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U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Pass Government Funding Bill to Avert Federal Government Shutdown; President-Elect Trump Disappointed No Debt Ceiling Increase Included in Funding Bill; Record Number of Holiday Travelers Expected to Hit Roads and Airports in U.S.; Five People Killed in Christmas Market Attack in German City of Magdeburg; California Governor Gavin Newsom Declare State of Emergency Due to Bird Flu Sickening State's Dairy Cows; Public Health Expert Assesses Threat of Bird Flu to Human Population in U.S. Minimal; NASA Announces Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Remain on International Space Station Until March, 2025; College Football Playoff Seasons Kick Off at Campuses Around U.S. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 21, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:26]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Major new developments today in Washington where today President Biden signed a stopgap government funding bill averting a U.S. government shutdown right before the holidays. Just after midnight, the U.S. Senate passed the measure, keeping the government funded through mid-March. Their colleagues in the U.S. House passing the bill just a few hours prior following a week of up and down negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, President-Elect Trump Donald Trump.

CNN's Julia Benbrook and Steve Contorno are watching the latest developments. Julia, at the White House there, the spending plan passed with overwhelming support in both the House and Senate. But it took a while getting there. What's the reaction from the White House?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No doubt a chaotic week here in Washington. And this time yesterday, it was still unclear if congressional leaders would be able to come to an agreement and then get a spending bill to President Joe Biden's desk ahead of the holidays. But as you mentioned, Biden has signed that bill into law, and he is calling it a good news for the American people. In a statement, he went on to say, quote, "This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity."

This solution comes after a lot of back and forth. Earlier in the week, President-elect Donald Trump came out against the initial bipartisan deal, and in response to that opposition, House Republicans tanked that deal, frustrating Democrats on the Hill and here at the White House.

Now, the GOP-led House then brought a Trump backed measure. They tried and failed to pass that. It included a two-year suspension of the debt limit. That was something that Trump was pushing for, but it received pushback from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with Democrats saying that it would make it easier for Trump to pass his tax plan in the future.

So what ended up in this bill that Biden signed just a few hours ago? It's going to extend government funding until mid-March, March 14th, to be exact. It also includes $100 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion for farm aid. It does not include a suspension of the debt limit.

Now, the Republican, the House Speaker Mike Johnson, and then the minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, are both calling this agreement a win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) HOUSE SPEAKER: I was in constant contact with President Trump throughout this process, spoke with him most recently about 45 minutes ago. He knew exactly what we were doing and why. And this is a good outcome for the country. I think he certainly is happy about this outcome as well.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES, (D-NY) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working class Americans all across the land.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: In the new year, Republicans will hold a trifecta with control of the White House, the Senate, and the House. But the outcome of this funding fight may give us a glimpse into some of the challenges they'll face as they try to enact Trumps agenda. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much.

Steve Contorno in south Florida now. So does President-elect Trump agree with Biden that it's good news?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, Trump really wanted a key victory to come out of this this funding of the government bill. He wanted the Republicans in the House to go along with a plan to push off a debt ceiling limit vote beyond 2025. In fact, he at one point floated the idea of getting rid of it entirely. And he had threatened lawmakers who didn't go along with his plan with a primary. Just take a look at this post on social media, one of several in recent days calling for this debt limit to be -- threat to be eliminated. He didn't want this to dog negotiations over the budget in the early days of his administration.

And ultimately, 38 Republicans voted against a bill that would have funded the government and pushed off the debt limit negotiations to 2027. And then yesterday, 170 House Republicans voting for a clean, continuing resolution that had no mention of the debt limit in it whatsoever. Now Trump, frustrated by this, but ultimately, after talking with lawmakers, was resigned that this would be the outcome.

[14:05:03]

And he's not the only one trying to find a silver lining in yesterday's results. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who has been close to Trump and also one of his coconspirators in trying to scuttle this deal, on Wednesday, he posted on social media, quote, "No bills should be passed by Congress until January 20th when Donald Trump takes office." But fast forward to Friday after this vote in the House, Elon Musk wrote, "The speaker did a good job here given the circumstances. It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces." So that was clearly the victory that he saw in it, getting it from this massive spending bill down to a much smaller bill for Americans to digest, though many Republicans on Capitol Hill, Fred, noting that he didn't accomplish the key goal, which was actually bringing down spending along with the size of the legislation.

WHITFIELD: All right, Steve Contorno and Julia Benbrook, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

All right, now to the unprecedented number of travelers hitting the nation's roads and airports this holiday season. AAA predicts nearly 120 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home to their destination between today and New Year's Day, making it the busiest yearend travel season on record. And now that the threat of a government shutdown is out of the mix, TSA agents can count on their paychecks while screening nearly 40 million passengers.

And with winter officially underway now, Mother Nature threatens to take some of the joy out of the holiday travel over the next few days for some folks. We're keeping an eye on the latest traffic and weather conditions.

So let's get started with CNN national correspondent Gloria Pazmino live at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Gloria, what are folks saying to you?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, first of all, making sure that you're getting a paycheck while you're getting paid is welcome news for anybody, especially these TSA airport workers who have been here all day and have to be here all day, often in the face of a potential government shutdown because they are usually deemed essential employees. So it's very good news that we do not have a shutdown and that people here will be getting paid because they are going to be having to process and deal with lots of passengers, some of whom might be a little bit stressed and anxious about their destination and getting to wherever they're going. So that is a good thing.

Now let's talk about the numbers. As you mentioned, it is expected to be a record-breaking year, 119 million Americans expected to travel during this holiday period as we head into Christmas and the end of the year. That is a significantly larger number than last year, 3 million more travelers this year than compared to the prior year. And it's surpassing the 2019 record by 64,000 travelers.

So while we are expecting big numbers, we are seeing just things here, to be honest with you, running pretty smoothly. People have been patient. They tell me that even when their flights are a little bit delayed, it just means that they have more time and less of a reason to be stressed. So people are not quite pulling their hair out just yet.

It is still a day, a few days before Christmas, so people are keeping calm and for now, very good spirits here at the airport. Listen to some of the travelers I've spoken to today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHERINE AUSTIN, FLYING TO FLORIDA: The flight is a little delayed, so I feel like we have a little extra time to get through everything, less stress. I know some people would be more stressed, but I'm happy with the extra time.

LUCY, FLYING TO MIAMI: Well, we're going to see our grandma, and we're going to go swimming. And I'm hoping I can find a shark tooth at the beach.

BRAD BEYER, FLYING TO NORTH CAROLINA: So if something goes wrong on the road, pray tell, nobody gets hurt and all that stuff, by the time you get there, you're done. I mean, we're not 24 anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

PAZMINO: And actually, to that gentleman's last point, Fred, the vast majority of Americans are actually choosing to get on the road, 107 million people expected to get behind the wheel of their car to get to wherever they are going to spend the holidays with their families and their loved ones. So many people are flying, about 7 million or so, but many millions more are going to be driving. So be safe and be kind while you're on the roads out there, which can get kind of stressful and anxious, especially if you're stuck in traffic. You still have time. Plenty of time before Christmas to get to wherever you're going. Fred?

WHITFIELD: So true. All right, safe travels to everybody. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin is with us now. All right, so let's hope it's smooth sailing for everyone.

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And for many it will be.

WHITFIELD: OK. But then you've got some snow flurries in some pockets and chilly temperatures in others.

[14:10:00] MAULDIN: Which is expected because today is the first day of winter, Fredricka. Some of us will be dealing with the winter-like weather, while some of us will be dealing with spring-like weather. Up here across the northeast in New England, we continue to see snow fall across portions of this area. We've already picked up roughly four to nine inches of snow across parts of Massachusetts, New York, as well as Pennsylvania. The Great Lakes are open for business, so we will continue to see some lake effect snowfall here.

With the majority of you hitting the roads and the cold temperatures around, some of that wintry mischief, just be safe. For those of you that are flying, the delays are mainly up here across the northeast, and that's due to wind. The wind is howling. It's roughly 40 miles per hour, those gusts are. And it's not until tomorrow that we see this weather maker push out. We see a brief lull in the activity only for, you guessed it, a quick moving clipper system to move across the Great Lakes and bring some more snow.

Now, if you're already in place, you're dealing with some cold air across the east coast. Look at that temperature in New York City. That is roughly 20 degrees below average. And honestly, it's not until next weekend that you'll be back above average.

So while were dealing with some snowball like weather across portions of the east, we're dealing with snow cone like weather in phoenix, with the temperatures approaching 80 degrees, well above average, or even above average in the pacific northwest, too, where a series of weather makers will be coming onshore, bringing rain to the coastline and then heavy snow to the mountains.

Expanding the view and looking at the precipitation from now through Chanukkah and Christmas, we'll continue to see the series of weather makers across the west coast. And yes, well even get some rainfall across the lower plains, lower Mississippi Valley, maybe a little bit more snow up into the northeast and New England as well.

Fredricka, I'm going to end with this, because I want to end with a positive note.

WHITFIELD: I like that.

MAULDIN: We've been losing some daylight over the last couple of months. And now with today being the first day of winter, that is the day with the fewest amount of daylight hours. That means one thing. We start gaining daylight hours as we go forward. By the time we get to spring, in New York City, you'll be dealing with more than 12 hours of sunshine. And then by the summer, more than 15 hours of sunshine. So if you don't enjoy winter and you want more sunshine, just hold on tightly because it's coming.

WHITFIELD: Spring is coming.

MAULDIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: OK, we're just going to get through this.

MAULDIN: Think warm thoughts.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right, Tyler Mauldin, thanks so much.

All right, still to come, at least five people are dead, including a nine-year-old child, and over 200 people are injured after a car plowed into a bustling Christmas market in Germany. What we know about the suspect and his motive next.

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[14:17:27]

WHITFIELD: All right, moments ago, a vigil in the German city of Magdeburg ended near the site of that deadly attack on a crowded Christmas market. Hundreds gathered inside St. John's Church, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, all there to remember the five people who were killed and the dozens more badly injured after a car plowed through the crowded market Friday night.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is joining me right now. All right, so that crowd was pretty extraordinary, both at the makeshift memorial there as well as at that church.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. It's been pretty much the entire city, and I think a lot of people also from the surrounding areas coming out here to Magdeburg to pay their respects, but also, of course, to mourn together. I think one of the things that we've seen as we've been on the ground here in Magdeburg is that this society, the city, has really been hit extremely hard by what happened here in the evening hours of last night.

In fact, I'm going to get out of your way once again, Fredricka, and we can see the sea of flowers that just continues to grow. It's something that we've been seeing the entire day, that people have been coming out here in streams, laying flowers, laying toys in some cases. Of course, we know that one of the people who was killed was actually a child. And just showing their grief. There's people that we are seeing here burst into tears as they're just thinking about what happened, obviously, in the heart of their city.

This Christmas market was huge. It was in the city center. It's now been shut down. And it was certainly one of those places where people here would conglomerate, especially on a Friday night and especially on the last Friday night before Christmas. So definitely this community hit extremely hard.

And if you look at the numbers, it's definitely something that a lot of people find extremely devastating, with more than 200 people being injured in this attack, five people have been confirmed dead. But I think one of the things that really gets to people here is that they know that there are a lot of folks who are still fighting for their lives in the hospitals around this area. In fact, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, he came out earlier today and he said he does fear that the death toll could continue to rise.

And if we look at -- we were on the ground here yesterday, if we look at some of the things that were happening, we saw the ambulances racing with people to try and get them to hospitals. The authorities here are now saying that they had to bring people to 15 hospitals, not just in the city, but in the greater area here because so many of the hospitals in actual Magdeburg were overwhelmed by the amount of casualties that happened.

And one thing that is extraordinary about all this is that the police here say that the first 911 call they got about this was about two minutes past 7:00 p.m. on Friday night, and that by five minutes past 7:00 p.m., they had the suspect in custody.

[14:20:02]

So all of this lasted for less than three minutes. And at the same time, the carnage was so severe, and it hit this community so hard, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Tragic. All right, Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.

All right, coming up, a growing concern over the rise of cases of bird flu in humans and livestock. Just in California, two-thirds of dairies are under quarantine. Details straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right, new concerns amid a growing outbreak of the bird flu. According to the CDC, 64 people in nine states have tested positive, with mostly mild illnesses.

[14:25:03]

Most of the cases are in California, and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency this week as bird flu sickens more of the state's dairy cows. CNN's Veronica Miracle takes us to a farm where severe precautions are being taken.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the bird flu rips through California infecting dairy cows, about two-thirds of dairy farms in the entire state have been under quarantine. This dairy farm just outside of Tulare, California, was one of the first to be hit with the virus. Tom is a third-generation owner of this family farm.

So Tom is spraying down our tires with a bleach solution, which says kills everything so that any car that's coming in here, into their farm, particularly from another dairy, they have to get their tires washed with this bleach before they can enter.

Thank you for spraying down our tires. And now we need to protect ourselves, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.

MIRACLE: I've got the gloves, I've got a mask on, have the goggles here. But I see also, you're going to bypass that because you feel confident and comfortable that --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MIRACLE: -- that everything here is safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I will also say that anybody else that comes in, we would request they do the gear-up just because we don't know exactly where they've been.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Tom has roughly 1,200 cows on this farm. They produce about 11,000 gallons of milk per day. When the herd became infected with the avian flu in September, nearly 30 cows died. The farm was put under quarantine for five weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our facility is negative of bird flu and has been for some time. So we're not under quarantine anymore.

MIRACLE: But the risk is definitely still there. The biggest concern being getting it from another dairy, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Despite rapid efforts to contain the virus, the illness has now spread from Central to Southern California.

MIRACLE: How long does it take until you know that a cow is sick?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will know within three days.

MIRACLE: Within three days?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MIRACLE: OK. So, a cow technically could be sick right now and you won't know for a few days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a possibility.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Transmission to humans is also a major concern, but state officials insist there's no need to panic.

DR. ANNETTE JONES, CALIFORNIA STATE VETERINARIAN: Pasteurization is 100 percent effective in killing this virus in milk.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Of the 36 cases of bird flu in humans in California this year, nearly all of those affected were dairy farm workers exposed to sick animals, according to the CDC.

MIRACLE: So Miguel, are you concerned at all about your safety? You're not wearing any goggles? So he's not concerned about getting sick.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Right now, 613 dairy farms are quarantined, 66 have been cleared in recent months, but dairy industry representatives say the risk doesn't end there.

ANJA RAUDABAUGH, CEO, WESTERN UNITED DAIRIES: We are starting to hear about reinfections in Texas, Colorado, Idaho, and Louisiana.

MIRACLE (voice-over): Here in Tulare County, Tom is staying vigilant and following safe practices. This while California prepares for the worst and tries to get ahead of a rapidly evolving crisis.

It's not just cows that are at risk. Poultry farms are also in danger. Fifty-one poultry farms in the state of California just this fall have tested positive for bird flu. And we spoke to a chicken farmer in San Diego who said that he hasn't yet been impacted, but if one of his chickens gets sick, he will have to euthanize the entire flock. So major concerns there.

In terms of human-to-human transmission of this strain of the bird flu, that has not yet happened. And officials are reiterating that the risk to the public is very low.

Veronica Miracle, CNN, Tulare County, California.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: And in Louisiana, health officials say a person was infected with the first severe case of the H5N1 bird flu. That person had to be hospitalized after being exposed to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks. This is the first time in the U.S. a bird flu case has been linked to a backyard flock.

Joining us right now to talk about it, primary care physician and public health specialist Dr. Saju Mathew. Doctor, welcome. Always good to see you. This is a little unnerving, however. I mean, should we be concerned about the possible transmission of bird flu, I mean, affecting this human, this severe human case in Louisiana, and now also cattle?

DR. SAJU MATHEW, PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST: The temperature when it comes to bird flu, definitely, for sure, fred, has gone up. The big question for us as public health officials is, is there person to person transmission, kind of like what happened in COVID.

But right now, the CDC says the risk is low. Of the 60 somewhat odd cases that were all like poultry workers. But this particular case that you mentioned, the person in Louisiana, fell severely sick. I mean, this patient was over 60 years of age and had other comorbid illnesses. But the question is, why was this patient so severely sick?

[14:30:01]

And moving forward, do we need to worry about community transmission? But so far, again, I don't want to alarm anyone. But for us as public health officials, the temperature is definitely up.

WHITFIELD: What are the symptoms?

MATHEW: Cold like symptoms, nasal congestion. Kind of like a flu-like illness, because that's really what bird flu is. It's a flu-like illness that is gone from birds to poultry. And now we know that there is a connection to humans. But good news again, Fred. No person-to- person transmission just yet.

WHITFIELD: Thats good for now. So what's the treatment, if there is such a thing?

MATHEW: It's a flu like illness. So basically at the end of the day, you just rest at home, maybe get some decongestants. There's not a specific treatment, just like the flu. And of all the cases that I mentioned, except for this Louisiana case, Fred, they were all mild cases. This is the first severe case of bird flu.

WHITFIELD: So when you have a situation like California issuing a state of emergency over bird flu in this past week with these 64 confirmed human cases, what signaling is that sending about how serious this is or what the potential is for this bird flu?

MATHEW: I mean, it could always turn into something completely different. Right now, more than 60 cases have been mild. People have been poultry workers. They've been working directly in a professional state. So ultimately you want to be vigilant. You want to protect yourself, wear gloves, wear a mask. And if you deal with wild animals, you want to be extremely careful.

WHITFIELD: When we talk about viruses, illnesses, I mean, COVID was an incredible marker for us in so many different ways, but now we're talking about the longevity of humans. This is aside from any kind of bird flu case, but now we're talking about humans reaching a kind of pre-pandemic level of life expectancy. What's behind that?

MATHEW: Well, finally, some good news. When I sit on the couch with you, typically we talk about some stuff that's really dangerous. But this is good news. The life expectancy in the U.S. is rebounding. So the good news from that really is also because we have decreased in the reduction of COVID deaths. So less and less people are dying from COVID. And also in the younger population, drug overdose cases are down as well. So both of that combined has kind of rebounded our life expectancy.

We're not quite at pre-pandemic levels and COVID, has not gone and will never go. But it's a more manageable disease thanks to vaccines. But if you look at the U.S. compared to other countries, high-income countries like England, an average person is living three to four years longer. So we shouldn't get complacent, but this is really good news.

WHITFIELD: What do we think we should learn from this? What are we doing that might be encouraging? Or what do we need to borrow from some Europeans to help increase our life expectancy? MATHEW: Yes. If we can get rid of the stress here in the U.S., I

think Americans, we work long hours, we work hard. We're not necessarily people that eat healthy. You and I travel a lot. People in Paris, they walk an average of eight miles a day. They eat small portions. So there's so much we can learn. But the good news is we're almost at pre-pandemic levels with life expectancy.

WHITFIELD: Almost there. All right, a little encouragement.

And have a great holiday season. Thank you so much for being at the ready throughout 2024, being here on the sofa with me and talking about all these things that we can do to improve our lives and livelihood. Dr. Saju Mathew, always great to see you.

MATHEW: Thank you, Fred, always enjoy being here with you, so thank you.

WHITFIELD: And look forward to seeing more of you in 2025.

MATHEW: Happy holidays.

WHITFIELD: Happy holidays. Thank you so much.

All right, when we come back, delayed one more time, NASA announced astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain in space even longer. When they're expected to finally come back to earth, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:38:42]

WHITFIELD: All right, this week, NASA announced it was delaying the launch of crew ten, meaning astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be in space a bit longer. The pair has been stranded at the International Space Station since June after tests determined their Boeing Starliner could not return them to earth safely. And now with the delay, NASA says it will be March, perhaps, at the earliest, that Wilmore and Williams can return to earth.

Joining us right now, former NASA astronaut and Columbia University professor, Mike Massimino. He is the author of the book "Moonshot, A NASA Astronaut's Guide to Achieving the Impossible." Professor, good to see you.

MIKE MASSIMINO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Likewise.

WHITFIELD: OK, so if you were to receive that news, and I know this is the goal, this is part of the journey, being at the International Space Station. I mean, nothing gets better than that. But really, if you were told there's going to be yet one more delay when you first thought you'd be there only for a matter of days, would you be happy to hear that it's going to be March?

MASSIMINO: Well, I'm not going to speak for my friends. You asked the question to me, how I would feel, Fredricka. And I think there'd be mixed emotions. Being away, especially this time of year, even if you're doing a job you love, there are many people, service people around the world doing things that, of course, that require them to be away from their families.

[14:40:08]

So you miss your families, you miss your friends. You miss that season on the ground. So I think it might be a little bit of, ah, geez, another month. But they're like, oh cool, another month.

(LAUGHTER)

MASSIMINO: So it's just going to be maybe a little bit of a mixed, a little bit of a mixed reaction. But I think overall they'll be OK with it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And Butch and Suni -- I'm talking like I know them, first name basis and all. But I mean every picture we've seen of them, they look engaged, elated. They really look happy. Even these latest pictures with the Santa hats, very cute too. But what is it like for them right now when you when you get notice that you're going to stay a little bit longer? Does that mean more projects? Does it mean an opportunity to fine tune certain projects that they've been working on? I mean, how do they approach it?

MASSIMINO: Yes, it's an interesting point you say there, Fredricka, about a little extra time. My launches from earth were delayed. One of mine was ready to go and was delayed. One of my launches was delayed an extra month. Another time we were delayed more than six months on the ground. And that gave you more time to prepare. Extra time in space gives you more time to enjoy the environment. So I'm sure there's things that they wanted to do that maybe they haven't gotten to that maybe they now will be able to get to.

In some ways, you miss your family, you want to come home, but you also want to get a lot of things done. And this gives them, I think, a little extra time to do that. So there's positives, and maybe some negatives, too.

WHITFIELD: What about their bodies? What are their bodies going through? I remember seeing some video of look like Suni was kind of on a treadmill staying fit. But what do you do? What are the things that you have to be mindful of? And what do you need to be watching for if you're an astronaut in at the International Space Station that long just to keep your body strong and keep yourself both mentally and physically fit?

MASSIMINO: Well, eating right and getting enough sleep is, of course, important, just like it is here on earth. More important, though, or more important than it is on earth, but it's always important to get exercise. Everyone should be getting exercise. But if you don't exercise on the International Space Station and you're up there for the months long expeditions that we have now, you're going to have some real trouble when you come back to earth.

So we don't let that happen. Theres a two-hour exercise period six days a week. Suni is one of the people, I can't think of anyone who enjoys exercise. You know, a lot of us do exercise --

WHITFIELD: She looks like quite the runner.

MASSIMINO: But Suni really loves it.

WHITFIELD: I noticed that.

MASSIMINO: She really loves her exercise. And Butch was always the first guy in the gym. I'll tell you, you go to the gym early in the morning. He was there before it even opened. He had his own code to get in there. So Butch was always first in the gym. And Suni just loved exercising. She ran a triathlon in space, which is kind of interesting because for the swimming she had to rig up a bunch of Therabands to do that part of it. But they're both very fit people. They both were college athletes, and I'm sure they're getting their exercise and they're going to come back in terrific condition.

WHITFIELD: Well, that explains her form. I noticed that when she was running. I was like, wait a minute. She looks like she knows what she's doing there, very impressive.

MASSIMINO: She does.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, you've spent a lot of time in space. When it comes down to the holidays, it's there something special about the food that's planned? Just kind of take us there. Or piping in certain music, I mean, what's that atmosphere like?

MASSIMINO: Yes. Well, Fredricka, there's certainly plenty of treats on board, I'm sure. They had two supply ships go up in November, and I think it's kind of like Santa Claus coming to visit. So I think that there's plenty of food, of course, and supplies they need. But there's always some extra treats around the holiday season, some things that they really like will be prepared for them, maybe some special requests.

The music, they can have access to any music in the world, just like we do now with our different, our ways to get music here on earth. They have those same opportunities up in space. Plus, decorations and Santa hats and all kinds of surprises and special messages and time to speak to their families. You get holidays off typically, so I think they'll get a couple of days off here during the holidays to catch up on things or relax and enjoy the environment and catch up with friends and family.

So it really is -- they try to make it as best as they can. And it's not just to be nice, it's also important for mission success. You need you need a good morale on the crew and the people on the ground. I've spent holidays in the mission control center in Houston, and sometimes my family went back to New York, where I'm originally from, to celebrate the holidays, and I was there in Houston. And you would go to the control center and kind of have that bond with the other folks there. You were very happy with the job you were doing. But of course, you know, you missed your family from time to time, of course.

So it's not just the astronauts in space. It's the thousands of people supporting the missions, the folks in the mission control center, those standing by to help just in case. And they're very thrilled to be doing that work. And there's ways to infiltrate the holiday season and still have joy while you're doing your job. And that's certainly what NASA does.

[14:45:00]

WHITFIELD: Yes. And we can see their joy. We really can. We're just, us regular folks are a little curious about what's going on up there, what's their life like. And we're all learning and really appreciating their work and the work that you have done, too, over the years as well. Professor Mike Massimino, thank you so much. Have a great holiday.

MASSIMINO: Happy holidays, Fredricka, thanks for covering the story.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, a new CNN film examining the storied career of one of the most influential artists of all time, Luther Vandross. From his formative years in Harlem, appearing in the Apollo Theater, house band, and the first episodes of "Sesame Street" to the rise as king of love songs. Using a wealth of archives, Vandross tells his own story along with the voices of his closest musical collaborators and friends. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You only come across an artist like Luther Vandross once in a lifetime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luther said, I have a sound in my head. I've got to get it out. So we went in the studio. He says, OK, it goes boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I said, this is a quirky little bass line.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the most exciting time in the world. My head, my heart was immersed in this business.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His life had some extremely joyful moments.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four albums, and all of them platinum.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had some really difficult moments.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He would say, God has given me everything I asked for, except one person who loves me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I keep getting the feeling that the best part of my career is still ahead of me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we were to be able to talk to Luther as fans, we would say we just love you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Luther, Never Too Much," New Year's Day on CNN. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:35]

WHITFIELD: All right, a quick programing reminder. The boys, shall we call them, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen are back for the biggest party of the year. Join them for New Year's Eve Live. Coverage starts at 8:00 p.m. only on CNN.

All right, the college football playoffs are kicking off this weekend, starting with an epic showdown last night in South Bend. But we're watching some other big games today on the march to the national championship. CNN's Andy Scholes is standing by at the shoe at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where the Tennessee Vols will take on the Buckeyes later on tonight. OK, so give us a preview.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, here's hoping the underdogs in orange, Tennessee and Clemson, can make this first round of the college football playoffs a little more interesting, because so far it's been all blowouts.

Last night in South Bend, Notre Dame easily took care of Indiana to win the first game of the 12-team playoff. And then the early game today in Happy Valley has been all Penn State. They got two pick-sixes early in the game, and they've just dominated SMU, up 31 to 3 right now. So Penn State will be moving on to the quarterfinals to take on Boise State.

We do have two more games today. You got Clemson at Texas there in Austin. And I tell you what, I can guarantee you it is much, much warmer there than it is here in Columbus, Ohio, where Tennessee will be taking on Ohio State.

Now, the last time the Buckeyes were playing on this field is when they lost to Michigan. And we had the whole flag planting fiasco behind me. But that was the fourth straight loss for Ohio state Against Michigan. And Ryan Day is now one and four against Ohio State's biggest rivals. And the fan base here in Columbus really anxious about this game. And I was walking around talking to a lot of the fans, and I asked them, is there a coach on the hot seat?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm feeling that Ryan's got to win today, and from there it's day by day. But if he wins the day, I think he'll be all right. But he definitely, he better not -- he better win today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's just a lot of pent-up frustration. Quite frankly, we better get off to a good start. Or else the crowd might get a little surly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, the man has won 92 percent of his games over his career as a head coach. So I mean, yes, people say he's on the hot seat, but I don't really see how. I don't understand that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, so well see how it goes, Fredricka. A lot of pressure on the Buckeyes and Coach Day in this game. And it's going to be cold. You better bundle up. The feels-like temperature right now is 16 degrees, and it's not going to get any warmer.

WHITFIELD: Yes a lot of pressure indeed. But hello, they got there. So it counts for a lot.

OK, and then you know you've got the playoffs getting a lot of attention. Also, there are some other bowl games happening with one Florida Gator getting his first career carry.

SCHOLES: Yes Fredricka, Desmond Watson had himself a Gasparilla Bowl to remember for a while. He's 449 pounds, the biggest dude in all of college football. In the first half, he picked up the Tulane quarterback, trying to keep him from getting a first down. Then Florida needed a first down in the fourth quarter. It was near the end of his career. So what do they do? They give him the handoff, and the big man gets the first down.

[14:55:01]

And then he even did the Heisman pose on the sideline, which went viral because that's pretty much the coolest thing we've seen in college football all season long. But, Fredricka, always awesome when the big men get to carry the ball right?

WHITFIELD: I love it. Hey, it's all about having a good time, getting the big plays, and just living it. I love it.

All right, Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

And thank you for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. More Newsroom coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)