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Syrian President Assad Nowhere To Be Found In Damascus; Notre Dame Reopens With High-Profile Guests, Tight Security; Police Pore Over Clues In Manhunt For Suspected CEO Shooter; Killing Of Insurance CEO Reveals Resentment About Health Care System; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Delivers Remarks In California; FBI Issues Warning Over Holiday Cyber Scams; Jamie Foxx Reveals New Details Of Near-Death Experience. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 07, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's according to five U.S. officials who spoke with CNN.

Now if American analysis proves to be true, that will be a spectacularly fast fall from power for the Syrian dictator after a 14- year war that has remained relatively stagnant until this last week. Now U.S. officials caution that there is no formal assessment being shared and that opinions vary. But one senior U.S. official tells our team, quote, "The emerging consensus is that is an increasingly plausible scenario."

Now leading the rebel advance in Syria is a group called HTS, a group defined as a terrorist organization by the United States. In an interview with CNN last weekend, National Security adviser Jake Sullivan, excuse me, emphasized just how complicated the situation is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: So we have real concerns about the designs and objectives of that organization. At the same time, of course, we don't cry over the fact that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, you know, are facing certain kinds of pressure. So it's a complicated situation. It's one we are monitoring closely. And we are staying in close touch with regional partners about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: One U.S. official says that the Pentagon, which has about 900 troops in Syria, is not changing force posture at this time. Instead watching how things play out and taking additional force protection measures -- Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Julia, thank you very much for that update.

CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is with us now.

So, Nic, what do we know about the whereabouts of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, what we know

is that the rebels have been heading towards the capital as we know. And in fact, we just looked at some video, we're trying to verify it, that would show them sort of on the northern perimeter, but we also know they've been coming in from the southern perimeter.

This is the very obvious forces that everyone will see on the road. Big convoys, gunmen, clearly troops on the move. What people will have been less well aware of other elements that the rebels have deployed to get an assessment of what's going on inside the capital and the feedback from them has been they are not able to locate Assad at the places that they would normally expect him to be at.

They're not getting an indication that he's there. They don't know where he is. They continue to search for him. They have made -- getting to the capital, taking the capital, deposing Assad one of their aims. But at the moment, their forces still seem to be on the outskirts of the capital, although people within the capital are reacting, some residents are worried about the security situation that they're going to get into. Others are lighting fireworks in some of the suburbs of Damascus.

Damascus, I have to say, and I spent -- have been there many times, is a very, very large city with major highways that run in and out of the capital. But it's that very central bit that the rebels are going to be focusing on, the old city, the presidential palace. A lot of the key government buildings and ministries right in the center of the city, the principal police stations, all of those locations are where they'll be aiming to get to.

The whereabouts of Assad, though, obviously a key goal for them to figure out. Is he in the capital? Is he in the country? Has he fled? If so, who's harboring him?

CAMEROTA: Nic, the fact that rebels have gotten so close to Damascus and as you say, are on the northern and southern perimeter, what does this tell us about Russia and Iran that had been helping Assad?

ROBERTSON: Yes, it shows that they're weak. And look, we know that Iran has been specifically weakened for its support of Hezbollah, its principal proxy in Lebanon. The supply lines from Iran run through Syria, connecting it to Lebanon. Israeli fighter jets have been targeting those Hezbollah supply routes. The Hezbollah-Iranian communications, senior staff members.

So Hezbollah's ability and Iran's ability to support Assad has been diminished because it's been heavily targeted over the past year or so. And principally, really heavily targeted in the past few months. But I think this says more about President Putin's role in the region. We go back to 2011 and the so-called Arab Spring and the Russians were right out there front of camera. The foreign minister, I remember him saying we stand by our allies in the region.

And it was a strong message for Assad. And they really stood by him, and they really stepped up and sent him all the military support he needed to keep himself in power about eight or 10 years ago. But what's happened now is Russia is heavily engaged in Ukraine. It clearly doesn't have the same level of firepower that it can deploy in Syria.

[15:05:03]

And that really throws into question Russia's whole Middle East policy and plan where they for a while had looked really, as the United States was downsizing in the region, Russia had come in and was filling a vacuum and was looking powerful. Now that is not at all the picture. Russia now appears to be effectively, particularly if Assad is out of power, pulling out from one of its principal places where it has a major stake in the Middle East.

CAMEROTA: If Assad is overthrown, and I know that's a big if, what happens next in Syria?

ROBERTSON: Yes. Look, obviously it's military forces doing the talking on the ground right now. Diplomacy has not caught up with the ground reality. So this is going to be a scenario where the military and here it's the rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, that will be holding the ground principally in Damascus, in other cities, along with other groupings.

It's clear their leader, Jolani, has been increasing his alliances with smaller and different rebel groups. Obviously, the test comes when his group, under his leadership, has principal control over principal parts of the country, and how does that work with the other groups and what happens from there. But it does look like there will be a situation where his military has principal sway with the help of others, and there will be a period where a new political dispensation has to be found.

And then the question is, what happens to Jolani's HTS group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, after that?

CAMEROTA: What a moment. Nic Robertson, thank you very much for bringing us up to speed.

All right. Now to Paris where the long awaited grand reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral continues at this hour.

President-elect Trump is among the global leaders and dignitaries attending this celebratory event. Earlier today, Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace.

Today triumphant -- this triumphant reopening comes more than five years after the iconic cathedral was nearly destroyed by this devastating fire.

We have a team of correspondents covering these developments. Alayna Treene is in Washington, D.C. but let's begin with Melissa Bell outside of Notre Dame in Paris.

So, Melissa, this Medieval church has stood in Paris for more than 800 years. What does it mean today to France to have it reopen? MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think

speaking to what it means to French people are the number of people who are out here tonight braving the elements which are really not in our favor. Thousands of people lining the banks of the River Seine. You can hear there the bells of Notre Dame ringing again.

We just watched the Archbishop of Paris leading the procession out of Notre Dame after thanking the dignitaries on the front row including President-elect Donald Trump and President Macron, his wife Brigitte, and a number of others before he made his way out.

After this very moving ceremony, moving not just to the world's Catholics, of course, Alisyn, not just to the French and the Parisians who've come out here tonight to pay to be here on this historic occasion. But of course, to people around the world. And what we saw at one point were the words thank you emblazoned in lights on the front of the cathedral in many different languages, because the outpouring of love, support, money that we've seen in the course of that five years is what's allowed for this restoration exactly as it was, only better.

One of the main architects involved in this earlier pointed out that it wasn't really taking it back to five years ago before the fire when you look at the restoration and the quality of it, you were really going back to the 19th century when the spire was built. The church, the cathedral had been redone, cleaned and once again the inside is shining as it was. So a really powerful moment here in Paris and for those outside the cathedral braving the elements and inside who've heard not just those bells pealing, but what we just heard a moment ago the organ player furiously accompanying that procession with the sound of that organ once again restored to its former glory -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: It's just incredible. The sounds, the sights, all of it really bring goosebumps.

OK, let me bring in Alayna now in the nation's capital.

So, Alayna, this event that we've been watching, this marks President- elect Trump's return basically to the world stage ahead of his inauguration. And so was President Biden invited to this as well? I mean, it is a little unorthodox to see a future president with all of the world leaders rather than the current U.S. president.

[15:10:04]

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. And we're also seeing Donald Trump engage in these different bilateral, trilateral meetings. That only adds to that point. Yes, President Joe Biden was invited. First Lady Jill Biden is there. The president is not. But she is representing the United States from -- and the White House from her point of view.

Donald Trump, though, of course, still president-elect, is really, you know, coming back into this and allowing this event to be his return to the global stage and we also saw the pageantry that kind of accompanies that. One, I would argue, especially when we saw him pull up to the Elysee Palace to meet with President Macron, he essentially was greeted in the way that you would almost see a sitting president be greeted.

A lot of the pomp and circumstance that comes with that, something I know that Donald Trump and his team was expecting and is very much pleased with, from what the reaction I've been getting in the hours since. But look, I also want to just talk about directly some of the meetings that he's having because, again, this is a big moment for Donald Trump. It's his first overseas trip since winning the election on November 5th, and the first time he is in person meeting with a lot of these foreign leaders who some of whom he had worked with before, including Macron, others that he has not.

I've learned, I just recently learned that Donald Trump later today is going to actually be meeting with the prime minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, on the sidelines of this broader reception that Macron is holding for all of the, you know, some 50 heads of state that have gathered there for this reopening of the cathedral.

I also am told that, you know, there's going to be a lot of leaders there. He's probably expected to mingle with them, but he is going to have a private meeting directly with Meloni. Interesting because of course she has been the leader of the Conservative Party, kind of stabilize that party over the last couple of years, and many people have almost seen her as someone who could kind of work with Donald Trump, given they have some like-minded views about the broader, you know, state of European affairs.

Of course, one of the biggest things that we saw today was that meeting between Donald Trump, Macron and Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine. A lot of questions have really been, you know, circling over what Donald Trump is going to do about the war between Ukraine and Russia. Is he going to withdraw some of the aid that we've seen the United States sending? Is he going to try and end the war swiftly as he said? But what does that mean for what Ukraine may have to give up?

So a lot of these questions that we're still waiting to hear some of the answers to -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK. Alayna Treene, thank you for all of that new reporting.

Well, the search for the suspect who shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare gets bigger. Now police in New York are examining a backpack that they found in Central Park. We have the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:25]

CAMEROTA: More now on our developing story out of New York about the manhunt. Investigators are working to name and locate the man seen here, suspected of killing a health insurance CEO on Wednesday. Officials say they have a lot of evidence to go on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOSEPH KENNY, NYPD CHIEF OF DETECTIVES: This isn't "Blue Bloods." We're not going to solve this in 60 minutes. We're painstakingly going through every bit of evidence that we can come across eventually, when an apprehension is made. We will have to present all these facts to a judge and jury. So we're taking our time. We're doing it right. We're making sure we're going to get justice for this victim and closure for his family..

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: CNN national correspondent Gloria Pazmino joins us now live.

Gloria, what are officials saying at this hour?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Alisyn, it's so interesting to hear the chief of detectives describe how they're going through the evidence and remind all of us that as much as it looked like a scene out of a movie, this is not going to get solved as fast as it does in the movies.

They are combing not only through a lot of evidence, but hundreds of hours of video surveillance they have gotten not just from this bus station here behind me, which is where police now believe the suspect left New York City from but also all of the other streets and areas that he covered while he was making his getaway and also from the moment he arrived here in New York City.

Now we know that from the time that he opened fire and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, to the time that he got right here to this bus terminal, it only took him less than an hour. He moved remarkably fast. It certainly seems to suggest that maybe he might have practiced just how to do that at that time of day.

Another interesting thing we have learned from the chief of detectives is that while they have video of the suspect entering this bus station, it's not clear to us just yet whether or not they have video of the suspect getting on a bus. And another thing he said is that you can easily get on a bus here. You can go inside, you can buy a ticket with cash.

There's not a whole lot of information you have to provide, and while some bus have the manifest, you can just say that you are John Doe and that you're getting on the bus without really many questions being asked.

Now, Alisyn, we took a walk inside this bus terminal, and it's not very special. There's not a whole lot to it, but you can certainly see that every corner of this terminal is covered by a surveillance camera.

[15:20:04]

Those cameras are controlled by the Port Authority. That's the agency that's in charge of operating this bus terminal. And we know that Port Authority police are working with the NYPD. But again, it's hours upon hours of video evidence. They don't know if the person changed. They don't know if he has a different outfit on. They have to make sure that they're combing through every single second.

Now let's talk about some of the evidence we know they do have. We know they recovered a backpack in Central Park. That is being processed by the crime lab of the NYPD. We also know that they're tracking down DNA evidence that was picked up on a water bottle that the suspect purchased at a Starbucks near the crime scene, and that he left behind. The murder weapon, the bicycle, and of course the identity remain a mystery in this investigation.

And lastly, Alisyn, we know that they have that photo where the suspect briefly brings down his mask and shows his full face. For now, the NYPD has said that there is no indication that the CEO and the shooter had any sort of prior interaction, or that the shooting was related in any way to Brian Thompson's life. That's what the NYPD is telling us as of now.

Also very important, Alisyn, two people briefed on the investigation do tell us they believe NYPD investigators are getting closer to possibly identifying a name. That, of course, would be the most significant piece of information in this investigation so far -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: That would go a long way, I'm sure, towards capturing him.

Gloria Pazmino, thank you very much for all of the latest.

Police need your help. If you have any info you can reach out to the New York Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-T-I-P-S. That's 800-577-TIPS. And you can also be anonymous.

Well, the killing of that CEO of one of the largest health insurance companies in the country has sparked a flurry of pent-up anger against the healthcare system. Many people online making light of the murder.

CNN's Jason Carroll looks at what's fueling this vitriol.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soon after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson came the somewhat unexpected, a flood of social media posts like these.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I vividly remember being on the phone with UnitedHealthcare for days and days, nine months pregnant, about to give birth alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a terrible, stressful, mad scramble. We appealed, of course, to UnitedHealthcare and they denied the appeal within one day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're wondering. I'm just saying, my thoughts and prayers were also denied. I don't give (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

CARROLL: Thompson's death has not only opened the door for people to share their pain about how they say they were unfairly treated by UnitedHealthcare, it has also unleashed a torrent of vitriol against the entire healthcare industry.

X posts like these are some of the tamer versions of what's out there. "Today, we mourn the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down. Wait, I'm sorry. Today, we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires."

Then there's UnitedHealthcare Group's Facebook post about Thompson, who was a husband and father of two. It reads, in part, "We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him." So far, that statement has received more than 90,000 laugh emojis.

No laughing matter to security experts like Philip Klein.

PHILIP KLEIN, PRESIDENT, CEO, KLEIN INVESTIGATIONS AND CONSULTING: There's now a widow and two orphaned children out there. They don't have a father now and we all need to remember that.

CARROLL: Klein provided security to Thompson in the early 2000s, and he has grave concerns about what he's seeing now.

KLEIN: This has sent a ripple through the corporate executive world about security and the security of their employees.

ERIN BRADSHAW, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, PATIENT ADVOCATE FOUNDATION: I am surprised of the backlash just because it's such a really sad situation that has occurred.

CARROLL: Erin Bradshaw has some insight into the current climate among patients and insurance carriers. She's an executive vice president at the Patient Advocate Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving healthcare access.

BRADSHAW: It's an exhausting process, you know. And on top of already being sick, injured or disabled, when they are running into a challenge with getting access to prescribed care through their insurer, it just -- it complicates it and creates multiple layers of frustration.

[15:25:08]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfortunately, sympathy requires a prior authorization, and I have to deny that request.

CARROLL: As frustration simmer online with dark comments such as, may the shooter never be found, my thoughts and deductibles go to the family, a new Gallup poll found just 44 percent of adults say the quality of U.S. healthcare is excellent or good, the smallest share since Gallup's tracking started in 2001.

(On-camera): So some shocking comments there. Also, comments from people who are clearly frustrated. The security expert that you heard from in the piece just wanted to emphasize that much of this backlash, many of these comments are insensitive and downright irresponsible. We did reach out to UnitedHealthcare to get more of their perspective

on this particular issue. They did not get back to us, but CNN has learned that UnitedHealthcare has increased its security measures at facilities around the country.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: And we will hear more about the manhunt with a former FBI special agent next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:38]

CAMEROTA: At this hour Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is attending a Peace Through Strength award ceremony in California at the Reagan National Defense Forum. These are Austin's final weeks as Pentagon chief.

CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now.

Oren, what do we expect Secretary Austin to say?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is his fourth time coming to the Reagan National Defense Forum here as the secretary of Defense. And it's worth noting that especially over the course of the last couple of weeks he has almost been a bit reflective looking back on his four years as Defense secretary as that time comes to a close. And I think very much we can expect some more of the same.

And that means highlighting some of the accomplishments we have seen from the Pentagon and from the Biden administration. They have really put a focus on, for example, the Indo-Pacific so I think we can expect to see him talk about the growing partnerships with Japan, South Korea Australia, the Philippines and others. That's been a big focus of his. He actually heads over to the Indo-Pacific right after his stop here.

I believe they fly out tonight but that's not all of it. He'll talk about the efforts or is expected, I would think, to talk about the efforts that the Biden administration has made when it comes to not only trying to get to a ceasefire when it comes to Gaza and Lebanon, but the aid that has gone to Israel. But I suspect a big part of his speech will be focusing on Ukraine. First, why Ukraine is so important not only from a U.S. perspective, but also from an international perspective.

We saw a lot of his speech last week at West Point talk about the importance of the countries that have come together, NATO and other countries, to support Ukraine. And crucially, why it matters for U.S. national security.

It's worth noting that here at the Reagan Forum, the other person receiving that award is senator Mitch McConnell, and although there might be a party difference there, when it comes to Ukraine, there is very much a policy alignment. So we'll see if he references how similarly he and Senator Mitch McConnell think about when it comes to arming and aiding Ukraine against Russia and why that war doesn't simply end within the borders of Ukraine.

I mentioned he's also been a bit reflective in terms of what he has done and his priorities. In his last speech at West Point he talked about the importance of women in the military, even sharing sort of a personal story from his own time when he served overseas in Iraq. Now that without naming the Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth seemed to very much get at his questioning the value of women in the military.

And there Austin kind of put his foot down and said they are incredibly valuable. They are incredibly important. And it would be foolish not to have them as part of the team. It will be interesting to see if he goes that direction or another direction again. Again, these are his closing weeks as the secretary of Defense, and in doing so he's looking not only at the past four years, but also, I think, trying to make sure there's not only a peaceful transition, but showing what the priorities have been as you look into the future.

CAMEROTA: OK. Oren Liebermann, thank you very much for that reporting.

More now on our top story. The FBI is asking for the public's help in identifying the man suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They released this poster and they are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. You can see there there's also a Crimestoppers tip line that you can call anonymously.

Let's bring in criminal justice professor and former FBI special agent Ken Gray.

Ken, great to have you. So police have the surveillance photo. We've seen the pictures. They've reportedly have fingerprints. They reportedly have a water bottle that might contain DNA evidence. Is it likely that by now they do know his name and identity but they just haven't shared it yet?

KEN GRAY, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, NYPD has not said that, his name yet, but there's a good possibility that they have identified him but have not verified that identification. And that might be the holdup. Additionally, with all the coverage here of it, showing his picture, it's quite possible that somebody has called in the tips line and said, I know this guy. This guy is such and such and so they have to verify that kind of information also.

But you're absolutely right that there's a lot of forensic evidence right now that if he's in the database, either the CODIS database with the DNA, which takes a couple of days to get processed, but the fingerprint database takes just hours to be able to go through all the fingerprints on file with the FBI. And if he's in that database, they're going to have an identity of him quickly.

[15:35:05] CAMEROTA: And also, these pictures are excellent. These pictures, I mean, the full, you know, facial recognition that we can see here, that's so much better than so many other surveillance photos that have helped capture suspects in the past.

What do your instincts tell you about this suspect?

GRAY: So you're absolutely right that the photographs of him inside the youth hostel was a remarkably good photograph of him. However, it's not straight on, so facial recognition software will not work with that without it being straight on like a driver's license photo. But nonetheless, as to what this guy is all about it's hard to say at this point. I mean there are things about this operation that makes it look like he really practiced this.

The fact that he was able to get to that location, be there in time, shoot Thompson and then get to his bike and get out of there, and be on a bus out of the area, out of New York City as quickly as he did, that shows that he practiced this, that he knew what he was doing as far as his exit route from the area. But at the same time, you know, there are still mistakes he made. He made the mistake of going into the Starbucks and leaving his forensic evidence behind there with the DNA, with the fingerprints.

He was inside the youth hostel and despite the fact that he had his mask on most of the time, he still had his hands on things there which left more fingerprints. And so, is this guy a professional assassin? I don't think so. But is this a person who really thought this through? I think that that's definitely the case.

CAMEROTA: It also seems as though he knew where to find Thompson at what time, which suggests that there might have been a dry run or, I mean, it's hard to -- sometimes it's hard to exactly time somebody precisely coming out of a hotel and finding them at that moment, which also doesn't seem like an amateur.

What about the motive? Do you think that it's, as people suspect, because they found the words delay and deny on those bullet casings?

GRAY: So that might be him sending a message that saying why it was that he shot him. But at the same time, it could be a diversion to try to take it away from the real reason behind it. So until he's caught we won't actually know the purpose of those words.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Professor Ken Gray, thank you very much for your expertise.

GRAY: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: A warning from the FBI, shopping and shipping scams are ruining the holidays for some people. How to protect yourself. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:42:24] CAMEROTA: The holidays are a time of giving, but the FBI warns they're also a time of taking, particularly in the form of cyber scams, which robbed people out of almost half a billion dollars last year.

Bree Fowler is a senior writer for CNET. She has a new piece on ways to keep yourself safe from holiday scammers.

But before we get to that, Bri, how to protect yourself, explain what a couple of the main scams are. Let's start with nonpayment and non- delivery scams.

BREE FOWLER, SENIOR CYBERSECURITY REPORTER, CNET: Well, non-delivery scams are when you order something and it never comes. Nonpayment scams are when you try to sell something and you don't get paid for it. This time of year there are so many scams out there. Definitely be wary of any unsolicited e-mails, texts, or social media postings.

CAMEROTA: Are there e-mails scams that are more frequent this time of year?

FOWLER: You know, definitely one of the biggest ones we see every year are the fake delivery notifications. You know, it looks like it's coming from FedEx or UPS or it might be, you know, saying it's from Amazon and your package has been delayed. Usually there's a link in there. They want you to click on it. They want you to enter information, sometimes send money. Don't do it.

CAMEROTA: In terms of the ones that we have up, the nonpayment that you just addressed, how do you protect yourself for that? Somebody promises you they're going to pay you for the goods you're sending.

FOWLER: You know, you definitely need to know who you're dealing with. Anytime you try to sell something online, you need to go through a legitimate platform. Make sure that you're dealing with a legitimate person. Get your money up front.

CAMEROTA: What about older people? You know, I think that, I mean, I get these, like you say, these delivery scams and it's just I'm tricked. I mean, I'm not fully tricked. I'm suspicious so I click on the sender line, and then it looks like some sort of gobbledygook, you know, of numbers. Then I go, OK, it's a scam, but I can easily see how people who don't do that second follow up could, you know, easily be duped of some money. And so how do we help, you know, particularly our older relatives?

FOWLER: You know, older people do, you know, get singled out for these kinds of scams and they do fall victim to them. But honestly this is a problem that affects people of all ages. I have a teenage daughter. She shops online, too, and she clicks on things before she thinks so, you know, just because you're younger and you think you're tech savvy doesn't mean that you're safe from this kind of stuff.

[15:45:00]

CAMEROTA: That's such a great point because I have two teenage daughters, and sometimes they pay for things from strange Web sites that never show up strangely.

If you do get scammed, what do you do?

FOWLER: You know, you can call local law enforcement. You can call the FBI or the FTC. There are resources out there to help you. You know, sometimes there's not a lot that they can do, but it's good to report this kind of stuff so the data is there. So, you know, they know what it -- what the problems are and what to look out for but, you know, the best thing is just to be prepared and make sure you keep yourself safe in the first place.

CAMEROTA: Can your credit card help you with things like this? If you buy something on your credit card, will they fight this fight for you?

FOWLER: Yes, this is one of my biggest tips. You need to, you know, use credit cards as much as possible. You know, get those points if nothing else. You as a consumer are not on the hook for fraudulent charges. If there is a fake charge, if there's something that looks shady, report it. Your credit card company, your bank, they're going to kick that money back to you almost immediately.

CAMEROTA: That is comforting. All right. So be hyper vigilant this holiday season.

Bree Fowler, thank you.

FOWLER: Thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: Well, it was a mysterious medical emergency and now Jamie Foxx is finally revealing details about the health scare that almost took his life.

And before we go, a programing note, it's a special night that is so good for your soul. Don't miss "CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE." Celebrate the life-changing achievements of the honorees and find out who will be named the CNN Hero of the Year. You can join Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates for "CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" tomorrow night at 8:00 only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:42]

CAMEROTA: All right. We have just gotten some new video into our newsroom. This is President-elect Trump meeting with Prince William. They are in Paris. This is the first moment that they are meeting. There you see them shaking hands there. Yes, Prince William, I'm adjusting to the facial hair and he looks a little thinner than I think we last saw him. President-elect Trump saying a few words there to the press and now you're about to see them taking their seat in a grand room here.

I'm not sure, it's the Elysee Palace. And this is a photo op for them. We've been waiting for this today because President-elect Trump has been meeting with several world leaders including President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and, of course, President Macron of France. And this is the meeting with Prince William.

OK, meanwhile, after months of silence and mystery surrounding his health, actor Jamie Foxx is now talking about that episode that left him near death in the hospital. Last year Foxx suffered a sudden medical scare, and he's now sharing details in this new Netflix special.

CNN entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: First of all, I want to say thank you to everybody that's prayed and sent me messages.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Jamie Foxx speaking to his fans last year three months after he collapsed while filming a movie in Atlanta.

FOXX: And I know a lot of people were waiting, you know, or wanting to hear updates, but to be honest with you, I just didn't want you to see me like that, man.

WAGMEISTER: But now --

FOXX: What had happened was --

WAGMEISTER: -- Foxx is ready to tell all in a Netflix standup special out Tuesday.

FOXX: I'm so glad to be here.

WAGMEISTER: Where he shares new details on his mystery hospitalization in 2023, which CNN has now learned was a near-death experience.

DEMECOS CHAMBERS, ATTENDED FOXX SPECIAL: He was talking to somebody personal to him and then he just passed out on an elevator.

WAGMEISTER: Demecos Chambers is a longtime Foxx fan. He was in the audience for the Netflix taping in Atlanta back in October, the first time Foxx has spoken about his unknown condition since this brief clip surfaced on social media last summer.

FOXX: Bad headache, asked my boy for an Advil. I was gone for 20 days.

CHAMBERS: Jamie didn't know, but actually his health was declining greatly while he was in the hospital. Like he was literally on the brink of death.

WAGMEISTER: Cambers says Foxx explains how one of his daughters unknowingly kept him alive playing their special song on a guitar as he was in a coma. It's the sound he woke up to weeks later.

CHAMBERS: His heart started picking up and his responses on the medical devices started increasing and his health came around. He eventually woke up. He was literally due to his daughter playing a song that was kindled to them -- kindred to them both. WAGMEISTER: Chambers says Foxx seems strong on stage, not just

speaking, but singing and dancing and playing the piano. And of course joking that he woke up from his coma with a beard, looking like Django, one of his most famous roles.

FOXX: Just like old times, baby. Just like old times.

[15:55:00]

WAGMEISTER: Foxx was filming the aptly titled "Back in Action" with Cameron Diaz at the time of his medical emergency. That movie is now complete and comes out on Netflix next month. For Chambers, though, it's his up-close and personal moment with Fox that will mean the most.

CHAMBERS: I just wanted to see Jamie. I just wanted to see my -- the guy that I grew up off of perform on stage. It takes a lot to move me and that moved me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: And Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you for that reporting.

And thanks, everyone, for joining me today. I'm Alisyn Camerota. I'll see you back here tomorrow. NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean after this very quick break.

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