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Progress on Hostage Talks; 2024 Top 10 Crime and Justice Stories; Dr. Megan Ranney is Interviewed about Whooping Cough; Netflix Christmas NFL Debut. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired December 26, 2024 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00]
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Such a hostage and ceasefire deal will be achieved before January 20th, before President Trump assumes office. And it's interesting and important because President Trump, just two weeks ago, or three weeks ago, issued a, you know, a post, a threat, that if - until January 20th the hostages are not all released, all hell will break loose in the Middle East. And I think we are going to get to that point where he is in office, no hostages are released, and he'll have to decide what he's going to do about it.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and what all hell breaking loose will look like is - which we do not know.
RAVID: Exactly. Exactly. Exactly.
BOLDUAN: I spoke with - just earlier this week I spoke with the father of one of the remaining American hostages who are being held in Gaza. The hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, his father, Jonathan, was on with me this week, and he actually said that there was - I mean, I'll call it like a whiff of optimism because he says that Donald Trump getting involved, setting that actual date and deadline and ultimatum of, you know, hand over all hostages or all hell will break loose, he called it and says it's been a game changer.
Let me play this for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN, FATHER OF ISRAELI-AMERICAN HOSTAGE: But clearly over the course of the last three weeks, since President-elect Trump came out with a very strong statement with a deadline of January 20th, his inauguration, clearly all of the sides and the intermediaries, Egypt, Qatar, Hamas and Israel have put into motion a negotiation process that had been stalled for months until that statement. And there seems to be an urgency on all sides that's been missing for a very long time to get this done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: But as your reporting suggests, not enough, unfortunately.
But what are you hearing about Trump's more aggressive approach here, how it's being received or interpreted?
RAVID: I think that it was definitely a game changer. There's no - there's no doubt this is what led to this last round of negotiations in Doha. Eight days of talks after three months of almost no talks. So, definitely his statement made a difference.
The problem is that I think what President Trump is going to find out pretty soon when he's in the Oval Office, if there is no deal, he'll find out that he's been played by all parties, by the Israelis, by the - by Hamas, obviously, and by the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, because I think that all parties made every effort to be on their best behavior after his statement. The problem is that none of them really moved on. The core issues of this negotiation.
And, you know, there's one bottom line, that, you know, we've been through this for a year now, and the bottom line is that at least, in my assessment, there is no deal to be made without the out - the outcome. After the three stages of this deal, after implementing these three stages of this deal, the outcome needs to be the end of the war. If the outcome is not the end of the war, I don't see how Hamas agrees to this deal. And the result will just be that you have no deal. The hostages are still in the tunnels. And every day more and more of them die of, you know, the very difficult and bad conditions that they're being held in. And if you want to get the hostages out, unfortunately, the only way to go is to end the war. And until people don't understand that, we'll just be in this ongoing loop.
BOLDUAN: The relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has been an interesting one. And clearly, come January 20th, will become even more critical. What are you hearing about that? How eyes wide open are the incoming Trump team about that?
RAVID: Well, I think that, obviously, you know, Netanyahu has a lot of inroads into the Trump team and into Trump world, much more than he had into the Biden world. And in, you know, in many, many things, I think the Trump team will - will make Netanyahu's life much easier.
But there's a big but here, that the root causes of - of Trump and Netanyahu's relationship, or the problems in their relationship from the first term, the root causes are still there. And the root - one of the root causes is that Trump, at the end of the day, and I haven't seen any evidence that that has changed, wants to create some sort of breakthrough in the Middle East peace process. And that includes also an Israeli-Palestinian component. And Netanyahu is not very interested in that.
And I think this will - this will happen again, as it happened last time, that Trump will ask Netanyahu to do things that Netanyahu wouldn't want to do.
[08:35:01]
And last time Trump got to the conclusion that Netanyahu just led them on. Led them on and didn't really want peace. And I think there's a - quite a big chance that he will get to the same point this time around. BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean when you look - when you think of it, making
Netanyahu's life easier and getting what Donald Trump ultimately always wants is to get a deal and to get credit for pulling off a deal, which would be - in the Middle East and which would be bringing the hostages home and ending the war there. Those things very likely are going to be in opposition, and they're going to see that really quickly come January 20th.
Barak, thank you, as always, for your reporting. Thanks for coming on.
Coming up for us, this is a huge week for holiday travel, of course. Whether you're packing up to head home from Christmas or you're packing up to head out for New Year's, we are tracking a post- Christmas round of storms that you're going to want to keep your eye on.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: So, we're getting word this morning of a gruesome discovery after a nine hour flight from Chicago to Hawaii.
[08:40:05]
Upon landing in Maui, authorities say a body was found Christmas Eve in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane. And United officials say the wheel well was only accessible from outside the aircraft, and they're now working with police to figure out how that body got there and also identify him or her.
Sara.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, huge celebrity names in court, a decades old high profile case revisited, and brazen public murders that captivated America.
CNN's Jean Casarez is counting down the top ten crimes and justice - crime and justice stories of 2024.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Music superstars charged in criminal court, parents of a school shooter land in prison, and an insurance executive gunned down, shot in the back, in the heart of New York City. All part of the top ten crime and justice stories of 2024.
Number ten, a conviction in the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German.
CASAREZ (voice over): Two young Delphi, Indiana, girls have an afternoon off from school in February 2017. A family member drops them off to hike at the Monon High Bridge Trail. Libby and Abby were never seen again. Their bodies were found together the next day with their throats cut.
Libby's phone had pivotal video evidence of a suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down the hill.
CASAREZ (voice over): Local resident Richard Allen was arrested in 2022 and was later convicted by a jury of his peers.
CASAREZ: Number nine, charges in connection to the death of a beloved actor.
MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR, "FRIENDS": When I dance, I look like this.
CASAREZ (voice over): Matthew Perry, who became a household name on the hit show "Friends," found dead in October 2023. His body floating face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home with ketamine in his system. Five people now charged in connection with his death, including two doctors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine.
CASAREZ (voice over): Three of the defendants have reached plea agreements, while the other two have pleaded not guilty.
CASAREZ: Number eight, a stunning end to Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial.
CASAREZ (voice over): Baldwin goes to trial following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film "Rust." Prosecutors said Baldwin pulled the trigger of a prop gun during a rehearsal, but the gun had a live round, killing Hutchins. Within two days the involuntary manslaughter case was thrown out over withheld evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dismissal with prejudice is warranted.
CASAREZ: Number seven, pop star Justin Timberlake arrested for driving while intoxicated.
CASAREZ (voice over): Timberlake is pulled over while driving in Sag Harbor, New York. Court records alleged he was glassy eyed with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He told police he only had one martini. Three months later, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, MUSICIAN: Even one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car.
CASAREZ: Number six, an Illinois woman shot and killed in her own home by police. Thirty-six-year-old Sonja Massey called 911 on July 6th because she thought an intruder was in her home. Deputies responded, but a dispute over a pot of hot water on the stove became the focus.
SONJA MASSEY: Where you moving?
DEPUTY: Huh? MASSEY: Where are you going?
DEPUTY: Away from your hot steaming water.
MASSEY: Away from my hot steaming water?
DEPUTY: Yes.
MASSEY: I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.
DEPUTY: Huh?
MASSEY: I rebuke you in the name of -
DEPUTY: You better (EXPLETIVE DELETED) not. I swear to God, I'll (EXPLETIVE DELETED) shoot you at your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face.
MASSEY: OK, I'm sorry.
DEPUTY: Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot.
SECOND DEPUTY: The (EXPLETIVE DELETED) -
DEPUTY: Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot.
Drop it.
CASAREZ (voice over): Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson was fired and has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
CASAREZ: Number five, after 35 years in prison, two brothers have the possibility of freedom.
CASAREZ (voice over): Lyle and Erik Menendez planned, plotted and executed the murders of their parents in 1989. The brothers said they acted in self-defense after suffering years of physical and sexual abuse by their record executive father. The first jury trial ended in a mistrial but included their sexual abuse testimony.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you recall the first time that he wasn't nice during the sex?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you were 11?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was 11.
CASAREZ (voice over): But during a second trial, the brothers were convicted.
[08:45:02]
Now they say they have new evidence. And with a Netflix docudrama on the case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did it.
CASAREZ (voice over): As well as the sudden support of now former L.A. District Attorney George Gascon, the chance for freedom is possible. But the new D.A., Nathan Hochman is making no promises.
NATHAN HOCHMAN, L.A. DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Better review thoroughly the facts and the law.
CASAREZ: Number four, the chief executive officer of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare gunned down in New York City.
CASAREZ (voice over): Brian Thompson, in town for a conference, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of December 4th outside of the Hilton in midtown Manhattan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes.
CASAREZ (voice over): On December 9th, the NYPD announced 26-year-old Luigi Mangione had been arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, while eating at a McDonald's. He was in possession of a document criticizing the health care industry, a police official told CNN. Mangione has been charged with murder, among other counts, in state and federal court. Mangione's attorney denies his client was involved in the killing.
CASAREZ: Number three, a Georgia nursing student murdered on her morning jog.
CASAREZ (voice over): Twenty-five minutes into that run, Laken Riley was killed.
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): This community, all of Georgia and the entire country have been rocked by this inexcusable and avoidable murder.
CASAREZ (voice over): Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela, was charged with her murder. The trial in November brought an unemotional Ibarra and Riley's family together in the same room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.
CASAREZ (voice over): Ibarra was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
CASAREZ: Number two, it was precedent setting. Parents of a mass school shooter on trial themselves for the deaths of the students their son gunned down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gun ownership is a right. And with that right comes great responsibility.
CASAREZ (voice over): Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford, Michigan, high school shooter, went to trial in early 2024 on involuntary manslaughter charges. In a first of its kind prosecution, the state alleged the Crumbley's bought their son a gun days before the mass shooting and didn't properly store it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Despite her knowledge of his deteriorating mental crisis, this gun was gifted.
CASAREZ (voice over): Jennifer then took the stand.
JENNIFER CRUMBLEY, MOTHER OF OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTER: Theres was a couple of times where Ethan had expressed anxiety over taking tests, but not - not to a level where I felt he needed to go see a psychiatrist or a mental health professional right away, no.
CASAREZ (voice over): With the community still overcome by grief from the four students murdered by their son, both parents were convicted by unanimous juries. They are appealing their verdicts.
CASAREZ: And the number one crime and justice story of the year, music superstar Sean "Diddy" Combs arrested.
CASAREZ (voice over): Combs was charged in September with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and prostitution-related charges.
DAMIAN WILLIAMS. U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Combs used force, threats of force and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sexual performances with male commercial sex workers.
CASAREZ (voice over): The indictment specifically notes surveillance video showing Combs beating his then girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel in March 2016. Combs apologized after CNN aired that video in May.
SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, MUSICIAN: I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I'm disgusted.
CASAREZ (voice over): Combs remains in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City. He has pleaded not guilty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIDNER: All right, ahead, a new health concern this morning as doctors see an alarming spike in cases of whooping cough. How you can protect yourself and your family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:53:35]
BOLDUAN: The dog who spent Christmas Eve stranded on a frozen lake is back with its owner safe and sound. The dog's name, Brooklyn. And the dog escaped from a - it's a cute pup - escaped from home, ran to the lake. Police initially tried using a net to rescue her. That did not work. So, a neighbor and police came up with a pretty great idea, actually, attach a piece of chicken to a drone and then, watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know what it owns - what it means to own a dog. And I can't imagine what the owner was going through. So, anything I could do to help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: A little piece of chicken, that's enough to entice Brooklyn right off that frozen lake. Police got her off the lake. Then, get this, then she ran again. Neighbors found her the next day. Brooklyn, I don't know if you've earned a treat, but Brooklyn is doing well now, thankfully. I mean, that is a really cute dog.
Also this, the FDA is reclassifying its recall on thousands of eggs sold at Costco to now be at its highest risk level over possible salmonella exposure. The agency says eating the eggs could lead to serious health issues, possibly death. The recall is for eggs from the Handsome Brook Farms brand. You see it here, the label. It's distributed by - they were distributed to Costco stores, rather, in five states, including Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Sara.
SIDNER: All right, unfortunately, tis the season for widespread respiratory illnesses.
[08:55:02]
Sorry, folks. And this morning we're learning that cases of whooping cough in the United States have surged to their highest number in a decade. That is according to the latest CDC data. Doctor Megan Ranney, emergency physician and dean of Yale School of Public Health, is joining me now to take a look at this.
Thank you so much for being here. Happy holidays to you.
What explains this surge in whooping cough? The worst we've seen in a decade?
DR. MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN AND DEAN, YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is one of the vaccine preventable illnesses that kids get protected against by getting vaccines in their first year of life. We're seeing this huge surge right now for reasons that we don't completely understand, but we think it's for a couple of different reasons. The first is, is that whooping cough cases go up and down cyclically in waves And it's been a while since we've had a wave of pertussis, or whooping cough, partly because during the Covid pandemic we all masked and stayed away from each other so we didn't see that normal surge.
The second reason that we think we're seeing this big wave is because fewer people are getting vaccinated. Fewer little kids are getting vaccinated. We're seeing some of the lowest rates of vaccination for kindergartners in decades. But also fewer adults are getting vaccinated. And whooping cough is one of those diseases that you need to get a booster for about every decade to stay adequately protected. SIDNER: Well, you know, the fallout - this is some of the fallout from
- from the Covid times. And to see this coming back with such a vengeance is disturbing.
Can you give us some sense of what the symptoms are so that people know what they have? Sometimes you think, oh, it's a cold or it's a, you know, it's just something I need to let it burn off. What are the symptoms?
RANNEY: So, it does start off as a cold for most of us. You're going to have a runny nose, a little bit of a cough, some kind of - maybe some body aches. It's not until a couple of weeks later that that classic cough starts to present. In adolescents and adults, we find that they get that horrible, paroxysmal cough. You get these coughing fits that can't stop. They can be so bad that they keep you from sleeping, they make you vomit. I've honestly seen patients who have broken ribs from coughing fits.
In littler kids, particularly in infants, it can cause a different group of symptoms. It will again start with those cold symptoms, the congestion. But then babies in particular can stop breathing from whooping cough. They can develop pneumonia. They can get those same coughing fits. Some of the sickest babies who I've taken care of have had whooping cough because they're too young to get vaccinated or their parents didn't get them vaccinated.
SIDNER: Wow, those are really disturbing details. And something for - for parents to watch out for when it comes to whooping cough and the fact that it is now at a ten year high. Everybody needs to be aware of it.
Dr. Megan Ranney, thank you so much. Appreciate you coming in on this holiday week.
All right, Kate.
RANNEY: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Christmas Day was chock full of gifts, including the gridiron. Netflix pulling off its highly anticipated Christmas Day NFL doubleheader. But could the real star have been Beyonce's halftime show? I ask, non-biased, very objective.
Coy Wire back with me.
OK, it was great football, but even Lamar Jackson said he wanted to skip the locker room to watch Beyonce.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Oh, man, the Ravens' quarterback should have gone out there with her because he was doing some dancing of his own on the field. But that bar has been set very high for Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show. Beyonce crushing it with some special guests at halftime of the Ravens/Texans game.
Here's a peek.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE, MUSICIAN: Hello, girls.
GIRLS: Hello, Beyonce.
BEYONCE: Hello, fellas.
FELLAS: You'll be swell.
BEYONCE: Those teddy (ph) ones can't touch me.
GIRLS: Why?
BEYONCE: Because I'm a clever girl. We clappin'.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: The 32-time Grammy winner rocking her hometown of Houston, performing songs from her "Cowboy Carter" album in front of a live audience for the first time. Special guest Shaboozey, Post Malone and her daughter, 12-year-old Blue Ivy, dancing with her. Beyonce also teased something coming on January 14th. We shall see.
As far as the game, those Ravens, they were flying high against the Texans. There was no stopping Baltimore's quarterback, Lamar Jackson. He threw two touchdown passes and he was out there running like a reindeer. He went dashing for 87 yards in the game, including this 48- yard score. And then Lamar ran into the record book in the third right here, moving past Michael Vick at the top of the all-time rushing list for quarterbacks. Baltimore wins 31 to two, improving to 11 and five in the season. They're one game up on the Steelers now for first place in the AFC North.
The Chiefs took on the Steelers in the first game of the day.
[09:00:01]
Patrick Mahomes leading KC out to an early 13 point lead, and they were never really threatened by Pittsburgh. Mahomes threw three touchdown passes.
