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Safety of Air Travel; Honoring Jimmy Carter; Times Square Set For New Year's. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired September 11, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:40]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And get ready for 2025. We are just hours away from the new year, and celebrations are already under way around the world, as cities say goodbye to 2024.

Puerto Rico celebrating in the dark, as massive power outages hit nearly 90 percent of the island.

And as the world continues to honor former President Jimmy Carter, his grandson, Jason Carter, joins us for a look at his legacy and impact on the world.

Plus, we get a special preview of CNN's new film "Luther: Never Too Much" about the life of singer Luther Vandross with his friend and fellow music icon Dionne Warwick.

I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. All of this and more ahead on a special New Year's Eve edition of CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

New Year's celebrations are already under, way as cities around the world bid farewell to 2024. Shouts of "Happy new year" rang out in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor just a few hours ago, as a dazzling fireworks show lit up the skies.

New Zealanders were some of the first people in the world to ring in the new year. A five-minute fireworks display in Auckland kicked off 2025. And take a look at Sydney, Australia. The city welcomed 2025 with its biggest fireworks show ever. It featured a golden waterfall effect cascading from the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge. Organizers say more than nine tons of fireworks were used.

And back here in the United States, we're still hours away from one of the largest and most famous New Year's Eve celebrations in the world in New York City's Times Square. And the NYPD is making sure it's prepared for anything when the ball drops tonight.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is there, joins us live.

What's going on over there, Brynn?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Pam, you know what? Preparations are under way.

We are right in the area where, right behind me, you can see all the crews working. That is where Andy and Anderson are going to put on that spectacular show later this evening. They are getting that all prepped and ready. And this way, it's a little hard with the sun. We're welcoming the sunshine at this moment, because you can see here down below possibly the stage.

They're getting that all set, ready for people to do their performances for later tonight, but the rehearsals before that. Look, we are still waiting to actually get that roughly one million revelers coming into Times Square, flooding into those pens, where they will be kept until that ball drops. And everybody together welcomes 2025.

In the meantime, we have been seeing a number of security preps all around us by the NYPD. We have been seeing bomb-sniffing dogs. We have seen the drones up. We have seen the barricades from avenues to our east and our west, making sure that this is the most secure spot to ring in the new year for all of those people who come to celebrate, even if it rains.

I want you to hear from the NYPD commissioner, who gave a press briefing about the situation that they handle every year, how it's done in the safest way possible. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: At this time, there are no specific, credible threats to the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration. However, we have been operating in a heightened threat environment since October 7, and we remain vigilant.

The public can expect to see a tremendous amount of police resources deployed throughout the area and across the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: And, of course, they do this every year. For more than 100 years, they have been handling this. And it is a tradition, Brianna, that -- or, sorry, Pam, that more than 600 officers, those new recruits, this is their first job is to handle Times Square celebration.

[13:05:03]

And so they will also be on hand, making sure everybody has a safe way to welcome in the new year -- Pam.

BROWN: Listen, I'm flattered you mixed me up with Brianna, seriously. I will take that any day.

(LAUGHTER)

GINGRAS: Sorry. It's a long morning.

BROWN: I know. You have been talking to her for most of the day. I just am popping up here randomly.

All right, Brynn Gingras, thanks so much. Happy New Year's to you. Well, wet weather could put a damper on celebrations in Times Square

tonight, and New York isn't the only city seen rain this holiday.

CNN's Allison Chinchar has a look at your New Year's Eve forecast.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, Pam, the nice thing is about folks who head down to Times Square on New Year's Eve is they really don't care what the weather is going to be like.

And that's probably a good thing for tonight because, yes, we do have rain in the forecast. It's not raining there right now. But as we get into the evening hours, we will slowly start to see those rain chances increase.

Temperature wise, though, should be in the upper 40s to low 50s for most of the festivities tonight. And, actually, being around 50 degrees would put it awfully close to the top five warmest New Year's Eve's on record in New York City. We won't make that top five, but very close.

So, at least it's not a cold and rainy evening. Now we also have the chance for some strong to severe thunderstorms a little bit farther south into areas of the mid-Atlantic. This includes Washington, D.C., portions of Baltimore and even around Atlantic City. Strong wind gusts are going to be the main threat there.

The rain tonight is all coming from this main system here. You can see spreading from the Midwest into the Northeast as we go through the remainder of the day. So, by the time we get to say 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. tonight, you really start to see those rain chances uptick around Pittsburgh, areas of Philadelphia, portions of Washington, D.C., and, yes, even New York City.

That band is going to continue to slide eastward, and the system as a whole will likely continue for much of the Northeast, even as we go through the rest of the day on Wednesday. Elsewhere, not really too much of concern. It's going to be cold in the high Plains and Upper Midwest, but otherwise relatively dry, some clouds in a few areas.

Now, the southern tier, this is where you're going to have nice conditions, both dry as well as nice warm temperatures. We do have another system out to the West. That's the one that's going to be bringing some rain and snow to portions of Oregon and Northern California, maybe perhaps a good spot to sit indoors and watch the New Year's Eve festivities from home.

BROWN: All right, Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

As the world says goodbye to 2024, here's some time zone math for you. There are 39 different local time zones around the globe. Some differ by just 15 minutes, while others are more than 12 hours apart. All in all, this means it takes 26 hours for the entire world to welcome the new year.

But on the International Space Station, astronauts have already seen four new year sunrises, 12 more to go. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones joins us now from Copacabana Beach in Rio de

Janeiro, two hours ahead of us here on the East Coast of the U.S.

You have got a great assignment here, Julia. How are people there preparing to ring in 2025?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, Pam.

I know. Look, it is a gorgeous day. It's more than you can say that it's been. It's been a little rainy here, so we are so, so thankful for today. And it's not just us. You can see people all around me are getting out to really enjoy the last day of 2024.

We have spoke to a bunch of people from lots of different parts of not just Brazil, but all over the world who are here because they just know that Rio de Janeiro is magic and it is unique.

There's something that just sparks about the city. Take a listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The weather's beautiful. It's really busy for New Year's Eve. When I was planning our trip, I found the best places for New Year's, and Rio's one of them. So I planned it so we could be here.

And, luckily, the weather's beautiful, so I hope you see that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS JONES: So, just like those brothers from Florida, a lot of tourists are descending into Copacabana, the iconic Copacabana, Pamela. I mean, I know I couldn't ask for a better assignment, but it is incredible because two million people are going to be descending onto this beach this evening.

Right now, it's still a beach day. People are cycling. They're rollerblading, but it is going to be a giant celebration tonight. Brazilians take it really seriously. The next thing I will do is actually do a Brazilian tradition of throwing flowers in the ocean for the god of the sea, and that is what we will do in the next hour.

BROWN: Oh, lovely. Well, throw one in for me here from Washington, if you would. Thank you, Julia, ringing in the new year in Rio de Janeiro. Happy new year.

And a reminder, the boys are back for the biggest party of the year. Join Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen for "New Year's Eve Live." That's at 8:00. But you don't have to wait that long. Special coverage with Boris Sanchez and Laura Coates kicks off shortly at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

[13:10:03]

Up next, some new details about the plans to honor President Jimmy Carter, the path his final motorcade will take and what we know about his state funeral.

Plus, we're going to speak next with one of the people set to give a eulogy for the former president, or, as he called him, pop-pop.

A massive blackout right now in Puerto Rico. Nearly 90 percent of the island has no electricity on New Year's Eve. What caused this?

And CNN goes inside one of the nation's most popular New Year's Day celebrations, Pasadena's Rose Parade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She will span up to about 22 feet tall with her neck fully up, fully extended.

QUESTION: Her neck has to be able to come down because?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because there is a freeway overpass on the parade route.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, today we have some details on the funeral plans to honor former President Jimmy Carter, and it all begins on Saturday. A motorcade will transport Carter from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to the Carter Center in Atlanta. He will lie in repose there until January 7, and then Carter will be taken to Washington, D.C., to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda for two days until his state funeral on January 9 at the National Cathedral.

[13:15:00]

And one of the people expected to utilize Carter is his grandson Jason. And he joins us now.

Jason, thank you for your time on this New Year's Eve. I know your family is grieving right now and you're working on your eulogy for your grandfather. And we were just talking in the break about that. You have been working on it for quite some time.

Tell us about that.

JASON CARTER, GRANDSON OF JIMMY CARTER: Well, I mean, my grandfather is remarkable in a lot of ways, and one of them is that he has spent almost two years in hospice. And that time for him and for all of us has been a time of reflection.

And so we have been looking at this. And we weren't sure when the day would come. But the fact that it's here and that we're talking about it on New Year's Eve is a is a great way to reflect back on this remarkable legacy and a look to the future as well.

BROWN: Yes, you talked about how New Year's was a big tradition for the Carter family. Tell us about that. How are you remembering him today?

CARTER: Yes.

I mean, you know what one of the great gifts that my grandparents gave to us is they hosted essentially a Carter family trip for about 40 years. And we always had it over New Year's so some of my best memories of them are celebrating on this day.

And so this was sort of one of his last gifts to us, is that the entire family's all going to get together this week again and be there with each other and to, of course, celebrate his remarkable life that he had.

BROWN: Your grandfather clearly influenced you and your career path, including your own run in politics as a Georgia state senator. Tell us, how did his advice guide your life?

CARTER: You know, in a lot of ways, some of it was just leading by example, right? I watched him get so enriched by the time that he spent in different places around the world.

When I graduated from college, he -- I asked him what he thought I should do. And he said, "I think you should go to the Peace Corps in Africa." So I did that.

And, of course, I'm a lawyer now, and I spend a lot of time doing that. But it's always a part of supporting human rights and democracy. And then, obviously, I got into politics in Georgia in the old days now, a decade ago.

And it was important for me to share that with him and then to share the work of the Carter Center with him, as I have been the chair of the board for the last several years. That's been a real blessing for me.

BROWN: I saw another interview you did. You were kind of joking, though, about the campaign advice he gave you?

CARTER: Oh.

(LAUGHTER)

CARTER: Yes, I mean, number one, he wasn't a great campaigner. He did get elected president of the United States.

So, I think my grandmother was really the great politician in the family, however. But, no, I mean, it's different eras, different eras. When I ran for governor, it was all fund-raisers and media buys. And when he ran for governor, he shook 600,000 hands, right? It was just a different era.

But the thing he taught me about politics that sometimes gets lost is, you can be a person, like him, who doesn't change, who stays who they are, stays true to their principles and their beliefs, despite all of the temptations of politics. And it's just good to know that that person can exist in this world. BROWN: Yes, tell us some of those stories of post-presidency, just

how he maintained his roots and just stayed grounded and humble and frugal, right?

CARTER: Yes, certainly frugal.

I mean, my grandparents moved back to the same house that they lived in before the White House. And it's a tiny country house in Plains, Georgia. They never changed the thing down there. The -- as we have said repeatedly, they have a microwave oven that you dial up and it ticks down, tick, tick, tick. I mean, it's unbelievable. It's probably 40 years old.

And they -- why change it if it still works, right? I mean, they had that Depression era belief in not changing things. And he made a lot of furniture himself. He was just -- he was a country guy. And my memories of him are like memories of other people's grandfathers, going fishing, going to the Braves games.

It's remarkable how regular they were, really.

BROWN: My -- yes, my, my, I had a paw-paw (ph) as well, and then a baba (ph), and just -- they shaped my life in so many ways.

And I miss them tremendously. So I'm just -- oh, I'm thinking about you right now and what you're going through. Your grandfather, though, what a blessing. He lived the longest of any president. You had him for a long time in your life. What kept him going so long?

And as we turn the page in a new year, what do you think sort of his life lessons were, and going for so long and living such a happy, long life, especially with his beautiful marriage with Rosalynn?

CARTER: Yes.

Yes, they were married for 77 years. And that's just an incredible blessing, right? There's a lot of -- a lot of health luck involved in that. But there's also a lot of faith and love and excitement for each other. I think -- as you mentioned, he lived a long time.

BROWN: Wow.

CARTER: My two children are 18 and 16, so they knew their great- grandfather really well, and got to see him live out his values in a variety of ways.

[13:20:05]

And so I think he really just opened himself up to the world over these last 40 years after the presidency. And I think we have all been heartened to see this outpouring of love and support come back over these last few days and really over these last couple of years, since he's been in hospice, as we have all sort of as a global community been reflecting on his legacy.

But, for us in the family, of course, he was rock for us. But we all know that because of the extent to which he shared himself with the rest of the world, a lot of people in this world are out there carrying on his legacy. So it doesn't fall on any of us in particular.

And that's a heartening thing, because it would be very difficult to live up to if you tried.

BROWN: That is a beautiful note to end on.

Jason Carter, thank you so much. And happy new year to you.

CARTER: Likewise. Happy new year. Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: Thank you.

Well, up next: a near-collision a runway at LAX. New audio shows how air traffic control intervened just in time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: New video shows a near-collision between two planes at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday. We're going to show you the video twice, because it happens really quickly and you can hear the audio from air traffic control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Key Lime, stop, stop, stop.

[13:25:06]

Key Lime, stop, stop, stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Certainly too close for comfort there.

That smaller plane on the right was a charter plane carrying the Gonzaga University men's basketball team. Both planes were able to continue on with their flights as planned. The FAA is investigating the incident. This close call comes as officials are investigating Sunday's deadly plane crash in South Korea that killed 179 people and the Christmas Day crash that claimed 38 lives in Kazakstan.

Joining us now is Kristy Kiernan. She is associate director of the Center for Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

A lot of people are traveling this time of year. And when you see close calls like this and plane crashes, people start to worry, right? But incidents like these, they're high-profile, they make headlines, they raise concerns among even seasoned fliers, but you say flying is still extremely safe. Tell us about that.

KRISTY KIERNAN, EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY: Yes, thank you.

And I couldn't really have said it better than you just did, which is that, obviously, these incidents are -- they garner a lot of attention, and they should, especially from the industry. We need to investigate all of them and learn from them.

But, as the flying public, I think it's really important to understand what goes on behind the scenes that you don't really see as a flying passenger. There is an enormous amount of effort, a very variable alphabet soup of programs that ensure your safety, that collect information every kind of hazard and risk, that close the loop on that and make sure that those are mitigated.

We have extensive training for pilots, 1,500 hours, for the most part, before they even set foot on a commercial aircraft. And then they are returned for training on a periodic basis to practice all those things that happen extremely rarely on the line, but they can practice them in the simulator, so all of those things that are really behind the scenes that you as a flying passenger don't see that contribute to making it so safe, really.

BROWN: Yes, let's talk a little bit more about that, sort of the biggest changes that have happened in the last 10 or 20 years, the new programs you talk about that has made flying so safe.

Is it the automation of systems and planes? What is it exactly that's making it so much safer?

KIERNAN: You know, we push on every boundary that we can, right? So, obviously, there have been some huge technical advances, ground proximity warning, collision avoidance systems.

Automation has been a huge benefit to our industry. And we have advanced pilot training along with that. We are continuing to push boundaries. We, in aviation, do an excellent job at learning from what we do wrong. We investigate all incidents and accidents very thoroughly.

And now we're turning to look at learning from what we do right, too, because there are over 44,000 aircraft operations in the United States every single day. And those -- the vast majority of them end safely. So we want to start looking at, why are they so safe? Let's do more of the things that we do right while we're still concentrating on fixing the errors and problems that we have.

BROWN: So with all these systems in place, how do these near misses and collisions still happen? Is it just so many planes now are using these runways? What's going on?

KIERNAN: Well, we do have a very high volume of traffic. It's still a safe volume.

And I think one thing that's important to remember is, when you read statistics of that these have gone up in the past year by this percentage, you have to remember how many operations are going on. And so we have -- if an apparent increase, you have to look at the number of operations, particularly since COVID that have kind of rebounded.

So it's important to look at things like rates more than absolute numbers. BROWN: Yes, I think that's really important. Availability bias,

right? Sometimes, you see, when there's a lot in a short period of time, you think, oh, it's no longer safe to fly. Well, that's not the case, right? Overwhelmingly, tens of thousands of planes take off a day and everything's safe.

But I always think about the air traffic controllers and how hard their job is. I have so much respect for them. Do you think their jobs are harder now, given the increase in traffic? Do they have what they need, in your view, to make sure that it's safe to fly?

KIERNAN: I'm not an air traffic controller. I'm an end user of it, as a former Coast Guard aviator and as a member of the flying public. One thing I think is -- knowledge is power, right?

And as a flier, a lot of times what makes us uncomfortable is not the numbers, because I can tell you, who gets nervous before they get in their car? And yet we killed over 40,000 people on American roadways last year.

BROWN: Yes.

KIERNAN: And, to put that into perspective, that's the equivalent of crashing a 747 full of people every single day for over 80 days in a row.

So it's not the numbers that make people nervous. I think what makes them nervous is, they're out of control. They don't necessarily know what's going on. And that's why I would encourage people to learn as much as they can about the system.

You mentioned air traffic control. There are online sites where you can listen in on any airport that you want. You can listen to the communications at your local airport.