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Trump's Returns Now Public After Years-Long Legal Battle; Southwest Airlines Working to Resume Normal Schedule; Top-10 Climate Stories Of 2022. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired December 31, 2022 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:01]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Meantime much of the world has already rung in the new year and welcomed 2023. Last hour the skies over Kenya, as you see right here, erupted with pyrotechnics and they were not alone.

This is Sydney, Australia, one of the first major cities to cross into the new year. And looking at these spectacular images, it is not surprise this is also considered one of the world's greatest fireworks displays each New Year's Eve.

In Taipei, Taiwan where the celebration features fireworks being shot from the city's tallest high rise.

This is Bangkok, Thailand ringing in the new year with the same breathtaking fireworks show it always performs.

And this is Dubai, the United Arab Emirates where the city's skyscrapers serve as the center piece.

And now let's go to Athens, Greece which is ringing in 2023 right now.

And in New York crowds are already forming in Times Square. The celebration is returning to full capacity after two years of scaled back celebrations.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino joins us now live with the latest.

So, Gloria, people turned up there this morning waiting for all the fun and festivities to start shortly.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Pam. And you know the big attraction is Times Square. It is New Year's Eve. But for a lot of these folks, the big attraction is J-Hope of BTS who is in the middle of his rehearsal right now. And these folks have been waiting all day to see him.

Tell me how long have you been waiting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been here since 6:30 a.m.

PAZMINO: 6:30. And what do you want to do most? Why are you here on New Year's Eve?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For J-Hope!

PAZMINO: You see the enthusiasm. People are really here for the entertainment. And look, they are just watching, they are watching the entertainer. We're live on CNN. Where are you guys from?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brooklyn.

PAZMINO: Brooklyn. So you're from here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

PAZMINO: You came to Times Square.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twice in my life. My husband wanted to come.

PAZMINO: OK. Are you ready for the next couple of hours? It's still a while away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I'm ready for it to be over.

PAZMINO: What are you wishing on this new year?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For everybody to have a good year.

PAZMINO: Thank you so much. So, you see, Pam, here, you know, it is -- people are excited and they're enthusiastic. They're having a good time. How are you guys doing? How long have you been waiting?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been here since 6:00 in the morning.

PAZMINO: 6:00 in the morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Get in line.

PAZMINO: And how are you doing? You holding up OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

PAZMINO: The rain isn't bothering you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. We're good.

PAZMINO: Tell me what you want in this new year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This new year? Good health. Yes. And hope to have my daughter's future in the nursing program.

PAZMINO: Congratulations. You got into the nursing program. That's very exciting. So that's what Times Square is all about. The big crowd. People are excited. They're excited about J-Hope, BTS, like I said. We still got a couple of hours more to go, but it will be coming down, up there, the big ball, the big crystal ball. 11,000 pounds of Waterford crystal and a ton of confetti soon to fall upon the revelers here later tonight -- Pam.

BROWN: And we'll be watching, carrying it live right here on CNN. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

We're learning more tonight about the suspect in the University of Idaho murder investigation and specifically his whereabouts after the killings. But before he was finally arrested by police this week, the source telling me, and the source we should note asked not to be identified, said that they did not know the Kohbergers but did engage in a friendly conversation with the suspect, 28-year-old Bryan, and his father at an auto store on December 16th in Pennsylvania.

And the father told the source that he said he flew out to Washington state and made the cross-country trip with his son. He added that Bryan would be traveling back to the West Coast alone after the holidays. Well, police have not indicated the suspect's father is in any way connected to the November college student murders.

CNN's Veronica Miracle joins us now with the latest. And Veronica, what happens next for Bryan Kohberger?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, I talked to the chief this morning and he says that this investigation now moves into a new phase. But they want to collect as much information about the suspect Bryan Kohberger as possible.

[17:05:03]

Yesterday at that press conference they said the tip line remains open. And throughout this investigation those tips have really helped them to shape this case. They received about 20,000 tips via phone, and e-mail and those digital submissions and that helped them to create strong leads, they told me. Well, the tip line remains open because they want to know from as far back as Bryan Kohberger's childhood, high school years.

They want to paint a picture of who this person was and the results already have been incredible. Here is what the chief had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JAMES FRY, MOSCOW POLICE CHIEF: Maybe somebody knows something or sees something, and they call us just like every other piece that were connected. And that's why we're asking still for tips and stuff.

MIRACLE: Are you getting a lot more now?

FRY: So I know that right after our press conference that I was told that we've received 400 calls in the first hour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: Four hundred calls within one hour. And they want more help. That's also a big part of this is because they still don't have a murder weapon and that is an incredible piece of evidence that they will need, reiterating to me that, yes, they've made an arrest but they are seeking a conviction.

Now Kohberger is in Pennsylvania right now, and he has an extradition hearing on Tuesday. His public defender telling CNN that he intends to waive his right to that extradition hearing so he should be coming back to Idaho within the next few days after that Tuesday hearing. I asked the chief what does that process look like, he says it's all going to have to play out in court. It could be as early as Tuesday or it could take a couple of days, but once he returns to Idaho, he will be at the Latah County jail as he awaits the next steps in the court process -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Veronica Miracle, thanks for bringing us the latest there from Idaho.

And joining us now with more, CNN senior law enforcement analyst, Chief Charles Ramsey.

So, Chief Ramsey, no murder weapon, no discernible motive, though that is clearly under investigation. How hard will it be for Idaho prosecutors to build this multiple murder case against Bryan Kohberger?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST (via phone): Well, actually, they have got a lot of evidence now. I mean, they do have a DNA match. And that is very, very important. It's always good to get the murder weapon, but there are many cases where you simply don't find the murder weapon. But they have DNA, they have evidence that the car was near the crime scene on the night of the homicides.

So they have got a lot right now to work with. But this case is just getting started. They're going to continue to work. You know, one interesting thing about this particular individual, he was a graduate student at Washington State, you know, in criminology. But he was actually interested in knowing the thought process of criminals before, during and after they commit a crime. Well, he committed a crime.

I would imagine he documented some things somewhere. So they're serving search warrants. They'll be going through his computer, laptop, cellphone, they'll be looking for anything like that, but I'd be surprised if he didn't have something in writing that maybe he left behind as well. So they're going to build a case. They're going to have a strong case against this individual.

BROWN: Right. And right now, this is what police are alleging. They are saying this is their suspect but they are still trying to build that case, asking the public for help.

I spoke to a source today, Chief, who said that, you know, this person struck up a conversation with Bryan Kohberger and his father on December 16th in Pennsylvania. It was in an auto shop. They were getting the white Elantra, the picture that had been widely publicized across the country since early December, getting it serviced. What do you make of that?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, you know, as far as that individual goes, it's easy to put two and two together after the fact. But there are a lot of white Elantras out there. And so there's no way he could have known he was involved in some thing -- BROWN: But he was so casually -- you know, again, he is a suspect

innocent until proven guilty, but just the idea that as police say he committed these crimes and then is out in Pennsylvania several weeks later, and out and about getting the car serviced, having friendly chats with people in the waiting room.

RAMSEY: Well, you know, I mean, I'm not a psychologist but I'm sure there will be a lot of profilers in the FBI that will be very interested in talking to this guy. I don't know if he's a sociopath. I have no idea. But there are many criminals that we've come in contact with over the years that just show absolutely no remorse at all. None. And it's hard to believe, but it's just a fact. And he apparently falls into that category. So --

BROWN: Yes. This source I spoke to today said it was absolutely chilling to think that he was talking to the suspect after the murders had occurred, and didn't see anything really amiss other than the fact that he was a little awkward.

[17:10:05]

Chief Charles Ramsey, thank you so much. We appreciate you coming on and Happy New Year's to you.

Coming up tonight, remembering the iconic Barbara Walters, a trailblazer in journalism. One poignant moment shows why she mattered so very much.

And former President Donald Trump's taxes are out for all to see. We're going to look at what the documents reveal and whether he has anything to be worried about now that they are public.

Also Southwest has a lot of work to do, its planes are back in the air but with its reputation in free fall, will travelers ever trust the airline again?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Today the world is mourning two iconic figures. The legendary TV journalist Barbara Walters has died at the age of 93. A trailblazer for countless women journalists she inspired including myself. Walters was known for her tough but fair interviewing skills.

And also Pope Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95. He was considered a powerful intellectual force who shaped Catholic doctrine before his sudden resignation in 2013. But his legacy as a church figure was tarnished by allegations that he failed to stop predatory priests during his tenure as archbishop of Munich. In a spiritual testament released after his death, Benedict asked for, quote, "forgiveness" for those he had wronged.

Services for Pope Benedict are set for next Thursday. And they will be extraordinary in at least one respect. It will mark the first time in centuries that the current Pope has presided over his predecessor's funeral.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us now from Rome.

So, Fred, tell us a little bit about some of the events that will be happening at St. Peters.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Pamela. Well, first of all, you're absolutely right, Pope Benedict certainly was one of the most influential figures in the place that you see behind me, in the Vatican, for decades really. A big intellectual figure in the church, someone who is really a very, very powerful person here even well before he actually became the Pope.

And, you know, some of those events that are going to be happening, some of them have already started. In fact tonight there was a mass here at the Vatican which was not related to the death of Pope Benedict but where the current Pope, Pope Francis, found some words commemorating Pope Benedict and also mourning his death as well.

[17:15:08]

I want to listen in to some of what Pope Francis said tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): We are moved as we recall him as such a noble person. So kind. And we feel such gratitude in our hearts. Gratitude for God, for giving him to the church and to the world. Gratitude to him for all the good he accomplished. And above all, for his witness of faith and prayer especially in these last years of his life. Only God knows the value of his sacrifices for the good of the church.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So that was Pope Francis earlier tonight. Of course here on the eve of New Year's Eve here in Rome. And a lot of those events are going to be continuing over the next couple of days. From Monday on, Pope Benedict's body will lying in state here in the Vatican. Four people to come of course. That usually is a very big event. I witnessed that myself when Pope John Paul II died in 2005. It was also here when Pope Benedict became pope as well.

And then the actual funeral, you already mentioned it, will happen here on Thursday. And Pope Benedict wanted that funeral to be a smaller event. That is going to be case. And as you said, it's going to be the current pope presiding over the funeral of his predecessor certainly something that in many respect is very uncommon in the Catholic Church, to say the least -- Pamela.

BROWN: Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much for that. Live for us in Rome.

Well, Barbara Walters is being remembered as an iconic trailblazer, a tough and fair interviewer and as a legend of broadcast journalist. Walters passed at the age of 93. The family told CNN she was surrounded by loved ones. Walters became the first to co-anchor an evening TV newscast at a time when women were rarely if ever seen as serious journalists in the U.S. And she also developed her own style as a world renowned interviewer of the famous and powerful.

Nothing speaks to Walters' legacy better than her final show on "The View" when they introduced one female journalist after another to show her influence and to honor the path she paved for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST: And many of the incredible women that have been influenced by you, and we all have been influenced by you, are here for you today. And we all proudly stand on your shoulders, Barbara Walters, as we honor you.

Please welcome, Diane Sawyer. Robin Roberts. Lara Spencer. Elizabeth Vargas. Amy Robach. Deborah Roberts. Juju Chang. Katie Couric. Savannah Guthrie. Natalie Morowitz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: "Washington Post" contributor Sally Quinn joins us now.

So, Sally, you know, look, you're in the business with Barbara Walters but she was a dear friend of yours for decades. What does the Barbara Walters legacy mean to you? What do you want people to know about her?

SALLY QUINN, WASHINGTON POST CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think that Barbara had a reputation for being very tough and she was very tough. And she was strong. And she had to be being the first woman who ever did the many things that she did and got the interviews she did. But she was also an incredibly kind and decent and generous friend. Certainly to me. When I first went to CBS News, I was the first woman anchor in America because Barbara at the time was hostess of the "Today" show which she was not allowed to be called an anchor.

Later on she would become the first woman on TV to anchor in the nighttime. But -- so they were trying to pit Barbara and me together and against each other. And it was really ugly. I mean, the "New York" magazine had a cover story saying look out, Barbara Walters, here I come, I'm going to knock you off. And all that kind of thing. And Barbara got in touch with me and said, look, don't let them tear us apart. I want to be your friend.

I was her friend. I had actually written about her in the "Washington Post" beforehand and she said we're going to be friends and nothing is going to get in the way. And she couldn't have been more helpful with advice and tips and how do television. I didn't last very long. I certainly did not. I'm not Barbara Walters up there, I can tell you that. And she went on to do many more fabulous interviews.

But she -- one of the interviews she did was when I got pregnant and I was almost 41 at the time, and so Barbara wanted to do a story on older pregnant women. So she came and sent a crew and they interviewed me, and I was due the next week. And so it turned out I was three weeks late. And she'd call every day. What's happening, what's happening. And finally she called and she said, Sally, we can't hold the story another minute, we're just going to have to -- because she was waiting for my son Quinn's birth. [17:20:01]

She said we're just going to have to go with it tomorrow night. And so that night or that early morning, I gave birth to Quinn and so she was able to announce it on her show that night of Quinn's birth. And she -- Quinn was born with a heart defect and had many disabilities including learning disabilities. And Barbara's sister Jackie, and she named her daughter Jackie after her sister, was developmentally disabled.

And so Barbara took into her heart and she always loved Quinn. And I mean, she was there for every birthday and the Christening and everything. Barbara was -- the presents, the photographs, pictures of Quinn in these little outfits she sent him. She was wonderful. She wasn't his godmother, but she might as well have been because she was just so wonderful to him.

(CROSSTALK)

QUINN: People don't know that side of Barbara. I mean, they never saw that because what they saw was this glamorous and powerful woman who interviewed all the greats and some of the near greats but mostly all the greats. And she was also the hardest worker I've ever known. I mean, I don't know anybody -- Barbara and I went to Iran together to cover the Shah's 2,500 celebration in the middle of the desert.

And we were journalists and we were roped off. And here is the famous Barbara Walters being roped off with the rest of the press. And we would be riding back and forth in these buses through the desert, dusty, and staying in these dormitories that were really -- I mean, they were worse than any dormitory I've ever seen in my life, and Barbara had a little dormitory room next to mine. We would hang out together. We'd get so thirsty and the only thing they had to give us was goat's milk.

(LAUGHTER)

QUINN: Barbara took it all in stride. I mean, she never complained. She laughed about it the whole time. And, you know, there were a lot of other journalists who weren't nearly as powerful as she was, and as famous, and they were going crazy about the way that the accommodations and the food and the dormitories and the buses and standing behind the ropes and the heat.

Barbara never complained once. I mean, she loved every second of it. As did I, by the way.

BROWN: Right.

QUINN: And I mean, we -- and that was long before Quinn was born. So that's really where we bonded more than anything. But I think that -- I don't know any other woman in television who can possibly come close to what Barbara accomplished and who has the kind of legacy that she has and always will have.

BROWN: I agree. I know for me personally, she's had a big impact on my life and my career trajectory, and what was possible. She had so many big interviews with the most powerful people in the world. And, you know, I love how she would ask them the questions that the viewer at home might be wondering, right, ask them the more personal question.

But to get to that point, to have access to them, she had to endure a lot as a woman trying to break through in what was considered a man's industry. I know you know a thing about that. I heard stories from my own mom, who's a female national sportscaster. What did she have to go through?

QUINN: Well, I just want to mention that your mother Phyllis George followed me on the CBS Morning News and Barbara was as generous to Phyllis as she was to me and to every other woman who came along. And -- but you know she was ridiculed. I mean, you know, the "Saturday Night Live" thing about Baba Wawa, which she had a slight lisp so she couldn't quite say her name right. She sounded like Walters. And she went on "Saturday Night Live," the last show right after she retired and made fun of herself, and said, I'm Baba Wawa.

But, you know, she was made fun of. And Barbara was really smart. I mean, she was well-educated, she was smart. She was not what you'd call a great intellectual but she never claimed to be. But she -- I mean, she understood politics better than anybody in Washington than I ever knew. But, you know, even when she was chosen to be the co-anchor with Harry Reasoner, she was made fun of.

It was awful. And Harry Reasoner was leaking terrible things about her behind her back and she was holding him up on the show. I mean, she was getting all the great interviews. She was getting the stories. She was getting the news bites, and he was not. But nobody ever criticized him, they only criticized Barbara. And she just --

BROWN: That's maddening.

QUINN: You know, happy that (INAUDIBLE). Was upset about it but she just toughed it out. She said, look, this is what it is. This is what it is to be a woman, the first network anchorwoman at night in America. And she took the hit.

BROWN: And she paved the way.

QUINN: And she did it with grace and charm. Yes. And it didn't last very long and she went on to greater glory and Harry Reasoner did not.

[17:25:05]

BROWN: We'll leave it on that note. She leaves behind an incredible legacy.

Sally Quinn, we could go on and on. Thank you so much for your time tonight and sharing your personal stories of Barbara Walters.

QUINN: Thank you.

BROWN: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM on this New Year's Eve. With Donald Trump's tax returns now finally released, will the former president face new investigations from federal prosecutors? We're going to take a closer look up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Former President Donald Trump is facing new questions this weekend now that a Democrat-led House committee released his tax returns going back six years.

CNN's Kristen Holmes walks us through some of the key takeaways.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Little or no income tax, foreign bank accounts, and eyebrow-raising details about loans to his adult children. Just some of the findings after the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee released six years' worth of former President Trump's federal tax returns. The returns spanning from the year Trump announced his first run for president, 2015, through his last year in office, 2020.

REP. RICHARD NEAL (D-MA): The research that was done as it relates to the mandatory audit program was nonexistent. The tax forms were really never audited.

HOLMES: Previous reporting from the Joint Committee on Taxation revealed shockingly low tax amounts paid by the former president, including paying only $750 in 2017, and in 2018 and '19, paying a combined $1.1 million, and paying no income tax in 2020, his final year in office.

[17:30:00]

Trump offsetting his income by claiming millions of dollars in losses, raising questions about the former president's business failures.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've been successful in ever business I've been in.

HOLMES: And while Trump paid less than $1,000 in U.S. income tax in 2017, the former president's tax bill totaled nearly a million dollars in foreign taxes the same year.

Indicating notable business dealings in more than a dozen countries, including Azerbaijan, Turkey, China, Israel and Brazil.

Shedding light on where Trump's business interesting were while he was in the White House.

The returns also showed Trump maintained foreign bank accounts while serving in the White House, including in China.

Some of Trump's business spending raising eyebrows among experts including a 2017 claim that one of his businesses, DJT Aerospace, made exactly the same amount spent, zero net, ensuring there was nothing to tax.

Something one tax expert referred to as a, quote, "statistical impossibility."

TRUMP: My personal tax returns would show only that I've had tremendous success.

HOLMES: Trump blasting the release as outrageous abuse of power.

TRUMP: It's nothing but another deranged political witch hunt, which has been going on from the day I came down the escalator in Trump Tower.

HOLMES: And the release after a year's long local battle, culminating with a Supreme Court decision..

TRUMP: I'm under a routine audit and it will be released and as soon as the audit is finished, it will be released.

HOLMES: With his 2016 election victor, Trump became the first president in decades not to release his tax returns, sparking interest and concern about his foreign business entanglements and potential financial conflicts of interest.

(on camera): There appears to be a significant oversight on the part of the IRS.

One expert said that much of this would have been flagged or likely flagged, particularly when it comes to the foreign bank accounts. Had the IRS actually conducted that mandatory presidential audit program, which, of course, we know now from the House Ways and Means Committee they did not.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Our thanks to Kristen.

Let's continue on the topic. Shan Wu is a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor.

Shan, what legal questions do you see in the tax returns?

SHAN WU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: All the issues that have been flagged Kristen's reporting, as well as what was brought out in the "New York Times" and the Joint Committee on Taxation, these kinds of valuations of his businesses.

The perfect matching of expenses to revenue to make sure he pay no income taxes, how he would inflate values of properties in New York, these all warrant further investigation.

That may already be happening. No reason why DOJ couldn't have been looking at this earlier.

But unlikely. I mean, I think they lake the appetite right now to take on another Trump investigation. We probably would have known about it if they were actually conducting a criminal investigation on taxes. I think it points out the lack of courage on D.A. Alvin Bragg's part. They got a conviction of the organization. It is a small family-owned business. Small step to charge Trump as well. But he chose to derail that investigation.

What they got left with was the conviction of an entity, not a person. And even the chief financial officer plead guilty.

The question is it raises to me are, why aren't there more looking investigations look at this right now?

BROWN: Investigators have questioned whether the tax returns show that Trump may have disguised gifts to his children.

Tell us what that would mean, why it would be problematic, and how difficult that would be to prove.

WU: It wouldn't be too difficult to prove once you got everybody's records. Usually, what happens with a gift tax violation, somebody has to pay taxes for it.

I think here it would be plugged into the big picture of all of the questionable issues going on, and that could become a criminal tax fraud case where he is evading millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars for taxes.

And for cases like that, there's a popular notion the IRS likes to go after smaller targets than larger ones. We're kind of seeing that to be true.

But on the other hand when you have a series of violations adding up to this kind of loss to the government, that is what comes crosses the line between maybe a civil penalty versus a criminal prosecution.

BROWN: And returns showed Trump had foreign bank accounts, including an account in China between 2015 and 2017. Does that raise any concerns with you?

[17:34:58]

WU: It isn't necessarily a concern about legality. I mean, people doing business in other countries will have foreign bank accounts.

I think what this really flags for me is what a botched job the IRS did in not conducting the audits.

And also how important it is that candidates for president do continue this practice of releasing the returns.

Because that is something important for the press, for the people to question, what kind of foreign interests did you have? They might be innocuous, but people should know and it shouldn't be concealed from them.

And Congress probably should really pass a law requiring that disclosure of the presidential candidates taxes. BROWN: Something that Democrats have talked about.

Shan Wu, thank you very much.

Southwest Airlines says that flights are back to normal now. But how can the company regain the public's' trust? That is the lingering question. We'll ask one of the leaders of the Southwest Pilots Union up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Southwest planes are back in the air with only five cancellations. But the meltdown won't easily be forgotten by customers.

And joining us now for more is Mike Santora, the vice president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association.

Mike, these cancellations affected thousands over several days. Are you worried that this will permanently tarnish Southwest's reputation?

MIKE SANTORO, VICE PRESIDENT, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PILOTS ASSOCIATION: I think initially it will cause some damage of course, people not getting to their Christmas plans, one of the most important days of the year. So understandable that they will be upset.

I encourage them to give us another shot. I think that we'll end up fixing this going forward.

You know, it does take a pretty -- very large weather event to make this happen. And the union -- pilots union will be pressing the company very hard on making sure things get fixed.

[17:39:59]

BROWN: How does Southwest rebuild trust with the public though? Do you think that Southwest needs new leadership?

SANTORO: I don't particularly think it needs new leadership. Bob Jordan just got in, he has only baby in almost and you're chief operating officer is only in a couple months.

This really goes to our old leadership, Gary Kelly, and how he failed to invest in our infrastructure. That is who we're blaming on this.

Bob Jordan recognized the challenge. But this is I.T. And it is a slow process and I think now he realizes that really how important it is to speed up that investment.

BROWN: Yes, and in fact, Bob Jordan when he came to Southwest, it was in the I.T. Department. And then he became in a leadership role of the I.T. Department.

Clearly, there's a sense of urgency to fix this. What would you recommend to a friend or family member that if they book a ticket on Southwest that they can depend on the airline to get them where they are going?

SANTORO: I'd 100 percent encourage my friends to fly on Southwest.

Two reasons. We are the best 737 pilots in the world. So your safety is number-one priority for us. And you can feel safe on our planes.

And second, we are a great airline. We have a point-to-point network which obviously has some flaws with huge cancellations that need to be fixed.

But in the grand scheme of things, it gets you to place to place a lot faster with less stops. So a pretty good network. And I'd say probably the best.

We just need to work on fixing that scheduling I.T. infrastructure.

BROWN: As you well know, this is not just about missing flights that can be rebooked. It is missed Christmas, vacation, lost bags, unforeseen expenses.

What do you think Southwest needs to do to make it right for all the passengers impacted?

SANTORO: Well, you know, there's a bill of rights that everybody signs when they buy a ticket, even though they read it, it is like 40 pages long. But you don't have to do much.

But we do believe that Mr. Jordan will be going above and beyond in getting people compensation for tickets. And so he says hotels and other transportation fees that they had to pay.

So I think that he will do a lot to win those customers back. You can never get back the time that they lost, of course, and the frustration that they had to experience.

And unfortunately, you can't get that back. Just got to hope that all those people give us one more shot.

BROWN: Mike Santoro, thanks for coming on and making the case for Southwest. We appreciate it.

And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this New Year's Eve.

It was a thrilling, scary and sometimes bleak year for climate stories. We'll look at the top-10 stories in climate after a wild year.

And then, new detail on the whereabouts of the suspect in the Idaho murder investigation after the killings but before he was finally arrested by police this week. What a source is telling me tonight. After the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:46:51] BROWN: Tomorrow night, a new CNN film tells the story of Dionne Warwick. She has rocked the music industry through the decades, including her smash hit and namesake for the film, "Don't Make Me Over."

CNN's Victor Blackwell takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dionne Warwick is a global music superstar.

(SINGING)

(APPLAUSE)

BLACKWELL: But her impact extends far beyond music.

Warwick's singing career started at her grandfather's church in New Jersey.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: Her talent and drive propelled her from the church choir to the most famous stages around the world.

(SINGING)

BLACKWELL: But when she started touring in the south, Warwick encountered a level of bigotry that she had not seen growing up in the north.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: Her response was clear.

DIONNE WARWICK, SINGER: Blacks were on this side. Whites were on this side. The stage was straight ahead.

And I remember Sam saying, Dionne, do not turn your back on the white folk.

The first thing I did when I went out there, I walked straight to the band and turned my back and played to the ones that looked like me.

(CHANTING)

BLACKWELL: When the HIV/AIDS crisis struck in the '80s, Warwick was quick to act.

(SINGING)

WARWICK: And I became very, very vocal and very public with the AIDS issue based on the fact that we were losing so many people. (SINGING).

WARWICK: Something had to be done.

(SINGING)

ELTON JOHN, SINGER: Dionne was definitely a hero of mine and a hero to a lot of people. She was really the first person in the music business to actually speak up about it.

WARWICK: My role as ambassador of health.

BLACKWELL: Her efforts prompted then-President Ronald Reagan to name her his U.S. ambassador of health to advocate for AIDS awareness and research around the world.

Today, Warwick continues to make an impact through her colorful Twitter commentary.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: Collaborations with young artists.

(RAPPING)

(SINGING)

BLACKWELL: Pop culture presence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dionne, why are you perfect?

(LAUGHTER)

WARWICK: Darling, I'm not perfect, I'm just very, very good.

(CHEERING)

BLACKWELL: And ongoing charity work.

And at 82, she continue to share her legendary music with audiences around the world.

(SINGING)

BLACKWELL: Victor Blackwell, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: The CNN film "DON'T MAKE ME OVER" premieres tomorrow night, New Year's Day, at 9:00 only on CNN.

[17:50:04]

Well, 2022 was the year the climate crisis finally felt real for many people around the world. Whether it was a sweltering heat wave in London, the brutal polar temps of last week, or the horrific flooding in Pakistan, the weather of 2022 made an impact we'll never forget.

Here's CNN chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm Bill Weir with the top-10 climate stories of '22, a year that started with a bang.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: A tsunami advisory is now in effect for the entire U.S. West coast and Alaska.

WEIR: A undersea volcano near the island nation of Tonga erupted with such force, the ash cloud moved 35 miles into the stratosphere. The boom was heard in Alaska, and tsunami waves took two lives across the Pacific in Peru.

At number nine, some of the world's most important rivers fell to sobering levels, from Italy's Pole to Germany's Rhine, to the not so mighty Mississippi, where the Army Corps of Engineers is still dredging as fast as they can to keep billions worth of goods and grain moving to market.

At number eight, a surprise reversal in coal country gives the U.S. its most ambitious climate laws in history.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But with unwavering conviction, commitment and patience, progress does come.

WEIR: The Biden promise to make America greener was all but throttled by West Virginia's Joe Manchin until four days of secret horse trading with Chuck Schumer put the Inflation Reduction Act on the President's desk.

BIDEN: Now a law.

(APPLAUSE)

WEIR: While environmentalists resent some of the concessions given to big oil, analysts say the rich incentives for people and companies to electrify could get the country most of the way towards Biden's carbon cutting goals.

At number seven, Nicole became the first hurricane to hit the Atlantic coast in the second week of November.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intensity of the rain and wind have certainly gone up.

WEIR: And the unusually late arrival brought a 500 miles wind field during outrageously high king ties. Accommodation cost five lives and almost two billion in damages.

At number six, the 27th attempt at world cooperation on climate action went into overtime as poor nations pleaded with rich ones to finally start picking up the tab for loss and damages. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly, this will not be enough.

WEIR: In the end, almost 200 nations agreed to setup a fund to help the most vulnerable.

But a global pledge to phase out fossil fuels was stonewalled by oil- producing nations.

At number five, an increasingly unpredictable water cycle brought the kind of floods seen once every thousand years.

From Dallas, where they got a summer's worth of rain in a day, to Death Valley, which set a record with two inches of rain in one of the driest spots on earth. And 43 lives were lost in flash floods and mudslides across six Kentucky counties.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are all these people going to go? Where are they going to live?

WEIR: And the combo of heavy rain and rapid snow melt forced 10,000 to evacuate Yellowstone National Park, as walls of water rearranged entire landscapes in hours.

At number four, England, that green and pleasant land turned brown in '22 as thermometers in the U.K. hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit and put an unprecedented toll on firefighters.

(SHOUTING)

WEIR: Temperatures hit 106 in Spain as the European heat wave took thousands of lives.

And meanwhile, in China, records were smashed at hundreds of weather stations. The stifling heat lingered for 70 days.

At number three, the western mega drought brought Lake Mead to its lowest levels ever, exposing long lost drowning victims and possible mob hits and triggering the first ever cuts for those last in line to use Colorado river water.

(on-camera): And the lake used to go, used to go half a mile around the corner. And now it starts way back here. I cannot believe this.

(voice-over): While there is hope for a heavy snowpack this winter, it would take years of steady precipitation to refill Lake Mead. It will likely inch closer to dead pool next summer.

From not enough water in American west to way too much in Pakistan, where at number two, a monsoon on steroids bought rains 500 percent above average in some places, as well as a dozen or more bursting glaciers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you can see there's just a steady stream of vehicles pouring into this area. These are all people who are desperately trying to escape their villages, which are now completely submerged underwater. WEIR: At least 33 million people have been affected. People responsible for less than 1 percent of climate altering pollution.

[17:55:02]

And the number one, unnatural disaster of '22.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ends here, John. We just felt that marked increase in windspeeds.

WEIR: Hurricane Ian, when it roared from a tropical storm to a Category 3 in a day. Hurricane Ian became the new posterchild for so- called rapid intensification. When warm water fueled storms get so strong so fast, evacuation plans fall apart.

(on-camera): This is just unbelievable, the amount of damage in this one neighborhood.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very scary. And I would never want to go through it again.

WEIR (voice-over): Ian's wind, storm surge, and freshwater flooding toll is expected to cost over $50 billion, and so far, has taken over 100 lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Our thanks to Bill Weir for putting that together.

Well, crowds are packing Times Square for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration. Take a look here at your screen. You're looking at live pictures from New York City. It is the first full capacity crowed since the pandemic. We take you there live up next on CNN NEWSROOM.

And new details in the Idaho murder investigation. I spoke with a man who met the suspect and his father when they were driving back to the east coast. What they have to say, next hour.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:00]