of the problem is we have so many cases that it seems like sequencing the exact genome seems to be the last of the concerns. in countries where there are fewer cases, you can sequence to try to contact trace and try to figure out where the virus is coming from. but it's so widespread in the united states, that it's probably the last thing on the public health researchers' minds. ideally, we would be sequencing the genome, contact tracing. but we are just so far beyond that, we're just struggling to contain the virus, whatever strain it may be. when it comes to a more transmittable form that we are hearing about in the uk, if it's in the united states, it's just a matter of time. it will make it that much worse.

we're hoping we can really nip this in the bud but it seems like it's only a matter of time before it's here and spreading rapidly here as well. >> exactly. i want to fit this in before we go. one thing that's not being discussed very much when it comes to vaccines is the fact that it is the wealthy nations in europe and north america, which have the -- the bulk of the supply and -- and the health and, also, economic benefits that it will bring. but what about the rest of the world, wrhere the bulk of the population lives, developing countries? are you concerned not enough is being done so distribution isn't lopsided and the most vulnerable around the world are left out? >> yes, of course, this becomes a classic question of economics. do the rich have access to more things than the poor? and i think the easy answer is that's true of everything. now, there are some silver linings. if you remember, the oxford/astrazeneca vaccine was particularly made to be widespread and i think that's going to be great for the global

community. for a couple reasons. one, it's way cheaper. they have made a mission to try to spread it to many as people as possible. and it doesn't need as cold of a temperature. people seem to forget that because we have got so optimistic with the rna vaccines. the trials were run differently, by the way. so the effectiveness should be somewhat similar. so that's a piece of silver lining. the other is that there is a way of containing the disease. taiwan had its first case in 250 days and it wasn't because of a vaccine. it's because of distancing and masks. so, always containing the virus, even if you don't have access to the vaccine so, hopefully, we can control it, even in the poorer countries. but it will take a global effort and it will take a collective will of the people. >> well put, doctor. doctor, thank you so much. good to see you, again. >> thanks for having me, michael. stay safe. >> you, too. >> we'll take a break. when we come back on cnn "newsroom," we should learn more about that christmas-morning blast in downtown nashville.

just ahead, a witness tells us what he saw. we'll be right back. to get razor bumps with ordinary razors. but now there's gillette skinguard. it flattens the skin and lifts the blades for a shave that's close, but not too close for comfort. damom, look!get sare you okay?? head home this holiday with the one you love. visit your local mercedes-benz dealer today for exceptional lease and financing offers at the mercedes-benz winter event.

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. fixodent ultra dual power provides you with an unbeatable hold and strong seal against food infiltrations. fixodent. and forget it.

it's moving day. and are doing the heavy lifting, jess is busy moving her xfinity internet and tv services. it only takes about a minute. wait, a minute? but what have you been doing for the last two hours? delegating? oh, good one. move your xfinity services without breaking a sweat. now that's simple, easy, awesome. xfinity makes moving easy. go online to transfer your services in about a minute. get started today.

and welcome back to cnn "newsroom," everyone. i'm michael holmes. appreciate your company. a quick update now on the breaking news in the u.s. a powerful explosion in nashville, tennessee, early on christmas morning that police call an intentional act. a motor home blaring a warning, before it blew up in the city's downtown entertainment district. dozens of buildings damaged. three people suffered minor injuries. so far, police have not mentioned suspects, nor a

motive. but they did say remains were found, possibly human, and they have been sent off for testing. now, at the time of the explosion, david was out walking his dog. he said he saw police activity, and heard that recorded voice coming from the rv. listen to how he describes what happens next. >> stepped outside, and our building's next door to 21c hotel and the night manager was running around outside, saying he had to evacuate the building. he was told to evacuate. and i was just kind of frazzled. every corner had -- had police cars at it, stopping any kind of traffic. and i turned around. this would've been just a couple of minutes before the -- the explosion. i think the explosion was -- my security cameras, i think, showed it at 6:29 might've been right there. so, this was just a couple minutes before that. so, i turned around and an officer was walking towards me.

and i said, why do we have to evacuate? what's going on? and right then, the bomb went off. his back was to the explosion and i was looking at him and it was behind him. and we're about a half a block away from where the explosion was. after the explosion, all i saw was just this huge fireball from -- from my side of the street, which is the same side that the at&t building is, move across the street and then up in the sky. i didn't -- i didn't feel any concussion from the explosion. and it was really loud. but it didn't, hilike, hurt my ears. the dog didn't yelp. it wasn't anything like that. so, i wasn't aware what kind of damage that this had actually caused. >> witness david malloy, there. we'll be right back, after a break. stay with us. some hot cocoa? mom, look! are you okay?

head home this holiday with the one you love. visit your local mercedes-benz dealer today for exceptional lease and financing offers at the mercedes-benz winter event. [yawn] you. look. stunning. want the truth to why i wake up feeling... [growls softly] ...so darn awesome? [makes playful sound] i take care of my skin. not this skin. that skin. and when you've got incontinence, you sure need to.

tena intimates pads lock liquid in, and are now 100% breathable to care for your intimate skin. are you still here? kind to skin. protects like tena. 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.

welcome back. the european commission president says the region's first coronavirus vaccinations will take place this sunday.

the eu gave the pfizer-biontech vaccine the green light, earlier this week. shipments have been packaged and dispatched out of belgium. officials across the continent are trying to avoid a third wave, while keeping whatever is left of this year's holiday spirit alive. >> it was never going to be a merry christmas in europe this year with millions of europeans living under different forms of lockdown. but governments tried to thread the needle, each in its own way. between giving people a break at the end of a difficult year and allowing them to celebrate with family. and limiting those, same celebrations because we know they can spread the virus. so, here, in france, the strict, 8:00 p.m. curfew, was temporarily lefted temporarily lifted on christmas eve. it's back in force. in the uk, which is battling a new variant of the virus,

millions are being placed under the highest restrictions. that means, restaurants and nonessential businesses closed. the queen, in her speech, sent her thoughts to families who have lost loved ones during the pandemic. in germany, people wanting to attend church had to register for those services, during which singing was not allowed. in italy, the country is considered a red zone during key-holiday dates, meaning that movement between regions is severely limited. and if that sounds bad, well, denmark just moved into a national lockdown. restaurants and nonessential businesses, again, closing on christmas day after the country registered its highest number of new infections since the beginning of the pandemic. and yet, despite all these restrictions, the reality is it is very hard, if not impossible, to police family gatherings. that's why many governments are afraid that this holiday season could trigger a new wave of the coronavirus, starting

mid-january. cyril vanier, paris. south korea found more than 1,100 new cases, on friday. that was just a day after it hit a record high of 1,200. japan, also, saw its highest number of new cases, on friday. more than 3,800. and that is the third-straight day of record-breaking numbers for japan. let's go to japan. selena wang joins us now from tokyo. very worrying numbers there, where you are. >> that's exactly right, michael. great to be with you. prime minister, yoshihide suga, is urging people to have what he calls a silent and socially distant new year's holiday. that's, as you say, japan continues to report those record-breaking covid cases. more than 3,000 a day, for three days in a row. japan, meanwhile, has also just confirmed its first cases of that new, potentially more contagious, covid-19 variant from five people who entered from the uk. now, japan, along with more than

40 other countries, has now restricted travel of the -- coming from the uk. now, what is clear here, michael, is that this outbreak is really gating momentum in japan. we're seeing hospitals, very much, strained. it took, for some context here, more than nine months for japan to reach about 100,000 covid-19 cases. but in less than two months, that figure has more than doubled to, now, more than 200,000 cases. japan has refrained from calling a state of emergency, but the prime minister has temporarily halted that domestic-travel campaign. now, japan's government does not have any legal means to enforce covid-19 restrictions. but the prime minister said that he is considering the use of subsidies and penalties to enforce shorter business hours for these restaurants and bars. now, meanwhile, in south korea, this is another country that had seemed to have coronavirus, largely, under control for most

of the year. but now, south korea is reporting -- hovering around those record-high numbers of cases, at more than a thousand a day. now, south korea had been considered a model for combatting coronavirus with its aggressive, contact-tracing system. but it is now warning of its first lockdown since the start of the pandemic. it's already banned large gatherings and has ordered tourist attractions to close. now, what's worrying about south korea right now is that, before, in the previous waves, it had been easier to contact trace because most of the cases were coming from large clusters, like in churches or nightclubs. but now, the new cases are being traced to restaurants and offices, which are harder to track. now, it's important to put into context that the surge we are seeing in asia and east asia pales in comparison to the numbers that we see in parts of europe, as well as the u.s. but what this does show is just how hard it is to combat covid-19, especially during these winter seasons, when people are being driven indoors

by cold weather and, quite frankly, people are dealing with covid-19 fatigue. michael, back to you. >> yeah. selina wang there, in tokyo. thanks for your reporting, good to see you. and thank you for watching cnn "newsroom." i'm michael holmes. for our international viewers, marketplace africa is up next. for everyone else, though, the news continues, after a quick break. i'll see you on the other side. ♪ may your holidays glow bright and all your dreams take flight. visit your local mercedes-benz dealer today for exceptional lease and financing offers at the mercedes-benz winter event.

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.

six police officers are being hailed as heroes for their swift actions, before an rv blew up in downtown nashville, early on christmas morning. some witnesses said it was terrifying. first, a voice coming from the motor home, announcing that the vehicle would explode in 15 minutes. and then, it did. officials say, because officers moved fast to clear the area, only three people were injured. the blast tore into at least 14 businesses. what may be human remains was

found near the blast site. no confirmation on that detail, yet. analysis is being done. the nash -- nashville mayor says the explosion was caused by a, quote, deliberate bomb. >> as of right now, it does -- initial evidence -- does show that the early-morning explosion was a -- was a deliberate bomb being set off in our community. and the blast caused injuries and catastrophic damage to this very historic part of nashville. >> now, the white house says president trump was briefed on the explosion, and will continue to get regular updates. but for the most part, the u.s. president has spent the holiday golfing at his resort in florida. no word on this explosion from him. and, of course, the golfing comes, as millions of americans, desperate for economic aid, wait on him to sign the coronavirus-stimulus bill. cnn's jeremy diamond reports from west palm beach.

>> now, the president was scheduled to have a teleconference with military-service members on the christmas holiday. but, unlike in previous years, where the president has usually invited the news media in, invited cameras in, to record the event. the president, this year, disinviting the news media from attending that teleconference with the troops, which means that we did not get any reaction from the president to that explosion in nashville. we, also, didn't get to get an update from the president on that coronavirus-relief legislation. the president, earlier this week, putting that legislation into limbo. suggesting that he -- calling it a disgrace, and suggesting that he might not sign that legislation. the president, complaining about a number of items in that omnibus spending bill, as well as saying that he wanted to see those stimulus checks to americans, which are at $600 in that legislation, more than tripled to $2,000. of course, the president raised those objections only after the

legislation was passed. so far, he has done nothing to actually get that piece of legislation amended or to get it passed in congress. the president, instead, spending time, two full days, at his mar-a-lago resort, golfing, and doing nothing, it seems, to actually get that legislation through. jeremy diamond, cnn, traveling with the president in west palm beach, florida. >> joining me now in washington, d.c., cnn political analyst, josh roguen. he is also former columnist for "the washington post." good to see you, josh. no signing of crucial paperwork. it is alarming, in many ways, the president seem to understand what he is meant to sign. he refuses covid -- the covid bill with the spending bill. and attacks foreign aid funding that was requested, in his own budget. it's kind of mind boggling. >> yeah. what's crazy is that congress actually flew down a paper

version of the 5,000-page legislation to mar-a-lago, yesterday, and trump didn't even bother to read it. he tweeted, today, that he's been making calls and having meetings. neither of which claim has been verified. regardless, it seems clear that he is not going to read the bill or sign it or veto it, friday. now, saturday comes another deadline. if he doesn't sign the bill by the end of the day, saturday, then, actual unemployment benefits will cease. restarting them will be very difficult. and real people will suffer, greatly. so, while the president tweets and golfs, actual people's livelihoods are on the line. and, you know, 398,000 people signed up for pandemic-unemployment insurance, just this week alone. and those people are depending on trump to do something and do something fast. >> yeah. i -- i think it's 8 million americans have slipped into poverty, since this summer alone. and -- and he's playing golf and the bill remains unsigned. i mean, what -- what could be --

dare i use the word -- his strategy? >> well, as you pointed out, the president is conflating that the appropriations bill with the covid-relief bill. and attacking them, as if they were one thing. and in the sense, you can see a pattern where he attacks foreign aid, attacks foreign countries, and is using this sort of package to do that. you know, that's part of his strategy. another part of his strategy is to deflect the blame. when the eventual bill comes out and it only has $600 per person, rather than the 2,000 he claims he wants, he can say that's not his fault. so, that's -- that's one strategy. and -- and the last strategy is just to simply throw a tantrum because the president is angry with republicans for not backing his electoral bid to overturn the election. and he is angry at democrats for a whole number of things. so, in this way, he can really stick it to both of them which

is petty and petulant and sort of immature but that's where we are. >> yeah. and the thing that's he head shaking about this, republicans rejected an attempt by democrats to pass a bill that included $2,000 direct payments to americans, which is precisely the figure trump demanded. so, you have this situation where democrats say let's do what the president wants and republicans are saying, no, let's not. i mean, what are the party politics in play? >> essentially, what trump did is he handed the democrats a talking point, just one week before -- or two weeks before the january 6th -- january 5th georgia elections. and what he is doing there is he is threatening his republican lawmakers, his own party lawmakers, that he is telling them he can do damage to them if they don't support his efforts to overturn the presidential election. and now, he is actually doing that damage. and these georgia elections on january 5th come one day before congress certifies the electors on january 6th. and that's the date that

everyone's pointed at, especially the president. so, he is playing chicken with his own party's control of congress. and it's understandable why they don't like it. >> yeah. so -- so, how might his actions, or rather inaction, impact public sentiment with -- with the january 5 senate election approaching? i mean, millions of americans are going to, rightly, feel pretty abandoned by their government right now. >> exactly. can you imagine if you are a republican trying to get votes for two senate candidates in georgia. it's a terrible, terrible look for the republican party in this crucial time. you can add it to the lots of other things that president trump has done to really stick it to georgia republicans. including, challenging the republican secretary of state. and, you know, calling into question republican voting machines. telling people in georgia not to vote by mail. all of these things are --

are -- are -- stand against the goal that the republican party should have that president trump, as the leader of the republican party, should have. which is, to get people out to the polls and to support these republican candidates. but for trump, that's really not what matters. the thing that matters to him is his last-ditch effort to fight the election results that -- of the presidential election he lost. and he is willing to take the party down with him, if he does not get his way. >> yeah. yeah, it certainly looks that way. josh rogan, always a pleasure. good to see you. thanks so much. >> anytime. >> now, 4 million americans are under flood watches in the northeast, as storms could cause rivers to reach flood levels. and another 8 million americans are under freeze warnings that stretch as far south as central florida. let's get the latest from derek van dam. what are you seeing there, derek? >> yeah, michael. we -- we even have iguanas falling from trees in central florida. i will tell you about that, in just one moment. but let's talk about the

flooding threat. this is the most pertinent information we are going to pass off to our viewers because as you mentioned, we do have flooding because of our blockbuster snow storm we had across the northeast just ten days ago. it created record-level snowfalls across the region. well, now, this is a rain event that has moved through the region and we have melted a lot of that snow that fell in the storm, ten days ago. so, we have three river gages that are at major flooding, even moderate to minor flooding at some of those localized rivers throughout the new england coastline. and remember, that snow that moved across central new york into vermont, pennsylvania, as well as new hampshire? well, now, with all this rain on top of it, it created scenes like this. let me take you to dryden, new york, because you can see just how much river runoff is occurring, throughout this area, as the rain contributes to the melting of the snow. it is allowing for those rivers to burst over their banks, and creating this minor to moderate flooding that's ongoing, especially across upstate new york as we speak.

now, the backside of this system has transitioned the rain to snow. quite a hefty lake-effect snow band. it is the cold weather, the arctic blast, that is settling in. it's really waking people up here across the eastern seaboard. the day after christmas familiar as boxing day. people won't be heading to the stores because, well, it's just too darn cold out there. check this out. what it will feel like on your skin this morning. in pittsburgh, negative 3 degrees fahrenheit. that is bone-chilling cold. from atlanta, where i am located, it feels like 14 outside. all the way to central florida, where we have freeze warnings and hard-freeze warnings in effect. this is going to impact the citrus industry across this area. talked about iguanas. they are falling from trees because they become dormant or paralyzed in temperatures below 45 degrees. still, quite uncanny to see something like this in central florida so look out for those

falling iguanas. >> i -- i will do that, as my people in australia say -- >> they're not dead. >> yeah. as we say in australia, it's as cold as a mother-in-law's kiss outside. i can tell you, it feels that way. derek van dam, good to see ya. cracked him up. okay. well, it was a white christmas in st. petersburg, russia, but it wasn't just from the snow. a mysterious foam was floating in the river, and flying through the air. check it out. some people, amused by the sight. others, worried about what is causing the sudsy mess. investigators say a chemical used to produce liquid soap might have been dumped in the area. hope so. all right. thanks for watching, everyone. i'm michael holmes. appreciate you sticking around. i'll be back with another hour of cnn "newsroom," after the break.

the holidays are a time for giving. to your friends... your family... to your teachers. in that spirit of giving, chevy's proud to give our employee discount to everyone. the chevy price you pay, ...is what we pay. not a cent more. because giving, ...and giving back, is what the holidays are all about. use the chevy employee discount for everyone to get a total value of over eight thousand four hundred dollars on this silverado. get the chevy employee discount for everyone today.