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Suspect In Lockerbie Bombing Now In U.S. Custody; Russia's War On Ukraine; Power Outage In Odessa As A Result Of New Russian Drone Strikes; Orion Spacecraft, Artemis I Mission, Set To Land; Interview With University Of Rochester Professor Of Astrophysics Adam Frank; NASA's Artemis II Mission Could Launch As Early As 2024; NASA Forced To Relocate Splashdown Site Due To Cold Front; Major Winter Storm In The West Expected To Move Into Central United States; Winter Weather Warnings In Nearly A Dozen States; January 6 Committee Meets Today To Decide On Criminal Referrals; L.A. City Council Member, Activist Get Into An Altercation; Brittney Griner Freed From Russia; Interview With New York Liberty Coach And Brittney Griner's Former Coach Sandy Brondello; Biden Not Giving Up To Free Paul Whelan; Griner's Ordeal Highlights Gender Pay Disparities In Sports; As Labor Costs Rise, Retailers Add More Self-Service Checkout Stations; Christmas Tree Prices Skyrocketing Due to Rising Inflationary Costs; With Rising Inflation Costs, Dating Is Becoming Expensive; Army Defeats Navy In First Overtime Game Of The Rivalry. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired December 11, 2022 - 11:00:00   ET

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

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[11:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with this breaking news. One of the men accused of one of the deadliest terror attacks in American and British history is now in custody in the U.S. The Justice Department confirming they have arrested a Libyan suspect for allegedly making the bomb that brought down Pan-Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland back in 1988, that attack left leaving 270 people dead. CNN's Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez joining us with more on this.

Evan, what do we know about this arrest, how it happened, and what more about the suspect?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fred. Well, the Justice Department finally has Abu Agila Mas'ud in custody. We expect that he's going to be making an appearance in U.S. federal court here in Washington on Monday and we're going to learn a little bit more about exactly how this came down. Certainly, you know, he emerged a few years ago as the person who was the bombmaker, the one who made the bomb that was put on this flight that ended up in the Pan-Am flight that ended up being -- that blew up over Lockerbie in 1988 and killed 270 people.

This was -- this has been one of the most interesting and certainly painstaking investigations by the FBI, by Scottish authorities. If you remember, this flight blew up 31,000 feet over Lockerbie. 300 tons of wreckage was strewn over 845 miles. They managed to find a piece of clothing that was wrapped around the bomb that they traced back to a clothing store in Malta, and that's how they were able to identify, you know, how -- who was behind the bomb.

And so, all of these years later, the FBI now has this man in custody, and we're expecting him to be presented in court to face charges that include destruction of an aircraft resulting in death. Of course, federal crimes here in the United States, using explosives in a death, and a number of other criminal charges that we're expecting to hear from the authorities here in Washington in the next day or so.

But Fred, just real quick, you know, there is a bit of a mystery as to how the U.S. got him in custody. The last we heard when these charges were first made public back in 2020 by then-Attorney General Bill Barr, we had been told that he was in the custody of Libyan authorities. I will say just in the recent days, there have been some reporting out of Libya that he may have been kidnapped. So, that suggests, perhaps, he was not in custody any more. And then somehow, he ends up in U.S. custody.

So, those are questions, of course, that we're going to be putting to the U.S. authorities. Right now, the Justice Department is only saying that he is in custody and that he will be facing the court in the coming days. Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then Evan, there had been two others who were arrested long ago in 1991. Is there anything being said by the FBI or DOJ as to whether they believe there might be other arrests that are forthcoming?

PEREZ: This is still an open investigation. All these years later, 34 years later, it is still an open investigation. So, the families, the Lockerbie families, of course, there are a lot of questions that they still have, even of course after the fall of the Gaddafi regime which did, of course, take responsibility -- eventually took responsibility for carrying out this attack.

So, yes. You mentioned there were two others who were charged. One of them was found guilty under Scottish law in a court in the Netherlands. He ended up serving time in Scotland before he was released because he was suffering from cancer and ended up dying back home in Libya a couple of years later. So, that happened a while back. But the identity of Mas'ud was one, Fred, that had, you know, certainly been a focus of the FBI because he was very serious and they took a lot of work. Did -- some of the detective work that went into this is unbelievable.

[11:05:00]

They also believe, by the way, that he was behind the 1986 disco bombing in West Berlin -- what was then West Berlin, Germany, which killed a couple of American servicemen in that case. And so, that -- this has been getting him into a U.S. court to face these charges has been a long time in the making. Certainly, a focus of the Justice Department and FBI investigators. WHITFIELD: Right, he Tunisian born but Libyan citizenship. All right. Evan Perez, we'll check back in with you as he -- as we get more information.

And now to Ukraine and scenes of destruction in the aftermath of a Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian occupied city of Melitopol. Several other explosions overnight rocked parts of southern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula. Russian state media also reporting Ukrainian missile strikes in the pro-Russian Donetsk area of eastern Ukraine. The attacks came after a barrage of Russian drone strikes across Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says five Iranian made drones hit key power facilities around Odessa on Saturday, initially leaving more than 1.5 million people without power. CNN's Sam Kiley is in Kyiv for us.

So, Sam, what more can you tell us about these attacks in Melitopol?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the attacks in southern Ukraine and Melitopol are very significant, I think, because they made, and I'm saying this under caution as it were, Fred, may signal a softening up process for what is an anticipated to be a counteroffensive on that southern front by Ukrainian forces.

Now, as you know, Fred, Ukrainian forces have been very heavily tied up in the east of the country with very vicious fighting around Bakhmut, having won successfully recaptured the city of Kherson, 40 percent of that province, and also had victories in the north. They were able to redeploy troops onto the Bakhmut frontline, as indeed have the Russians been able to. So, that has been a real problem for the Ukrainians in trying to maintain momentum as they try to recapture territory.

It might appear too, we don't know this for sure, but there have been hints coming, particularly, from U.S. based diplomats that the Ukrainians may have started to develop a longer-range missiles or drones that they're now putting to use in attacks, like this one seen in Melitopol, also in Donetsk. And I think, perhaps, more importantly also in the Crimean Peninsula, which is also, according to social media reports anyway have been hit in the last 24 hours for these longer-range missiles.

I think also, one of the problems for the Ukrainians is that they had started to think that these Iranian-supplied drones that were given to or sold to the Russians were running out. They were running down or completely used them up in the Russian armory. Clearly, that isn't the case if 15 were fired at Odessa, and five were able to get through. These are designed really to just overwhelm air defenses with sheer volumes of -- volume of numbers. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Sam Kiley, in Ukraine, thanks so much.

All right. In just over an hour from now, in this country, NASA's historic Artemis I mission will splash down off the coast of Baja, California, that's about 300 miles south of the original splashdown location near San Diego. NASA says a concern over bad weather and large waves prompted the move. The uncrewed spacecraft took a 25-day trip around the moon as a test run for future flights with astronauts on board.

Let's bring in Adam Frank, he's a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester and the author of "Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and Fate of the Earth".

So good to see you, Adam. So, how is today's splashdown different, perhaps, than the kind of reentries that we have seen in the past?

ADAM FRANK, PROFESSOR OF ASTROPHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER: Yes, you know, the interesting thing about Artemis is all of the, you know, all these new technologies that we have developed since Apollo. So, we're coming in with the Artemis -- the capsule in a way that Apollo never did. We're actually going to skip off the atmosphere a little bit to burn up some of the velocity. Because it's a pretty rough ride for the astronauts coming in, right? I mean, they're coming in at MACH32 and it's a pretty bumpy and dangerous ride.

And this way, by bumping off the atmosphere a little bit, and then, you know, hopefully, coming back in, they can -- they've shed some of the velocity and it's just a safer way to re-entry. And you can only do that because of the computer technologies, our ability to, sort of, control spacecraft in ways that were just impossible, you know, the first time we went to the moon.

WHITFIELD: Right. A reminded, this is unmanned, but this is kind of a test drive what -- of what possibly could, you know, come later. So, what is NASA hoping to learn from whether this kind of rock skipping technique works?

FRANK: Well, it's to see whether or not this process of shedding some of that velocity actually is going to be useful for the astronauts.

[11:10:00]

Allows you to land much closer. Because the old way, you had to do it, you have to -- you know, splash down somewhere, you know, way out in the ocean which required a lot of infrastructure, it was much more dangerous, you know, to have all those ships out there, and can you get to the capsule in time? And this way, you're going to land -- you know, you can really be, kind of, off the coast. You can be much more exact about where you're going to splash down. So, that's also going to be really important as you start doing this routinely, getting people on the moon, getting them back.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and so ultimately, as we you know, just mentioned, the goal is to do the same kind of thing but with astronauts. That's the hope. And so, what's the timeframe for that? When do we think that could happen if this mission is considered a success?

FRANK: Yes, well, it's pretty soon. I mean, the Artemis -- what people have to understand about the Artemis program, it's not just this one launch. It's not just getting people to the moon. It's going beyond the moon. So, 2024 is the next launch, which they hope to have human beings on, which will take that same orbit.

And actually, those amazing pictures of the moon and the Earth, just hanging there in space. The next flight will have people actually seeing that. Well, for the first time in the 4-billion-year history of human -- of the Earth, someone will have that view, right. I mean --

WHITFIELD: That is exciting.

FRANK: -- and we're representatives of life on Earth. It's not just human beings.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and we saw some extraordinary pictures, didn't we, from this mission? What impressed you --

FRANK: They were -- I mean --

WHITFIELD: -- what impressed you most?

FRANK: Well, it was -- in some sense, what it was again, was this idea that nobody has ever seen this before. By being on this special orbit, right, that's one of the things NASA was testing was this orbit around the moon that was much further out. So, when human beings do this, they will be the first human beings to get that deep out into space.

And like I said, 4 billion years that's been there. The moon has been going around the earth for 4 billion years. But life started, it evolved, you got the dinosaurs, you got the tree sloths, and now there's us. And we have this amazing ability to actually off the planet. That's never happened before. Nothing's ever left the planet before. Meteors fall down, but this is the first time in 4 billion years that something has gotten out there.

And so, to see those two orbs, those two jewels hanging in the black, you know, it's -- there's so much excitement and poignancy and loneliness. And it's like, we're the universe's eyes. We're the universe's -- universe is blind and it created us in order to appreciate all the power in those images.

WHITFIELD: Well, professor Adam Frank, your enthusiasm is contagious. I think we're all excited about what is to come today. But then, really, you know, into the future, 2024, that's just right around the corner when we could potentially see astronauts on the same kind of mission, perhaps with even greater results. I mean, that's extraordinary.

And isn't it like 2025 when there's a hope that maybe even man you know, is back on the moon, stepping on the moon. It's hard to believe it's been since the, you know, since the '60s and '70s since that happened.

FRANK: Right. So that's exactly -- and it's not just about landing on the moon.

WHITFIELD: Man or woman, I should say. FRANK: The idea to put a station -- a man and a woman, right. And a person of color to have like all of humanity be represented in this endeavor. But so, really was you're doing is - it's like building the first interstate highway, right. You know, the interstate highway system in the 1950s was really a military project, but in the end, it ended up changing how America lived. It created a zillion jobs. It created a huge economy. And that's really what we're doing here.

We're -- it's now just going to the moon, it's going beyond the moon. And NASA talks about the Artemis generation that these kids coming up now were going to have regular access to the moon, to the space around the moon. And NASA talks about the Artemis generation that these kinds coming up were going to have regular access to the moon, to the space around the moon, being able to bring asteroids, maybe, into that big orbit and mine them there. I mean -- you know --

WHITFIELD: Out of this world. Oh, my gosh.

FRANK: -- what can we become to have these opportunities when we get this done.

WHITFIELD: This is mind blowing stuff. Well, so exciting. You are a wealth of knowledge, Professor Adam Frank. Thank you so being with us.

FRANK: Thank you. God bless you.

WHITFIELD: All right. For more on the bad weather concerns that forced NASA to actually move this splashdown site, let's turn to CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar. She too is incredible enthusiastic about her world.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Indeed. And it -- there's really no question as to why they ended up moving it when you look at the storm system that caused it. Here's a look. You can see the spin from that system as it makes its way onto the west coast. This is the same system that's been bringing a tremendous amount of snow and rain to the west coast.

But here's the thing, the original location of where they wanted this to come down was just off the coast of San Diego. But that was a little too close for comfort for where the storm was. So, the hope is now that by pushing it off, Fred, by maybe about 300 miles or so south, they can put it in a much safer location away from the storm.

WHITFIELD: And then the same system, right, is causing problems in other places.

[11:15:00]

CHINCHAR: Yes, we have power outages across areas of California. You've got some areas that are starting to see some flooding on the roadways, and it's because of how much rain and how much snow was coming down. Some of the areas of the Sierras have already picked up over two feet of snow. In total, likely to pick up about three to five inches of rain from that area between San Francisco all the way down to San Diego. And the concern there, obviously, is going to be the floods. Not just flooded roadways, but especially the areas where you have burn scars from the wildfires over this past summer, those could also potentially flood in the next 24 to 48 hours. Then the system begins to make its way off to the east. By the time we get to Monday and Tuesday, the focus now becomes the central portion of the country. Potential blizzard conditions in the Northern Plains, and then to the south, we're talking severe storms.

The storm system will continue to make its way across over towards the eastern seaboard by the end of the week, also, bringing the potential for rain and snow there. But the early half of the week, the main concern is really going to be severe storms.

For Monday, the target area is going to be safe from Wichita down through areas of northern Texas. By Tuesday, it shifts a little further east. We also see that threat increasing on Tuesday, as well. So that's another concern. You're talking tornadoes, damaging winds, and very large hail too for place like Shreveport, New Orleans as well as Houston. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Quite the contrast. We're not talking about drought anymore. Instead, a whole lot of precipitation. All right. Alison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, it could be a critical day in the January 6th investigation. Committee members are expected to meet today to decide on issuing criminal referrals to the Justice Department. What we know about the plans, next.

And a holiday party ended in a physical altercation between a Los Angeles city councilman and a community activist, calling on him to resign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at Kevin. Look at Kevin. Look at Kevin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And this incident isn't the only thing the councilman is under fire for. Details straight ahead.

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CHINCHAR: All right. Later today, the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection could reach a decision on issuing criminal referrals to the Justice Department. Sources tell CNN, the Committee is considering referrals for former President Trump and four close allies. CNN's Annie Grayer joining us now.

So, Annie, what more are you learning? ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Fredricka, sources tell me a number of individuals, in addition to former President Donald Trump are being considered for criminal revel referrals from the January 6th Committee to the Department of Justice.

And that list includes Mark Meadows, who was Donald Trump's White House chief of staff. John Eastman, who was an election lawyer, right wing lawyer, who is responsible for many of the schemes that Donald Trump tried to enact to try and overturn the 2020 election. Jeffrey Clark, who's a former Department of Justice official, who Donald Trump, at one point tried, tried to insert in the top job of the DOJ. And Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump's long-time lawyer.

Congressman Adam Schiff, who's a member of the January 6th Committee and part of the subcommittee tasked with putting together recommendations on criminal referrals, just said on CBS that list of recommendations is going to be presented to the full meeting -- to the full member meeting later today. Take a listen.

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REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), JANUARY 6 SELECT COMMITTEE: You know, I think we are in common agreement about what our approach should be. I'm not ready or authorized at this point to tell you what that is. We are, as a subcommittee, several of us that were charged with making a recommendation about referral is going to be making that recommendation to the full committee today.

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Grayer: So, after those recommendations are made, Fredricka, the full committee still needs to sign off on that. But let's take a look at the big picture here. A criminal referral from the January 6th Committee to the Department of Justice is largely symbolic in nature. DOJ does not need Congress' permission or invitation to investigate criminal activity. And it already has ongoing criminal probes into January 6th.

But January 6th Committee members feel like criminal referrals are an important part of their work, particularly if their investigation has found evidence of criminal activity. So, members will be meeting later today virtually to view the official recommendations. And we won't see those recommendations until the committee releases its final report, which is expected for December 21st.

WHITFIELD: All right. Just in time final for the holidays. Annie Grayer, thank you so much.

All right. We are also learning new details about the moment Brittney Griner was freed from a Russian prison. We'll have that. Plus, what is next for the WNBA star now that she's back home? I'll talk with her former coach, next.

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[11:25:00] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. A bomb threat interrupted singer Patti Labelle's concert in Milwaukee last night. Video posted to social media captures the chaotic moment when the singer was rushed off the stage.

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PATTI LABELLE, SINGER: Hold up. Wait.

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WHITFIELD: All right. She and everybody caught off guard. A CNN in Milwaukee reports that everyone attending the concert was safely evacuated. And so far, no word from police about the details of that threat. The concert organizer says, it is working to reschedule the show.

And we're also learning new details about the moment Brittney Griner was freed from Russian prison. New photos show she was all smiles as she met the team that negotiated her release after 10 months in a Russian prison. A U.S. special presidential envoy, Roger Carstens, was there to greet Griner on the tarmac during the prisoner exchange on Thursday. And this morning, he told CNN's Dana Bash on state of the union what happened next.

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ROGER CARSTENS, U.S. SPECIAL PRESIDENT ENVOY FOR HOSTAGE AFFAIRS: When she finally got onto the U.S. plane, I said, Brittney, you must have been through a lot over the last 10 months. Here's your seat. Please, feel free to decompress. We'll give you your space.

[11:30:00]

And she said, oh, no. I've been in prison for 10 months now, listening to Russian. I want to talk. But first of all, who are these guys? And she moved right past me and went to every member on that crew, looked them in the eyes, shook their hands, and asked about them, got their names, making a personal connection with them. It was really amazing.

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WHITFIELD: Griner is now under observation at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio as she recovers. Joining us right now, Griner's former coach with the Phoenix Mercury, Sandy Brondello. She is now the head coach of the New York Liberty.

Coach, so good to see you.

SANDY BRONDELLO, COACH, NEW YORK LIBERTY, FORMER COACH OF BRITTNEY GRINER, and FORMER WNBA PLAYER: It's great to see you.

WHITFIELD: Well, fantastic. When you hear that description from Mr. Carstens there, I mean, does that sound like the Brittney Griner that you know? And then seeing her smiling, I mean, broadly smiling on the plane there, seemingly like nothing happened really. She looks amazing.

BRONDELLO: Yes, she's a special human being, that's for sure. And this really is B.G. She's always got a smile on her face. She's always making people comfortable around her, regardless of the situation that she's in. So -- I mean, that's making me smile, too, because you know, it just shows that she's in, you know, after 10 months, she's doing OK.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And then contrast that feeling with the sentiment that we've heard expressed, you know, by lawmakers like Senators Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton saying, you know, bad deal, because Paul Whelan was not also released. I mean, how hurtful is that to you, you know, that just universally it isn't celebrated that at least one American is back home?

BRONDELLO: Yes, obviously it's very sad. I feel for Paul Whelan's family, and that was the first thing I did when I woke up, what was the deal when I had, you know, heard that. But, you know, it was one for one. You know, they brought one American home and that's fantastic. But they still got work to do. And I was listening to your interview before with Roger and that's part of what he's doing.

And, you know, I'm aware of that unveiling of the murals in Washington, D.C., and that was the first I knew that there was 65 wrongfully detained prisoners all over the world. So, you know, there's work to do. I think we have to keep their name out there and, you know, hopefully we can get Paul home and others soon.

WHITFIELD: Right. And as Mr. Carstens said, while he -- you know, he recall that even while he was shaking the hand of Brittney Griner, already, he was thinking about what to do next step, you know, Paul Whelan. How to get him out. So, he is certainly in the forefront of everyone who has the power to help do something in the forefront of their minds.

So, back to Brittney Griner and the WNBA as a whole, the commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, says you know, the league is going to give Griner some time and space to medically be evaluated. Mentally, emotionally, and physically, you know, get in tune with herself before actually seeing her.

Games start in May, you know, with the WNBA. You coached her with the Phoenix Mercury for -- what, eight seasons. You won a WNBA championship together with Brittney Griner and team. You know her physical and mental fitness. What do you think is on her mind about returning to the court and even planning what's next?

BRONDELLO: Well, yes, that's obviously really unknown to be quite honest. It's, you know, it's not the experience that she's just had. It's not typical. So, no one really knows how long it's going to take. But positive signs that she got onto that plane and was being smiling and she's always looking out for everyone else. I mean, she's a great teammate. She's one of the greatest players ever to play basketball.

You know, I hope that she comes back and play. But if she doesn't, her legacy doesn't change. She's still going to be one of the greatest of all time. So, you know, as -- you know, the commissioner said, she -- we just got to give her time and let her heal and she'll make the decision at the appropriate time.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I'm sure everybody will respect that. But I mean, looking at her demeanor, I mean, it's just so impressive and so hopeful just seeing that huge smile on her face. In the meantime, the members of the Women's National Players Association, you know, vow that Brittney's experience overseas is new impetus, you know, to get some kind of equity for these women basketball athletes, that something needs to be done so that they do not have to play overseas in the off-season because their at-home pay, you know, makes it unsustainable. So, what, in your view, can and should be done in that area?

BRONDELLO: Yes. Look -- I think, you know, the WNBA, we're trying to -- the salaries are growing every year but you can't compare it to the NBA. I mean, it's just the amount of money that they get. But hopefully that the wages will continue to rise and that the players don't have to go overseas if they don't want to.

[11:35:00]

There are some players that do want to go overseas and supplement the income that they have here and because they want to keep working on their game. So -- but everybody is different. But look, I think it's just continuing to grow our league. And with that, we just need financial backing and, you know, sponsorship. And, you know, hopefully we can get salaries that players can make that choice whether to go back or not.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and quickly, you know, we saw while, you know, B.G. was imprisoned, we saw, you know, the NBA community come out, the WNBA community come out. And I wonder if a blueprint has been put into place when you look at women's national soccer, men's national soccer and the deal that they brokered so that during this World Cup, you saw, you know, the earnings, the winnings from the men's team also be shared with the women's team. Do you hope that, perhaps, that could be a similar framework for the NBA and the WNBA?

BRONDELLO: Yes, of course. I think that would be great. You know, that's obviously promoting women's sport. But look, I think the NBA are very supportive of us. We wouldn't be here without the NBA's backing for so many years. And I think we're having a successful -- you know, we do have a very successful league and we're going to keep growing.

But, you know, anything -- you know, I mean, I'm open to anything. Whether that will happen or not, but I think that's great that, obviously, soccer is leading the way in those realms, and Brittney is giving back to the female. So, you know, we'll see. I'm not at that status to actually be, you know, involved in those kinds of discussions.

WHITFIELD: All right.

BRONDELLO: But I think if we can, you know, obviously, over time increase the salary, I think that will certainly go a long way.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, for now, we certainly feel your optimism as it pertains to Brittney Griner and her return home and everyone is so happy to see her and see her smiling face. Coach Sandy Brondello, thank you for being with us. Really appreciate it.

BRONDELLO: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Like it or not, self-checkout stations in retail stores are here to stay. Several large retail chains are starting to add self-checkout stations in their stores, but not all customers are happy about those changes, me included. Many shoppers are frustrated with technological glitches at the kiosks, having to delay their purchase to wait on help from a store employee. So, joining me right now to talk about all of this is CNN Business Report Nathaniel Meyersohn.

OK. So, self-checkouts, they're everywhere these days. I've seen it. But, wait a minute, department stores now too? That I haven't seen. Why?

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Right, Fredricka. So, we're used to seeing self-checkout at grocery stores and pharmacies like CVS. But now we're seeing it spread to stores that you wouldn't expect, clothing and department stores like Kohl's, Bed Bath and Beyond, H & M, Uni Qlo, Zara, they're all adding self-checkout.

Self-checkout is very controversial. You have some shoppers that love it. They think that it moves more quickly than going through traditional cashiers. But other shoppers get so frustrated by it, Fredricka. Think about all the errors, and then they -- then you hear, please place item in the bagging area, or unexpected item in the bag. It just slows everything down. But stores really like it. They think that saves them money on labor cost. They don't have to hire and staff the stores. They can just add these self-checkout machines.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's taking away from my, you know, shopping experience. I mean, now, it's you know, causing some aggravation. Anyway -- all right. So, how about Christmas trees, because I understand that they're a lot more expensive this year. So, why is that?

MEYERSOHN: Right, so if you haven't bought your Christmas tree already, expect to pay more this year. Wholesale prices up between five and 15 percent and that's because tree growers, they're paying more for labor to chop down those trees, and transportation to deliver the trees across the country. And this -- and we're talking about real Christmas trees here.

Luckily though, there are a few ways that shoppers can save. Big box stores like Walmart, they often offer discounts on Christmas trees. They use them as loss leaders, try to get shoppers in the stores and then spend on gifts and decorations and everything else they need. And the larger trees, they're going to be a little bit more expensive. So, maybe consider switching to a smaller tree or switch to an artificial tree. The retailers, they bought the artificial trees about a year ago, and that was before inflation really started to spike. And so they locked in those prices.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. I heard one of our show producers talking about Christmas tree prices from $800 to $1,000 for a real tree. Wow. That is quite the spike. So, Christmas trees, apparently, it's not the only thing that's getting more expensive. I'm happily married, but -- so, I understand that dating has become also a lot more costly. How are people changing their dating habits because of inflation?

MEYERSOHN: Right. So, inflation is impacting everything, even our dating habits. Say goodbye to the first date for dinner. Singles, they're swapping out the white table cloth meals for more casual activities, and that's because the cost of dating has skyrocketed. Singles are spending about $130 a month on dates, that's up 40 percent from a decade ago according to Match Group which owns Tinder. So, inflation is ahead of coughing season, inflation is high on singles minds.

WHITFIELD: Aw. So sad. Well, hopefully it won't, you know, deter the love. All right. Nathaniel, good to see you. Thank you so much. Happy holidays.

All right. And this quick programming note. A large part of Los Angeles' homeless people suffer from mental illness. Hear from those on the street and the families trying to save them on an all-new "This Is Life with Lisa Ling."

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LISA LING, HOST, "THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING" (voiceover): And too often, cops without training are left to handle confrontations that can escalate quickly.

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Not long ago, my family witnessed this firsthand right here in Santa Monica, when they encountered a man who appeared to be having a psychotic episode.

LING (on camera): It was December of 2020. My husband and eldest daughter, who was seven at the time, were leaving a house on this street. As they were walking, a very large man charged them and was just yelling profanities. And the guy then said, you and your daughter are going to die tonight. And then ran off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The new episode of "This Is Life" airs tonight at 10:00 right here on CNN. And we'll be right back.

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[11:50:00]

WHITFIELD: A Los Angeles city council member is facing renewed scrutiny after a video surfaced online of him in a physical altercation with a community activist.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Resign, Kevin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Resign Kevin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Resign Kevin.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a racist. You're a racist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at -- what are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at Kevin. Look at Kevin. Look at Kevin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't -- touch him, Kevin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at Kevin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, hey, hey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kevin, Kevin, Kevin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't -- touch him, Kevin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So, council member, Kevin de Leno -- de Leon, is wearing the red Santa hat there and he claims that he acting in self-defense after being headbutted by Jason Reedy, the guy in the olive-green jacket. Reedy, through his attorney has repeatedly denied the allegation. CNN National Correspondent Nadia Romero joining me now with more on this.

So, the activist was part of a crowd calling for de Leon to resign, and then what happened?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so this is -- you see this video and you're like, how did we get here? We've got to really back this up --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ROMERO: -- to October. Back in October, there were recordings that were released all over the internet of an L.A. City council meeting where members, like Kevin de Leon, you can see there, and others were making flat-out racist comments. They weren't racially charged. They were just racist. They were anti-black and anti-indigenous, against black people in a community, against one of the city council member's black sons, and against the Wahaca Community, a community of indigenous people from a particular area in Mexico.

And so, those comments were laughed at, condoned by the people who were in that room, according to the recordings that we've all heard. And so, this is why people are calling for Kevin de Leon there, that council member and others to resign. Now, some of them have resigned but he is refusing to resign. And he is saying that he was going to give people time to heal.

And this was one of his first public appearances since those recordings were released back in October. But you can see there in the video what happened when protesters and activists told him, you're racist, you need to resign over and over again.

Of course, there's different views on what happened. You can see it for yourself. But let's look at these statements here. One coming from Kevin de Leon, himself, saying, once we were able to push back, he says in that statement, we were able to push back, open a door, try to get out, but Reedy, the activist, launched a pelvic thrust followed by a headbutt. My response was in self defense.

Now, let's look at the attorney for Reedy, the other gentleman who was involved. And he was saying that, that's not what happened. What you're seeing there is de Leon's supporters initiated physical contact by shoving him. He then grabbed Mr. Reedy and he had his hands up. He didn't initiate physical contact.

Fred, this is just part of a really bigger issue in L.A. County. And this has been sent over to the police department, we're waiting to hear back from them.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let us know. Nadia Romero, good to see you. Thank you.

We'll be right back.

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[11:55:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Four quarters was not enough to determine the winner in the Army/Navy game. CNN's Coy Wire, has more.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. The Army/Navy game has seen it all, but in its storied history dating back to 1890, it had never seen a game go to overtime. Can you believe it? Until last night. And it was one for the ages. More than 69,000 fans packed in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to witness one of the best rivalries in sports.

Americas game as it's known, brought all the tradition and pomp and circumstance we've come to expect. Not many highlights and regulation but freshman Noah Short from San Jose, California, blocking a punt and another freshman, Jabril Williams from Joliet, Illinois barely standing bounds to recover it for a touchdown. Eventually tied at 10, they would head to overtime, where the fun began.

Very first play, army's Markel Johnson motoring in for the touchdown, so navy just has to equal and they do. Xavier Arline completing his first pass of the game to Maquel Haywood to tie it, but in double overtime. Navy fumbles. So, all army had to do was kick a field goal to win and Junior, Quinn Maretzki, from Punahou, Hawaii does just that. Aloha, a 20-17 win for the army. The corps of cadets storming the field. Valiant effort by navy. But it is army's fifth win in the last seven meetings. We caught up with the black knights after the epic win.

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JEFF MONKEN, ARMY HEAD COACH: I'm just so proud of our team. I'm so proud of the way they represented our men and women that served in the army all over the world and the way they fought. That's the grit and the toughness of our armed forces, and the men and the women in the United States Army, so.

WIRE: What's your message to those overseas, coach?

MONKEN: Thanks for your service. We're proud to represent you. Beat navy.

NOAH SHORT, ARMY DEFENSIVE BACK: It felt amazing. You know, we scored and I was in the end zone, and I didn't even realize I blocked it. It was like a dream come true. And, you know, I'm just happy I can contribute.

WIRE: Hey, did you, guys, see this guy block a punt tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we did.

CROWD: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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