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President Carter's Neighbors Reflect on His Life; Biden to Eulogize Carter at State Funeral; Mike Johnson Fighting to Retain Speakership; Former CNN Anchor Aaron Brown Dead at 76; Families Mourn Victims at South Korean Airport. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired December 31, 2024 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDY COHEN, CO-HOST, CNN'S NEW YEAR'S EVE: They are licking each other. They're --
[06:00:04]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: They are cats.
COHEN: Yes.
JOHN MAYER, MUSICIAN: Yes, this is a place you can come, enjoy a drink or two, and talk to cats.
It's a cat bar. I mean, I don't know how much more clear I can be about the objective of this place.
COOPER: Oh, gosh. Yes, we do. Every year. Keeps coming around. Again, the New Year's Eve live coverage from Times Square begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. Yes, we are drinking this year. Right here on CNN.
That's it for us. The news continues right here on CNN.
PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: It's New Year's Eve, Tuesday, December 31st, right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he will be remembered for just being an honest man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Remembering Jimmy Carter. Funeral preparations are underway to honor the 39th president as America and the world pays tribute.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I'm really humbled and honored to have President Trump's endorsement for speaker again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Thrown a lifeline. Donald Trump endorses Mike Johnson in the House speaker fight. But will it be enough to save him?
And this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE BANNON, HOST, "WAR ROOM" PODCAST: The program from top to bottom is a scam and a con.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: A MAGA civil war. The president-elect's advisers versus his base fighting over immigration policy. Now Donald Trump is weighing in.
Then later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three. Two. One. Happy new year!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three. Two. One. Happy new year!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three. Two. One. Happy new year!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: It's the biggest party of the year. Final preparations underway right now for the ball drop in New York. And it's officially 2025 in other parts of the world.
It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. Here's a live look at Auckland, New Zealand, where it is now officially 2025.
Good morning, everyone, and happy New Year's Eve. I'm Paula Reid, in for Kasie Hunt.
It is wonderful to have you with us as neighbors, friends, former colleagues and even everyday Americans are saying farewell. And we'll have the chance to say more goodbyes to Jimmy Carter for six days next week.
America's 39th president died Sunday at the age of 100, surrounded by loved ones at his home in Plains, Georgia.
A state funeral for Carter is now scheduled for January 4th in Plains. Over a two-day period, he will lie in repose in Atlanta before he is brought to Washington, where he will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.
Carter's funeral at the National Cathedral is set for January 9th, where President Biden will give his eulogy. He will then be returned to Plains for the burial.
The late president is being remembered as a statesman and a humanitarian who restored ethics and integrity to the White House after the Watergate era.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CURTIS KOHLHAAS, DIRECTOR OF INDIVIDUAL GIVING AT THE CARTER CENTER: He was genuine. He was honest. And that was transmitted in -- in how he behaved with everyone.
I think that genuineness is what came through. You know, he was -- he was good. He was ethical. He spoke his mind. He sometimes said things that people didn't agree with, but those were -- you always knew where he stood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Carter came from humble beginnings, starting out on the family peanut farm before ascending to the White House. But in Plains, Georgia, he will always be remembered simply as a neighbor and a friend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR JOEY RECKER, PLAINS, GEORGIA: To most of us, he was Mr. Jimmy and would wave to us and talk to us when he walked by or rode by on his bicycle with Ms. Rosalynn. And it was just a -- a great, great place to live. And a large part of that is because of the man that Jimmy Carter was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: CNN's Eva McKend has more on reaction to Carter's death in the place he called home.
EVA MCKEND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A mix of sadness and pride here in Plains, Georgia, as the residents in this small town reflect on the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter.
And while over the coming weeks, we will hear about his lifetime of service, his courage, his commitment to social justice, when you speak to people here, they remember him as their neighbor.
It wasn't that long ago when you would see him walking on the main street here, or teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church.
Take a listen to how the people here in Plains are remembering Carter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIE JOHNSON, GEORGIA RESIDENT: He was someone that all -- everybody in the community -- always looked up to. Somebody that always brought positivity and somebody that was spiritually strong. And this is somebody from worldwide that we're going to miss. And he left a very good example for us to live by.
[06:05:02]
PHILIP KURLIND, PLAINS RESIDENT: Let's face it, the Carters will always be alive in Plains. So, we want to continue the spirit and continue the good in the world. BONITA HIGHTOWER, OWNER OF BONITA'S RESTAURANT IN PLAINS: To go all
over the world. And he could have chose to live anywhere. But he comes back home. You know, I take it personally. I said, well, he came back home to let me know that you can do the same thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKEND: There are going to be multiple celebrations of life over the coming days. He will return here to Plains before ultimately, a funeral will take place in Washington, where President Biden will eulogize the former president -- Paula.
REID: Eva McKend, thank you.
Now let's bring in CNN politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson; Meghan Hays, former White House director of message planning for President Biden; and Matt Gorman, former senior adviser for the Tim Scott presidential campaign.
Meghan, I want to start with you. As you know, for the former President Carter, he took a lot of pride in being able to reach across the aisle. And I want to take a listen to something he said about bipartisanship. Now, this was in the '90s, so long after he left office. But let's take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think our American society now is divided worse than it has been since the war between the states. And it's -- and the division is dramatized by the division in Washington.
There's practically no harmony now between the White House and the Congress. And the American people look at this as kind of a comedy of errors or a farce. And it's very disgusting to see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: So, there he's issuing a warning about the cost of partisanship. But clearly, folks didn't really listen.
MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN: Right. And I think that, you know, President Carter reminds me a lot of President Biden, where he reaches across the aisle. They were getting things done.
But unlike our incoming president, where it's very divisive and very, you know, not for the times. Jimmy Carter did do that. He did have a diplomacy about him and a statesman about him that did reach across the aisle to get things done, and whether people liked it or not.
And he did have a lasting legacy where he was able to accomplish things that we probably would not be able to accomplish today in our environment.
REID: Yes. Now, I also want to talk -- that Senator Amy Klobuchar echoed some of this sentiment. Let's take a listen to what she said.
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SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): As usual, Jimmy Carter, ahead of his time, what he identified as the fact that, in the old days, you'd try to work things out and end up friends later.
He himself worked with Republicans, and he knew how important it was. I continue to believe, in the hardest of times, that while you stand your ground, and he certainly showed us how to do that. He was stubborn, as you just pointed out.
But you also look for common ground when you can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Of course, he did look for that common ground. He was able to find it, but he also lost his bid for reelection. I mean, how hard is it to find common ground?
MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, it's a lot easier if you're Jimmy Carter and have over 60 Democratic senators and -- and never had to deal with a Republican House. It was entirely Democratic.
So, I think we keep it in context of that perspective, as well.
But look, I mean, look, Jimmy -- Jimmy Carter was a good man. And I think one of the things we're going to have to -- to reckon with as we get into more of the more modern presidencies, it's rarely will legacies be entirely good or entirely bad. They're going to be mixed bags, when we look at certain things.
And I know, Stephen, you wrote a piece on that this morning a little bit.
But look, I think he had a tremendously effective post-presidency. I think some of the things he did, particularly around Hamas, literal and figurative embraces of them, did not age well.
But that being said, I think he was not -- he was out of his depth as president in a lot of respects. However, I think what he did, looking back -- deregulating the airline industry, the trucking industry, the home brewing industry, essentially deregulating the beer industry -- you know, it does look good in retrospect, too.
And that's one of the things we're going to have to grapple with. It's hard to say entirely good, entirely bad. A lot of these things.
REID: And, Stephen, you have a new piece on CNN.com about the global impact of Carter's presidency. You write: "The depths of Carter's experience on the global stage and achievements that endured to this day in the Middle East, Asia and the Western hemisphere hold important lessons and point to opportunities for his 21st Century successors, starting with Trump in his second term."
So, what is the lesson that Trump should take away?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think you make a good point when you talk about mixed legacies, because we tend to think of one-term presidents as failures.
But over the years, their achievements spool out, and they become to look a lot more significant. Of course, Carter lost in a landslide to Reagan. That was seen at the time as a disastrous presidency.
But what I think we can take away from it is that a lot of the issues, especially globally, that Carter dealt with: Iran, the issue that ended his presidency with the hostage crisis; how to deal with the Kremlin; managing relationships with China; a lasting peace deal in the Middle East, which no other subsequent president has managed -- these are things that Trump is going to deal with on his first day in office.
And we saw recently, for example, how the president-elect reopened one of the most settled aspects of Carter's legacy, the Panama Canal.
[06:10:07]
If the president-elect decides to throw, to -- to throw away the Panama Canal treaty, he's going to deal with exactly the same issues about instability in the Western Hemisphere, American power, how you defend the canal, that Carter dealt with that led to him making the Panama Canal treaty in the first place, handing back the waterway to Panama.
REID: Going back to the Middle East, in 2019, our colleague, Wolf Blitzer, sat down with Carter and talked about the Camp David Accords, which, of course, brokered the treaty between Israel and Egypt.
And Wolf asked him if he had -- if he had served a second term, what he would have wanted to happen next in the Middle East. Let's take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: There's still a peace treaty to this very day between Israel and Egypt.
CARTER: It never has. I don't think a single word has ever been violated in that -- in that particular thing. But I think we still need to -- to remember that the Palestinians don't have the promises that were made to me during the Camp David Accords.
BLITZER: And if you had been reelected, what would have happened?
CARTER: It's hard to say, but I think that, had I been -- had another term, I would have implemented completely the Camp David Accords, including the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Well, that seems pretty timely today. Do you think this is something we could see the U.S. try to approach in the next four years?
COLLINSON: The Palestinian issue is going to be at the center of President Trump's attempt to broker this alliance between moderate Arab states, Israel, and the United States to try and further isolate Iran.
The question is, will Trump -- and more importantly, will Prime Minister Netanyahu take steps that the Saudis are requiring to go forward with that negotiation, to give at least some hope to the Palestinians of some self-determination in the future?
That was the big issue that they couldn't get past Egypt and Israel in the Camp David Accords. It's still a central issue in the Middle East today.
REID: All right, stay with me. We'll have more, because up next on CNN THIS MORNING, the latest layer of MAGA infighting. Trump comes out in support of visas for high-tech workers. How his stance on the issue paints a broader picture of his upcoming term.
Plus, House Speaker Mike Johnson gets the key endorsement in his battle to hold onto that gavel.
And we're remembering esteemed journalist and CNN anchor Aaron Brown, who passed away at 76 years old.
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AARON BROWN, FORMER CNN ANCHOR: I think there was a pervasive sense of not so much what's happening, but what's next.
What I would say about that is that, to some extent, that went on not for minutes or hours, but for days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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KELLYANNE CONWAY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Do you have the votes?
JOHNSON: I think we do, Kellyanne. I'm really humbled and honored to have President Trump's endorsement for speaker again. He and I worked so well together, so closely together, and we have a lot of big things to do.
He recognizes that what we need right now -- I think my colleagues recognize this, as well. This could be the most consequential presidency and Congress of the modern era.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Mike Johnson, fighting to retain his role as House speaker ahead of Friday's House vote. And he's got President-elect Trump's full backing. Trump, writing on social media, quote, "Johnson will do the right
thing, and he will continue to win. Mike has my Complete and Total Endorsement."
But this morning, there is resistance among Republicans. And with a historically slim majority, Johnson can only afford to lose one vote. And that's if every member votes on Friday.
So, to break this all down, let's bring my panel back in.
All right, Stephen, here's a brand-new test of Trump's grip on the GOP. He's just about 20 days out from his term. So, his message appears to be to Republicans: Don't blow this up.
COLLINSON: Right. And I think it would be madness for the Republicans to engage in some prolonged speaker fight, given the fact that they've got a tiny majority. They want to get big bills done to get them on the president-elect's desk when he walks into the Oval Office in three weeks' time.
But having said that, the majority is very fragile. It only takes 1 or 2 Republicans to -- to hold out, to try and get a concession, sometimes on budget issues.
So, Trump's endorsement, I think, is very important. But we saw, in the way that the year-end spending deal blew up just before Christmas, how difficult this is going to be for Republicans this year.
REID: And Matt, GOP Representative Thomas Massie, he's, of course, part of the Republican resistance. He posted this on X: quote, "I respect and support President Trump. But his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We've seen Johnson partner with the Democrats and to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget."
All right. There's a lot to unpack there. Bottom line is Johnson thinks he has the votes, but should he be so confident, given this sentiment?
GORMAN: Yes, I don't think this is a surprise coming in for Trump. I think what -- one of the lessons of Trump throughout this whole, I would say, next 6 to 8 months is, if he really wants to get some of these things done, he's going to have to get involved, I think, himself and get his priorities over the line.
And I think, look, Johnson has stayed very close to Trump and has really allied with Trump in a major way. I think it's very fair to say that the Johnson agenda is very much the Trump agenda. So, I don't think it's going to be a problem for him.
And he does have a little bit more wiggle room, because Mike Waltz, Elise Stefanik, have not yet resigned and will not, at least by the time the speaker vote happens. So, he has a little bit more wiggle room than he does, if they had.
REID: So, what do you think is happening behind the scenes right now to get these votes locked down?
GORMAN: Well, I don't think it's -- it's a surprise that you have Trump, Jim Jordan, and Elon Musk all coming on the same day, really reaffirming their support after the holiday, but before with enough time to then whip the votes in advance of Friday afternoon's vote.
So, I think, look, the -- the team in the speaker's office today is working very, very hard. It's not a shock that you see Johnson on a holiday week where maybe a speaker of the House wouldn't be normally appearing on FOX News, coming out there. And I think kind of taking a victory lap over Trump.
[06:20:05]
I would expect to see him on a few more shows between now and then. I think he -- it will be close. Don't get me wrong. He'll be OK.
HAYS: But they also have to get this done before Monday, before the 6th, to certify the election.
So, it's like they don't really have a lot of space there. So, I think that some of Trump endorsing Johnson, yes, it's for his agenda. But it's also a little bit selfish on his part, because they need to -- they need to certify the election on the 6th.
GORMAN: A thousand percent. Right?
HAYS: They don't have time.
GORMAN: People were far more likely to mess around in 2023. Democratic Senate, Democratic president. There was nothing substantive getting done.
Now you're on the clock: first 100 days. They're burning real time.
HAYS: Yes, absolutely.
REID: And, Meghan, I want to listen to what Republican Representative Don Bacon told CNN. Let's take a listen.
Oh, sorry. It's actually not sound. I'm going to be the sound here: "To oppose Johnson now weakens the GOP and strengthens Hakeem Jeffries. It also puts at risk the Electoral College certification that you were just talking about, scheduled for the 6th of January. These guys serve as a 'fifth column' for the Dems."
So, to that point, Democrats are watching all this. What do you think they're thinking as -- as this all plays out?
HAYS: Well, they know they have a lot of power going into the next Congress. They know that the Republicans are going to have to figure out a way to negotiate with them. They have a one- or two-seat margin here going into the next Congress.
So, I think with the speaker fight, that will be done. Johnson will get reelected as speaker. But I think when it starts to come to some of the Trump policies, they will have to work with Democrats. Democrats hold a lot of power here to hold up Trump's agenda.
REID: It's so interesting. So much action. Even before inauguration day. We have a lot coming up in the next few weeks.
Everyone, stay with me.
Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, families in anguish as investigators search for answers in the South Korea plane crash that left 179 people dead.
Plus, how soggy conditions may put a damper on tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in the Big Apple.
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[06:25:55]
REID: New overnight: CNN and the whole journalism community mourning the loss today of the renowned CNN anchor Aaron Brown, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 76, according to his family.
Brown, who shaped this network's evening news format. He gained prominence for bringing the country some of its most consequential news of this century.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: For those of you just joining us, let's just briefly recap what we know. About an hour ago, about 8:45 Eastern Time, one plane crashed into the tower -- the World Trade Center tower on the right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Brown later receiving the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for his 9/11 coverage.
His former colleagues here remember him as a thoughtful, diligent broadcaster with a biting sense of humor. We here at CNN send our condolences to his family and loved ones.
Now, turning to this: Mourners looking for answers following the deadly South Korea plane crash that killed all but two people on a 181-person flight.
CNN international correspondent Mike Valerio has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (CRYING)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the unmistakable outcry of grief heard throughout South Korea's Muan International Airport.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (CRYING)
VALERIO (voice-over): Families unable to absorb the anguish of the Jeju Air catastrophe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
VALERIO (voice-over): Hundreds of relatives huddling in the departure hall, waiting for news of whether their loved ones' remains are found.
A friend of a couple killed in the crash said he came here to confirm for himself his friends of 30 years are simply gone.
"I have nothing to say, but it's tragic," he told us. "I watched the news all day, and for now they say bird strike could be the cause. I'm so shocked and hurt I cannot even put it into words."
VALERIO: Now, so many people have chosen to stay. They're not going anywhere. And that's seen, evidenced by all of these tents that go from here pretty much to the end of the terminal. They go back three tents to the edge of the check-in counters.
You see food deliveries throughout the day. Let's keep going this way.
And the echoes of grief.
VALERIO (voice-over): The scenes inside are just a short drive from the cataclysmic crash site. The tail of the doomed airliner still jutting above the field: a mountain in the middle of the debris.
More than a thousand people now mobilized to sift through pieces of the plane.
VALERIO: The crash scene is absolutely harrowing. Just a few steps away, you can see where the doomed Jeju Air jetliner careened through the embankment and burst into flames.
And more than a day later, you can still see forensics teams in their white suits combing through the debris, along with members of the police force, as well as members of the South Korean military.
Now, to my right, you can see soldiers looking through the fields and around them. To give you an idea of the force of this crash, a full football field away from where we're standing, you can see mangled, twisted chairs thrown from the jetliner.
VALERIO (voice-over): A representative of the victims' families urging an even larger response.
PARK HAN-SHIN, REPRESENTATIVE OF JEJU AIR CRASH VICTIMS' FAMILIES (through translator): What I want to request from the government is to increase the manpower so that the recovery can be carried out more swiftly.
I hope my siblings, my family, can be recovered and returned to us, even if only 80 percent intact.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
REID: Mike Valerio, thank you. And preparations well underway for the iconic New Year's Eve
celebration in New York City's Times Square.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. Happy new year!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. Happy new year!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. Happy new year!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: An estimated 1 million people are expected to ring in the new year. City officials say there's an extensive safety plan in place for the festivities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK CITY: Security is everyone's possible -- responsibility, so if you see something, say something. But most importantly, do something. Notify any uniformed personnel that is in the area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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