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Three Officers Named in Inmate Death; Carter Remembered for Diplomatic Path with China; Carter's Deep Faith Shaped Presidency; Northeast Expecting Rain for New Year; Gas Prices Expected to Drop. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 30, 2024 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:33:32]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

An update now on the investigation into the beating death of an inmate at a correctional facility in New York state. CNN has learned that at least three of the officers accused in the death of Robert Brooks have been accused of assault in previous incidents at the same prison. Disturbing body cam video shows multiple correctional officers punching and kicking Brooks, who was handcuffed at the time.

Let's bring in CNN's Polo Sandoval, who is following this story.

Polo, what's the latest here? What more are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Rahel.

So, a lot of what we've learned has been actually found in some court documents that have been obtained by CNN. They specifically show that three of the officers suspected in the fatal beating of Robert Brooks had been previously accused of assault at the same upstate New York correctional facility. Two of them, Sergeant Glenn Trombly and Officer Anthony Farina, are each named in a 2022 complaint filed in federal court. It's regarding a 2020 incident in which those two officers allegedly looked on as a fellow officer beat a handcuffed inmate at the very same facility that Brooks died in earlier this month. That beating reportedly left the - left the inmate permanently disfigured.

But then there's also Officer Nicholas Anzalone. That's the correctional officer who's named in a separate 2022 complaint alleging that he not only joined in on the assault of an inmate, but also that he was allegedly involved in a covering up of - really a fabrication of disciplinary charges against the inmate who was left with what's been described by his attorney as substantial physical and mental injuries.

Now, both of these cases, Rahel, they were first reported by "The New York Times."

[08:35:01] They are still pending. CNN actually reached out to the New York Corrections Department for more information on these previous allegations. They said they do not comment on pending litigation.

But I also want to add that in 2022 there was an independent watchdog group that actually found widespread results of assault and also mistreatment at the hands of the staff. The corrections department responded to that report, saying that it was simply - certainly troubled by this, and said that it was in the process or had at least addressed some of those concerns from the group, including the deployment of body worn cameras earlier this year.

And those cameras are what captured the fatal beating of Brooks earlier this month. Weve seen this video. Parts of it, quite disturbing to watch here.

Brooks had been serving a 12-year sentence for assault. He's seen in the footage getting kicked and punched by officers while his hands were still handcuffed behind his back. At one point, something is even shoved into Mr. Brooks' mouth.

The next day he was pronounced dead at the hospital. It's still unclear, Rahel, exactly what led up to the moment where they brought him into the examination room. The New York Department of Corrections has already named 14 staff members suspected in Brooks' death. None of them, or their representatives, have commented since the video was released earlier this weekend by the New York state attorney general. CNN has reached out for comment from those correctional officers.

But something that's certainly telling, Rahel, of the brutal nature of this beating is that the correctional officers union, which, as we know, typically defends these correctional officers, have responded saying that this is, quote, incomprehensible.

SOLOMON: Certainly is.

SANDOVAL: So, that certainly speaks to just the brutal nature as not only the state but also the FBI continues to investigate this beating.

SOLOMON: Yes, the state and the AG promising a thorough investigation here in terms of what happened.

SANDOVAL: They are.

SOLOMON: Polo, thank you.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Rahel.

SOLMON: Disturbing.

This morning, there is an outpouring of praise for former President Jimmy Carter. We're going to take a look at the groundbreaking diplomacy that highlighted his presidency and still impacts world politics today.

And, President-elect Donald Trump finding dissent inside his own base over his stance on work visas.

We'll be right back.

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[08:41:24]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the world is paying tribute to former President Jimmy Carter and the lasting impact he had both domestically and abroad. Leaders in China, for example, are celebrating the man they call their old friend. Carter led the charge to end decades of hostility between the United States and China, a decision that had major implications then and today.

CNN's Will Ripley reports on Carter's legacy in Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A smile and a handshake between two very different men who saw a common future. U.S. President Jimmy Carter and China's communist leader Deng Xiaoping both knew the fate of the world would one day hinge on relations between the U.S. and China.

It was 1979. Washington established diplomatic ties with communist Beijing. And for a president who got a deal done between Egypt and Israel and struck a nuclear accord with the Soviet Union, Carter believed ending hostility with Beijing was among his greatest achievements.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: What are you most proud of?

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I helped promote peace between other countries that were potentially at war. I reached out to long term adversaries, like China.

RIPLEY (voice over): His decision came at a cost. The U.S. no longer officially recognizes Taiwan. U.S. troops pulled out. The island democracy of 24 million people, now facing the growing threat of a possible Chinese attack.

LEV NACHMAN, POLITICAL SCIENTIST, NATIONAL CHENGCHI UNIVERSITY: From Taiwan's perspective, that meant that it officially became a unrecognized state. And that really is what put Taiwan in this very compromised position internationally.

RIPLEY (voice over): The U.S. maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan, regularly selling weapons to its military. China, experiencing huge economic growth due in large part to its relationship with the U.S. Now, China is the world's second largest economy.

But prosperity did not trigger political reform. Chinese Leader Xi Jinping could potentially stay in power for life. With a military more powerful than ever. Bilateral relations dropping to the lowest level in years.

Carter always maintained people to people ties will prevail.

CARTER: That the best thing to do is to try to find some accommodation with China and to respect each other, and to try to find ways to cooperate rather than to confront one another with the differences that do exist.

RIPLEY (voice over): He made several trips to China after leaving office, warmly welcomed by top leaders. The 39th president of the United States, proud of his legacy, normalizing ties with China, now seen by many as the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taiwan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: And moments ago, Pope Francis offered his condolences to former President Jimmy Carter's family and praised the deep Christian faith that motivated him to push for peace and human rights. That faith shaped his life in and out of the White House.

Over the last three decades, he inspired thousands of volunteers in the U.S. and around the world to build, renovate or repair more than 4,000 Habitat for Humanity homes. After leaving Washington, Carter taught Sunday school in his hometown Baptist church in Plains, Georgia, only stopping in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic.

Joining me now is CNN contributor Randall Balmer. He is also the chair of the Department of Religion at Dartmouth College.

Randall, great to have you today.

It's interesting, right, because it wasn't just his faith, but it was really a study and an understanding of many faiths. He was the first president to publicly light a Hanukkah menorah in 1979.

[08:45:01]

Talk to us a little bit about how his understanding of faith influenced his approach to both governing here domestically, but also foreign policy.

RANDALL BALMER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Jimmy Carter, as your piece just said, believed very much in interpersonal relationships, one on one relationships. And that is what really propelled him to the presidency, his ability to do retail campaigning, particularly in Iowa and New Hampshire at the beginning of the 1976 Democratic primaries.

But his faith was foundational. And let's remember that he really introduced most of America, that is those outside of the Evangelical subculture, to the term born-again Christian. And that was very familiar to a whole segment of the population, but not to the populace at large.

SOLOMON: What do you make - because although he was a devout follower of his religion, of his faith, he was also a staunch supporter of the separation of church and state and religious freedom at large.

What does that say to you about how personal he saw religion and faith?

BALMER: He was a Baptist. He was a true Baptist. And Baptists historically have believed both in liberty of conscience and the separation of church and state, in part to protect the integrity of the faith from too close an association with the state.

But those ideas, his religious ideas, his faith, informed everything about his life, as he said very often. And he was very careful, at the same time as you suggested in your question, not to impose his religious beliefs on anyone else. He wanted to work through the political process. Certainly his own positions were informed by his faith. Care for the least of these, care for the environment, God's creation, the whole emphasis on human rights. Those were all foundational to his policies.

SOLOMON: And how about of his marriage to Rosalynn? He said this in his 2018 book, "the most important example of faith in my life has been the marriage vows I exchanged with Rosalynn.

BALMER: I think that's absolutely true. And they were married for 77 years. It was a marriage of unusual companionship and love, affection with one another. That's not to say they didn't go at each other.

When Jimmy Carter came back from his father's deathbed in 1953 and announced to Rosalynn in Schenectady, which was where they were posted at the time, that they were going back to Plains so that he could try to have the kind of influence on the community that his father had, Rosalynn was not - not amused. And the long drive from Schenectady to Plains, Georgia, transpired in almost total silence between two very strong willed individuals. Nevertheless, they had a long and enduring friendship, marriage, relationship. And I left my conversations with Mr. Carter believing that the only person he fully trusted was Rosalynn.

SOLOMON: Yes, I mean, we can all aspire to 77 years of marriage for sure.

Talk to me a little bit about - I want to read something that you just said, "that you said that Carter was the last of a breed of progressive Evangelicals in politics." What did you mean by that?

BALMER: Well, there's a long tradition in American evangelicalism of care for those Jesus called the least of these. So, particularly in the 19th century there was an emphasis on, say, prison reform, women's equality, including voting rights, which was considered a rather radical idea in the 19th century. Common schools, or public schools, as we know them today, as a way to advance the fortunes of those who are less fortunate, and various peace reform initiatives. Those were all a part of the heritage of Evangelicalism in the 19th century. And Jimmy Carter's political career, particularly his candidacy for the presidency in 1976, revived that whole strain of progressive Evangelicalism. Sadly, the emergence of the religious right during his presidency reversed a lot of those gains. SOLOMON: Yes.

Randall Balmer, we appreciate the time today. Thank you.

All right, and still ahead for us, we are getting new details this morning on the funeral plans to honor President Carter. When will mourners be able to pay their respects?

And after a weekend of tornado outbreaks, we are tracking how a new round of dangerous weather could impact millions of travelers between now and New Year's Day.

We'll be right back.

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[08:53:47]

JIMENEZ: Welcome back.

At least four people are confirmed dead after deadly storms tore through parts of the southeast over the weekend. Dozens of tornadoes touched down from Texas to Alabama, and crews are still assessing the damage this morning. More than 100,000 customers were left without power Sunday, and hundreds of flights were canceled as many tried to come home from the holidays. A church was leveled when a tornado ripped through Mississippi. Two people were inside, according to the pastor, and they survived by hiding in the church's bathroom.

CNN's Allison Chinchar joins us now.

So, Allison, I mean, look, obviously seeing the devastation of these - these storms is so incredibly humbling and sad, especially this time of year. But what is the forecast heading into the new year?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, because a lot of people want to know, that system that happened over the weekend, where is it going to be? And the good news is, at least for the south, that system has finally moved offshore for the most part. In the northeast we still have a few of those lingering showers from it, but those should be ending as we go through the day to day. So, you've still got some rain and snow around the Great Lakes, and still some rain coming down around portions of New Hampshire, eastern Massachusetts and Maine.

But all eyes really are on the next system. This is the one that's currently in the west, bringing a lot of very heavy snow and even a little bit of some rain snow mix to the high plains.

[08:55:00]

That's why you've got a lot of those winter weather alerts in effect, not just for right now, but those will continue through the rest of the day today.

But that system then traverses eastward across the country over the next several days. By Tuesday morning you're looking at really kind of centered over portions of the Midwest. Then as we head into Tuesday night, and especially very early Wednesday, the bulk of that moisture really starting to surge into the northeast. So that begs the question, OK, what does this mean for folks who have outdoor plans on New Year's Eve.

Other cities in the Northeast and Great Lakes could have some showers to contend with. So, you may have to take a poncho or some kind of a backup plan if you have some outdoor plans.

And then, of course, there's New York City, the big system here, or the big city here. You do have rain chances in the forecast. Can't also rule out the chance for a few, maybe one or two thunders - thunder claps as well.

The one bit of good news, however, take a look at the temperatures. Upper 40s to lower 50s. That would actually put it kind of on the warmer end of where we've had some of those things. So, Omar, so, again, it may be raining, but at least it's not a cold rain to go along with it.

JIMENEZ: Look, you can't get everything you want.

Allison Chinchar, really appreciate it.

Rahel.

SOLOMON: All right, new this morning, video appears to show Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, a prominent Palestinian hospital director, walking unarmed towards a tank in Gaza ahead of his arrest by Israeli forces. Doctor Abu Safiya has not been seen since Friday's raid that closed the last major functioning health facility in northern Gaza. Recently released former detainees tell CNN that he is being held at a controversial military base that doubles as a detention facility. CNN has not independently verified that. The Israeli military said that it detained Doctor Abu Safiya because he was, quote, "suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative," but provided no evidence to support that. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military to confirm where he is being held.

A Colorado man under arrest after allegedly attacking a local TV reporter and yelling, "this is Trump's America now." Patrick Thomas Egan was arrested on suspicion of bias motivated crimes, second degree assault and harassment. Now, according to an arrest affidavit, Egan followed the reporter's car for 40 miles, chased him after he got out of the vehicle and tried to strangle him. Coworkers who ran out to help say that the reporter was losing his ability to breathe. Eagan is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

On a lighter note, 3,000 pounds of confetti will blanket Times Square to ring in 2025. But before billions of eyes are on the main event, a confetti test run has to take place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Two, one, Happy New Year!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa, look at that confetti go!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Organizers say that the confetti test went off without a hitch. This is video from West 45th and 46th Streets, which will soon be packed with crowds welcoming in the new year. Some confetti will include written notes from people who submitted them through the virtual wishing well in Times Square.

Omar, here's hoping the weather cooperates after that Allison Chinchar report. Here's hoping it -

JIMENEZ: I - yes, I mean, look, something tells me that confetti is dropping no matter what.

SOLOMON: That's true, come rain or shine.

JIMENEZ: Yes. At least it won't be cold, hopefully. Fingers crossed.

SOLOMON: Yes.

JIMENEZ: Thanks, Rahel.

Look, this morning, also great news for drivers as we head into the new year. Gas prices are expected to dip in 2025. That's according to projections GasBuddy shared exclusively with CNN. CNN's Matt Egan joins us now to share his new reporting.

So, Matt, can you walk us through this new forecast here?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Omar, it is so nice to be here about some good news for 2025.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

EGAN: So, GasBuddy is projecting that next year will be the third straight year of falling gas prices. They're calling for an annual average of $3.22 a gallon. That would be an 11 cent drop from this year. It would also be the lowest annual average since 2021. Of course, it's also true that gas prices are still higher than they were before Covid-19. Of course, it's also true that people are making more money than they were before Covid, right? And gas is swallowing up a smaller and smaller amount of paychecks, which is obviously good news.

Now, this is a - the forecast is a far cry from what we saw in 2022 when gas prices skyrocketed above $5 a gallon for the first time ever, right?

JIMENEZ: Yes.

EGAN: That was a nightmare. Thankfully, oil prices have come down dramatically since that Russian invasion of Ukraine, in part because the U.S. is producing more oil than any country in world history. So, we have a strong supply.

We've also got relatively weak demand, especially out of China. And so that's why GasBuddy is projecting that American's are going to spend about $115 billion less on fuel in 2025 than they did back in 2022. Typical family still expected to spend about $2,300 on gas, but that's about $500 less than they did back at that peak.

We should note that this is just a forecast.

JIMENEZ: For sure.

[09:00:00]

EGAN: There's always wild cards out there that could change things. But for now, the outlook is that President-elect Trump is going to take office at a time when gas prices are pretty muted.