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Mccarthy Gives In To Some Of Right's Hardline Demands In Speaker Bid; Actor Jeremy Renner Critically Injured In Snow Plow Accident; Machete Attack Suspect On Terror Watch List, Interviewed By FBI; Study: Staying Hydrated May Lower Disease Risk, Slow Aging. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 02, 2022 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: And you know, they want a caucus that is not just going do oversight on border, it going to impeach the department of Homeland Security Secretary. They want this select committee that will probe alleged politicization of the Department of Justice and the FBI and targeting, you know, conservative parents at school boards.

They have a vision of the Republican Party that they are trying to impose, and that's why in many ways as I said, it almost doesn't matter whether they beat McCarthy or not, because they have already demonstrated -- he has given so much ground to those demands, that even if he wins the Speakership, they have already set the course, I think very firmly for the caucus overall after an election. As I said, where that course has very strongly rejected in the swing states.

So, in terms of legislation I think it makes it almost impossible for the Republican caucus to reach any kind of substantive agreements with President Biden except on the absolute must needs for continuing, you know, government such as raising the debt ceiling, and even that isn't guaranteed.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: I don't even know. I was going to say. I was going to say. I don't even know if that's a guarantee at this point.

BROWNSTEIN: Exactly right.

GOLODRYGA: Republicans may be a bit short-sighted when they're reveling in all of this because at some point, this is going to impact them as well. Scott Jennings and Ron Brownstein, thank you.

Actor Jeremy Renner is in a Reno area hospital right now after being seriously injured in a snowplowing accident. The latest on his condition straight ahead.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Oscar-nominated actor Jeremy Renner is in critical, but stable condition after being injured in a weather-related snowplowing accident. He's currently being treated at a hospital in the Reno, Nevada area. CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas is here with more. So, Chloe, do we know what happened and how is he doing?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Look, more details are emerging. It feels like by the minute. But here's what we know. So, on New Year's Day in the morning, Jeremy Renner was out on a snowplow. He posts videos of himself often on Instagram with these heavy machines.

He owns snowplows. He lives in the Lake Tahoe area and he's constantly showing himself, you know, plowing his driveway. He's known to plow local streets and people nearby. And so, you know, he's used to being on these.

We don't know exactly what happened, but we do know from authorities it was a traumatic incident. He was air lifted to a local hospital, and he is in critical but stable condition. But it sounds like it's a pretty tough situation. I should be getting more details soon from his team.

But look, like we do know that authorities were called to the scene, and they said that it was a pretty dire situation for him. And look, there's been unprecedented snowfall in the Nevada area, and like I said, he posts videos of himself on these snowplows.

But we don't know -- a lot of rampant speculation on social media. Did the snowplow potentially run over him? You know, roll backwards onto him. Did he fall off? We don't know those details, but we should have those soon. But they do say he's receiving excellent care and that his family is with him right now.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we do know that he's lucky to be alive it sounds like. This could have been really devastating -- even worse.

MELAS: Could have been much worse.

GOLODRYGA: And also -- OK, I don't even know much about this story, but it involves Angela Bassett's son having to make a public apology about faking another actor's death?

MELAS: Yes, so there is this TikTok trend called the celebrity death prank and kids and youngsters out there --

GOLODRYGA: Young folk --

MELAS: I'm not even on TikTok, but I've seen the videos. And they feel themselves telling their parents or a loved one that their favorite celebrity has died. They film the reaction, they posted. The hashtag itself, those videos have hundreds of millions of views on TikTok.

Angela Bassett's son, who 16 years old, he took part -- partook in the trend and he posted a video of himself telling his mother that her costar in "Black Panther" Michael B. Jordan was passed away, and it wasn't true. So, now he's issued an apology. But he sort of the one to really even shine a light on this through his apology, but this is a TikTok trend gone very badly. Take a look at his apology. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SON OF ANGELA BASSETT, COURTNEY B. VANCE POSTED VIDEO CLAIMING ACTOR HAS DIED: I apologize to Michael B. Jordan's entire family, his extended family, and him directly as he is an idol of mine. And taking part in a trend like this is completely disrespectful, and I hope this can be a teaching lesson to anyone else who uses social media and a tool as a source of entertainment to understand that your actions can have consequence that extend beyond you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELAS: Look, he's just 16 years old. It's a learning lesson for him. Obviously, it really hit close to home for his mother because she lost Chadwick Boseman who was her "Black Panther" costar. Some people are saying, what's the big deal? It's just funny to post these reactions.

GOLODRYGA: It's not funny.

MELAS: But at the end of the day, it's not funny to joke about death. We've seen these TikTok trends go incredibly badly, and many are wondering if TikTok should step, post a disclaimer on these videos and really urge these young kids out there that this is not something to take part in, and to stop.

GOLODRYGA: And yet another blow for TikTok. That's for sure as well. Chloe Melas, thank you. Great to see you.

MELAS: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we are learning more about the man police say attacked officers with a machete on New Year's Eve in Times Square. Sources tell CNN he was on a terrorist watch list. We'll have the latest on the investigation just ahead.

[15:40:00]

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GOLODRYGA: The suspect accused of attacking three New York City police officers with a machete on New Year's Eve has now been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder and assault on police officers. CNN has also learned the 19-year-old suspect was added to a terrorist watch list just a few weeks before the attack. Sources say FBI agents interviewed the suspect in mid-December after family members grew concerned about his plans to travel to Afghanistan and join the Taliban.

Sources also say, when the suspect was arrested, they found a hand- written diary expressing his final wishes, and his desire to die as a martyr. John Miller, CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst and joins me for more. So, John, let's talk about this.

[15:45:00]

The suspect was known to the FBI. His family had flagged this to them, because they were concerned about his well-being. He was placed on the terror watch list, and yet he was still able to go through with this attack. Was an error made here? How did he slip through the cracks?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: I'm not sure that there were many ways where it could have been done differently. The family reports their concerns to the Wells, Maine police, which then passes it to the FBI.

And December 10th, the FBI investigators who catch this case, do the database checks, the background, does he appear anywhere in any other reporting about terrorism. And when they've done all the background, they elect to go interview him himself.

And they go see Trevor Bickford up in Wells, Maine, and he says, yes, you know, I would like to go be with the Taliban in Afghanistan, but only, you know, to help them protect other Muslims. Because, you know, sometimes they're too strict. I'd like to help the Uighurs in China.

I might want to the Rohingya in Myanmar. So, he convinces them that he is not planning to attack anything or do anything here, but he would like to travel somewhere to help people.

At that point, they go from a preliminary investigation to a full. Because here's a guy who says, I'm not afraid to die for my religion and I want to go to Afghanistan.

So, he ticks to a full case. As they're going forward with that investigation, and they have him on a watch list that will keep him from getting on a plane, he gets on a train not to go overseas where that alarm would have gone off, but to go to New York claim, I'm just -- I'm going to travel domestically for peaceful purposes. And of course, we see the outcome.

GOLODRYGA: Is this unusual that it has yet to be deemed a terrorist attack?

MILLER: This is something that officials hand wring about because it has legal definitions. He hasn't been charged with terrorism. He's been charged with attempted murder of a police officer and assault.

But the FBI, the U.S. attorney, they have a lot of work to do in going through phones, computers, whatever else they can find determining whether he was communicating with anyone else, either here or overseas. But we have precedent where they will use the local or state charges as the holding charge and federal charges could follow. So, we'll have to see.

GOLODRYGA: And quickly, the status of the three officers who were injured, they're home, they're OK?

MILLER: They're home. They're OK. A little banged up, but they were released from the hospital at 3:00 in the morning after being there several hours and being treated, but none of their injuries are life- threatening.

GOLODRYGA: Thankfully. MILLER: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: John Miller, thank you. We appreciate it.

MILLER: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, if you're miss a new year's resolution, we may have one for you. A new study says it could bring some big health benefits. You'll want to hear the details straight ahead.

[15:50:00]

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GOLODRYGA: So, we know staying hydrated is important for your body in so many ways, but a new study suggests drinking enough water could truly be a lifesaver. CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. So, Elizabeth, what does this study find?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, the scope of this study was really quite impressive. They studied more than 11,000 people over a period of decades and they took a look at their blood and from blood, you can tell how well hydrated someone is.

And so, they looked at how much they drink and what kind of diseases they got. What they found is that the folks who were not so well hydrated, the folks on sort of a low end of the spectrum, they had a 21 percent increased risk of premature death, and up to 64 percent increased risk of heart failure, diabetes, dementia and a whole host of other diseases.

So, in many ways, this is a great study to start the new year with because this is something you can easily change. Just drink more water. I mean, it's really such a simple thing we can do for our health.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it is more fascinating because I thought for sure water obviously helped if you were lethargic and tired and perhaps helped with your skin, but to know it can literally save your life is fascinating. So, how much do people really need to drink? We heard about that, you know, eight glasses of water a day. What is the true figure?

COHEN: Right, so that turns out not to be so, so true. And a lot of this depends on how active you are and if you live in a hot climate versus a cold climate and all of that. But here's some rough guidelines. So, it's for women, nine cups a day and for men, 13 cups a day. That's according to a National Academy of Medicine report. But again, it has a lot to do with sort of where you live in all of that.

If you're having trouble getting enough water and I think a lot of people do, a couple of sips, keep water by your bed so when you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning, it's right there. It's very easy. Also, if you feel hungry, drink water.

I know that sounds weird, but a lot of times people are hungry when they're actually dehydrated so try the water before you try the food. But speaking of food, when you do eat food, we can get a lot of fluid from food. So, drink foods with high water content like melons and grapes and carrots. That actually makes a big difference.

GOLODRYGA: I also find that drinking room temperature water helps you drink more as well. Fascinating. Everyone should get that extra cup of water in today to start the new year. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

Well between the plunge in Tesla's stock and chaos of buying Twitter, Elon Musk has lot a lost a lot of his fortune. We will tell you exactly how much, up next.

[15:55:00]

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GOLODRYGA: Tennis great Martina Navratilova says she has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. Navratilova's condition is in the early stages. Her agents tell CNN she will begin treatment this month. In a statement, the 66-year-old called her situation a double whammy, but says it is still fixable and that she's hoping for a favorable outcome. She previously battled breast cancer in 2010 and we are sending her our best.

And Elon Musk, well he has lost a bigger fortune than just about anyone in history. According to the Bloomberg billionaires index, the CEO of tesla and Twitter is the first person ever to lose $200 billion in wealth.

[16:00:00]

Musk is reportedly now worth just a paltry $137 billion, but that's down sharply from its peak of $340 billion from November of 2021. The bulk of Musk's wealth is tied up in Tesla, whose stock plunged 65 percent last year. His $44 billion purchase of Twitter hasn't helped Tesla's stock or his own personal wealth either.

He has sold $23 billion worth of Tesla shares since his interest in Twitter became public back in April. Bloomberg still lists him as the second richest person in the world. So, everything is relative don't feel too sorry for him yet.

Now that's it for me. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.