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Journalism Icon Barbara Walters Passes Away; Times Square in New York City to Celebrate New Year's without COVID-19 Restrictions; Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Passes Away. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired December 31, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: His death coming just days after the Vatican announced his health had been deteriorating. Much more on that in a moment.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUGH DOWNS, JOURNALIST: Good evening, I'm Hugh Downs.

BARBARA WALTERS, JOURNALIST: And I'm Barbara Walters, and this is "20/20."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Tears also being shed this morning for a pioneering TV journalist, Barbara Walters. The legendary interviewer has died at the age of 93. She became the first female anchor of an evening news program in 1976, and her journalism career spanned more than five decades. A spokesman says Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by family.

There is also joy and celebration around the world this morning as countries are starting to ring in the New Year. And we are counting down until 2023. Right now, live pictures from Seoul where it just turned midnight. Fireworks. All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(FIREWORKS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: If you play this day right, you can literally celebrate almost every single hour. But of course, one of the biggest bashes, that will be happening in New York City. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is live in Times Square. And Gloria, mercifully, no pandemic restrictions this year. A lot of celebrating expected. How big of a crowd are organizers expecting tonight?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Phil, we are expecting a big crowd, thousands and thousands of people. As you said, this will be the first time that COVID restrictions will be lifted. The past few years this event had been significantly scaled down. And you know, Phil, this is an iconic location, an iconic way of bringing in the New Year. There is no place like it. Times square in New York City, the best place on earth.

And I just want to bring you into a little bit of what exactly it takes to throw this kind of party. I have Tom Harris here. He is the president of the Times Square Alliance. And Tom, this party is 364 days in the making. What does it take to put this event together?

TOM HARRIS, PRESIDENT, TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE: So we have a fantastic partnership with One Times Square, with Countdown Entertainment, and of course, the city of New York. And thanks to the proactive strategies of Mayor Adams and the hard work of the New York City police department we are inviting the world back to a safer New York City and a safer Times Square this evening.

PAZMINO: Safety is a big part of this operation. And the NYPD is out in force. For people who are thinking about coming out, what are the safety precautions that people should take? And talk a little bit about the safety the safety.

HARRIS: Sure, so the New York City Police Department has a lot of uniformed and plain clothes officers that are deployed in and around Times Square to make Times Square safe. They have --

MATTINGLY: Looks like we just lost connection there. We will be checking in with Gloria throughout the course of the day. Obviously, New York is going to be wonderful tonight in part because of what you can watch on CNN. Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, always a party, always a good time. They ring in the New Year from Times Square. "New Year's Eve Live" starts at 8:00 easter right here on CNN.

Turning back now to the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The Vatican announcing the sad news early this morning, saying the 95- year-old former pontiff died at his Vatican residence. He had recently been in declining health.

We want to bring in CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau who is live in Saint Peter's Square, and Father Thomas Reese joins us from Washington. He's a senior analyst with Religion News Service. Barbie, I want to start with you. We're now learning more details about Pope Benedict's funeral. What can you tell us about what we're going to see over the coming days?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, it's a very solemn time, right. It's an interesting time right now because in about an hour Pope Francis in a previously organized event will be doing a walk about here in Saint Peter's Square. So there are people here for that at the moment. But what we're going to be seeing on Monday is Pope Benedict lying in state inside St. Peter's Basilica, and we'll expect a lot of people. We are expecting pilgrims to be come from Germany. We're expecting a lot of the Catholic faithful to come and pay their last respects to him.

Then on Thursday at 9:30 here in Rome in Saint Peter's Square, he will have a funeral.

[10:05:02]

But he was a very simple man, and his funeral is expected to reflect his lifestyle that way, Phil.

MATTINGLY: Yes, it's a great point. Father Reese, I want to start there. Barbie makes a great point about the simplicity that he tried to convey on a regular basis, I think he very much brought to the table. He was widely seen as a traditionalist, no question, a conservative here in the United States for sure, and a bridge to the next generation after John Paul II's long tenure. In your view, how did he stand out during his time in the papacy?

REV. THOMAS REESE, SENIOR ANALYST, RELIGION NEWS SERVICE: Well, I think that Pope Benedict saw himself as a teacher. After all, he was a German professor prior to becoming a bishop. And he was very clear in his writings. He published a book on Christianity that was very popular in Germany. He was a much better writer than, say, Pope John Paul II whose prose was often very dense.

But also, like a German professor, if you didn't give the right answers, you flunked. And so he was very firm on upholding what he considered church teaching, and those priests and theologians who didn't follow his directions lost their jobs and that sort of thing. So his legacy will be mixed in that sense.

MATTINGLY: As a lifelong Catholic, I concur with the density of Pope John Paul II's writing. Barbie, how are people there reacting to this passing? What is the sentiment you are picking up?

NADEAU: We have talked to a lot of people. Some people didn't know. It was a beautiful day in Rome. They were just here enjoying the weather, lots of tourists in town. But a lot of people came here to pay their respects to him. This isn't particularly surprising. He was 95. He resigned 10 years ago because he didn't feel that he had the stamina to be able to continue to lead the Catholic Church. So while it's sad, it's not really seen as a tragic event.

But a lot of people really still consider him to be their Pope. A lot of the more traditional conservative Catholics are mourning this in a different way. He has been declining in health. As we heard this week, Pope Francis calling for prayers for him after seeing him. We know the two of them had a cordial relationship despite the fact that they were very, very different types of people and they governed the church in very, very different ways, Phil.

MATTINGLY: Father Reese, it's been a fascinating dynamic, somewhat confusing to some degree, again, as an American Catholic, watching the Pope Emeritus and Pope Francis co-exist. The resignation clearly shocked the world. Can you explain the dynamic that existed between those two in this very, very rare moment for the church in the last several years?

REESE: Yes, I think that Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict got along well. Pope Francis referred to him as like having a grandfather in your home, someone you could talk to. Who can the Pope talk to that understands what it's like being a Pope than another Pope? So that was a nice thing for Pope Francis to have. Pope Benedict kept in the background. He didn't try an upstage or contradict Pope Francis. I think he was very supportive of him. Benedict was a humble man. Once he stepped down, he realized that he is no longer Pope and passes the torch to the new Pope.

MATTINGLY: Barbie, as we watch the coming days play out, what's your sense of kind of Pope Francis' role in the days ahead? You mentioned he will be coming down there today, and kind of what he'll try to convey about his predecessor?

NADEAU: Well, I think he is going to rally the troops for Pope Benedict. He is going to get people to really celebrate his life and his legacy. He will be leading the funeral on Thursday. But leading up to that, lying in state, it's a big deal for the -- a lot of Catholics and pilgrims will come. And Pope Francis, this event he's at here now in the next hour was already scheduled before Pope Benedict died. But he will be seen as someone who supports the legacy, not the controversy, maybe, around Pope Benedict's life.

MATTINGLY: Yes, it will be a fascinating several days to watch play out. Barbie Nadeau, great reporting as always, Father Thomas Reese, thanks so much for coming on and sharing your perspective, sir.

In Ukraine at least one person was killed and 20 others were injured in a New Year's Eve attack on the capital city of Kyiv. That's according to the city's mayor. He also said several school buildings in the capital suffered damage in the attacks. Ukraine's prime minister accused Russia of trying to leave the country in the dark for the New Year.

[10:10:03]

CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Kyiv. And Ben, we talked about this throughout the course of this week. What's the latest in these just constant attacks that have been coming through?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Today's is particularly intense. About three hours ago we were on the roof of this hotel and heard a variety of very large explosions. Some of them were these missiles. Others were air defenses in action.

Now, according to the Ukrainian military, the Russians fired from land and from sea, the Black Sea, 20 missiles. They say 12 of them were intercepted here in Kyiv. Whether there were direct hits or debris that fell to the ground, it's not all together clear, but it left one person dead and 16 people injured, among them, a Japanese journalist. Some of those debris or rockets, and as I said, we don't know for sure what hit, hotels, residential areas, and shops as well.

The Ukrainians have also turned off 30 percent of the electricity here in Kyiv as a sort of an emergency measure in the event there are more strikes. But it appears these strikes today were really intended just to send a very nasty message to the Ukrainians on this New Year's Eve. And it wasn't just Kyiv that got hit. The city of Mykolaiv in the south got hit. Six people were injured there as well as Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia and elsewhere where there were injuries.

Now, this is something that President Zelenskyy warned of several days ago, that perhaps the Russians would do exactly that. So this doesn't come as too much of a surprise. And because of the anticipation of such an attack, I'm looking out into the streets. There are very few people out. Most have probably gone home, either for safety reasons or to join their loved ones for what is probably going to be a very muted New Year's Eve celebration. Phil?

MATTINGLY: Yes, as the world celebrates, the horrors continue in Ukraine. Ben Wedeman in Kyiv, thanks so much.

Just ahead, remembering a legend. We'll take a look back at the groundbreaking career of the late Barbara Walters.

Also, we are learning more about the suspect in the grisly murders of four college students in Idaho. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:21]

MATTINGLY: We are learning more about suspect arrested for the horrific killings of four University of Idaho students in November. Bryan Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths, and felony burglary. The sources say an FBI surveillance team had tracked him for several days before arresting him in his home state of Pennsylvania, 2,500 miles away from where the murders occurred. Kohberger is a graduate student in criminology at Washington State University. CNN's Jean Casarez is in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, where this arrest was made. Jean, we were talking about this yesterday on air. What was the big case, the big break that you saw or that you picked up in this case?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we are hearing is it was the DNA. And a source that is familiar with the investigation did confirm with me last night that, in fact, it was genetic genealogy, that science that was used to lead them to this suspect. And genetic genealogy is relatively new, but it has solved major crimes in this -- in the last few years.

Of course, Kohberger is innocent until proven guilty, but how genetic genealogy works is that when they are canvassing a crime scene and they find unknown DNA, and they think it's significant, they will put that unknown DNA through the CODIS database to see if there is a hit, a match. If there isn't, it remains unknown DNA. And that's when they take it to the public DNA databases, the ones that do allow law enforcement to go there. They run it. And if there are any familial hits -- and it can be distant relatives -- that gives them a working knowledge right there to narrow it down to look and try to find that potential suspect. If they find someone they believe is a credible potential suspect, they then have to get the actual DNA from that person to match with the unknown DNA before there can be any type of arrest.

And another CNN source is telling our network that it was that genetic genealogy, that DNA, that actually was used to get the arrest warrant along with that white car that we heard about. And that is when Pennsylvania authorities, Pennsylvania state police moved in yesterday morning at 1:30 a.m. to arrest him, and he is now housed right here in Monroe County, northeastern Pennsylvania, waiting for his next hearing, which will be on Tuesday.

MATTINGLY: It's such a great window into the complexity of this case that I don't think any of us were really aware of until yesterday. Jean Cazares, thanks so much for the great reporting.

Let's bring in CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey. Commissioner Ramsey, investigators zeroed in on this suspect after using the DNA and the tracking of that white Hyundai Elantra seen near the crime scene. Walk us through how investigators would put the puzzle pieces together for something with this level of complexity.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, first of all, you are absolutely right. This is a very complex case. In fact, without that DNA analysis that we are capable of doing today, if this occurred 10 years ago, this may very well have been an unsolved homicide. And so there have been great advances in forensic science.

What they probably did in processing the scene, and of course, they're collecting a lot of evidence, looking for DNA, we do believe that at least a couple of the victims fought back. They had defensive wounds. They might have found skin cells underneath fingernails. They may have found blood during the analysis that did not match any of the victims, and they were able to type it and they knew they had unknown DNA.

Then the question is, how do you match it up? And again, they went through CODIS. Now, if you haven't been arrested for specific offenses to get in the CODIS database, then it's going to be negative. But you do have these companies now that do the ancestry, the family tree, and they do it through DNA. And many of them allow law enforcement, fortunately, to at least run it through that database. And once they've found a match in terms of a family member, they were able to start narrowing things down to the point where they were able to get a name, probably ran it through DMV. He owns a white Hyundai. He is a student, nine miles or so away from the location where the murders took place. They had surveillance no doubt on him while he was still in the area because they tracked him across the country. And while he was in route, perhaps they did a search warrant, got hair samples or something from his apartment to be able to match DNA.

[10:20:00]

In the old days, we used to follow people around. If they discarded a cigarette butt or a bottle of water, you recovered it and you'd get DNA from that. But there are a variety of ways in which they could have gotten his DNA, enough to establish probable cause to get a warrant for his arrest in Pennsylvania.

MATTINGLY: One of the things that struck me as I was watching the press conference yesterday, and there is a lot of information that state and local officials said they couldn't talk about. According to Idaho law it's under seal until the extradition. So we're still putting a lot of the pieces together here. But there's a lot of criticism of law enforcement about how they handled this case, the lack of information, some of the conflicting statements here. Do you believe that in hindsight that criticism wasn't merited, based on what you've seen?

RAMSEY: It wasn't merited. People who criticize are people who've never conducted a homicide investigation, for the most part. Now, at the very beginning, did they provide more information than they should have? For an example, this was a targeted attack. People in the community need not worry about anything. Then they had to walk that back. They actually put too much information out in the early stages as opposed to the other way around.

Bad guys watch the news, too. And so you have to really be careful when you are putting information out publicly. And I know people want to know, but in order to solve the case, and that's the focus of law enforcement, is to get the person responsible for it, not just put out information. Then you have to hold certain information close to the vest, because in the era we're in now with social media 24-hour news cycles, sometimes in these investigations you find yourself in competition with that as much as anything else, trying to keep information from being public. And so I think they did a tremendous job. And my hat's off to the Moscow police department, Idaho state police, FBI, everyone who participated. This was a complicated case that very well could have gone unsolved, but they were able to bring it in.

MATTINGLY: Yes, it's a complicated balancing act. I don't envy those who have to do it, but clearly, they believed that they've reached the outcome they wanted. Chief Ramsey, thanks so much, as always, for your time, sir.

And we have lost a legend. Barbara Walters has died at the age of 93. Coming up next, a look back at her legacy and the trail she blazed for women everywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:46]

MATTINGLY: Today we are also mourning the loss of an American icon. Barbara Walters, the legendary news anchor, reporter, and talk show host, has passed away at the age of 93. Walters joined ABC News in 1976, becoming the first female anchor on an evening news program. Three years later she became a co-host of "20/20," and in 1997 she launched "The View."

A statement from her spokesperson says, quote, "Barbara Walters passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists but for all women." CNN's Richard Roth has more on her groundbreaking career.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Barbara Walters was one of the most fascinating people of any year in the television era.

BARBARA WALTERS, NEW ANCHOR, REPORTER, AND TALK SHOW HOST: I know that I've done some important interviews. I know that I have been a part of history.

ROTH: Was she ever.

WALTERS: Are you sorry you didn't bring the tapes?

RICHARD NIXON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes, I think so, because they were private conversations.

WALTERS: We read that you are mad.

ROTH: From murderers --

WALTERS: Why did you kill John Lennon?

ROTH: -- to movie stars.

WALTERS: Are you a changed man since the illness? Did it affect you very much? Did you mind being thought of as sex, sex, sex?

I think that what is important is to have curiosity. Follow that curiosity. I'm a great believer in homework.

ROTH: Before people revealed all on social media, Barbara Walters was the interviewer to open up the stars.

WALTERS: Does he hit you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He shakes. He pushes. He swings.

WALTERS: And I hope that they think that I'm fair and that I can be penetrating without being a killer, and I am, I hope.

ROTH: And which interview was her most important?

WALTERS: The first, and at that time the only, I only did one after interview, that Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin gave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are always like this.

(LAUGHTER)

ROTH: She said her 1977 interview with Cuba's Fidel Castro was a news coup.

WALTERS: A man who runs a country? A man who allows no dissent?

ROTH: Castro didn't make it easy.

WALTERS: Blowing a Cohiba, the cigar that he smokes, had smoke in my face for three-and-a-half hours. I didn't mind it. It's a different time. ROTH: About 74 million people, the most viewers for a news program, tuned in to see Monica Lewinsky, the White House Intern involved with President Clinton.

WALTERS: What would you tell your children when you have them?

MONICA LEWINSKY, FORMER WHITE HOUSE INTERN: Mommy made a big mistake.

ROTH: She got a reputation for making her interview guests cry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He never got to know --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you won't feel so big.

ROTH: After Katharine Hepburn said she felt like an old tree, Walters was cut down by critics for asking this.

WALTERS: What kind of a tree are you?

ROTH: It didn't take long for Walters to become part of pop culture. The same network that made fun of her was where she got her big break, NBC's "Today" Show.

WALTERS: I was not a television suffragette. I kicked the door open because after being there 11 years, I was named the first co-host of a morning program.

ROTH: But she was not permitted by her co-host to ask a question until he posed three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harry Reasoner, Barbara Walters.

ROTH: It got worse when Walters, to the surprise of many, was named the first female co-anchor of a network evening newscast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've kept time on your stories and mine tonight. You owe me four minutes.

(LAUGHTER)

ROTH: She later described it as drowning without a life preserver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Barbara Walters Special.

WALTERS: The specials saved my life.

Good evening, I'm Barbara Walters.

ROTH: And launched a legendary career at ABC, capped by creating and co-hosting "The View."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When did you first learn about sex?

WALTERS: Well, I didn't learn about sex until I started to do this show, and now I know more about sex than I ever wanted to know.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

WALTERS: The chemistry of it and the fact that it's live, that it's outrageous, that you never know what you're going to hear.

[10:30:00]

ROTH: When she left "The View" and ABC, they named a building in her honor, a lasting monument for a woman who changed TV.

WALTERS: I'm so proud of the women today. There are so many of them that are wonderful. That's my legacy.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MATTINGLY: Remarkable, legendary career.

Coming up, high inflation, market volatility, high interest rates, even a possible recession. How can you possibly be prepared financially for the New Year? A personal finance expert will join me next.

And Sunday night music icon Dionne Warwick brings her exclusive story to CNN in the new film "Don't Make Me Over," premiering New Year's Day at 9:00 p.m. Here is a quick look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dionne Warwick, one of the great female singers of all time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dionne was the first African American woman to win a Grammy in the pop category.

(SINGING)

DIONNE WARWICK, SINGER: The music I was singing was nothing like anything any of them were singing. The legacy of my family, music. Pure and simple, music.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Dionne Warwick, Don't Make Me Over," premiers New Year's Day at 9:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MATTINGLY: A miserable year on Wall Street has finally come to a close. This past week saw a rare year-end sell-off, a fitting end to a trading year rattled by high inflation, geopolitical tensions, recession fears, and massive rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. The benchmark S&P 500 lost about 20 percent this year, notching the first negative year since 2018 and the worst overall since the financial crisis of 2008. The S&P fell 38 percent. Investors were spooked by economic uncertainties as the Fed tried to choke off four-decade high inflation with higher interest rates, raising its benchmark interest rate seven times in 2022.

Joining me now is Michelle Singletary, personal financial columnist for "The Washington Post," a must read for me personally.

[10:35:01]

Michelle, it was a tough year for stocks, but I think more importantly for viewers, inflation obviously made it very difficult for consumers as well. For all of us who have that conversation that happens at the end of every year with their wife, husband, or spouse about, like, hey, let's figure out the finances, what should people be doing to start off 2023 on the right note? Do you have any last-minute tips?

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST, "WASHINGTON POST": Yes, I think for 2023 the big news is that inflation is still going to be a problem. It was in 2022. It's going to continue in 2023. And so if you are living paycheck to paycheck or you are just squeezing by, 2023 means that you need to boost your savings as much as you can. And if you have consumer debt, especially high interest credit card debt, get rid of it as soon as possible.

MATTINGLY: Now, you wrote, no one knows where the economy is headed in the New Year, that it's impossible to say with precision what the future holds for the economy when it comes to consumer prices, inflation, interest rates, or the stock market. That sounds great. But it's worth noting that Wall Street doesn't either. They got pretty everything wrong in 2022. So as you think about how people should prepare themselves financially, you're talking about paying down debt, almost foaming the runway a little bit for what may come next, how else should people be thinking through the uncertainty of what's coming?

SINGLETARY: So if you are saving for retirement or maybe your kids' college fund, the one thing is that you can't panic and invest based on what's happening now. And I know that sounds crazy because everybody is looking at their portfolio at the end of the year thinking, what in the world happened?

But long term we know that recessions end, economic downturns end, stock market comes back historically. And so don't panic. Let me reverse that. Go ahead and panic, scream, ah! But don't act on that. So keep it in there. And moving towards retirement, you want to be sure to build up those cash reserves so that if the market continues to do in 2023 what it did in 2022, you don't have to pull out that money right away. And also, remember that if you are going to retire, you are likely going to have 20, maybe 30 years before you need to tap that money. And so take out what you need, just what you need, and let the rest sit there and do what it does, which over time will increase and, hopefully, keep pace with inflation.

MATTINGLY: Yes, scream but always recognize the long-term or long game here.

Last word before I let you go. This has been something I've been trying to figure out, I should know more about because I actually cover Washington. There were retirement changes made by Congress at the end of the year that were signed into law. How should people feel like they may be affected by the new law that has been put into place?

SINGLETARY: There are so many good things for retirement plans. One thing, if you have to take required minimum distributions, you reach a certain age and the government says, you know what, we let you put money away for retirement, we need that back for taxes. So now the law changed so that you have until 73 starting next year to pull money out of your retirement plan. And also, if you, say you came out of college and you got a lot of student loan debt and your company matches but you can't put enough in there because you are trying to pay off that debt, now the law will allow the company to put that match into your retirement account while you are trying to perhaps pay off that student loan debt. And that's a great thing for people coming out with student loan debt.

MATTINGLY: Logical legislating, what a novel idea. Michelle Singletary --

SINGLETARY: I know, right.

MATTINGLY: -- read her, pay attention to her, scream, but don't act. Thanks so much. Have a great New Year.

SINGLETARY: You're welcome. Thank you. Happy New Year to you, as well.

MATTINGLY: As we noted, New Year, new Congress. Republicans are set to take over the House for the first time in four years, but who will actually take the speaker's gavel? That's still up in the air. We'll have more on that coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:42:25]

MATTINGLY: The start of the New Year means the start of a new Congress and a major change in Washington as Republicans get set to take the House majority with a very slim margin. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is still racing to secure the votes he needs to be elected as the next speaker on Tuesday, despite making several concessions that some supporters fear may fail to secure enough votes and would almost definitely weaken his ability to govern.

Joining me now is Jackie Kucinich, a CNN political analyst and Washington bureau chief for "The Boston Globe," and David Swerdlick, a CNN political commentator and senior staff writer for "New York Times" opinion. Please excuse that Jackie and I are probably rather anxious looking. We're both Buckeyes. It's a big day for us and night for us.

JACKIE KUCINICH, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "THE DAILY BEAST": Big day.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTINGLY: Jackie, I want to start with you. As a savvy veteran of this town and in particular the speaker's lobby on Capitol Hill, when you look into 2023, the new majority and what that means, give viewers a sense of what Congress is going to be like this year. KUCINICH: Very adversarial with the White House. We'll see to what

end. There has already been a little bit of friction between the oversight committees by Jim Jordan and Congressman Comer and the White House, saying that they have to kind of restart their inquiries because they are taking over the committees. That is natural.

What is not natural is that you have the lengths that Kevin McCarthy is having to go through to become speaker, because if you're talking about how do your constituents could potentially fire you in a job interview, it's not the greatest start to your tenure as speaker if he gets over the line.

MATTINGLY: Yes, I don't think that's how your "Boston Globe" interview went based on my sources.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTINGLY: David, one of the questions I have, people are viewing kind of the absurdity, is probably the word, of Congressman-elect George Santos, all of the lies and embellishments, I guess, is the word, and then McCarthy's speaker race as separate entities. I find that they very much are closely together in the sense of how McCarthy has to operate in this moment in time. How much do you think Kevin McCarthy will have to give up if he wants to be speaker of the house as he keeps in mind that he needs every vote at this point?

DAVID SWERDLICK, ASSISTANT EDITOR, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Yes, good morning, Phil and Jackie. I am in a family of Michigan fans. I will still wish you a happy New Year --

MATTINGLY: Sorry, I can't hear you anymore, David. We just lost David's connection.

KUCINICH: Did we lose David?

MATTINGLY: Did we lose David? He is off the -- no, no more. Sorry, go ahead, man.

(LAUGHTER)

SWERDLICK: No, so, listen, this is what is at the heart of this speaker's race, which is that Republicans, especially in the Freedom Caucus, are either misunderstanding or willfully misunderstanding what the role of the speaker is.

[10:45:07]

It's part fundraiser, part lion tamer, part cat herder. It's not a job for a firebrand or an ideologue. And so you want to pick the best person to organize a caucus that has put a lot on its plate, including dealing with Congressman-elect Santos, including dealing with all of these committees that Jackie mentioned, including having to try and figure out the best way they want to at least attempt to legislate when they don't control the Senate and they don't control the White House. So, yes, there is probably going to be a few ballots on Tuesday, not a

tremendous number, but -- and McCarthy may have to give up a few concessions in order to get to that threshold of majority to become the speaker. But at the end of the day, if you're the Republicans, you have to ask yourself, why are you putting yourselves through this? Why are you kneecapping whoever becomes your speaker? And I think it will probably be Congressman McCarthy right at the start of his speakership. A lot is at stake in the next Congress.

MATTINGLY: Yes, no question. Jackie, you mentioned this. There is a different between pledging to do investigations and actually doing them. What's your sense of where Jim Jordan, future chairman Comer, how do they land in terms of their ability to actually deliver on a lot of things they pledged on the investigative side?

KUCINICH: Well, so you are not going to have a White House that really wants to play ball. But in some ways, when you don't -- as David mentioned, when you don't control the other levers of government, your job is to sort of create problems and make sure that Biden's administration is preparing for this. They have lawyers. They have people that are preparing for the investigations into, say, Hunter Biden, into the -- sorry, excuse me, Mayorkas, the DHS secretary. There are preparations being made. And that is the job of the Republican majority in ways, because they can't legislate in a lot of ways, right, because their priorities are not going to get past the Senate. They're not going to get signed by the White House.

But the investigative committees really do have a tremendous amount of power, which is why you are seeing a lot of disagreement between some of the firebrands and some of the more moderate members about what they actually should go after. There are questions to investigate Fauci, for example, investigate the FBI. There is some disagreement there. So we'll have to see how those things work out as we go forward in this brave new majority.

MATTINGLY: David, one of the questions I've had, contrary to maybe what everybody sees publicly, there is a lot of bipartisan legislation that got done in the last Congress, significant legislation as well. There are Republican senators who want to work with the Democrats on certain issues. The president has said he wants to, as well. Do you see any pathways to bipartisanship on the legislative front given kind of the posture of everyone at this point?

SWERDLICK: Well, I think there is a couple of things that can happen. One is that because Democrats control the Senate and the White House still, even though House Republicans are going to put forward some of their pet legislation, Democrats can sit back and pick and choose, OK, here are areas where we can work together. An example to me, I know I am going to the Senate side, is when the first infrastructure bill got 19 Republican votes in the Senate and passed very breezily before Democrats had to really fight tooth and nail to get the rest of the budget done.

The other thing that I think is going to be important is to see whether Congressman McCarthy, probably soon to be Speaker McCarthy winds up trying to hold up budget deals with government shutdowns or the like as we get a little bit further into the Congress. That's not going to, obviously, come up right away because some bills were passed at the end of this Congress.

But as we turn to 2023 and then it will be 2024 before we know it, the parties are going to be posturing for this presidential race coming up, and I think that is going to slow down legislating in the second half of the new Congress.

MATTINGLY: Yes. It is going to be a fascinating year to watch play out. Jackie, my Buckeye sister, good luck tonight. David, you are dead to me now that I know you have Michigan members in your family.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTINGLY: Thank you guys very much. Happy New Year.

SWERDLICK: Happy New Year.

KUCINICH: Happy New Year, Phil.

MATTINGLY: The attorney for the suspect arrested for the horrific killings of the four University of Idaho students in November said his client intends to waive extradition. Bryan Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania and has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths, as well as felony burglary. Sources say an FBI surveillance team had tracked him for several days. CNN's Jean Cazares joins us again from Monroe County, Pennsylvania, where that arrest was made. Jean, this is important for a number of different reasons. Why?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just spoke and got off the phone with Jason LaBar. He is the chief public defender who will be and is representing the defendant in this case.

[10:50:00]

And he said that he has spoken with his client. He actually came to visit him right here at the correctional facility yesterday, and he will be waiving extradition to expedite his trip back to Idaho. So this is an answer that we have been wondering about because it is in his hands, Kohberger's hands, what will happen in all of this. We did get some more information. He also said that Kohberger arrived here in northeastern Pennsylvania, his home, on December 17th. And he has been here since then.

He is now in isolation in the correctional facility, which is standard when you have a high-profile case like this. He originally was on suicide watch, which is standard with this facility. He is not anymore. His family is not allowed to visit him, but Mr. LaBar did say that he has spoken with the family, and they are absolutely shocked at what has happened. So we are waiting the extradition proceeding on Tuesday. But that is the last information that we have.

I do want to mention one thing that he did say, "Mr. Kohberger has been accused of very serious crimes, but the American justice system cloaks him in a veil of innocence. And once judgment about the facts of the case, unless and until a fair jury and a fair trial in court at which time all sides will be heard." Phil?

MATTINGLY: Great reporting as always. Jean Casarez, thanks so much.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:00]

MATTINGLY: Finally, the college football playoffs kick off tonight. The defending champions, number one team in the land, Georgia taking on the four seed the Ohio State University Buckeyes in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl while number two Michigan faces off against number three TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. The winners of these games set to go head-to- head in the national championship game a week from Monday.

Here to walk us through it all, CNN's Coy Wire and "Bleacher Report" college football reporter Morgan Moriarty. Coy, I'm going to start with you. First kickoff today 4:00 p.m. TCU-Michigan. Give me the tale of the tape.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: You have Michigan in the playoff for a second straight season and then you have TCU who has never been in it. Head coach Jim Harbaugh for the Wolverines has turned them into a ground and pound powerhouse, more than 240 yards per game rushing, and they have a top five slobber-knocker defense to boot. They're going to be going against Heisman finalist quarterback Max Duggan. He plays with heart, he plays with grit. He lost his starting job in the preseason due to injury but he fought his way back. His team rallies around him, and now he leads the fifth best passing efficiency offense in the nation. The horned frogs, they have just six players who have ever played in any bowl game before, so experience could play a factor.

MATTINGLY: Yes, such an amazing story. Morgan, I'm not talking about the line here, although you're more than welcome to. Does either team have the edge in this first semifinal as you think through it?

MORGAN MORIARTY, COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORTER, "BLEACHER REPORT": Yes. This is going to be a great matchup. Obviously, Michigan's about a seven-and-a-half point favorite for a reason. They did the unexpected, right? They beat Ohio State, sorry Phil, for the first time since 1999 and 2000 to do that. That's pretty incredible. Obviously, Michigan is favored. Their offense is, like Coy said, ground and pound. Their quarterback, J.J. McCarthy is -- I really do expect Donovan Edwards to have a really good game. Obviously, missing Blake Corum is big. He is not as explosive a playmaker as Corum. But I like the chances for Michigan to be able to run the ball. That's the biggest thing I think for this TCU defense is going to be being able to -- against that run game of Michigan. That's going to be key. If they can do what they did against Texas, Bijan Robinson, they had a great game shutting him down, that's I think going to key for TCU. But Michigan obviously a heavy favorite, and they are great on defense as well.

MATTINGLY: Yes, no question. I appreciate you stabbing me multiple times in the heart as you walked through the history of the Ohio State-Michigan matchup.

MORIARTY: Sorry.

MATTINGLY: Coy, along those lines, obviously, the big matchup of the night, Georgia-Ohio State. Explain to the American people why Ohio State will definitely win this game.

(LAUGHTER)

WIRE: Well, it looks like they do have a shot at winning their first title since 2014. And you know all about what it felt like when they won it back in 2002 when you were a young Buckeye yourself playing on the baseball team and they won a national title back then. This is a battle of Heisman finalist quarterbacks. We're talking Stetson Bennett from Georgia, we're talking C.J. Stroud of Ohio state. Stroud leads the second most efficient passing offense and the second highest scoring offense in the nation at 44 points per game. But they are going against that Georgia defense.

This team lost 15 players to the NFL draft from their national title team a year ago, five of them were first-rounders on defense. But they keep finding ways to reload. We talked about Stetson Bennett. He is a 25-year-old quarterback. He has just got those old man vibes. For perspective, a five-year pro Ravens star Quarterback Lamar Jackson won the Heisman back 2016. He also 25 years old. So he has got this veteran leadership. And here is this response when he was told that his teammates said that he has the worst taste in music on the team. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STETSON BENNETT IV, GEORGIA QUARTERBACK: No. They are wrong. I have got like -- I have got the best --

(MUSIC)

BENNETT: Right? What are they talking about? I have got the best taste in music.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: How can you not rally around someone like that? Look out for your Buckeyes, Phil.

MATTINGLY: God, he is annoyingly likable, and old, apparently.

Last one before I let you guys go. Give me the predictions. What are we thinking tonight, in the 4:00 p.m. game and 8:00 p.m. game? Coy, I'll start with you.

WIRE: Well, I am going with Michigan. I think they are ready, Jim Harbaugh has that team rolling. And because I love you, Phil, so much, in the Georgia-Ohio State game, I'm going to keep it real with you. Georgia by a lot. Sorry.

MATTINGLY: What? (LAUGHTER)

MATTINGLY: Morgan?

MORIARTY: Yes, I think these are going to be some great games. I am going with Michigan. I'd like TCU to keep this game close, but I just don't know if their defense can be able to hold against this Michigan offense. On the other side, I hate to break your heart, Phil, I really do, but Georgia is going to win. They haven't slowed down. Ohio State is really talented, I think if it's a win, that would be great. I think we all want to see Georgia tested. But I'm going to say Georgia by about seven, maybe 10 points today. Sorry, Phil.

MATTINGLY: No, it's totally fine.

WIRE: Morgan, it's really nice being on air with you. We will never be on Phil's show ever again.

MATTINGLY: I look forward to never talking to either of you again or reading your great work, Morgan. But I enjoyed the time I had with you guys before this broadcast.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTINGLY: Morgan Moriarty, Coy Wire, big night tonight. Thanks so much, guys.

WIRE: You got it.

MATTINGLY: All right, and the next hour of Newsroom starts right now.