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Ukrainian Official Says, Russian Military Brought Down Passenger Plane; Making the Most of Your Money; Trump Targets U.S. Allies in Christmas Day Post. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 26, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: A very good morning to you. I'm Jessica Dean here in Washington. Jim Acosta has the day off and you're in the CNN Newsroom.

And we begin new this morning with disturbing new allegations in yesterday's deadly plane crash in Kazakhstan. Reuters is now reporting that multiple unnamed sources in Azerbaijan with knowledge of the investigation say Russia's air defense system is to blame. It is worth noting the official stance from Azerbaijan right now is that the cause is unknown. Russia is denying these allegations.

The Azerbaijan Airlines flight was headed to Russia when it crashed on Christmas morning and burst into flames. Russia initially claimed a bird strike forced an emergency landing, but holes seen in the wreckage are raising some suspicions.

CNN's Nada Bashir is in London with the latest on this. Nada, what are you learning?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There's been a lot of speculation, a lot of questions around what may have led to this fatal plane crash. And we'd heard earlier in the day from one Ukrainian official who had alleged that the plane was downed by Russian air defense systems. Of course, there had been questions around drone activity in the area. It's understood that the plane crashed shortly after drone strikes took place in parts of Southern Russia.

Now, we are learning, according to reporting by Reuters, citing multiple unnamed sources that it is understood that the pain may well have been downed by Russian air defense systems. Again, this is being reported by Reuters, citing those unnamed sources. There isn't an official line yet from the investigators examining the evidence of what led to this crash.

We know that the Kazakh government has set up an established a commission, especially focused on investigating the evidence that is currently presented to them at this stage. It is a joint international investigation. We are still waiting to hear more clarification from the officials on that front, certainly a concerning development, troubling development, if indeed this is the case.

We had heard earlier in the day, of course, from CNN's own aviation safety experts but with regards to the images and videos that we have been seeing of the wreckage and the aftermath of that crash, which appeared to show holes and perforations in the fuselage, some analysis suggests that the entry and exit points of these holes would not suggest that this was shrapnel caused by the aftermath of the impact of the crash, but rather potentially surface-to-air missiles.

But, again, this is speculation at this stage analysis at this stage. No clear line of confirmation from the investigators or Kazakh authorities. But, again, those questions will continue to mountain in Kazakhstan. This is, of course, a day of mourning, 38 people killed. Remarkably, 29 people were able to survive that crash. We saw that dramatic video of some of those survivors emerging from the wreckage. Among them, two children. They, of course, were quickly taken to hospitals for immediate medical attention. It is understood that a number of those survivors are still in critical conditions. So, we will be waiting and monitoring to hear updates on their status as well.

But, again, lots of questions continuing to mount as we wait for the full results of the investigation that is still ongoing. Jessica?

DEAN: And, Nada, oftentimes in these incidences, it's the black boxes on board these planes that provide a lot of information. Is there any information on where that might be, or if they found anything like that?

BASHIR: Yes, absolutely. Investigators will be taking a look at the black box following this crash in order to fully assess what took place and what led to the crash in the moments ahead. We have seen video, of course, showing the plane at moments before the crash circling the airfield somewhat erratically before appearing to take a nosedive and crashing into the ground, bursting into flames upon impact.

And, of course, what we've also seen is the sort of back end, the tail end of the plane, almost fully intact, though upturned. So, clearly, there will be questions around what exactly led to the crash, whether in fact that impact was significant enough to, of course, lead to the survival of those 29 passengers who managed to escape from the wreckage. But, again, lots of questions, the black box will be central to what investigators are looking at.

We heard yesterday, of course, from Russian aviation authorities who said that they understood, according to preliminary information that the pilot may have been forced to attempt an emergency landing as a result of a bird strike.

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But, again, that stands in contrast to what we are hearing now from other reports, again, reiterating that Reuters reporting just coming in now citing multiple sources that this may well have being caused by Russian air defense systems. But, again, still waiting for that final clarification from investigators.

DEAN: Right, more information to come and still looking at those pictures. Amazing, there were any survivors at all.

Nada Bashir, thank you so much for that reporting.

Let's take a look at some other top stories we're tracking this morning, including a family dispute on Christmas evening turning horrific at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Police say three people were shot in an airport restaurant outside the security perimeter. One victim, a woman, is now in critical condition.

We know police later detained a girl and a man in the parking garage. That man had been stabbed. He and the other shooting victim are in stable condition.

20 big cats at a wild animal sanctuary in the state of Washington have died of bird flu in a devastating blow to conservation efforts. The sanctuary says more than half of its big cats have been infected with the virus as cases are on the rise across that state. The sanctuary is now under quarantine to help protect the remaining animals.

And let's now get a check of the weather. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa joining us now. And, Elisa, a lot of people on the move today. What do we need to know about travel?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've got a couple of problem spots, one in the south where we have showers and storms that will ignite with the afternoon daytime heat and humidity, and then the pacific northwest will be a problem not just today but really through a lot of the week. We have an atmospheric river unloading a series of storms. You can see some delays likely today from Seattle to Portland and even down towards San Francisco.

We have rain and snow coming on shore along the West Coast. We've got winter alerts in effect where we could find another foot of snow possible in some of the highest elevations. And this could come with winds of words of 60 miles per hour. That would create blowing snow, poor visibility, could take down some tree limbs and power lines.

So, we continue with that rain and snow today. And then, like I mentioned, maybe brief lulls, but it continues, a series of storms as we go through the weekend. Just through Friday alone, we're looking at two to four inches of rain along the coast. In the mountains, we could be looking at another foot of snow. That's just through Friday. Again, we tack on even more to that as we go into the weekend.

Then here's another storm that we're watching in the south, showers and storms starting to ignite around Dallas. Some of these looking like discreet thunderstorms. We'll need to watch for the ingredients in the atmosphere today where some severe weather is possible. We're talking damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes. Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Elisa Raffa. Thanks so much for that update.

Cowboy Carter came to slay on Christmas Day. That's right, Beyonce rocking her hometown of Houston, the 32-time Grammy winner bringing down the house with her halftime performance as part of Netflix's first ever NFL doubleheader. The back-to-back games marked the streaming giant's first foray into live football, and it came with a $150 million price tag. The question is, did it pay off?

Joining me now to discuss CNN's Coy Wire and TechRadar Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff. Good to have both of you here.

Lance, first to you, Netflix had a whole lot riding on this, $150 million to be exact. How'd they do?

LANCE ULANOFF, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, TECHRADAR: Well, surprisingly, there were no issues, no tech issues that I could see or find or reports. You know, I think back to what happened with the Tyson-Paul bout, where 110 million people tried to sign in and stream at the same time and Netflix crumbled under the pressure.

So, it was really going to be a big test for them. We don't know the numbers, like we really don't know how many people are actually streaming. But a live sports event with one of the biggest stars in the world is generally going to draw a lot of eyeballs. And there was really -- I don't know if there was a single report of the spinning red wheel.

DEAN: It is kind of amazing. Coy, what did you think of it?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Oh, well, I thought the production, as you mentioned, was great as far as the game. And then -- but overall, I mean, to bring in someone like Beyonce, who you showed to do a halftime performance for these games, I mean, it was smart and it was well done. I mean, they definitely made the nice list making these decisions.

You know, not only that, they had the Pentatonix sing the national anthem pregame to launch these games. They had Mariah Carey do an NFL- inspired video along to her Christmas classic, All I Want for Christmas is You. So, they went over the top with some big hitters, names wise celebrities to help promote these games and bring something to fans outside of the sports world, right?

You're going to have -- the Netflix has already said that over 200 countries tuned in at some point during the Chief-Steelers game, the first one.

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It was the second most watched live event on Netflix. That does not include this second game where you had the halftime performance by Beyonce. So, I think already the proof is starting to come out in the pudding here that they did really well. They crushed it on Christmas Day.

DEAN: Yes. And, Lance, it's so interesting to see them dipping their toe into this and it's really worth noting that you have these back- to-back NFL games, which obviously you're going to draw big crowds. But you -- also they really tried to make it even bigger with the Beyonce performance with all the performers that Coy just named, like they really wanted to make this an event.

WIRE: Yes. Talk about risk taking. You know, the NFL is popular sports across the spectrum of media, but there are very few things that draw big viewing crowds anymore. You know, people watch stuff when they want to watch. It's an on-demand world, but there are a few things like live sports and sometimes awards events that draw people in.

And then you add this massive star. You know, people want to see, you know, Cowboy Carter, huge record, you know, the first live performance for people of these songs. So, you add all of that together. But, here's the thing. This is where this industry is going. If you look at all of Netflix's competitors, you know, we've got Apple TV+, we've got Amazon, you know, all of these guys, what they are doing is adding live sports.

And it's tough because on the cable and broadcast side, that's really the last area where they know they can draw big audiences. So, this is going to be a big area of contention throughout 2025, as we see more and more live sports now that Netflix has said, look, we just proved we can do it. We can do it with big games, and the biggest star in the world. Stay tuned for more.

DEAN: Right, yes. And as you said, no technical glitches, it appeared, this time.

Coy, what about the actual calling of the game, what people are used to, you know, the coverage of the actual football?

WIRE: Yes. The coverage was outstanding. They brought in some outstanding analysts and play-by-play commentators for these games. So, that went swimmingly. And the games themselves provided some great entertainment as well. Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson -- we'll talk Chiefs first since we're seeing it here. Patrick Holmes through three touchdown passes. This one here to Travis Kelce, made him the Chiefs all-time leader in touchdown reception, 77 for his career now surpassing the Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.

And then in the other game, Lamar Jackson for the Ravens, he was like Rudolph leading the way for those Ravens who slayed all day, 31-2. They trounced the Texans. He threw for two touchdown passes, and then he ran for 87 yards and another score. He passed Michael Vick for the NFL's all-time leading rusher as a quarterback. It was an incredible performance for those Ravens. They're now one game ahead of the Steelers atop the AFC North.

So, on the field action and all the fun, entertainment outside of the game went very well for the doubleheader on Christmas Day for Netflix.

DEAN: And I also heard about a special visit in the locker room that the Chiefs got. What was that?

WIRE: Oh, yes, please. Let's roll this tape. Santa Claus showing up in the Chiefs locker room. And here's the thing. This is head coach Andy Reid dressed up as the big man. And then a jolly old elf comes out and awards coach read a game ball because they set a franchise record with a 15th win on the season, the Chiefs rolling towards becoming that first ever to three-peat Super Bowl champion. It was a great day, jolly old day for those Chiefs.

DEAN: Yes, no, Andy Reid, he does a good Santa. All right, Lance, Coy, thank you to both of you. We appreciate it.

Coming up, you don't have to wait into the New Year to get your finances in order. We're going to help you thrive in '25. How to make the most of your money, that's after the break.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, this is Private First Class Cunnison. I'm from Florida, Miami, Florida. I'm currently deployed in Southeast Poland. I want to give a quick shout out to my mom. You know, I love you. Thank you for motivating me to keep going. Shout out to my brothers and the army. Rest in peace my brother. Rest in peace my uncle, my daddy, my niece. I love you all. I do this for you all.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Sergeant First Class Norwood. I want to say hi to my Dallas Fort Worth family, to my mom, my cousins, my dad, all my family in North Texas, in the DFW area, to my children, grandchildren, and to my husband in Las Vegas, Happy Holidays. See you soon.

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DEAN: And with only a few days remaining in 2024, you might want to think about getting your financial house in order before the New Year. We're reviewing your monthly bank and credit card statements to figuring out the biggest tax return, we've got you covered on the financial tips to help you thrive in '25.

Joining us now is nationally syndicated personal finance columnist at the Washington Post, Michelle Singletary. Michelle, it's great to have you here, a perfect time to do this. What is the first thing people should review when they're thinking about their finances headed into 2025?

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, SYNDICATED PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes. Well, Happy Holidays to everyone. Listen, you need to go back and review your bank and credit card statements. And I know people are especially now that the president is over people like, ah!.

DEAN: There may be afraid to do that. Yes, exactly.

SINGLETARY: You can't be afraid to do of it. I look at it is when you're driving, there's a rear view mirror and you're going to look back, but you also need to look forward, but you still need to keep an eye on what happened or what's happening behind you. And lots of people don't want to face their financial truth, like you'll say, Oh, I don't really spend that much, and you actually do. So, spend this next couple of days before the New Year just looking back to see how you spent and where you want to make some changes.

DEAN: Yes, it's a good time to be a little honest with yourself there. I also learned that according to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft numbers, where they received over 141,000 reports of identity theft in 2024. And the most common type is credit card theft.

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And that does require you to your point, really looking at your statement and knowing if you spent this or we're at this place or not. They're counting on people probably not really checking.

SINGLETARY: That's exactly true. I get emails all the time when some says, you know what, I hadn't looked and all of a sudden I had all these charges. I put alerts on all of my cards. So, the moment something hits my card, it dings me, drives my husband crazy, actually. Because he'll spend like $10 and I'm like, honey, did you spend $10? He's like, how did you know that? I just went right to the phone.

DEAN: Right to the phone?

SINGLETARY: Right. So, you want to put those alerts. And the other thing you want to do is really look and see if you've got strong passwords, if you have set up, you know, a system, so that if something happens, they'll either text you or email you, so you know what's going on. A lot of you watching are reusing your passwords, especially for your financial accounts. You want to be careful about that.

Data breachers are so big now. And you know, a lot of our information is out there already, but let's try to do what you can to prevent your information from getting into the wrong hands by making sure that your accounts have strong passwords and that you have set up a system where they can contact you if something happens.

And all of your financial accounts, they don't ding you, set this up, set this up, and you've not done that this year. So, do this for the last couple days of the year.

DEAN: Yes, really protect yourself. At least we get harder for these people to steal your information.

I also want to ask you about retirement accounts. According to Fidelity, hardship withdrawals on these retirement accounts have been on the rise for the past five years. In 2023, 6.9 percent of people with a retirement plan withdrew money for a financial hardship. So, how do you recommend people maybe proactively maintain that account and help themselves avoid dipping into it? Obviously, there are emergencies that happen in life. SINGLETARY: Yes. You know, we've had a tough time these last couple years with inflation and people feel they have no other choice, and I get that. But some people, you may not need to do that if you haven't handled on the rest of your money, setting up an emergency fund, setting up what I call a life happens fund, which is separate from the emergency fund. That's when life happens. You know, your dishwasher breaks, your dog does something it shouldn't do, chews up a cord that you need to replace, those kinds of things. I know. And if you've got kids, you know, they're going to break something.

So, you want to have a different account so that you don't touch it. I think of emergency fund is that dire fund, like you lose your job, so you get sick and you've got to pull from that.

And so one of the ways to do that is that look at how you're saving for your retirement and think of that as no touch protected money. Because we know that you're going to need that money in retirement. So, you know, I really try to encourage people not to touch that money when you change jobs. Don't cash out that money.

And the other thing is take this year to look back to see how your retirement accounts have done. You know, we always tell people, don't look at it every month or every day because it'll freak you out. And lots of people think, oh, you know, I've lost money because they're looking at the most recent time that the stock market went down. But look at it over the year. I looked at the numbers. You know, the S&P is up almost like 27 percent. The Dow Jones is up 14 percent.

So, don't just sort of react to the last market numbers that you saw. Look at how it's been for the last year. And if you're not happy with that contribution level, spend the next couple of days looking at that and take it up a little bit, even if it's just 1 percent, so that you can make sure that you're saving enough for the time when you don't want to work full-time.

DEAN: Yes. And, listen, that 1 percent over a period of time can really add up. That's the beauty of saving overtime.

Michelle Singletary --

SINGLETARY: That's right. And it saves you on your taxes, right? You know, like if you're saving in a tax preferred account, you can actually pay less taxes. So, you don't have to give the government so much of your money.

And just listen, I know the end of the year, you don't want to do this and you're looking forward to the New Year's Eve party. But I want you to spend the next couple of days looking at your finances, and particularly as it relates to protecting your accounts. Like I just did a huge series for the Post called scammed about this Maryland woman who lost all of her retirement money, almost $600,000. And I don't want that to happen to you.

DEAN: No, we do not need that happening, great advice. Michelle Singletary, Happy Holidays to you. Thank you so much for being here with us. We appreciate it. Coming up, President-elect Donald Trump doubling down on his threat to retake the Panama Canal. Who he just chose to be the U.S. ambassador to that country, and the message it's sending to leaders there, that's next.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, my name is Lieutenant Colonel Rosemary Reed, based out of the NATO Allied Joint Forces Command Naples, Italy. And I want to give a shout out to my dad in Duarte, California, and wish him a very Merry Christmas.

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I love you, dad.

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DEAN: With just less than a month now until his return to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump is taking aim at U.S. allies. In a lengthy Christmas Day post on Truth Social, he mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, suggesting the U.S. could annex its northern neighbor as the 51st state. Trump also repeated his desire to purchase the territory of Greenland from Denmark, claiming it's needed for, quote, national security purposes.

CNN's Steve Contorno is in West Palm Beach, Florida, near Mar-a-Lago. And, Steve, the question here, bluster or serious talk from Trump? What are you hearing?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Jessica, with Trump, as it's so often difficult to know what is the opening volley in some sort of negotiation he's trying to get and what is purely sort of red meat for his base.

But as far as Canada, look, Donald Trump has been taunting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for weeks now. It all stems back to that threat to put a 25 percent tariff on Canada goods if Canada doesn't do more to help the U.S. with border issues is what Trump has said he wants.

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