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Countdown To 2024; Crowds Prepare To Celebrate NYE In Times Square; NYE Party On The Famous Copacabana Beach; U.S. Navy: 3 Houthi Boats Sunk Attacking Merchant Vessel; PM Netanyahu: War In Gaza Will "Continue For Months"; Civilian Casualties Grow In Gaza As IDF Expands Operations; Researchers Say Space-Based Solar Power Could Save The World; Georgia Blasts Florida State 63-3 In Orange Bowl; Top 10 Crime & Justice Stories Of 2023. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 31, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The defendant engaged in a criminal, racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result.

EVA MCKEND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Fulton County, Georgia indictment resulting in this historic image, the first mug shot of a former U.S. President.

[14:00:02]

The former president regularly turning his courtroom appearances into campaign-style events.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a witch hunt the likes of which probably nobody has ever seen.

MCKEND: In a preview of 2024, when the political and legal calendars are set to collide.

Eva McKend, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Amara Walker in for Fredricka Whitefield.

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And as we await the ball drop, Abu Dhabi is now less than an hour away from midnight there. And they are getting ready to get the party started early. They're hosting a one-hour elaborate fireworks and drone display. It is set to break four Guinness World Records. More than 5,000 drones are planned to hover over the festivities.

Ok. We want to bring that to you live when it happens, but look at the formations there with the drones. Really cool stuff.

So we will await their festivities in Abu Dhabi.

Right now let's go to Greece where they're about to ring in the New Year. Elinda Labropoulou is in Athens. Hi, Elinda. What are you seeing?

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's all looking very festive in Athens. I have an ice-skating rink behind me at this wonderful park. It's the (INAUDIBLE) park. It's a park that connects the Athens City Center and the Athens Riviera so the coast is behind me and along with that, the national library and the opera house.

So as you can see, there are people gathering. It's going to be a very festive night. A lot of events, a lot live shows. There are going to be bands, there are going to be deejay sets.

And Athenians, you know, are really big on celebrations. I mean some people will stay home. There are traditions that Greeks tend to follow. They do tend to play cards. They tend to play other games, you know, lucky games. Things that bring luck and to each a festive cake.

There is a festive cake, which we call the vasilopita, the Vasil cake and with this cake there is a coin in it. The person who gets it is the lucky one for the year ahead.

But that's all to come. For the time being the people behind me waiting, a few hours to go before we ring in the New Year.

We understand there are going to be a lot of fireworks, a lot of big parties all over the city in Athens tonight, Amara.

WALKER: Looks like a lot of fun. Elinda Labropoulou, thank you and Happy New Year to you.

Let's head back to New York City where we are counting down to 2024. Law enforcement authorities are on high alert making sure people celebrate safe there.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is in Times Square for the pre-party. Hi, Brynn. What's going on? Can you hear me?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Amara. So yes, if you can hear us, LL Cool J is warming up right now, just doing a sound check so my phone is going a little in and out, but I can hear you.

We are here in the middle of Times Square where you can tell the party is already starting with the loud music as revelers already filing into these pens, where they're going to sit until that ball drops at midnight.

These are people from Virginia, California, Texas, all over, really, the world. Let's meet these guys. How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm doing fabulous.

GINGRAS: Where are you from?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm originally from the Philippines. Yes. And I bring my cousins and my friends, and also I have my nephew from Germany.

GINGRIS: Wow. All over. Is this a first-time party for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, yes. This is the first time but we were planning for like so long and everyone is spending so much money to come to New York City and we were, like, an hour like away from New Jersey and I was like why not do it?

GINGRAS: I mean it is a party. You can feel it already.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes.

GINGRAS: How are you lasting until midnight? What's the secret?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The secret is we keep dancing and then we've been preparing this like for a week. Like, we search on YouTube what we're going to do and then we prepare. We don't drink water and we're ready to party.

[14:05:00]

GINGRAS: Are you wearing a diaper?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we are. Oh, my God. I'm wearing two diapers. I'm ready.

GINGRAS: And there you have it, folks. (INAUDIBLE)

Amara, you can see we're actually seeing a lot of like, you know, stuff we don't really want to see. These guys, they don't care though.

They're ready to party. They're ready to see that big ball drop. It's a little underwhelming at the moment, but of course, that is where the party is out there at the stroke of midnight that ball dropping ringing in 2024, Amara.

WALKER: Brynn, he said he's wearing two diapers. Not one, but two.

GINGRAS: Two diapers.

WALKER: Oh, like, on a more serious note because I see the police there behind you, are there any credible threats, you know, or what exactly are they expecting?

GINGRAS: Yes. Listen, there are no credible threats against New York City, but Amara, as we know it is a heightened threat environment because of what we are seeing in the Middle East.

So we are seeing police everywhere, and you can see I'm in sort of an open area and these streets are all shut down except for where the revelers are allowed to stand in these pens and there are bomb dogs, there are drones and there is so much security, guys, happening all around us that we don't even see.

One of the big things that they're focusing on are the protests. The NYPD has seen numerous protests. There goes the music, numerous protests every single day since October 7th. So that's something that they're really focusing on making sure those protests stay out of the area and not trying to disrupt the celebrations here in Times Square, Amara.

WALKER: A ten-hour pre-party that's just incredibly long. Brynn Gingras, glad you are there. Thank you so much. We'll see you again soon.

GINGRAS: Happy New Year.

WALKER: Happy New Year.

All right. Let's go now to Elisa Raffa in the CNN Weather Center.

Hi Elisa. What are we expecting for all the celebrations around the country?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: Yes. I mean even in Times Square, we are looking at some dry conditions right now. Temperatures will be a little bit chilly, but we're not looking at any records this year.

We broke record warm temperatures in Times Square the last two years in a row but this year you've got some dry conditions there. If you look between the buildings, little bit gray, it's mostly cloudy, but those clouds shouldn't squeeze out too much as we go into the evening.

We've got one little hiccup here kind of spinning over the Great Lakes bringing some rain and snow showers to some cities like Chicago this morning as it tries to work its way east where it will bring a few flurries for some in the mid-Atlantic. But overall looking at a pretty underwhelming system.

Most people getting about a dusting and you might find up to four to six inches up in the spine of Appalachian Mountains but other than that, we're not looking at anything.

We've got that system again kind of clipping its way east. Area of high-pressure kind of takes over most of the U.S. and that's going to leave us quiet going into New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Here's a look at midnight, a snapshot. You could see some of those rain and snow showers, parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, maybe creeping into parts of Jersey and D.C.

But overall below freezing from Rapid City to Minneapolis. 44 degrees at midnight in Atlanta. And if you're in New York City for that ball drop, you're looking at temperatures up around 40 degrees at midnight with mostly cloudy skies. Maybe a snowflake or two. You'll have more confetti than snowflakes.

With a little bit of a wind, you'll find those windchills in the middle and upper 30s. So definitely, of course, needing to bundle especially as they're spending so many hours out there.

But I dug up the records for the midnight temperatures in New York at the ball drop. And the warmest are all in the middle and upper 50s. We see it's the third warmest midnight temperature and 54 degrees out in 2023, ringing in this year. 2022 also topped out top five for warmest ball drops on record.

And then the coldest roll in the teens and the single digits 2018. Remember we were rivalling some of the coldest temperatures on record in Times Square at midnight. 9 degrees is that record that was set in 2018. That takes the number two spot.

Stays pretty quiet going into New Year's Day, temperatures pretty seasonal. A few spots on the chilly side like Atlanta and Miami. But overall pretty quiet as we ring in the New Year, Amara.

WALKER: All right. Elisa Raffa, thank you very much.

Let's head over to Brazil where they are waiting to ring in the New Year. Joining us is Julia Vargas from the famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Hi there Julia. Looks lovely.

How is the weather? How are the celebrations looking?

Ok. We don't have your audio.

Keep talking, let's see if we can get you there, Julia.

Ok. It's not working so we're going to have to -- oh, we got her.

JULIA VARGAS-JONES, CNN JOURNALIST: I think -- we should be up, having me back now.

So I think -- the gods are smiling on us today, Amara. The sun is coming out slowly, but it is a little rainy here in Copacabana Beach.

[14:10:00]

VARGAS-JONES: That's not stopping anyone from coming to do one very important thing here which is to get a dip in the ocean, and before the end of 2023.

That is one of the most important traditions in Brazil. You have to cleanse yourself of the old year to ring in the New Year right here where we are expecting 2.5 million people in this 2.5 mile stretch of beach to come see the celebrations.

They're already starting. In about a couple of hours, we'll start having shows from the biggest names in Brazilian pop, samba and funk. But for now it's still very much a beach day.

There will be eventually at midnight in about seven or so hours off the coast in Guanabara Bay. Ten different barges will be having these fireworks. Ten different barges, about 40 tons of fireworks will be coming off of those barges for a 12-minute-long show that will have the accompaniment of an orchestra at the ring of midnight.

After that, the legendary samba schools, the drum lines will be playing for the crowds here on the beach. Most of them will be wearing white as is tradition. White is something that we inherited from the African religions here.

Very strong in Brazil. It means you just want peace for 2024.

There are a few other colors as well, Amara, that I want to tell you about. Yellow, I heard it is to bring money and some of the things that are being sold on the beach are trying to help these tourists like myself to bring in the New Year with a little help from the Rio beach vendors, Amara.

WALKER: That's where I want to be tonight is in Rio, in Brazil. I've been there before. It's a beautiful culture and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm also channeling the Brazilian culture with my white.

Great to see you, Julia Vargas-Jones. Have fun out there. Thanks so much. Happy New Year.

Also, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen are back to ring in the New Year from Times Square. "NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE WITH ANDERSON COOPER AND ANDY COHEN" starts at 8:00 tonight on CNN. And don't forget to share your New Year's photos with us using CNN #CNNnye. CNNnye, that is the hash tag.

All right. Before we take a break it is already 2024 in many countries and here's a look at some of the places that have already welcomed 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Three, two, one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 2024 already in New Zealand. Fireworks there at the Sky Tower lighting up Auckland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are right almost underneath the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It really fills your heart to be here, to see the sky exploding in color. 2024 is off to a very, very good start.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have spent New Year's in New York City, in Paris on a plane on the way to Iceland, and what I saw tonight here in Seoul, over the top. I'm almost speechless.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it's not quite midnight here in Tokyo yet, but on these red lanterns they have all these different New Year's resolutions that they have written. Things like good health, hope and happiness for the New Year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, cruise liner. Happy New Year to you.

Not only the biggest fireworks countdown show in Hong Kong, but the first such show to take place here in Hong Kong in five years, and you heard the roar of the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The great thing about the fireworks is for everybody together and everybody's got a smile on their face and what a great way to start the year. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there were any evil spirits on this rooftop the blasted away. I think I could feel the heat from the fireworks. They were like right on top of us. It was so unbelievably awesome and cool.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:17:54]

WALKER: The White House says it is not looking to escalate conflict in the Middle East after U.S. Navy helicopters sank three Houthi boats off the coast of Yemen. This marks the first time since October 7th that the U.S. killed members of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group.

The Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea saying they are acting in solidarity with Hamas.

I'm joined now by CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak traveling with the president. Kevin, What more are you hearing about this?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, U.S. Central Command said that it did receive distress calls from this commercial vessel in the Red Sea that was trying to be boarded by these Houthi rebels in small boats.

It deployed two helicopters, and when the Houthi rebels fired on those helicopters, the U.S. sank the boats and killed all of those aboard. And this is in escalation of this phenomenon that we've been seeing in the Red Sea since the October 7th terror attacks in Israel, the Iranian-backed Houthi group in Yemen trying to disrupt commercial travel in the Red Sea.

That is a major concern for the White House because this is such an important economic venue -- commercial ships, merchant ships and trying to transit the Red Sea as they participate in global trade.

What the president has done is tried to organize this global coalition, sent war ships to the region to try and beef up security. But this is certainly a development that the U.S. hopes will not signal a wider escalation of this conflict.

We did hear from John Kirby today, the National Security Council spokesman who said the U.S. Is not trying to escalate this conflict further, but that it will act to protect its own assets in the region.

The Houthis are not the only Iranian proxy group in the region who is causing concern for the United States. You have seen the U.S. carry out air strikes against Iranian proxy groups in Iraq and in Syria after they targeted American troops.

[14:20:00] LIPTAK: They have not yet targeted the Houthis with air strikes inside of Yemen, but certainly this is a concern for the president as he heads into the New Year.

We do know that the Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in Israel and the Middle East in this upcoming week as the U.S. continues its discussions with Israel about this transition to a lower intensity phase of its war in Gaza.

The U.S. hopes that that will happen soon but this is a major issue that remains on President Biden's plate as he enters the New Year, Amara.

WALKER: Yes. The president on a week-long getaway in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Kevin Liptak, good to have you. Thank you so much there in St. Croix for us.

Well despite growing pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will not resign from office, adding that his country's war against Hamas will continue for many more months.

The prime minister faces heavy criticism for failing to anticipate the October 7th attacks. And now new polls show his favorability is dwindling as the conflict drags on and hostages remain in Gaza.

Elliott Gotkine has more on what may be ahead in the New Year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST: Israel doesn't really do New Year's. Sunday and Monday are normal working days here in the country, but even if it did, understandably, it wouldn't be in the mood for celebrating.

2023 was the worst year in modern-day Israel's history since it was founded in 1948. This, of course, owing to those Hamas-led terrorist attacks of October 7th that killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 200.

There are still more than 100 people being held in the Gaza strip by Hamas and other groups. But as 2023 comes to a close, there is cautious optimism that we could be inching towards talks that could see another truce coming into effect and some or all of those hostages being freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

This, of course, will be done via Qatari mediation. If a truce were to come into effect it would also bring a welcome and very much-needed relief to the Palestinians inside the Gaza Strip where, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 20,000 people have been killed. Those figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

At the same time, there is a humanitarian disaster unfolding there. There is hunger. There is disease. There is overcrowding. And a truce would not only allow humanitarian aid to go into the Gaza Strip, but would also provide relief from the fighting that has caused so much death and destruction.

Of course, just because things are bad doesn't mean that they can't get any worse. But as we move into 2024, there is at least perhaps some hope that things will get better in the coming year.

Elliott Gotkine, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right. Elliott Gotkine, thank you very much there in Tel Aviv for us.

Well, as Israel expands its operations into southern Gaza, it is urging residents to evacuate. That's 150,000 civilians that the United Nations warns has nowhere to go. About 100,000 more have recently crowded into Rafah at the far southern end of Gaza where they describe conditions there as being abysmal.

I want to bring in Joe English to talk more about this worsening crisis. He is an emergency communications specialist with UNICEF.

Joe, thank you so much for joining us. And I know you do hope for a better year.

Right now, what are some of the challenges recently for your group in getting aid to the people?

JOE ENGLISH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, UNICEF: The sheer scale of the crisis, Amara, this is absolutely horrific. The level of suffering and the level of need that we are seeing in children, in families is staggering beyond belief.

You know, when we think of the kind of things that you provide in these kind of crisis and we work on conflicts all around the world. Safe drinking water and there is not enough safe drinking water for children in Gaza right now.

Food and nutrition services, there is not enough food. The WFP are talking of the risk of famine for a staggering amount of the population. Protection of attack from violence that is clear -- thousands and thousands of children are being killed. Education, you know, is some kind of a respite from the fighting in terms of psychosocial support. These are things which we cannot provide at any kind of scale compared to the need until there is an to the fighting, a sustainable ceasefire to allow us to get in and do the work that we do.

WALKER: I can hear just the desperation in your voice. In terms of the work that your colleagues are doing on the ground there, what kind of aid have they been able to provide, and I guess how difficult is it getting?

[14:25:00] ENGLISH: It is incredibly challenging, but there are success stories. On Christmas Day and just two days ago, we were able to get hundreds of thousands of vaccines in to protect children against disease because, you know, it is hard to imagine when we see the numbers of children who have been killed directly in the fighting that there could be any greater threat.

But we know that it's something like measles or cholera, you know, any of these diseases which children, and especially malnourished children -- children who are not getting enough food are especially vulnerable too that there could be a huge another wave of health issues and ultimately the death of children.

And so we need to do everything we can to be getting in but, you know, it comes back and I feel like we've been hammering this message day after day after day. We will not be able to keep every child in Gaza safe to do our job, our mandated job unless there is an end to the fighting.

WALKER: And in terms of keeping not just the people safe, but even your own staff. I mean we are learning that the Israel Defense Forces, apparently shot a -- they fired a warning shot at a U.N. aid convoy that drove on a route designated by Israel. No one was killed. The IDF says that they're reviewing lessons from the incident.

I mean when things like this happen how does it impact your ability, your colleagues' ability to work effectively?

ENGLISH: It just shows the scale of the challenge, you know, more than a hundred U.N. colleagues, more than 130 really colleagues have been killed in this war. And you know, when we talk about our humanitarian colleagues, it is important to remember that they're not just aid workers. That they are mothers, and fathers, and aunts and uncles. And they are trying to protect their family. At the same time they're doing this job to try and protect the wider community and civilians at large.

And it is exhausting. It is mentally, physically and emotionally draining to do this. And we are now talking about 85 days since the fighting started, since the awful events of October 7th and more than a month since the ceasefire ended.

And so (INAUDIBLE) it is the absolute lowest ebb and a break in the fighting, a ceasefire is absolutely critical.

WALKER: The needs have to be just tremendous and almost impossible to meet. I mean, there are no functioning hospitals, correct? And in terms of the aid, I mean, only -- there are so many people who need the aid and you just have a limited amount that's coming in. I mean, tell me what you're hearing in terms of what is most needed on the ground?

ENGLISH: It is absolutely everything, you know. In Elliott's report he said that the situation, it seems, incredibly difficult, but it can get worse. And you know, that's just it. It can still get worse, but there is also a way to end the suffering. You know, I mean my job is to tell the stories of the children that we

meet and that we help and try and unpack and explain what UNICEF does to support them.

And, you know, just recently, we told the story of 13-year-old called Dina(ph) who lost her family, her home, had her leg amputated and, you know, we tell these stories in the hope that they will make a difference and that they will bring together world leaders and all of those with influence to improve the situation. And a few days later we found out that Dina was killed in another attack.

And it makes it incredibly difficult to continue to tell these children's stories when we don't see the situation improving.

So what the children need now, they need water. They need safety. They need protection. They need food. They need education and they need hope for the future and that hope will only come with a ceasefire.

WALKER: How do you hold on to hope day after day?

ENGLISH: I see the difference that our work makes. I, you know, have worked with children affected by conflict in Ukraine, in the DRC, in South Sudan. And when you see children given that sense of safety is a first point and put in a classroom or a playground and you see them just playing with other children and drawing and coloring and you see the light come back into their eyes, you know?

Even children who may be withdrawn or maybe traumatized by the experiences they've been through, we can make it better. But the first step is always to remove them from that stressful situation. And in Gaza, there is nowhere to go to remove them from that stressful situation so there has to be an end to the fighting.

WALKER: Thank you for your voice, Joe English. Thank you very much. Wishing you all of the best in the New Year.

ENGLISH: Thank you.

WALKER: We'll be right back.

ENGLISH: You, too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:33:56]

WALKER: Could space-based solar power be the solution to the world's energy problems?

Well, the basis to the idea is to install solar panels in space and then beam the energy back to Earth. It may sound like something out of a "Star Trek" movie, but a team of researchers say it is feasible. Earlier this year, they even launched a tiny prototype into space to do a dry run on the technology.

I want to bring in Ali Hajimiri. He's a professor of electrical engineering at Cal Tech and co-director of the space-based Solar Power Project.

Professor, a pleasure to have on. Fascinating stuff.

I know you get a lot of the same questions over and over, but what would make the space-based solar power different from what we get here on Earth?

ALI HAJIMIRI, PROFESSOR, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, CALTECH: Hi, Amara. Yeah. I guess at this point in time , there's not a major question about the fact that we need to move to more renewable, sustainable energy. The question is what types would be the best and what are the best ways to achieve it?

[14:35:01]

The major challenge right now with some of the current ways of achieving renewable energy such as solar energy on Earth is that we don't have access to it during the night, for example, and therefore we need some sort of storage and the idea here is that if you put those solar panels in space with a high enough orbit you practically have 24/7 access to the energy and what that allows you do is it take this energy and transfer it with microwave energy to Earth and you will have the sustained energy unlike the intermittent type of energy that we have right now on Earth, and as a result, hopefully, you'll get eight time more energy available to you because of the 24/7 availability

WALKER: Yeah, because the solar panels don't have the 24/7 availability because of weather and cloud covering, what have you, right?

Tell me more about this prototype. That's fascinating. You sent it up earlier this year. What did you learn from that? How did that test go?

HAJIMIRI: Right. So the idea is this idea of space solar energy has been around for a while, but the original ways that it was talked about came out of science fiction essentially was that in a bulky, complex and rigid structure where there were all of these solar panels and the central way and they transferred this sort of parabolic fissure and and send out to Earth with fixed point. Over the last 10, 15 years, that new technologies became available, that allowed us to do this in a very different way. I mean, the original way would describe it as the big elephant and we are now moving to the army of ants, where you have billions -- hundreds of billions of little transmitters working in synchronization.

Now, to make that idea feasible and economical, it needs to be lightweight and flexible. So we created this structure that are flexible and lightweight that can transmit the energy and what our demonstration was to use these and transmit energy in space and we did that as a first-time demonstration of energy transfer in space. We transferred energy from these flexible, light-weight structures to our receivers in space, and then we additionally try to transmit something that pointed it to Earth and detected that showed the feasibility of using these lightweight flexible structures in space. WALKER: Are you confident, Professor, that at some point this will

work on a larger scale and we will be reliant on the space-based solar panels?

HAJIMIRI: Well, it is definitely something worth trying and we've been working hard and we made significant amount of progress so far. The -- again, we have gone from this being completely science fiction to the point that we have structures that we operate in space and work.

It is not to say that there are no additional steps and challenges left because we are talking about the very large structure in space that has never been built before, but the technological advances that have been made makes it possible to see a pathway there. Now, there was no such pathway, in my opinion, 10 or 15 years ago.

WALKER: So you say some of the questions that you get pretty often are you building a death star? Are you frying birds in the sky? I mean, I guess that's pretty valid questions because I guess people are concerned about this being safe, this technology being safe. What do you say to that?

HAJIMIRI: Absolutely. No, I mean, that's one of the major aspects of this work that we're doing to make sure that we design by design and by essentially laws of physics would guarantee that the system that we build would not have an energy density that would be larger than what you get from standing in the sun and as a result we will not get more heat from standing in the sun even if someone were to stand in the middle of the transfer and beam of the energy transfer.

So this would guarantee that there would not be any aspect of -- harmful aspects of this associated with it, but the benefit of doing it this way is you can send the energy on demand to different locations and split it up without having to exceed that intensity levels and that would be that of the sun.

WALKER: Fascinating. So glad that our world has brains like you doing innovative things and trying to change the world.

Ali Hajimiri, thank you so much for your time and happy New Year to you.

HAJIMIRI: Thank you, Amara.

WALKER: Before we take a break, a look at how Hong Kong welcomed 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year!

(FIREWORKS)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:49:22]

WALKER: We are in the middle of a big week of college football bowl games and last night featured a marquee match up between two of the top teams in the country who were both left out of the college football playoffs. It ended with the undefeated Florida State Seminoles suffering the biggest loss of margin in bowl game history to last year's national champions.

CNN's Don Riddell is joining us now.

I mean, Don, going into this game, Florida State felt they should be playing for the national title. Instead, they suffered this historic loss.

DON RIDDELL, CNN HOST, WORLD SPORT: Yeah, and all of the arrows have gone on in the last few weeks, Amara. The Orange Bowl is one of the biggest bowl games on the calendar and there was no money to play in it and Florida State and Georgia both angered over left out of the playoff, leading dozens of players on each team to just opt out of the game.

[14:45:09]

Some started preparing for the NFL draft while others entered the transfer portal. The Seminoles were the first undefeated power five team to miss the playoff. Their young and shorthanded roster was no match for an angry Bulldogs team, 63 points to 3 was the score, and that was the largest margin of history in bowl history.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart said that something has to be done about the flurry before bowl games and next year's 12 team playoff will help, but for now, we have the playoffs semifinals set to take center stage tomorrow. Undefeated Michigan battles SEC champion Alabama in the Rose Bowl, that's at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, followed by Texas and Washington squaring off in the Sugar Bowl. The winners will meet in the national title game a week from Monday.

And, Amara, a cheating scandal that swirled around Michigan all season long. Let's see if they can put that controversy behind them and claim the national title.

WALKER: And what about the NBA? A historic losing streak finally came to an end last night.

RIDDELL: Yes. So, that's cause for celebration, right, just before the new year?

WALKER: I guess.

RIDDELL: Can you imagine being a Detroit Pistons player, coach or even a fan and not winning a game for more than two months? That would be bad enough, but they were on the brink of claiming the most undesirable record as well, but they finally won a game in the nick of time, too. Detroit squeaking out a victory from 129-127 over the Raptors last night in front of some very devoted home fans, meaning they avoided a 29-game losing streak. Cade Cunningham was great again with 30 points and 12 assists, and it was only their third win out of 32 games this season, their first win since the end of October.

And their new head coach Monty Williams just couldn't be happier that the run is over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONTY WILLIAMS, DETROIT PISTONS HEAD COACH: It wasn't relief. It was just, like, thank God, you know? Finally. Guys were screaming. I was almost in tears and I'm just so happy for our guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Thank God. That is relief, isn't it, I think, right?

WALKER: It is relief.

RIDDELL: So, they're in a four-game road trip in Houston and a nice way to start the New Year with a streak.

WALKER: A win is a win and they got a little bit of a lift that they needed, right? Why not?

Tom Riddell, good to see you. Happy New Year.

RIDDELL: Yes, same to you.

WALKER: Thanks for coming in.

Let's check in now back in with Abu Dhabi, just minutes away, less than 15 minutes away from welcoming the New Year. They are hosting a one-hour elaborate fireworks and drone display and they're hoping to break four Guinness World records. More than 5,000 drones are planned to hover over the festivities and I'm sure they'll make some really incredible formations and great music out there.

We'll be right back. We'll be watching this for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:52:40]

WALKER: From a daring prison escape and massive manhunt to an arrest in a decade-old serial killing case, 2023 was full of high profile crime and justice stories.

CNN's Jean Casarez takes a look back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hundreds dead in mass shootings, cold case arrests and murderers on the run, all part of the top-10 crime and justice stories from communities around the country in 2023.

Number 10, a young girl kidnapped and found alive.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: They have found her and we are told she's in good health.

CASAREZ (voice-over): The Upstate New York elementary school student on a camping trip with her family, taken while riding her bicycle at the campground.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (R) NEW YORK: We are leaving no stone, no branch, no table, no cabin unturned.

CASAREZ: Fingerprints on a ransom note left in her family's mailbox led to her and the arrest of 46-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr. He has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and other charges.

Number nine, a daring escape leads to a weeks-long manhunt.

Thirty-four-year-old convicted murderer, Danilo Cavalcante, got out of his Pennsylvania prison by climbing sideways up the walls in the exercise yard.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: I want to reiterate this man is very dangerous.

CASAREZ: Hundreds of law enforcement searched by land and by air while local communities lived in fear.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Danilo Cavalcante now armed but still on the loose.

CASAREZ: Cavalcante on the run, spotted on trail cameras and allegedly breaking into homes before being captured and returned to prison.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our nightmare is finally over and the good guys won.

CASAREZ: He now faces 20 new charges.

Number eight, a 17-year-old Las Vegas high school student beaten to death by his classmates.

Authorities call it senseless. Ten students against one? This video is very graphic.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: What you see in the video, though, is approximately 10 subjects kicking, stomping, and punching.

[14:55:1]

CASAREZ: Police think it started as an afterschool fight over stolen headphones.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: He is on the ground not defending himself until the point where he becomes unconscious.

CASAREZ: Eight students arrested, ranging in age from 13 to 17, facing murder charges.

Number seven, an arrest.

After more than a decade, unsolved killings on Long Island, New York. Nearly a dozen sets of remains found, including four on Gilgo Beach. Authorities long suspected a serial killer. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us.

CASAREZ: Heuermann is facing multiple murder counts involving three women. He has pleaded not guilty.

Number six, a confession in the death of Natalee Holloway.

Eighteen years after she disappeared on a high school graduation trip to Aruba, the prime suspect in her death, Joran Van Der Sloot, admits to killing her.

Van Der Sloot flown by FBI agents to Holloway's home state of Alabama to face federal extortion and wire fraud charges.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Despite their grief, the Holloway family kept fighting for justice for Natalee.

CASAREZ: Van Der Sloot pleaded guilty, sentenced to 20 years for his financial crimes. He will serve his sentence while back in Peru where he is already serving a murder sentence for killing a Peruvian woman.

BETH HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: It's been a very long and painful journey but we finally got the answers we've been searching for, for all these years.

CASAREZ: Number five, an arrest in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.

(MUSIC)

CASAREZ: The prominent rapper was shot while leaving a boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and died six days later.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: For 27 years, the family of Tupac Shakur has been waiting for justice.

CASAREZ: Duane Keith Davis, AKA, Keffe D., arrested. He is not accused of pulling the trigger but handing the gun to someone else.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals.

CASAREZ: Police say Shakur had been in a feud with Davis and a gang he was affiliated with. Police say no other suspects in the shooting are still alive. Davis pleaded not guilty.

Number four, from billionaire cryptocurrency whiz kid to convicted felon.

Thirty-one-year-old Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty in November of stealing billions of dollars from customers of this crypto exchange company, FTX.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This kind of fraud, this kind of corruption is as old as time.

CASAREZ: Before the company imploded, Bankman-Fried lived the high life. He could go to prison for life when sentenced. His lawyer says he maintains his innocence.

Number three, a disgraced attorney, descendant of Southern prestige, found guilty of murdering his wife and son.

Alex Murdaugh practicing law in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Wealthy, a beautiful family, but secretly stealing clients' settlements and plotting the murder and cover-up of those he should have loved the most.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't bring them back but we can bring them justice.

CASAREZ: He has filed a motion for a new trial.

Number two, Tyre Nichols violently beaten by police.

Caught on camera, the 29-year-old repeatedly kicked by five Memphis police officers after a traffic stop and short foot chase. He died three days later. His death ruled a homicide.

ROWVAUGN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS MOTHER: I know I'll never see him again but we have to start this process of justice right now.

CASAREZ: The five officers were charged in state and federal court. All initially pleaded not guilty. However, one later agreed to a plea deal.

Number one, mass shootings kill hundreds of Americans.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So much loss in this community.

CASAREZ: From the Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting where 18 were killed in a bowling alley and a restaurant --

WALKER: There is such a deep sadness here.

CASAREZ: -- to the Covenant school in Nashville where three children and three adults died.

(GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an active shooter in our building.

CASAREZ: A bank employee in Louisville killing five of his colleagues.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clearly, this community completely shaken.

CASAREZ: And Asian-Americans celebrating Lunar New Year in January. Eleven shot dead.

Twenty twenty-three was a year of more than 600 mass shootings in this country, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for being with me on this New Year's Eve. I'm Amara Walker, in for Fredricka Whitfield.